To have your tournament results or news listed, e-mail the MSO chess staff at StephLeary@yahoo.com.
30 March 2000
East Wins U.S. Amateur Team Playoff
A 4-way playoff was held March 25-27 between the 4 U.S. Amateur Team winners. The East, "Total Brutality" won the event by drawing the Midwest, and beating the South and West.
The members of "Total Brutality" were Igor Shliperman, Saudin Robovic, Mark Kurtzman and Philip Sorge.
Results are available on the USCF website.
*****
Balashov, Grigoriants Win Geller Memorial
The Efim Geller Memorial was held in Moscow March 13-21. Tying for 1st-2nd were GM Y. Balashov and IM S. Grigoriants, both with 7 points.
*****
Hebden and Robinson Win Midland
The Midland Individual Championship was held March 17-19 at Spondon, UK.
IM Matthew Turner and GM Mark Hebden shared first prize and 12-year-old Ameet Ghasi qualified for the Smith & Williamson British Championship.
A full report is available at the British Chess Magazine website.
*****
Shirov Wins Amber
Alexei Shirov won the 9th Amber tournament in Monaco with a total of 15 points, 1½ points more than his closest rivals.
Shirov was finally beaten in the final round by Ivanchuk, 1½-½. The Rapid was a 24-move draw; in the Blindfold, Ivanchuk cut through Shirov's Petroff to win in 26 moves.
Ljubojevic surprised Topalov with a 1½-½ victory; he scored the point in the Rapid on the white side of a Semi-Slav. Kramnik tied Karpov with two draws. Anand and Gelfand drew both their games. Lautier and Piket were deadlocked as well with two draws. Van Wely smashed Nikolic 2-0. Topalov, Kramnik, and Ivanchuk all tied for second with 13½. Anand dropped to fifth with 12½.
Final Standings after Round 11:
Shirov 15
Topalov 13½
Kramnik 13½
Ivanchuk 13½
Anand 12½
Gelfand 12
Piket 10½
Van Wely 10½
Karpov 10
Lautier 7½
Ljubojevic 7
Nikolic 6½
Detailed reports and results are available at the official website: http://chess.lostcity.nl/amber/.
*****
26 March 2000
9th Amber: Shirov Up 2 Points
The 9th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament is underway in Monaco and runs from 16-28 March. In the ninth round,
Maestro Shirov conducted another 1½-½ victory, this time over Gelfand.
In the Rapid, Shirov scored with his deadly 6. Be3 against Gelfand's Najdorf Sicilian. The Blindfold was a Semi-Slav draw. Shirov now enjoys a 2-point lead with 2 rounds to go.
Kramnik tamed the Tiger of Madras by a 1½-½ score. In the Rapid, Kramnik secured a draw with his Sveshnikov Sicilian. After 32 moves blindfolded, Anand dropped a pawn and the game.
Van Wely dealt a death blow to Topalov's chances by winning their match
1½-½. He beat Topalov's King's Indian after 47 moves in the Rapid, and
in the Blindfold, Topalov's 6. f3 and 7. Be3 to Van Wely's Najdorf Sicilian
was only enough for a draw this time.
Ivanchuk overpowered a fading Karpov 1½-½. Lautier nailed Nikolic by the same score, and Piket lit up Ljubojevic 1½-½ as well.
24 March 2000
9th Amber: Shirov Still Undefeated
The 9th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament is underway in Monaco and runs from 16-28 March. After the eighth round, Shirov kept his lead with a 1½-½ victory over Piket and remains undefeated. In the Rapid, Shirov drew as black with the Slav; in the Blindfold, he stopped Piket's Open Spanish in 32 moves.
Topalov moved within a point of Shirov with a 2-0 shellacking of Karpov. It took him 74 moves to bring home the point from the white side of a Queen's Gambit Declined. In the Blindfold, Karpov dropped a rook. The former World Champion falls all the way to a tie for sixth.
Anand has recovered his good form and won yet again, this time 1½-½ over Nikolic. He scored the full point in the Rapid, then took a quick draw in the Blindfold. But Anand is still 1½ points behind Shirov with only 3 rounds to go.
