Pirc Defense - Interference

PIRC DEFENSE


Interference

1. e4 d6
2. d4 Nf6
3. Nc3 c5
4. dxc5 Qa5
5. cxd6 Nxe4?
6. Qd5 Nc5

WHITE TO MOVE

Solution : A divisive bishop check, 7. Bb5+!, separates Black's queen and knight and wins a piece. If 7....Bd7, then 8. Qxc5 puts the knight back in the box.

Comment : Using the queen to pin the knight, followed by capturing the enemy king pawn, is common. One factor mitigating against it is time. Here, the Black knight makes three moves to free itself, and White uses the extra tempi to make a point.

20TH TEBRAU OPEN CHESS TOURNAMENT

20TH TEBRAU OPEN CHESS TOURNAMENT
Organiser : Johore Chess Academy. JB Chess Association & RT Tmn. Sri Tebrau
Venue : Plaza Pelangi, JB
Date & Time : Sunday, 9th August 2009
Time Control : Swiss System of 7 Rounds with 25 minutes per player to complete the game.
Entry Fee : RM30.00 for Open RM12.00 for Under 16 RM 10.00 for Under 12
Closing Date : Shall not be later than 7th August 2009
Prizes :Open Category (1st to 10th placing)RM400, RM200, RM100, RM80, RM70, RM60, RM50, RM50, RM50, RM50
Under 16RM200, RM100, RM80, RM60, RM50, RM40, RM30, RM30, RM30, RM30
Under 12RM100, RM80, RM60, RM50, RM40, RM30, RM30, RM20, RM20,RM20
Late entries and entries without payment will not be accepted. Entry fees are not refundable.

Those interested in participating in this event, kindly contact :Narayanan Krishnan, Tournament Director, Johore Chess Academy. H/P N0 : 0137717525

A Third Mate In Four

White Moves And Wins.

On the back row, Black's King has a mere two squares - h7 and h8 - to play with, but there's also refuge at g7. White sniffs the danger and moves in with his own King.

1. Kf7 Kh8
2. Ng6+ Kh7
3. Nf8+ Kh8
4. Bf6 mate
(1-0)

(source: Pandolfini's EndGame Course)

King of Kings

(Article is abstracted from Its All In The Planning blog written by Mr Quah Seng Sun)

ALMOST every serious chess organiser understands my pet peeve: that it is very difficult for our players to improve if we do not hold enough chess tournaments with long-time controls. They understand where I’m coming from and in turn, I also do understand their limitations.

Nicholas Chan

Basically, they boil down to two main reasons.
The first is, of course, money because chess organisations survive mainly on sponsorship and sponsors are more willing to give money for short events rather than long ones.
It’s only the big corporate sponsors that will plonk down large sums of money for chess events and in these challenging times, it’s getting harder.

Ooi Chern Ee

The second reason is time because many organisers and players can spare only their weekends for the game.
Also, with fast games, many club players go away feeling happy that they have accomplished six or seven games in one day.
But for those who want to improve their chess, there is nothing like a long-time control game to help them along.

Tariq Amru

There aren’t that many in the country but last week, I did mention that in 2008, there were nine tournaments submitted to the World Chess Federation (Fide) for rating purposes.
Up to the middle of this year, four more were submitted. These events were all long-time control games, so I think we are going somewhere with our chess after all.

I’m mentioning all these because several weeks ago, I had a telephone conversation with someone in Kuala Lumpur who wanted my thoughts about holding a “serious” Fide-rated tournament to determine the champion of champions among the Malaysian chess players.

Mok Tze Meng

You see, there are also people who share my other contention that the annual national closed championships alone are not enough to determine the best players in the country.
True, we can always fall back on the Fide rating list to see who they are but it doesn’t help that our top chess players do not play in the national closed championships.

Heck, even the defending champions do not normally come back to defend their titles. Okay, this year was a remarkable exception but it doesn’t always happen.

Lim Yee Weng

That’s why this telephone conversation I had recently was to probe the possibility of holding an annual mother of all local tournaments.
They are not going to call it that, of course, but the name has been decided: it will be the Malaysian Masters 2009.

The organisers are calling up the top four players from the July 2009 Fide rating list, add in the top two players from this year’s national closed championship, the winner of the national junior championship and one player selected by the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) and let them play long-time control games in a knock-out basis.

Edward Lee

In the first round of four games per mini-match, the losers will still go back happy with RM500 each while the winners will proceed to the semi-finals.
There, the semi-final matches will also be played over four games and the losers will take back RM1,000 each and the winners advance to the final.
The final match will comprise six games with the loser getting RM2,000 and the champion RM4,000.

Evan Capel

From what I’ve learnt, among our top Fide rated players, Wong Zijing was unable to confirm his participation and his place went to the fifth person on the Fide list, Mok Tze Meng.
The MCF president’s choice consisted of Mok, Peter Long, Ooi Chern Ee, Lim Zhuo Ren and Abdullah Che Hassan but because Mok had already been selected and Long couldn’t play, Ooi would be filling in the last available slot.

Mas Hafizulhelmi

For the first round, the pairings will see Nicholas Chan going head-to-head with Evan Capel (national closed winner), Mas Hafizulhelmi meeting Muhammad Tariq Amru (national junior champion), Lim Yee Weng against Edward Lee (national closed runner-up) and Mok battling it out with Ooi.

So when are they playing? According to the information I’ve received, it’s going to be very flexible. The games will be played on weekends but not all at once. They’ll be spaced out to fit into the players’ schedules. But they’ll be completed before the year is out.

(source: Quah Seng Sun, The Star, Its All In The Planning blog)

Fork - Goring Gambit Opening Trap

FORK

Goring Gambit

1. e4 e5

2. Nf3 Nc6

3. d4 exd4

4. c3 dxc3

5. Nxc3 Bc5

6. Bc4 d6

7. Qb3 Qd7

8. Nd5 Na5

WHITE TO MOVE

Scenario : Black's last move may look good, for it double-attacks White's Queen and c4-Bishop. But Black has two vulnerable points: the unguarded a5-Knight and g7-pawn. White answers 9. Qc3!, menacing both captures. Black must save his Knight, 9....Nxc4, Qxg7. After 10....Qg4 11. Qxh8 Qxg2 12. Qxg8+ Qxg8 13. Nf6+, White soon emerges the exchange ahead.

Interpretation: Black plays 8....Na5, wishing to trade pieces, for he is a pawn ahead. When up in material, do exchange pieces to emphasize your advantage and to reduce the possibility of counterattack. The fewer pieces your opponent has, the harder it is for him to develop attacking compensation. The reasoning in playing 8.....Na5 is sound, but it places a Knight on an undefended square on the edge. And Black has an additional weakness at g7, which is no longer guarded by the dark-square Bishop, now outside the pawn chain at c5. Black's real error is that he's not ready for hand-to-hand combat; he's too undeveloped. Don't get into heavy fighting until your King is safe and your pieces are ready for action. The counterattack could kill you. "Then the Grasshopper knew it is best to prepare for days of necessity" --- Aesop.

