980
- Here is a story from
www.chessbase.com
A new plan for unification
16.05.2004 The
man behind the Prague Agreement for the unification of the world chess
championship title, Yasser Seirawan, recently told us about the background
of its failure. He was subsequently criticized by Kasparov, and today
replies with a new constructive proposal to resolve the mess in the chess
world. Read about it in this
open
letter to Garry Kasparov.
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981
- Here's a story from
www.chessbase.com
Anand wins third Chess Oscar
08.05.2004 After
1997 and 1998 Indian Super-GM Vishy Anand has won the Chess Oscar for the
third time. A worldwide poll involving leading chess writers, critics and
journalists from over 50 countries, and conducted by Russian magazine 64,
Put Anand ahead of his nearest rival by over 1500 points. Here's a
pictorial
report...
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982
- Here is a story from WWW.Chessbase.com
FIDE ratings – Anand in place two
05.04.2004 It's
been a while, but Indian superstar Vishy Anand has regained place two in
the world rankings. Anand gained eight points and Kramnik lost 13 to
switch places. Perennial Garry Kasparov lost 14 points but still remains
at the top, 43 points ahead of Anand. Here's a list of the
top 100.
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983 Here is a story from WWW.Chessbase.com
Ruslan Ponomariov's Open Letter to the ACP
07.04.2004 "I
am not trying to hold on to my title whatever it takes," writes the
still-reigning FIDE champion, "but I can’t put up with the absolute
dictatorship of FIDE. I am ready to defend my title on the conditions that
were clearly set at the time I won it." He also attacks Garry
Kasparov for the "exclusive privileges" he has received. Here's
the letter
and relevant links...
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984 Here is a story from www.chessbase.com:
Gata Kamsky for
President of FIDE?!
22.03.2004 Check
the date, it is not April first. But chess gadfly Sam Sloan is reporting
that the reclusive chess genius, FIDE world championship finalist and once
number three in the world, is about to mount a bid to become FIDE
president. We cannot vouch for the accuracy of the report, but Sloan does
supply some fascinating information on Gata
Kamsky today.
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986
Here is a story from www.chessbase.com
: FIDE World Championship Headed to Libya?
13.02.2004 We
joked about
it, but it looks like it may be no joke. A website quotes the Russian
news agency Novosti in this
report saying that the next FIDE world championship will be held
in Tripoli under the auspices of Muammar Qaddafi (spelling of your
choice). The supposedly
reformed terror
sponsor is said to have pledged 1.6 million dollars, as announced at
an Ilyumzhinov press conference in Libya. We are awaiting confirmation and
details from FIDE.
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 985
Here is a story from www.chessbase.com
Breaking news:
Kramnik vs. Leko in September
28.01.2004 The
Swiss tobacco company Dannemann has just announced that the Classical
Chess World Championship between Vladimir Kramnik and Peter Leko will be
staged from September 25 to October 18, at a still to be disclosed
location. Here are first
details...
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Kasparov vs. the
Kremlin
21.01.2004 In
the last election the party backed by President Vladimir Putin won more
than 300 seats in the 450-seat Duma. Now a group of leading Russian
liberals, including world chess number one Garry Kasparov, have set up a
committee with the stated purpose of working for fair
elections – in 2008.
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988
Here is a story from www.chessbase.com
Kasparov vs. the Kremlin
21.01.2004 In
the last election the party backed by President Vladimir Putin won more
than 300 seats in the 450-seat Duma. Now a group of leading Russian
liberals, including world chess number one Garry Kasparov, have set up a
committee with the stated purpose of working for fair
elections – in 2008.
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989 Here is a story from
www.chessbase.com
'Hopefully I can
also beat Kasparov'
09.01.2004 Vishy
Anand, India's top chess player, number three in the world, has given the
Indian Express an extensive interview. He talks about his name (where did
"Vishy" come from?), his happiest moments, his ambitions, the
influence of computers, what it feels like to be a "veteran" at
34. Here are excerpts from the interview telecast on NDTV’s Walk
the Talk...
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David
Levy on Kasparov vs. X3D Fritz
21.12.2003 "The
games of the match have been thoroughly dissected and analysed by human
players and computers far stronger than I am," writes computer chess
guru David Levy. His impressions of the match are of a far more general
nature. David talks about the openings (3.5:0.5 for Kasparov), the
middlegame and the X3D environment. Levy's
report and links...