Kramnik crushed Ljubojevic 2-0. In the Rapid, he checkmated Ljubo in 39 moves; and in the Blindfold, Ljubo's queen became trapped after 26 moves. Ivanchuk beat Lautier 1½-½. Gelfand and Van Wely drew their way to a 1-1 tie. Saturday is a rest day; the action picks up again on Sunday.
Detailed reports and results are available at the official website: http://chess.lostcity.nl/amber/.
*****
Baburin Hits Jackpot at National Open
The 2000 National Open Chess Festival was held 16-20 March in Las Vegas with a $50,000 guaranteed prize fund. 22 Grandmasters and 17 International Masters competed.
GM Alexander Baburin won on tiebreaks over 12 other players! Each finished with 5.0/6. The winners:
GM Baburin, Alexander (IRL)
GM Yermolinsky, Alex (OH)
GM Ehlvest, Jan (EST)
GM Kaidanov, Gregory (KY)
GM Blatny, Pavel(CZE)
GM Shulman, Yuri(BLR)
GM Goldin, Alexander (OH)
GM Stripunsky, Alexander (NY)
GM Serper, Gregory (OH)
GM Gurevich, Dmitry (IL)
FM Altounian, Levon (CA)
GM Gufeld, Eduard (CA)
IM Milovanovic, Rade (TX)
Each received $1,395.83, except Milovanovic, who won $1,500 as first U2500.
GM Alexander Baburin is known for playing 1. d4 as white. As black, his repertoire includes Alekhine's Defense and the Queen's Gambit Accepted.
He is well-known on the internet for his beloved newsletter "Coffee Break Chess."
Born in Nizhniy Novgorod (Gorky) on 19th February, 1967, Baburin achieved the Grandmaster title in 1996. He moved to Ireland with his family in 1993.
306 players competed in the Reserve section. Tying for first with 5½ were:
Dominguez, Roberto
Hater, David
Ong, Austin
Chavez, Mario
Gurevich, David
Each received $1,340.
325 players competed in the Booster section. Finishing in clear first with 6 points was Fred Williams, who collected a $1,500 prize check. The U1400 title went to Alan A. Samatra with 5½. Alan pocketed $1,300.
In the Unrated section, Quirino Tagorda Jr. finished with 6 points to win first place.
The G/10 event attracted many strong players. GM Gregory Kaidanov
took clear first with 7 points and won $1,000. Right behind with 6½ were Alex Yermolinsky, Babakouly Annakov, Pavel Blatny, Julio Becerra, and Darmen Sadvakason. Each collected $220.
Simultaneous Exhibitions were given by Jaan Ehlvest, Gregory Kaidanov, Hikaru Nakamura, and Anjelina Belakovskaia.
Complete results are available at the National Open website. Photos and games will be online soon.
*****
9th Amber: Shirov Shatters Topalov
The 9th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament is underway in Monaco and runs from 16-28 March. After the seventh round, Alexei Shirov maintained his grasp on first place by defeating Veselin Topalov 1½-½.
In the Rapid, Shirov played 6. Be3 to Topalov's Najdorf Sicilian and pulled through for a win after 75 moves. In the Blindfold, Shirov's Petroff was enough for the draw. Shirov has pulled away from the pack and enjoys a
1½-point lead.
Anand scored another victory, cuffing Piket 1½-½. As white, Anand won with the Spanish, and in the Blindfold, his Slav achieved the draw. The Indian has risen to joint second place with Topalov. Karpov and Nikolic drew their games for a 1-1 deadlock.
Kramnik beat Lautier 1½-½. In the Rapid, Kramnik smashed Lautier's English in only 28 moves, while the Blindfold was a short draw. Gelfand skunked Ljubojevic 2-0, and Ivanchuk demolished Van Wely by the same 2-0 score.
Detailed reports and results are available at the official website: http://chess.lostcity.nl/amber/.
*****
23 March 2000
IM Kopec Wins New York State G/45 Championship
The New York State G/45 Championship was held 18 March at Adelphia University in Garden City, New York, and attracted 198 players.
IM Danny Kopec emerged victorious, winning $600 and 30 Grand Prix Points. There was a 3-way tie for 2nd place: GM John Fedorowicz, GM Gennady Sagalchik, and Justin Sarkar.