(source: Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps by Bruce Pandolfini)

De Laguna Park Discovery 2009

De Laguna Park Discovery

The following position as shown in the diagram on the right appeared between Syed Remizan Syed Sabri and WCM Nur Shazwani in their chess game held at the Restoran Nelayan at De Laguna Park, Pulau Indah, Klang on the 12th July 2009.

Can you discover the winning move for white? Most of the observers saw the position as winning for white. Please post your comment on the winning move for white.

Discovery - Opening Trap

DISCOVERY


PETROFF DEFENSE


1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nf6
3.Nxe5 Nxe4
4.Qe2 Nf6??

WHITE TO MOVE

Scenario : Black has walked into a crushing discovery. White gains Black's Queen with 5. Nc6+, when White's c6-Knight, though in the discovered check unleashed by White's Queen. Nor can Black save his Queen by interposing it at e7, for, while blocking the check, Black's Queen is still imposed on by White's c6-Knight.

Interpretation: The second player can't play symmetrical chess forever. Sooner or later, the first player will introduce a move that cannot be duplicated, either a check or forcing capture or threat. So it is unwise to concoct one's plans on a copycat strategy. Once Black commits the error of capturing White's e4-pawn on the third move, he has to answer 4. Qe2 ironically by 4....Qe7, prolonging the mimicking course for one move longer. After 5.Qxe4 d6, Black regains his piece but still comes away with an inferior position. At least, however, he doesn't lose his Queen. Best for Black after 3. Nxe5 is not to take on e4 immediately, but first to drive back White's e5-Knight with 3...d6. After the Knight retreats, it is then perfectly safe for Black to take White's e-pawn. Don't copy your opponent's moves unless at that time it's best for you. Symmetry is mainly for the "Tiger! Tiger! burning bright / In the forest of the night" - William Blake.

(source: Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps by Bruce Pandolfin)

Corat-coret Pertandingan Catur De Laguna Park, Klang 2009

Di papan tengah, Haslindah Ruslan melawan NM Yeoh Ching Soon di Restoran Nelayan, De Laguna Park, Klang pada 12 Julai 2009 yang lalu.

Saudara Syed Remizan menentang saudari Nur Shazwani. Semasa pertandingan catur ini, saudara Syed Remizan terlepas peluang untuk membuat checkmate dalam dua langkah pada kedudukan kritikal.

Saudara Fikri Salleh (kanan) menentang Stonemaster, Mohd Fadli Zakaria yang berakhir dengan kemenangan kepada Stonemaster kerana masa saudara Fikri sudah habis 25 minit.

Karnival Sukan KKR 2009 - Gambar-gambar Catur

Pasukan Jalan Institusi (kanan) melawan Jalan Felda(baju oren di kiri).

Lorong Motosikal(biru dikiri) vs Jalan Industri (kanan). Hanya satu pemain catur sahaja yang mewakili pasukan Jalan Institusi di papan satu.

Permainan catur telah diadakan didalam tempat makan yang berasingan dari acara dart, congkak, dam haji dan karom supaya lebih tenang dan kurang bising.

Karnival Sukan KKR 2009 - Catur Berpasukan

Firey rook telah mewakili pasukan Lorong Motosikal dalam pertandingan catur berpasukan Karnival Sukan KKR 2009. Dalam pusingan pertama, firey rook telah bertemu dengan saudara Wan Mohd Khairul dari pasukan Jalan Institusi.

Permainan putih adalah ala King's Indian Attack, dan hitam menggunakan 1...c5 sebagai pembuka permainan. Walaupun hitam membuat beberapa kesilapan seperti dari analisis dibawah, namun hitam tetap dapat mengalahkan putih pada pergerakan 28....Be4+ (Gambarajah 1), dimana putih terpaksa gerak 29. Kh3 dan hitam 29...Qf3 mengawal g2 supaya King putih tidak boleh lari. Putih mengalah selangkah kemudian untuk memberi kemenangan 1-0 kepada pasukan Lorong Motosikal.

Dalam kejohanan catur berpasukan ini, pasukan Lorong Motosikal telah muncul juara keseluruhan dengan 9 mata dan nett 6 board win, disusuli oleh pasukan Jalan Utama kedua dan pasukan Jalan Institusi, ketiga.

Gambarajah no. 1

(8) Wan Mohd Khairul - Firey rook[A04]
Karnival Sukan KKR 2009, 11.07.2009

A04: Unusual lines after 1 Nf3 and King's Indian Attack

1.e2-e3 c7-c5 2.Ng1–f3 Nb8-c6 3.g2-g3
[3.Bf1–b5 g7-g6 (3...e7-e5 4.Nb1–c3 g7-g6 5.0–0 Bf8-g7 6.Bb5xc6 b7xc6 7.d2-d4 d7-d6 8.d4xe5 d6xe5 9.Qd1xd8+ Ke8xd8 10.Rf1–d1+ Kd8-e8 11.e3-e4 Bc8-g4 12.Rd1–d3 c5-c4 13.Rd3-e3 Bg7-h6 14.Re3-e1 Bh6xc1 15.Ra1xc1 Ng8-f6 16.Re1–e3 Bg4xf3 17.Re3xf3 Nf6-g4 18.h2-h3 Heise,T-Schaar,T/Rotenburg 2008/EXT 2009/1–0 (54))
4.0–0 Bf8-g7 5.Rf1–e1 a7-a6 6.Bb5-f1 d7-d5 7.d2-d4 c5xd4 8.e3xd4 Bc8-g4 9.c2-c3 Ng8-f6 10.Nb1–d2 0–0 11.h2-h3 Bg4xf3 12.Nd2xf3 e7-e6 13.Bc1–f4 Nc6-a5 14.Nf3-d2 Ra8-c8 15.a2-a4 Na5-c4 16.Bf1xc4 d5xc4 17.a4-a5 Nf6-d5 Mateuta,G (2487)-Valeanu,E (2354)/Eforie Nord 2007/Mega2009 Update 03/½–½ (85)]

3...Ng8-f6 4.Bf1–g2 d7-d6 5.0–0 g7-g6N
[5...Bc8-g4 6.d2-d3 e7-e5 7.c2-c3 c5-c4 8.e3-e4 c4xd3 9.Qd1xd3 Bf8-e7 10.Bc1–g5 Qd8-d7 11.Bg5xf6 Be7xf6 12.Nb1–d2 Ra8-d8 13.Rf1–e1 0–0 14.Ra1–d1 d6-d5 15.e4xd5 Qd7xd5 16.Qd3xd5 Rd8xd5 17.Nd2-e4 Rd5xd1 18.Ne4xf6+ g7xf6 19.Re1xd1 e5-e4 20.h2-h3 Behrend,R (1418)-Cupina,I (1730)/Hamburg 2005/CBM 108 ext/0–1 (35)]