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12/22/2003 - Hangin's take:
Well the match was similar to the prior Kasparov vs. machine
matches. Kasparov gets an opening advantage and is occasionally able to
convert to a win. His only loss was again due to a blunder in time
pressure. I think it is time to change the parameters of these matches.
This is a match of greatest human players in the world vs. near
perfection, so lets give the human player more time to figure out a way to
get by the defenses of the silicon monster. These matches appeal to me on
a few levels. On the first
level seeing the Grand Master come out of the opening with an advantage
and following it up with a perfect winning plan and game. Secondly seeing
the Grandmaster under pressure by the silicon monster, time pressure and
seeing if he/she can hold the line. In game two Kasparov could not with
stand the pressure and blundered. Many experts believe that chess is a
draw when played correctly. I spoke with the X3D team; X3D Fritz was
looking 3.9 million positions a second. They told me that at this level
doubling the number of positions a second is not buying that much more in
playing strength. I think it is time for the computer programmers to
modify their programs, so that the computers play more like Tal or
Kasparov. Computers strength is in the middle game, they will not make
tactical mistakes, and they don’t error within their chess schemas.
Human players do error within their chess schemas. The computers always
seek the best possible position. This is an advantage but it can also be a
disadvantage when playing against humans. Kasparov says chess is a game of
controlled chaos. If the computers want to dominate these matches, they
should in certain instances not control the chaos, but to create more of
it, even if this creates winning opportunities for the human player. When
the computer start taking chances and creating complicated positions,
positions that the humans will have a hard time understanding,
computers will win the lion share of these contests.
Now this means that the computers gamble, play moves that allow the
human players a chance to win, provided that they can see through the
complications. This will definitely bring excitement to these matches.
Bottom line lets give the greatest human players more time and lets modify
the silicon monsters to play more like Tal and Kasparov. This is a
paradoxical approach. I am asking the human players to be more like a
computer, come up with a perfect plan. I am also asking that the computers
play more human like.
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Kasparov:
Russia is turning into a police state
14.12.2003 On
a trip to Denmark Garry Kasparov gave a no-holds-barred interview
to DR TV. "Putin was a KGB officer who believes the country
needs if not a dictatorship at least a very strong hand, an iron
fist," says Kasparov, who also hints that he may soon be
playing "a certain role" in Russian politics himself.
Here's the interview
and a partial transcript.
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12/21/2003 - Hangin's take:
I can’t argue
with Kasparov about Putin; he would not have been my choice to lead
Russia. Kasparov is certainly in tune with the politics of his country. He
predicted the fall of Communism and the break up of the Soviet Union. Kasparov has showed great courage in speaking out and being
critical of his government. Kasparov is a minority who lived in an
oppressive country. In 1990 he had to flee his homeland in Baku, because
of a pogrom (an organized massacre of helpless people). So he certainly
knows what is at stake. The Russian people are lucky to have someone like
Garry to speak out for human rights. I was disheartened to hear that Garry
must content himself with just being the number one player in the world.
He stated that FIDE does not have its act together. I can’t argue with
that either. FIDE wants to hold a couple of knockout “grab bag”
championships. The winner will face Kasparov. FIDE does not seem to be in
any rush to get this process going. Kasparov, Kramnik and Leko have shown
great restraint here. Chess needs a boost; it lost its AP reporter and
could rebound if there was a world championship match soon.
I am all for unity in the chess world. It will be a crime, if
nothing serious is in the works for a chess world championship in 2004. If
you want to own the chess title, you need to do it right and hold it in a
timely fashion. Most of all
you need to respect the great champions and the players fighting for the
title. I think that if FIDE does not get its act together soon,
Kramnik, Kasparov and Leko should take matters into their own hands.
That’s right, take matters into their own hands for the good of Chess.
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 Ten
years in ten days – the Kasparov effect
10.12.2003 In
1993 a young teenager switched on her TV set and caught a glimpse of
two men engaged in a struggle. It was the world chess championship
between Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short. With that began a ten-year
fascination, which culminated in a ten-day visit to New York in
November. Here is a very personal
story by Joanne Pittaway.