Other notables in attendance were IM Jay Bonin, IM Ron Burnett, and the
up-and-coming Dimitry Schneider. Last year's co-champions (who were in
Las Vegas this year), were GM Pavel Blatny & GM Alexander Stripunsky.
The tournament was sponsored by the Long Island Chess Nuts, with over
450 members on Long Island.
The next major event will be the New York State Women's Championship, and the New York State Seniors' Championship, to be held on Saturday June 10 & Sunday June 11, 2000, also at Adelphi University. There will be several side tournaments for other players, including a G/29 Quick Chess, and a non-rated Quads (with G/60, but no effect on rating).
Thanks to Margarita of Long Island Chess Nuts for the report.
*****
22 March 2000
9th Amber: Shirov Takes Lead
The 9th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament is underway in Monaco and runs from 16-28 March. After the sixth round, Alexei Shirov has taken the lead by beating Nikolic 1½-½. The Rapid game was a short draw after an Exchange Slav. In the Blindfold, Nikolic played a Pirc and was outmaneuvered in the endgame.
Anand continued to climb upward as he toppled Topalov from his perch atop the standings by winning their match 1½-½. Anand's French was enough for the draw in the Rapid; the Indian played an English Opening in the Blindfold, chasing Topalov's king around until he won his queen and the game.
Karpov and Piket drew their games for a 1-1 tie.
Kramnik lost to Van Wely in the Rapid, but recovered with a win in the Blindfold when Van Wely dropped a rook while 2 pawns down in the endgame.
Ivanchuk beat Ljubo's French in the Rapid, but lost on time in the Blindfold for a 1-1 score. Gelfand and Lautier drew their way to a 1-1 tie.
Detailed reports and results are available at the official website: http://chess.lostcity.nl/amber/.
*****
21 March 2000
9th Amber: 5th Round Report
The 9th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament is underway in Monaco and runs from 16-28 March. After the fifth round, Veselin Topalov
stands alone in first place with 8 points after beating Boris Gelfand 2-0. In the Rapid, Topalov played 6. f3 and 7. Be3 in answer to Gelfand's Najdorf Sicilian, and won quickly in 28 moves with an unstoppable mate threat. In the Blindfold game, Topalov won the Queen's Gambit in the ending after 42 moves.
Shirov drops to second with 7½ after drubbing Van Wely 1½-½.
Karpov maintained third position after besting Ljubojevic 1½-½. Anand jumped to fourth place after dumping Lautier 2-0. As white, Anand played 6. f3 and 7. Be3 in response to Lautier's Najdorf Sicilian (same as Topalov-Gelfand), then negotiated an unstoppable king hunt.
In the Blindfold game, Anand won a long ending after a Semi-Slav opening.
Kramnik beat Nikolic 1½-½, and Ivanchuk and Piket tied 1-1.
Detailed reports and results are available at the official website: http://chess.lostcity.nl/amber/.
*****
Eastern Class Championship Results
The 2000 Eastern Class Championships were held 3-5 March in Woburn, MA (USA). 28 players competed in the Masters section. Tying for first-third with 4.0/5 were GM Larry Christiansen,
GM Alexander Ivanov, and FM Igor Foygel.
In the Experts section, Viktor S. Levine topped the 21 competitors for 4½/5.
Complete results are available at the Massachusetts Chess Association website.
*****
New Mexico Memorial Tournament
The New Mexico Chess Organization Memorial Tournament was held 4-5 March. In the Open section, 18 players competed, resulting in a three-way tie for first with 3½/4: Tony Schroeder (USCF 2111), Ryan McCracken (1809), Jeremiah Miller (1627). Each won $133.
Complete results are available at the New Mexico Chess Organization website.
*****
BWCA Girls Championship
The BWCA Girls Championship was held in Hampton, Middx (UK) from 13-14 February. Alexandra 'Aly' Wilson [Surrey] won the U14 title with 5½/6. Heather Walker [Essex] won the U13 division with 5½/6.
Stephanie Barraclough [Sussex] claimed the U10 Championship with 5/7. Fiona Smailes [Surrey] is the U11 Champion (also 5/7).