6.d2-d4 c5xd4 7.e3xd4 Bf8-g7 8.Nb1–c3 Qd8-b6 9.Bc1–e3 Qb6xb2 10.Nc3-e2 b7-b6?? letting the wind out of his own sails
[10...0–0 11.Qd1–d2µ] 11.Be3-g5 h7-h6 [¹11...0–0!?µ]

12.Bg5xf6 Bg7xf6 Now all is on d4 [12...e7xf6? 13.Nf3-e5 Nc6xe5 14.d4xe5+-]

13.a2-a3 Bc8-d7 14.Qd1–d2 Qb2-b5 15.Ne2-c3 Qb5-c4 16.Nc3-e4 Ra8-c8 [¹16...Bf6-g7–+]
17.Rf1–e1 0–0 [17...Bf6xd4?? the pawn is indigestible 18.Ne4xd6+ Ke8-d8 19.Nd6xc4 Bd4xa1 20.Re1xa1+-]

18.Qd2xh6 Nc6xd4?? throws away a nice position [18...Bf6-g7 19.Qh6-h4=]

19.Ne4xf6+ e7xf6 20.Nf3xd4 Qc4xd4 21.Re1–d1 Qd4-c5 22.Bg2-d5 Qc5xc2?? gives away a clear win. [¹22...Bd7-f5µ]

23.Rd1–c1 Qc2-d3 [23...Qc2-f5 24.Rc1–d1–+] 24.Bd5-a2 Rc8xc1+ [24...Qd3xa3?? it may look tempting but Black must resist capturing the pawn 25.Qh6xg6+ Kg8-h8 26.Qg6xf6+ Kh8-g8 27.Qf6-g5+ Kg8-h8 28.Rc1xc8 Bd7xc8 29.Ba2-b1+-]

25.Ra1xc1 d6-d5?? Black is ruining his position [¹25...Rf8-e8–+]

26.Rc1–c7 Qd3-d1+ [¹26...Rf8-e8 secures the point 27.Rc7-c1 Re8-e2–+]
27.Kg1–g2 Bd7-f5 [¹27...Bd7-e6 28.Qh6-c1 Qd1–h5–+]

28.Rc7-c1 Bf5-e4+ 29.Kg2-h3 Qd1–f3 30.Qh6-f4 Be4-f5+
[30...Be4-f5+ 31.Qf4xf5 g6xf5 32.Ba2xd5 Qf3xd5 33.Rc1–c3 Kg8-g7 34.g3-g4 Rf8-h8+ 35.Kh3-g3 f5-f4+ 36.Kg3xf4 Qd5-e5+ 37.Kf4-f3 Qe5xc3+ 38.Kf3-g2 Qc3-h3+ 39.Kg2-g1 Qh3xg4+ 40.Kg1–h1 Rh8-d8 41.h2-h4 Rd8-h8 42.Kh1–h2 Rh8xh4#; 30...Qf3-g2+ 31.Kh3-g4 Be4-f5+ 32.Qf4xf5 g6xf5+ 33.Kg4xf5 Qg2-f3#] 31.Kh3-h4 Qf3-h5# 0–1
　

King Hunt - Chess Opening Trap

King Hunt

SCOTCH GAMBIT

1. e4 e5

2. Nf3 Nc6

3. d4 exd4

4. Bc4 Na5?

5. Bxf7+ Kxf7

6. Ne5+ Ke6

7. Qxd4 Nc6?

WHITE TO MOVE

Scenario: How many moves can Black afford to waste in an opening? He's moved his c6-Knight three times to be where it could get after one move. Black's King has had it: 8. Qd5+ Kf6 9.Qf7+ Kxe5 10. Bf4+ Kxe4 11. Nc3+ Kd4 12. Qd5 mate.

Interpretation: Black's Knight-jaunts on moves 4 and 7 ceded two important tempi to his opponent. At least Black could have stopped White's menaced d5-Queen check by 7....c7-c6 or 7....Ng8-f6. Kings shouldn't lead the charge in any kind of war. In chess, once a King is separated from its supporting forces, mate is almost always inevitable. "They are no kings, though they possess the crown" - Daniel Defoe.

(source: Chess Openings - Traps and Zaps by Bruce Pandolfini)

Karnival Sukan Kerja Raya 2009

Satu karnival sukan sedang berjalan semenjak 17 April 2009 yang lalu sebagai merapatkan silatul rahim diantara bahagian-bahagian di Kementerian Kerja Raya ini. Lima pasukan telah dikumpulkan yang terdiri daripada:-

a. Jalan Utama (Hijau);

b. Jalan Institusi (Merah);

c. Lorong Motosikal (Biru);

d. Jalan FELDA (Oren);

e. Jalan Industri (Kuning).

Kesemua 16 jenis sukan akan dan telah dipertandingkan. Sehingga kini, 11 jenis sukan telah dipertandingkan dan susunan mata mengikut pasukan adalah seperti berikut:-

a. Jalan Utama - 32 mata (1);

b. Lorong Motosikal - 31 mata (2);

c. Jalan Industri - 31 mata (2);

d. Jalan FELDA - 22 mata (4);

e. Jalan Institusi - 15 mata (5).

Bagi menentukan kejuaraan keseluruhan, pada 11 Julai 2009 ini akan diadakan satu pertandingan melibatkan acara congkak, dam haji, catur, karom dan dart di Tingkat 6, Blok A, Kompleks Kerja Raya pada jam 9.00 pagi.

Semoga semua pasukan selamat mencuba nasib pada 11 Julai 2009 ini dan dapat memuktamadkan sukan karnikal 2009 tersebut dengan jayanya.

"Majulah Sukan Untuk Negara"

Dortmund Round 4: Kramnik wins with black, leads with Carlsen

Image via Wikipedia

Dortmund 04: Kramnik wins with black, leads with Carlsen
05.07.2009 – After a desperately uneventful round three the players suddenly all galvanised into fighting mode and delivered a supremely exciting round four. Vladimir Kramnik won his game with the black pieces against Arkadij Naiditsch, while Magnus Carlsen came very close to a black victory against Etienne Bacrot. Carlsen and Kramnik now lead with 2.5/4 points.



From 2nd to 12th July 2009 six of the world's strongest grandmasters are taking part in the annual Sparkassen Chess-Meeting – the 37th edition. Each player has to play two games against each other, one with white and one with black pieces. The winner of this tournament will be determined after ten rounds. Games start at 15:15 = 3:15 p.m. local time (CEST, = 17:15 Moscow, 14:15 p.m. London, 9:15 a.m. New York).

All games will be broadcast by the official web site's "Live Games" page and on the Playchess.com server with live audio commentary (by FM Valeri Lilov, with a 10 Ducat charge per evening). As in the previous year the moves of the Sparkassen Chess-Meeting will be transmitted on the Internet with a delay of 15 minutes – which means that the moves stay in the playing hall for that period, before they are broadcast to the rest of the world). This is an important anti-cheating measure that has been proposed to FIDE since October 2005 and has the support of most of the top players. We commend the Dortmund organisers for taking the initiative.