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12/14/2003 - Hangin's take
Here is another person, like myself, that got into chess because of a
World Chess Championship Match. I got fascinated with chess in 1972 while
watching Fischer vs. Spassky on PBS with Shelby Lyman. This is why
we need to hold world championship matches on a regular basis. It brings
new fans into the world of chess. It also illustrates why it is important
for the World Champion and challenger to be top players, who have earned
the right to fight for the title. The World Champion can be a great
ambassador to the game, but only if he or she has earned that right to be
champion. Kasparov earned the title by winning the interzonal in
1982, then he went on to defeat three top players in candidate
matches:
1) He defeated A Beliavsky (former USSR champion) 6.-3 in
1983
2) He defeated V Kortchnoi (two time challenger to the
world title) 7 - 4 in 1983
3) He defeated V Smyslov (former World Champion) 8.5 - 4.5 in
1984
4) He defeated A Karpov (then World Champion) 13 - 11 in
1985 to become the youngest champion ever. Kasparov held the title
until the year 2000, when. he lost it to Vladimir Kramnik.
The championship process must be a rigorous one, where luck plays
a small role. Lets return to the old style world championship
process, that was used from the late 60's to 1993. But first lets get a
World Championship match for 2004.
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Kramnik:
‘I know for sure that Kasparov admires me’
25.11.2003 Three
years ago beat Garry Kasparov, since then the chess world has been waiting
for his first title defense. In an interview with a German newspaper
Vladimir Kramnik talks about his match against challenger Peter Leko
("I could have had a $2 million match against Kasparov at any time,
but it is a question of principle and not money") and his role in the
world of chess. Remarkable
stuff.
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12/14/03 Hangin's take
Kramnik says Kasparov's play borders on the edge of the bluff and it
won't work any longer. I say Kasparov's aggressive style of play
gives both players chances to win. It becomes a struggle as to who can see
their way through the complications first. Garry Kasparov wins the
lion share of these contests, because he is the stronger player. I
hope more players will adopt Garry Kasparov's aggressive style. It sells.
It's no surprise that Kasparov is the best draw in the chess world. When
computers start to imitate Kasparov's aggressive style, they will dominate
the man vs. machine matches. World Champion Vladimir Kramnik has not
stepped out of Kasparov's shadow because he has not followed the example
set by his two predecessors. Anatoly Karpov set the example for world
champions and Garry Kasparov followed it. That is they played and won a lot
of tournaments. They proved they were head and shoulders above their
contemporaries. I think that Vladimir Kramnik has lost his great
form he had when he defeated Garry Kasparov in Brain Games in 2000.
Half of that match, the games when Kramnik had white were very exciting.
Kramnik, when playing with black, utilized the Berlin defense and was able
to neutralize Kasparov's opening preparation. No doubt Kramnik won the
psychological battle. I hope Kramnik can regain his world
championship form.
Kramnik's defensive style of play might be another reason why he is having
trouble finding sponsors for his match with Leko, another defensive
specialist. Offense sells, defense does not.
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A
goodbye to chess
25.11.2003 Just
when the game is starting to boom the world's oldest and largest news
organization, Associated Press, has decided to cut back drastically on its
chess reporting. Only big Kasparov events will be covered, and instead of
trusted correspondent Robert Huntington local staff reporters will
struggle to file coherent stories on a game they do not comprehend. Rob
lays the blame squarely on FIDE in this open
letter to the chess world.
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12/14/2003 - Hangin's take : NO more take backs for FIDE
Who can blame AP from pulling the plug. I think the best way to
get AP's Robert Huntington back on the beat, is to schedule a big Kasparov
event. Hmmmm, let me think. Oh, ok, lets match Kasparov vs. Leko. That's a
big event. AP will cover it. Then we can get AP to cover another great
event. The winner of Kasparov vs. Leko can play Vladimir Kramnik for the
world championship in 2004. We expect our great Grandmasters to make good
moves at the board, we get angry when they blunder. There are no
take backs in professional chess. FIDE needs be professional and
stop asking for take backs. FIDE needs to stop hanging pieces
and make good moves. Lets introduce the next generation
of Joanne Pittaways to the great game of chess, by scheduling a
world championship in 2004.
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01/06/2005
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