Selina Khoo [Surrey] won the U9 title with a perfect 9/9.
Wiltshire/West of England Junior Championships
The Wiltshire/West of England Junior Championships were held 27-28 February in Swindon. The winners:
Beginners:
1st Sarah Thomas (Wiltshire)
U8:
1st Krishna Kahar (Glos) 6/6
U10:
1st Eugene Geidelberg (Hants) 6/6
U12 Minor:
1st Alex Nichols (Wiltshire)
U12 Major:
1st Peter Roberson (Hants) 5.5/6
U14 Minor:
1st David Stephens (Glos) 5/6
Matthew Jellett (Essex) 5/6
Matthew Holmes (Glos) 5/6
U18 Major:
1st Ezra Lutton (Essex) 4/5
Krunal Kahar (Glos.) 4/5
Girls:
1st Jenny Chase (Wilts) 5
*****
19 March 2000
9th Amber: Shirov and Topalov Maintain Lead
The 9th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament is underway in Monaco and runs from 16-28 March. After the fourth round, Shirov and Topalov share first place. Karpov dropped back after losing to Shirov 1½-½. Kramnik lost again and doesn't seem to be playing up to his level. Van Wely beat Anand in a 113-move rapid game, but Anand came back with a blindfold win. Monday is a free day.
A detailed report and results are available at the official website: http://chess.lostcity.nl/amber/.
*****
18 March 2000
Kasparov Plays Boris Becker on CNN
Garry Kasparov played tennis legend Boris Becker on CNN's "In The Money" program Wednesday, March 15 at 1600 GMT (11am EST). As part of the hour-long program, Kasparov and Becker competed in the KasparovChess.com Playing Zone. Kasparov logged on from New York while Becker played from Munich.
After 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5, Kasparov eventually won the game.
Kasparov took the opportunity to talk about
KasparovChess.com and his plans for the internet. Kasparov is participating in a series of events to officially launch his website.
A "United Nations of Chess" simultaneous exhibition between Kasparov and 30 junior players from every continent except Antarctica was held Tuesday. 10 players were live in the ABC TV studio and 20 were online in the Playing Zone.
Kasparov scored 28.5/29. 12-year-old Victoria Zaks of Israel scored the lone draw.
*****
18 March 2000
BCF Responds to FIDE's Plan
David Anderton, International Director of the British Chess Federation,
has responded to
FIDE's "Commercialisation" plan on behalf of the BCF Management Board. Anderton dumps a bucket of cold water on FIDE's outlandish proposals to control world chess.
"Schisms in the chess world need to be resolved by negotiation not sanctions," he writes, and proposes that an independent committee take control of the World Championship so all parties are represented.
The BCF doesn't recognize FIDE's authority to regulate chess activity in England. "Further until the scandal of the Myanmar ratings is solved the
current FIDE Rating system lacks all credibility."
Now that the BCF has lectured FIDE, how much more embarrassment and humiliation will they be served by other federations? The publication of the Commercialisation Plan has turned into yet another FIDE Fiasco.
*****
17 March 2000
Kasparov to Take Company Public
The Rueters News Agency has published an article on Garry Kasparov's new
website and his dream of popularizing chess in households across the world.
"Going public is part of the business strategy and we have to be sure about the numbers, we have to guarantee the technical security and stability of the site. Everything else will be more or less ready by the end
of summer and at that time we will be able to show investors the program."
The new company maintains offices in Tel Aviv, New York, Moscow, and London, and employs about 65 people. $3.5 million was raised from his group of associates to launch the endeavor. The difference between this website and the others is the presence of Kasparov himself, the best player in the world.
Kasparov told Reuters the company will raise money "in traditional ways" through chess products, including books, chess equipment
such as sets and clocks, and online lessons.
*****
Xie Jun-Deep Junior Match Cancelled
The match between FIDE Women's Champion Xie Jun and the computer program Deep Junior has been abandonded. Serious internet connection problems interfered with the games. A complete report on the match and the reasons for its cancellation are available at the sponsoring website, KasparovChess.com.