Round four
Round 4: Sunday, July 5, 15:00h
Arkadij Naiditsch 0-1 Vladimir Kramnik
Etienne Bacrot ½-½ Magnus Carlsen
Dmitry Jakovenko ½-½ Peter Leko
Games – Report

There must have been something in the water, or, perhaps, the players had somehow recovered from heat exhaustion. Whatever the cause, today’s round witnessed a shift from yesterday, with hotly contested battles.

Naiditsch – Kramnik
The round four encounter saw Kramnik saddled with his second black in a row. Entering into a Petroff Defence, the game followed Cheparinov-Krush (2003). After a slight transposition, it deviated entirely on White’s 13th move, where Arkadi chose 13.Be3, while the reference game saw an immediate b4-push. Krush took 39 moves to bring home the point, but Kramnik vanquished his opponent in 27 moves. It was his first black win at tournament time controls since he played Topalov in September 2006. While the former World Champion was all smiles, Naiditsch chose to forego a post mortem analysis.

Bacrot – Carlsen
Engaging in the Botvinnik System of the Semi-Slav, Carlsen seemed destined for victory. Up until 23...Rxg7 the game represented a transposition of four games – most notably including Ponomariov-Shirov, Wijk aan Zee 2003, in which Shirov won. 24.Bd4 had only been seen once before, from an unlikely source, found in the form of Barber-LeBlanc (Canadian U18 Championship, 2004). LeBlanc chose 24...f5, ultimately winning, while Fritz suggests the move 24.Rh7, preventing 25.Bh3. In the end, Carlsen decided upon 24...Rc7. After a hard-fought struggle, Bacrot managed to build a fortress on his kingside, ensuring himself the half-point.

Jakavenko-Leko
In this game, the players chose to explore the main line Rubinstein of the Nimzo-Indian. Until 15...exd5, the game was a transposition of Dorfman-Khalifman (2001), where the point was split after 30 moves. Instead of 16.Rfc1, however, Jakavenko went for 16.Ne5. After some exploratory manoeuvres, a draw was agreed on move 22. As always, Jakavenko bore a smile, while Leko seemed equally satisfied with the outcome.

Michael von Keitz


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naiditsch,A (2697) - Kramnik,V (2759) [C42]
Sparkassen GM Dortmund GER (4), 05.07.2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c4 c6 9.Re1 Bf5 10.c5 Bc7 11.Nc3 Nd7 12.Qc2 Re8 13.Be3 h6 14.b4 Ndf6 15.h3 Qd7 16.Ne2 Bxh3 17.Ne5 Bxe5 18.dxe5 Rxe5 19.f3 Rae8 20.Bf4 Rh5 21.fxe4 dxe4 22.Bc4 Bxg2 23.Ng3 Bf3 24.Qb3 Rh4 25.Bd6 Qh3 26.Bxf7+ Kh7 27.Qb2 Ng4 0-1.

Bacrot,E (2721) - Carlsen,M (2772) [D44]
Sparkassen GM Dortmund GER (4), 05.07.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 b5 8.e5 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Bb7 12.Bg2 Qb6 13.exf6 c5 14.d5 0-0-0 15.0-0 b4 16.Na4 Qb5 17.a3 exd5 18.axb4 cxb4 19.Be3 Nc5 20.Qg4+ Rd7 21.Qg7 Bxg7 22.fxg7 Rg8 23.Nxc5 Rxg7 24.Bd4 Rc7 25.Nxb7 Rg6 26.Ra5 Qxb7 27.Bxd5 Qb8 28.Be5 Qb6 29.Bxc7 Qxc7 30.Rfa1 a6 31.Rxa6 Rxa6 32.Rxa6 c3 33.bxc3 bxc3 34.Be4 Qc4 35.Bf5+ Kd8 36.Ra1 Qe2 37.Kg2 Qe5 38.Rd1+ Ke7 39.Bb1 f5 40.h3 Kf6 41.Rd3 Qe4+ 42.Kh2 Qe1 43.Rf3 Qxb1 44.Rxc3 Qf1 45.Rf3 Ke5 46.Rf4 draw.

Jakovenko,D (2760) - Leko,P (2756) [E49]
Sparkassen GM Dortmund GER (4), 05.07.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 c5 9.Nf3 Qc7 10.Ba2 b6 11.0-0 Bb7 12.Bb2 Nbd7 13.Qe2 cxd4 14.cxd4 Bd5 15.Bxd5 exd5 16.Ne5 Rac8 17.Rac1 Qb7 18.Qb5 Nb8 19.f3 a6 20.Qd3 b5 21.Bc3 Nc6 22.Bb4 draw.





Magnus Carlsen at the board with some orange juice.



Round 4 under way with huge monitors in the background to show the chess pieces for each board game.

(Source: Chessbase.com)

Stonemaster Bengkel Kecemerlangan Catur Julai 2009

Nama aktiviti: Bengkel Kecemerlangan Catur Anjuran Stonemaster

Tarikh : 26 Julai 2009

Tempat : Excel Chess Academy, 26A, Jalan Hujan Emas 4, Overseas Union Garden (OUG), Jalan Kelang Lama, 58200 Kuala Lumpur.

Peserta : Terhad Kepada 35 peserta sahaja

Topik : TAKTIK

Yuran : RM 20

Sijil dan Nota akan diberikan kepada peserta.
Minuman air mineral juga disediakan oleh pihak penganjur semasa aktiviti ini dijalankan.

Jadual

1. 8.30 pagi - 9.30 pagi - Pendaftaran
2. 9.30 pagi - 12.30 tengahari - Kelas bermula
3. 12.30 tengahari - 2 petang - Rehat
4. 2 petang - 4 petang - kejohanan catur MINI 10 minit seorang.

Juara kejohanan catur mini akan menerima hadiah TELEFON BIMBIT. 6 lagi peserta terbaik berikutnya akan menerima hadiah MISTERI berbentuk hamper.

Sila sms nama penuh kepada En. Mohd Fadli bin Zakaria (0142312370) untuk pra-daftar. Bengkel ini akan dikendalikan oleh En. Mohd Fadli bin Zakaria yang mempunyai pengalaman luas dalam aktiviti latihan catur.

First Friday Classical Chess (Team) - August 2009

FIRST FRIDAY CLASSICAL CHESS ( AUGUST ) 2009

FIRST FRIDAY CLASSICAL CHESS ( AUGUST ) 2009
( EVERY FIRST FRIDAY OF EACH CALENDAR MONTH ONWARD )

VENUE: EXCEL CHESS ACADEMY, 26A. JALAN HUJAN EMAS 4, OUG. JALAN KELANG LAMA .POSKOD 58200 KUALA LUMPUR.