*****
16 March 2000
Krasenkow & JiangChuan Win Sufe Cup
The Sufe Cup tournament was held 2-14 March in Shanghai, China. The final results:
1. Michael Krasenkow (GM POL 2661) 10½
2. Ye Jiangchuan (GM CHN 2616) 10½
3. Peng Xiaomin (GM CHN 2624) 8½
4. Viktor Bologan (GM MDA 2589) 8½
5. Zhang Zhong (GM CHN 2611) 8
6. Valeri Filippov (GM RUS 2584) 8
7. Eugeni Pigusov (GM RUS 2610) 6½
8. Xie Jun (GM CHN 2542) 6
9. Yin Hao (IM CHN 2496) 5
10. Wang Lei (WG CHN 2495) 5
11. Wang Pin (WG CHN 2469) 5
12. Qin Kanying (WG CHN 2475) 4
13. Aung Aung (IM MYA 2595) 3½
14. Nay Oo Kyaw Tun (IM MYA 2595) 2
Krasenkow and JiangChuan tie for first. The two controversial Myanmar players finish in the basement, their lofty ratings drawing added attention to their poor performances. This tournament seems to provide corroboration to the widespread belief that the ratings of Myanmar players are artificially inflated and do not reflect their true skill level.
*****
7-Way Tie at U.S. Masters
The 2000 U.S. Masters tournament was held 9-12 March in Oak Brook, IL (near Chicago). Eighteen GMs and six IMs competed. Seven players
tied for first with 5.5/7: GMs Ehlvest, Baburin, Wojtkiewicz, Shabalov,
DeFirmian, Blatny, and Ziatdinov. Each received $1814.
The 2400-2499 prize was shared among Pedzich, Balandin, Young and
Pelts. The 2300-2399 group was shared among Bachler, Umezinwa, and Zakhvatov. S. Wygle and C. Harmon tied for the 2200-2299 prize honors, while junior Mark Esserman took the U 2200. Top non-master junior was Tam Nguyen of Chicago.
Thanks to Helen Warren for results.
*****
15 March 2000
IMs Top GMs at Blackpool
The 24th Blackpool Conference was held 10-12 March with 476 entrants. IMs Danny Gormally and Steve Mannion tied for first ahead of a number of grandmasters.
A report is available at the British Chess Magazine website.
*****
11 March 2000
Kasparov & Kramnik Refuse to Break Deadlock
Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik have been declared co-champions of Linares 2000. Both finished with 6 points. A tiebreak system had been set in place before the tournament began; however, as it turned out, no winner could be declared from them (first tiebreak was number of wins; second was number of wins with black, etc.). In the unlikely event that the tiebreaks could not determine a sole victor, the final tiebreak was a coin toss, which no one really expected would be needed, as GM Felix Izeta reported at the official website.
The prospect of determining the winner of the most important tournament of the year in such a whimsical manner, despite the pre-tournament rules, was finally deemed inappropriate. Apparently there were howls of protests from journalists and others. The organizers proposed that the two finalists play fast games to break the deadlock.
Kasparov and Kramnik decided privately among themselves that they did not want to play any fast games, and that they should be declared co-champions. Kasparov ceded the Linares trophy to Kramnik, as he did not yet have one in his display case, and due to his "commendable performance," as reported in El Pais. Apparently the two players felt they were "much too tired" to play the fast games. It is unclear if the organizers beseeched them aggressively to play some games to decide the issue, but according to the rules, the players were not obligated to do so.
In an earlier El Pais article, Kasparov felt he had made a mistake in competing in the KasparovChess.com Grand Prix before coming to Linares. "I broke my custom to reserve all my energy for Linares, and I am paying for it," he said.
*****
9 March 2000
Linares 2001
Arvind Aaron reports in
The Hindu
that Linares will be held every year from now on. Plans are for the 2001 Linares to be an
8-player event and there is some talk of making it a festival like Wijk aan Zee. Kasparov is way ahead in the race for the Chess Oscar of 1999. Battling for second are Khalifman, Kramnik, and Anand. Voting closes at the end of March. Kasparov may refuse the award.
*****
Teodoro Wins Toronto Closed Championship
Eduardo Teodoro IV (2437) has won the 2000 Toronto Closed Championship with a score of 10/11, two points ahead of his closest rivals. The tournament concluded Wednesday.
12 players competed in the Championship section.
Tying for second-third were Mark Bluvshtein (2252) and Roderick Teodoro (2240) with 8 points.
Tying for 4th-5th with 7.5 points were Stephen Glinert (2354) and Andrew Peredun (2255).
In the Reserves section, there were 12 participants and 3 players tied for first with 7.5 points: Warren Dutton (1994), Bojana Mitrovic (1992), and Rolf Stoltefuss (1936).
Complete crosstables are available at
www.chesstalk.com.
*****
Dos Hermanas I Internet Chess Tournament
The I Internet Chess Tournament "Ciudad de Dos Hermanas" will take place 11-19 March at the Internet Chess Club (ICC). You must join ICC to compete (there is a free one-month membership for tournament participants). Full details are available at the Dos Hermanas website.
The II International Open "Ciudad de Dos Hermanas" will take place 7-15 April. More than 30 grandmasters are expected to compete.
*****
7 March 2000
8-Way Tie at Millennium Chess Festival
The Millennium Chess Festival was held 3-5 March in Portsmouth, VA (USA). There was an $8,350 guaranteed prize fund. 42 players competed in the Open section. Incredibly, 8 players tied for first with 4.0/5. The winning players:
GM Ehlvest, Jan
GM Novikov, Igor
GM Wojtkiewicz, Alek
GM Shabalov, Alexander
GM Blatny, Pavel
GM Stripunsky, Alexander
IM Sevillano, Enrico
Boudreaux, Floyd A
In the Reserve section, 57 players competed. Tying for first were Garry Cummings (USCF 1772) and Ted Udelson (1646).
Complete results and games are available at the
Millennium Chess Festival website.
*****
Gleizerov Master of Malaga
The III Malaga International Open (Spain) was held 25 February to 4 March.
The winner was Eugeny Gleizerov (Russia) with 7.5 points. Complete results are available at
http://caissa.ic.uma.es/fma/open/00open.htm.
*****
Limp Walks Away with Toth Title
The II Vince Toth Memorial was held 25 February to 3 March in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Eduardo Limp won the event with 7.0/9.
II Vince Toth Memorial Results
| Rk |
Player |
Elo |
Pts |
| 1 |
Limp, Eduardo |
2420 |
7.0 |
| 2 |
Lima, Darcy |
2514 |
6.5 |
| 3 |
Toth, Christian |
2355 |
6.0 |
| 4 |
Vescovi, Giovanni |
2511 |
6.0 |
| 5 |
Mitkov, Nikola |
2547 |
5.5 |
| 6 |
Galego, Luis |
2451 |
4.0 |
| 7 |
Matsuura, Everaldo |
2441 |
4.0 |
| 8 |
Dumont, Sadi |
2297 |
3.5 |
| 9 |
Teixeira, Ricardo da Silva |
2353 |
2.0 |
| 10 |
Sant'Ana, Ricardo |
2180 |
0.5 |
Complete results are available at
http://www.cbx.org.br/iivincetoth/vince2000.htm.
*****
Sorokin Shines at Sangli
The Sangli International Open (India) was held 22 February to 3 March and was won by GM
Max Sorokin with 8½/11. 72 players competed in the swiss event. Sorokin won on tiebreaks over
3 others who finished with 8½: GM Krishnan Sasikiran (India),
GM Evegeny Vladimirov (Kazakhstan) and GM Aleksander Fominih (Russia).
Nisha Mohota, 19, claimed $500 for finishing with the best score
(6/11) among women competitors. The National junior
girls' champion, who is based in Calcutta, also claimed the
Commonwealth women's championship.
Final Scores: 1. Maxim Sorokin (Arg), 2. Evegeny Vladimriov (Kazakhstan), 3. Alexander Fominih (Russia), 4. K. Sasikiran (India) (all 8.5 points); 5. Safin Shurat (Uzbekistan), 6. Abhijit Kunte (India), 7. Yuldashev Saidali (Uzbekistan) (7.5 points each).