DATES: ROUND 1 : FRIDAY AUGUST 7 ( 7.00 pm to 11.00 pm )
ROUND 2 : SATURDAY AUGUST 8 ( 10.00 am to 2.00 pm )
ROUND 3 : SATURDAY AUGUST 8 ( 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm )
ROUND 4 : SUNDAY AUGUST 9 ( 10.00 am to 2.00 pm )
ROUND 5 : SUNDAY AUGUST 9 ( 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm )

FORMAT : 90 MINUTES PLUS 30 SECOND INCREMENT EACH MOVE

ENTRY FEE : RM 35.00

OBJECTIVES : PROVIDE A CHOICE TO PLAN , PROMOTE AND IMPROVE CLASSICAL PLAY; ENCOURAGE CHESS TEAMS TO PARTICIPATE.

MAIN PRIZES :
1st PRIZE : CRYSTAL TROPHY GOLD WITH NAME ENGRAVE
2nd PRIZE : CRYSTAL TROPHY SILVER WITH NAME ENGRAVE
3rd PRIZE : CRYSTAL TROPHY BRONZE WITH NAME ENGRAVE
4th PRIZE : CRYSTAL TROPHY BRONZE WITH NAME ENGRAVE
5th PRIZE : CRYSTAL TROPHY BRONZE WITH NAME ENGRAVE

SPECIAL PRIZES :
TOP VETERAN PLAYER ( 50 + )* CRYSTAL TROPHY WITH NAME ENGRAVE
TOP UNDER- 16* CRYSTAL TROPHY WITH NAME ENGRAVE
TOP UNDER- 12* CRYSTAL TROPHY WITH NAME ENGRAVE
TOP LADY * CRYSTAL TROPHY WITH NAME ENGRAVE
BEST SECONDARY SCHOOL* 3 CRYSTAL TROPHY
BEST PRIMARY SCHOOL* 3 CRYSTAL TROPHY

( NOTE * MINUMUM 3 PLAYERS/ TEAM TO BE ELIGIBLE )
REGISTRATION by HP SMS 013-3232280 OR EMAIL jaxtham@hotmail.com
CLOSING DATE: 5 AUGUST 2009 ( WEDNESDAY )

The registration form is as attached below for you to download.

AmBank Chess Challenge 2009 - Registration Form

For those interested to join the AmBank Chess Challenge 2009 this August, you may download the form above as per the news below regarding AmBank Chess Challenge.

Week 3 Happenings, Shah Alam Chess League 2009 -

Fikri, GiLoCatur Gambit (right) vs Nazif, Insofar, Second Board.
A close endgame which swung wildly between white and black.

4th Team (left) vs 17ChessClub. Third board between Syed Remizan Syed Sobri and Razali Hamzah alias Ng6.

Fauzi, GiLoCatur Gambit (left) vs Insofar on the 4th board.

The above 3rd week chess game was held on the 3rd July 2009 at the Insofar Chess Academy, 3rd Floor, PKNS, Shah Alam, 8.45 pm.

Practice Makes Perfect, the often quoted phrase. The more you practice to play chess, the better you become in chess. It would also breed familiarity of certain openings and common chess lines for players to get accustomed to. In this way, the level of chess and its understanding would improve in the long run. Although the time control is 25 mins per player, regarded as a rapid play, by simply playing more often, it would help the players improve further.

The Big Annual Chess Event For Malaysia

by Quah Seng Sun

Countdown to the Malaysian Chess Festival.

WE are just eight weeks away from the start of this year’s biggest local chess show. Unless you’ve been away on a prolonged leave, you will know that I’m referring to the Malaysian Chess Festival. This year, it starts on Aug 22.

As in previous editions, this year’s festival will consist of a few tournaments cramped into several days of activity. There will be 10 days of intense, non-stop chess that starts with the IGB Arthur Tan memorial Malaysia open chess championship and culminates with the Merdeka team rapid chess tournament.


Tourist magnet: Last year’s Malaysian blitz open final between grandmasters Saidali Yuldachev (left) and Zhang Zong. The Malaysian Chess Festival is a major event that draws players from around the world.

The latter tournament is a three-day fun-filled event which attracts a lot of local participation from around the country. Players who come to Kuala Lumpur for this tournament usually find the time to renew friendships amidst rivalry.

For many players, the Merdeka chess tournament is also about getting to know people. If their teams are no longer in the running for a prize, why not squeeze in the opportunity to touch base with other players? That’s what many players do at the Merdeka chess and this year, the Merdeka team rapid chess tournament will take place on Aug 29-31.

Since some six years ago, the focus of the Malaysia chess festival has moved away from the Merdeka team chess event to the Malaysia open.

In its present format, it has become a memorial event to remember Arthur Tan, a son of the Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) honorary life president, Datuk Tan Chin Nam. Initially, the understanding was that the Malaysia open championship would be a sponsored event for five editions, and last year was supposed to be the fifth and last year of corporate sponsorship.

There was some speculation on whether the sponsorship would continue beyond the five years but, seeing how the IGB Arthur Tan memorial Malaysia open chess championship has assumed a life of its own, it did not take the sponsors long to agree on extending their custom.

The Malaysia open is a mainstay in the local and regional chess calendar. It is also in the calendar of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), and that is where many foreign players get to learn of this event. Some foreign players make it a habit to return year after year just to play in this event.

If there’s any event that contributes to sport tourism in this country, this is one of them. It brings in players and their families who stay here for at least a week and they contribute to the nation’s earnings and bring back with them pleasant memories of their stay here.

Prizes aside, in order to make it attractive enough for foreign players to take part, the MCF generally makes it a point to waive the entry fee for participating grandmasters, international masters, and all other players – foreign or local – who are rated at least 2,500 points in the latest FIDE rating list.

Anyone else who wishes to play in the Malaysia open are subjected to an entry fee scale that goes up as the player’s international rating goes down. So for unrated players or those whose FIDE rating is below 2,000 points, it becomes increasingly more expensive for them to play in the Malaysia open. In a way it is good because it encourages participation from players who come here to seek their chess title norms.

If you are a reasonably strong player who has the ambition of gaining an international master or grandmaster title norm, you wouldn’t want to waste your chance by playing someone who is unrated or has a low rating. You would want to take your chances against better players because that’s about the only way to go up the title ladder.

Therefore, the high entry fees become a natural deterrence for the weaker players. But of course, the Malaysia Chess Festival is not only about the Malaysia open or the Merdeka team rapid chess open tournaments only. There’s also the Chess Challengers tournament that runs concurrently with the Malaysia open.

For all practical purposes, the Chess Challengers is similar to the Malaysia open. The main differences are the lower prizes and entry fees, and easier entry requirements. So it’s a tournament most suitable for those people with less than 2,000 rating points.

The Malaysia Chess Festival will be held at the Cititel Ballroom at MidValley Mega Mall, Kuala Lumpur. Part of the festivities is the Malaysian blitz open, on Aug 28.

(as published in The Star, 3rd July 2009)

AmBank MALAYSIA CHESS CHALLENGE 2009

Download Entry Form

Event Organizer: Dato’ Arthur Tan Chess Centre (DATCC)

AmBank MALAYSIA CHESS CHALLENGE 2009

Tournament Regulations:

This 9 Round, individual tournament is open to all players rated below 2200.
FIDE (World Chess Federation) rules and regulations will apply. The tournament will be FIDE rated.
The Swiss Manager Program will be used for pairings.
The games will be played according to the schedule below. Time Control is 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move 1.
All mobile phones & electronic devices are banned in the tournament hall.
All officials & players should be smartly attired in the playing hall.
The Malaysian Chess Federation reserves the right to reject entries.



21 Aug (Fri) Players Meeting 2100 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
22 Aug (Sat) Registration 0730 - 0830 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
22 Aug (Sat) Round 1 0900 - 1300 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
23 Aug (Sun) Round 2 0900 - 1300 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
23 Aug (Sun) Round 3 1500 - 1900 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
24 Aug (Mon) Round 4 0900 - 1300 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
25 Aug (Tue) Round 5 0900 – 1300 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
25 Aug (Tue) Round 6 1500 – 1900 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
26 Aug (Wed) Free Day
27 Aug (Thu) Round 7 0900 – 1300 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
27 Aug (Thu) Round 8 1500 – 1900 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
28 Aug (Fri) Round 9 0900 – 1300 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
28 Aug (Fri) Malaysian Blitz Open 1500 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
28 Aug (Fri) Prize Giving / Buka Puasa 1900 Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley
29 – 31 Aug Merdeka Team Rapid Chess Championship Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley




Total Prizes = RM 5,000 as follows Main Prizes Special Prizes
1st 1,000 + Trophy 6th 300 Best Female 200
2nd 800 7th 300 Best Under 16 200
3rd 600 8th 300 Best Under 12 200
4th 500 9th 200
5th 400 10th 200
Participants are entitled to only one prize (the larger). Where prizes are the same value, the Main Prizes will take precedence over the Special Prizes..




Entry Fees


Below FIDE RTG 2200 RM 50 unrated RM 100
Bank Account:: DAT Chess Centre - Maybank Current Account: 5145 9822 0369
Jalan Bunus, 50100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - SWIFT : MBBEMYKL




Venue: Ballroom, 5th Floor, CitiTel Mid Valley Hotel, Mid Valley Megamall, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 KL.

Tournament entry fees must be paid before the start of the first round.

Malaysia Chess Challenge 2009 – Closing date for entries: 10 August 2009. Entries after this date will be charged double.

Tournament entry fees must be paid before the closing date.For further details call

Abd Hamid Majid – Tel: (60) 3 40219576 – Mobile: 019 3158098 Fax: (60) 3 40244337 Email: aham@pc.jaring.my

July 2009 FIDE ratings: Topalov leads, Anand second

July 2009 FIDE ratings: Topalov leads, Anand second
01.07.2009 – Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov has gained one point from ten games to retain his top ranking in the FIDE list, 25 point ahead of reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand. In third place we find Magnus Carlsen, the 18-year-old GM from Norway. The biggest fall – once again – was by Vassily Ivanchuk, who shed 43 points. Top rankings and statistics.


FIDE July 2009 Rating List
GM Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria has held the top slot, gaining one point from ten games. World Champion Viswanathan Anand gained five points to finish just 12 points shy of the 2800 mark. Anand is 25 point behind the leader. Norwegian wonder-GM Magnus Carlsen is 16 point behind Anand, while Armenian GM Levon Aronian has advanced to place four in the world. Steadly climbing is Russian GM Dmitry Jakovenko in place five, just ahead of perennials Vladimir Kramnik and Peter Leko. The big winners and losers are given at the end of this table.

FIDE July 1st 2009 – Top 100 Players
Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
1 Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2813 10 1975
2 Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2788 2 1969
3 Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2772 12 1990
4 Aronian, Levon g ARM 2768 13 1982
5 Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2760 15 1983
6 Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2759 0 1975
7 Leko, Peter g HUN 2756 13 1979
8 Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2756 0 1987
9 Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2755 27 1968
10 Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2751 0 1977
11 Gashimov, Vugar g AZE 2740 9 1986
12 Svidler, Peter g RUS 2739 36 1976
13 Wang, Yue g CHN 2736 10 1987
14 Grischuk, Alexander g RUS 2733 20 1983
15 Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2732 38 1972
16 Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2727 3 1983
17 Bacrot, Etienne g FRA 2721 32 1983
18 Kamsky, Gata g USA 2717 22 1974
19 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar g AZE 2717 17 1985
20 Karjakin, Sergey g UKR 2717 13 1990
21 Eljanov, Pavel g UKR 2716 44 1983
22 Movsesian, Sergei g SVK 2716 31 1978
23 Dominguez Perez, Leinier g CUB 2716 10 1983
24 Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2714 20 1985
25 Akopian, Vladimir g ARM 2712 13 1971
26 Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2710 35 1987
27 Motylev, Alexander g RUS 2710 16 1979
28 Malakhov, Vladimir g RUS 2707 7 1980
29 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime g FRA 2703 31 1990
30 Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2703 30 1969
31 Rublevsky, Sergei g RUS 2703 16 1974
32 Bu, Xiangzhi g CHN 2702 11 1985
33 Ni, Hua g CHN 2701 17 1983
34 Onischuk, Alexander g USA 2699 34 1975
35 Adams, Michael g ENG 2699 7 1971
36 Naiditsch, Arkadij g GER 2697 41 1985
37 Miroshnichenko, Evgenij g UKR 2696 29 1978
38 Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2693 7 1982
39 Wang, Hao g CHN 2690 38 1989
40 Bologan, Viktor g MDA 2689 12 1971
41 Tomashevsky, Evgeny g RUS 2689 6 1987
42 Navara, David g CZE 2687 19 1985
43 Polgar, Judit g HUN 2687 1 1976
44 Short, Nigel D g ENG 2684 14 1965
45 Jobava, Baadur g GEO 2684 2 1983
46 Almasi, Zoltan g HUN 2684 1 1976
47 Moiseenko, Alexander g UKR 2682 9 1980
48 Timofeev, Artyom g RUS 2681 7 1985
49 Vitiugov, Nikita g RUS 2681 6 1987
50 Nielsen, Peter Heine g DEN 2680 17 1973
51 Harikrishna, P. g IND 2679 24 1986
52 Volokitin, Andrei g UKR 2678 14 1986
53 Cheparinov, Ivan g BUL 2678 0 1986
54 Sutovsky, Emil g ISR 2675 27 1977
55 Inarkiev, Ernesto g RUS 2675 15 1985
56 Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter g ROU 2675 10 1976
57 Tiviakov, Sergei g NED 2674 34 1973
58 Kasimdzhanov, Rustam g UZB 2672 29 1979
59 Caruana, Fabiano g ITA 2670 25 1992
60 Grachev, Boris g RUS 2669 19 1986
61 Sasikiran, Krishnan g IND 2669 18 1981
62 Kurnosov, Igor g RUS 2669 13 1985
63 Fressinet, Laurent g FRA 2667 28 1981
64 Sargissian, Gabriel g ARM 2667 18 1983
65 Fridman, Daniel g GER 2665 23 1976
66 Guseinov, Gadir g AZE 2664 9 1986
67 Najer, Evgeniy g RUS 2663 26 1977
68 Beliavsky, Alexander G g SLO 2662 23 1953
69 Dreev, Alexey g RUS 2660 15 1969
70 Milov, Vadim g SUI 2659 2 1972
71 Roiz, Michael g ISR 2658 31 1983
72 Meier, Georg g GER 2658 21 1987
73 Socko, Bartosz g POL 2656 30 1978
74 Fedorchuk, Sergey A. g UKR 2655 41 1981
75 Landa, Konstantin g RUS 2655 33 1972
76 Van Wely, Loek g NED 2655 33 1972
77 Sokolov, Ivan g BIH 2655 32 1968
78 Efimenko, Zahar g UKR 2654 30 1985
79 Tregubov, Pavel V. g RUS 2652 30 1971
80 Areshchenko, Alexander g UKR 2651 40 1986
81 Tkachiev, Vladislav g FRA 2650 17 1973
82 Smirin, Ilia g ISR 2650 15 1968
83 Savchenko, Boris g RUS 2650 12 1986
84 Pashikian, Arman g ARM 2650 2 1987
85 Shulman, Yuri g USA 2648 34 1975
86 Andreikin, Dmitry g RUS 2648 20 1990
87 Lastin, Alexander g RUS 2648 16 1976
88 Postny, Evgeny g ISR 2647 33 1981
89 Granda Zuniga, Julio E g PER 2647 26 1967
90 Berkes, Ferenc g HUN 2647 20 1985
91 Riazantsev, Alexander g RUS 2647 16 1985
92 So, Wesley g PHI 2646 22 1993
93 Seirawan, Yasser g USA 2646 4 1960
94 Georgiev, Kiril g BUL 2645 18 1965
95 Kobalia, Mikhail g RUS 2645 0 1978
96 Mamedov, Rauf g AZE 2645 0 1988
97 Predojevic, Borki g BIH 2644 30 1987
98 Karpov, Anatoly g RUS 2644 0 1951
99 Amonatov, Farrukh g TJK 2641 24 1978
100 Avrukh, Boris g ISR 2641 13 1978

The big winners at the top are (first two columns are their rankings):

Jul09 Jan09 Player Nat. rating gain
4 6 Aronian, Levon ARM 2768 +14
9 15 Gelfand, Boris ISR 2755 +22
12 18 Svidler, Peter RUS 2739 +13
21 36 Eljanov, Pavel UKR 2716 +23
25 34 Akopian, Vladimir ARM 2712 +16
27 52 Motylev, Alexander RUS 2710 +33
29 47 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime FRA 2703 +19
34 45 Onischuk, Alexander USA 2699 +15
37 50 Miroshnichenko, Evgenij UKR 2696 +16
42 74 Navara, David CZE 2687 +33
50 61 Nielsen, Peter Heine DEN 2680 +12
54 64 Sutovsky, Emil ISR 2675 +15
59 78 Caruana, Fabiano ITA 2670 +21
60 75 Grachev, Boris RUS 2669 +17
62 67 Kurnosov, Igor RUS 2669 +11
65 83 Fridman, Daniel GER 2665 +19
68 91 Beliavsky, Alexander G SLO 2662 +22
71 100 Roiz, Michael ISR 2658 +23
72 88 Meier, Georg GER 2658 +17
73 95 Socko, Bartosz POL 2656 +19
91 98 Riazantsev, Alexander RUS 2647 +12

The biggest fall, for the second time in a row, was by Vassily Ivanchuk, who dropped 43 points (he decended by 33 in the previous list). But of course his brilliant win in the recent Bazna tournament will once again push him up the rankings to a place more appropriate to his abilities.

Jul09 Jan09 Player Nat. rating loss
14 10 Grischuk, Alexander RUS 2733 -15
15 13 Shirov, Alexei ESP 2732 -13
22 11 Movsesian, Sergei SVK 2716 -31
30 12 Ivanchuk, Vassily UKR 2703 -43
33 21 Ni, Hua CHN 2701 -23
57 32 Tiviakov, Sergei NED 2674 -23
58 35 Kasimdzhanov, Rustam UZB 2672 -23
77 58 Sokolov, Ivan BIH 2655 -14
78 49 Efimenko, Zahar UKR 2654 -28

FIDE Top 100 Women July 2009
Of course Judit Polgar still leads, but the margin to the second-highest rated femal player in history, Koneru Humpy, has dwindled to 64 points. Chinese super-talent Hou Yifan is third, well ahead of the rest of the field.

Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
1 Polgar, Judit g HUN 2687 1 1976
2 Koneru, Humpy g IND 2623 11 1987
3 Hou, Yifan g CHN 2584 21 1994
4 Zhao, Xue g CHN 2544 18 1985
5 Muzychuk, Anna m SLO 2542 14 1990
6 Kosintseva, Tatiana m RUS 2539 7 1986
7 Dzagnidze, Nana g GEO 2536 9 1987
8 Stefanova, Antoaneta g BUL 2535 8 1979
9 Sebag, Marie g FRA 2531 14 1986
10 Cramling, Pia g SWE 2525 5 1963
11 Kosteniuk, Alexandra g RUS 2516 0 1984
12 Arakhamia-Grant, Ketevan g SCO 2506 12 1968
13 Chiburdanidze, Maia g GEO 2506 0 1961
14 Danielian, Elina m ARM 2502 2 1978
15 Pogonina, Natalija wg RUS 2501 6 1985
16 Hoang Thanh Trang g HUN 2501 5 1980
17 Ruan, Lufei wg CHN 2486 11 1987
18 Xu, Yuhua g CHN 2485 7 1976
19 Kosintseva, Nadezhda m RUS 2482 6 1985
20 Lahno, Kateryna g UKR 2481 7 1989
21 Ushenina, Anna m UKR 2477 7 1985
22 Paehtz, Elisabeth m GER 2474 20 1985
23 Zhu, Chen g QAT 2473 11 1976
24 Cmilyte, Viktorija m LTU 2470 39 1983
25 Javakhishvili, Lela m GEO 2470 9 1984
26 Mkrtchian, Lilit m ARM 2467 9 1982
27 Zatonskih, Anna m USA 2466 16 1978
28 Dembo, Yelena m GRE 2466 0 1983
29 Qin, Kanying wg CHN 2466 0 1974
30 Zhukova, Natalia wg UKR 2465 7 1979
31 Krush, Irina m USA 2458 13 1983
32 Shen, Yang wg CHN 2453 22 1989
33 Hunt, Harriet V m ENG 2452 2 1978
34 Tairova, Elena m RUS 2450 19 1991
35 Skripchenko, Almira m FRA 2450 14 1976
36 Socko, Monika g POL 2449 9 1978
37 Rajlich, Iweta m POL 2448 8 1981
38 Korbut, Ekaterina m RUS 2448 0 1985
39 Romanko, Marina m RUS 2447 19 1986
40 Ovod, Evgenija m RUS 2447 6 1982
41 Harika, Dronavalli m IND 2445 31 1991
42 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2443 33 1991
43 Muzychuk, Mariya m UKR 2441 18 1992
44 Melia, Salome m GEO 2441 9 1987
45 Gunina, Valentina wf RUS 2437 34 1989
46 Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina m RUS 2437 18 1974
47 Tan, Zhongyi CHN 2435 22 1991
48 Atalik, Ekaterina m TUR 2434 0 1982
49 Moser, Eva m AUT 2431 26 1982
50 Khukhashvili, Sopiko m GEO 2430 9 1985
51 Bojkovic, Natasa m SRB 2429 6 1971
52 Gaponenko, Inna m UKR 2428 18 1976
53 Repkova, Eva m SVK 2428 5 1975
54 Lomineishvili, Maia m GEO 2427 9 1977
55 Huang, Qian wg CHN 2424 22 1986
56 Foisor, Cristina-Adela m ROU 2424 15 1967
57 Li, Ruofan wg SIN 2423 0 1978
58 Vasilevich, Tatjana m UKR 2420 24 1977
59 Khurtsidze, Nino m GEO 2418 8 1975
60 Peng, Zhaoqin g NED 2418 7 1968
61 Matnadze, Ana m GEO 2413 27 1983
62 Stockova, Zuzana m SVK 2413 9 1977
63 Munguntuul, Batkhuyag wg MGL 2412 36 1987
64 Zdebskaja, Natalia wg UKR 2412 32 1986
65 Tania, Sachdev m IND 2410 31 1986
66 Maric, Alisa m SRB 2407 0 1970
67 Kovanova, Baira wg RUS 2406 15 1987
68 Khotenashvili, Bela wg GEO 2402 9 1988
69 Jackova, Jana m CZE 2396 16 1982
70 Fierro Baquero, Martha L. m ECU 2394 14 1977
71 Houska, Jovanka m ENG 2392 5 1980
72 Peptan, Corina-Isabela m ROU 2392 0 1978
73 Zhang, Xiaowen wm CHN 2391 33 1989
74 Matveeva, Svetlana m RUS 2391 16 1969
75 Goletiani, Rusudan wg USA 2391 0 1980
76 Cori T., Deysi wm PER 2390 50 1993
77 Zaiatz, Elena m RUS 2390 15 1969
78 Milliet, Sophie m FRA 2388 11 1983
79 Alexandrova, Olga m ESP 2388 9 1978
80 Bodnaruk, Anastasia wg RUS 2388 6 1992
81 Turova, Irina m RUS 2387 24 1979
82 Zawadzka, Jolanta wg POL 2387 9 1987
83 Karavade, Eesha wg IND 2386 28 1987
84 Madl, Ildiko m HUN 2386 27 1969
85 Borsuk, Angela m ISR 2385 0 1967
86 Shadrina, Tatiana wg RUS 2384 14 1974
87 Savina, Anastasia RUS 2382 42 1992
88 Majdan, Joanna wg POL 2382 0 1988
89 Pokorna, Regina wg SVK 2381 27 1982
90 Wang, Yu A. m CHN 2380 22 1982
91 Michna, Marta wg GER 2379 18 1978
92 Demina, Julia wg RUS 2378 12 1969
93 Sergeyeva, Mariya wg KAZ 2377 0 1983
94 Vajda, Szidonia m HUN 2375 13 1979
95 Stepovaia, Tatiana wg RUS 2370 9 1965
96 Iljushina, Olga wm RUS 2366 16 1981
97 Tsereteli, Tamar wg GEO 2365 0 1985
98 Purtseladze, Maka m GEO 2362 8 1988
99 Lanchava, Tea m NED 2360 4 1974
100 Djingarova, Emilia wg BUL 2359 25 1978

FIDE Top 20 Juniors July 2009
Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen leads clearly, followed by his Ukrainian "twin" Sergey Karjakin and the very interesting young GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who is now firmly entrenched as France's second strongest player (behind Etienne Bacrot). We also have a keen eye on Fabiano Caruana, who has climbed 21 points from the last list. Note that Hou Yifan, the strongest girl in the world, is no longer amongst the top 20 of the Juniors' list.

Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
1 Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2772 12 1990
2 Karjakin, Sergey g UKR 2717 13 1990
3 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime g FRA 2703 31 1990
4 Wang, Hao g CHN 2690 38 1989
5 Caruana, Fabiano g ITA 2670 25 1992
6 Andreikin, Dmitry g RUS 2648 20 1990
7 So, Wesley g PHI 2646 22 1993
8 Kuzubov, Yuriy g UKR 2635 19 1990
9 Li, Chao b g CHN 2634 22 1989
10 Nepomniachtchi, Ian g RUS 2632 15 1990
11 Rodshtein, Maxim g ISR 2623 11 1989
12 Zhigalko, Sergei g BLR 2621 9 1989
13 Howell, David W L g ENG 2614 5 1990
14 Khairullin, Ildar g RUS 2602 17 1990
15 Le, Quang Liem g VIE 2602 11 1991
16 Edouard, Romain g FRA 2597 26 1990
17 Safarli, Eltaj g AZE 2597 9 1992
18 Nguyen, Ngoc Truong Son g VIE 2592 20 1990
19 Negi, Parimarjan g IND 2590 31 1993
20 Sjugirov, Sanan g RUS 2590 19 1993

FIDE Top 20 Girls July 2009
GM Hou Yifan of China, 15, still leads, more than 40 points ahead of IM Anna Muzychuk, and 100 ahead of GM Kateryna Lahno, who recently married GM Robert Fontaine.

Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
1 Hou, Yifan g CHN 2584 21 1994
2 Muzychuk, Anna m SLO 2542 14 1990
3 Lahno, Kateryna g UKR 2481 7 1989
4 Shen, Yang wg CHN 2453 22 1989
5 Tairova, Elena m RUS 2450 19 1991
6 Harika, Dronavalli m IND 2445 31 1991
7 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2443 33 1991
8 Muzychuk, Mariya m UKR 2441 18 1992
9 Gunina, Valentina wf RUS 2437 34 1989
10 Tan, Zhongyi CHN 2435 22 1991
11 Zhang, Xiaowen wm CHN 2391 33 1989
12 Cori T., Deysi wm PER 2390 50 1993
13 Bodnaruk, Anastasia wg RUS 2388 6 1992
14 Savina, Anastasia RUS 2382 42 1992
15 Kashlinskaya, Alina wg RUS 2346 24 1993
16 Ding, Yixin wf CHN 2343 33 1991
17 Vojinovic, Jovana wm MNE 2341 9 1992
18 Severiukhina, Zoja wm RUS 2340 19 1990
19 Guramishvili, Sopiko wg GEO 2339 26 1991
20 Gomes, Mary Ann wg IND 2332 0 1989

Lists and data by courtesy of FIDE