Commonwealth champion: K. Sasikiran (India) (8.5 pts). Best woman player: Nisha Mohota (India) (6 pts). Best under-20 player: Suryasekhar Ganguly and P. Harikrishna (6.5 pts each).
*****
3 March 2000
107th Minnesota Open Results
The 107th Annual Minnesota Open was held 25-27 February in Bloomington, MN (USA). 31 players competed in the Premier section. Tying for first with 4-1 were Alex Balandin (USCF 2469) and Curt Brasket (2243). Balandin had the better tiebreaks. Tying for 3rd-7th with 3.5 points were Sean Nagle (2378), Eduard Zelkind (2330), Brett Larsen (1955), Stephen Turmo (2159), and Andrew Caranicas (2047).
In the Amateur section, 36 players competed. Dale Gustafson (1929) was the winner with 4.5/5. 39 players took part in the Reserve section. William Murphy (1526) emerged victorious with a perfect 6-0 score. 40 players competed in the Sophomore section, with Doug Snaza (1339) winning with 5.5/6. 46 players faced off in the Bantam section, with Alexander Hart (882) taking the gold with 5.5/6. And in the Novice section, 26 players competed, with John Gianoulis (Unrated) taking the top prize with a perfect 5-0 score.
Complete results are available at the Minnesota State Chess Association website.
*****
Brooks & Eliosov Share Iowa Hawkeye Victory
The Iowa Hawkeye Mind Challenge VII was held 26-27 February in Iowa City, IA (USA). 40 players competed in the Open section. Tying for first place with 4.5/5 were Michael Brooks (USCF 2475) and Boris Eliosov (2123). Tying for third with 4-1 were Herman Chiu (2061) and Pascal Openshaw (2056).
69 players competed in the Reserve section. Wes Chaplin (1169) took clear first with a perfect 5-0 score. Keith Rhodes (1161) was second with 4.5/5.
Thanks to Mark Capron for results.
*****
Canney & Valvo Win at Loveland Open
The 2000 Loveland Open was held 12-13 February in Loveland, CO (USA).
26 players competed in the Open section. Tying for first with 3.5/4 were Randy Canney (USCF 2279) and Michael Valvo (2421). Tying for third with scores of 3-1 were Adam Weissbarth (2026), Michael Shedd (1983), and Douglas R. Manley (2006). Complete results are available at the
Colorado Chess Association website.
*****
1 March 2000
Adams Answers Deep Junior Team's Criticism
In an
Open Letter,
GM Michael Adams of England has answered blunt criticism leveled at him by the programmers & operators of the Deep Junior chess program.
During the KasparovChess Grand Prix internet tournament, Deep Junior experienced technical difficulties that eventually led to the forfeit of its match with Adams, even though the program was easily winning at the time.
Deep Junior team members Shay Bushinsky and Amir Ban bitterly accused Adams of "very poor sportsmanship" and sarcastically asserted that "Adams may
have missed here a golden opportunity to demand being declared winner of the entire Grand Prix."
Adams answered that he did not demand that the computer be defaulted in the first game, that it was the decision of Mig, a vice president of Club Kasparov, and lists the chronology of events which led to this unfortunate result.
The narrative takes a hilarious turn when Adams writes that the Deep Junior team sought out the arbiter for a decision, but they had difficulty in waking him from his sleep!
"Indeed whilst this match did nothing to change my high opinion of Deep
Junior, unfortunately I am unable to say the same about its programmers and operators," Adams wrote.
*****
3-Way Tie at Mt. Vernon Classic
The 4th Best Western Mt. Vernon Chess Classic was held 26-27 February in Alexandria, VA (USA). 29 players competed in the Open section. Tying for 1st - 3rd with scores of 4-1 were IM Larry Kaufman, Raymond Kaufman, & Alexander Passov. 29 players also competed in the Amateur section. Harry Wright took clear first with 4.5-0.5. Complete crosstables are available at the Arlington Chess Club website.
*****
Grankins Wins OSU Tornado
Felikss Grankins (USCF 2243) scored a perfect 4-0 to win the Ohio State University February Tornado in Columbus, OH (USA). Boris Utkin (2089) took second prize with 3.5-0.5, and tying for third with 3-1 were Mark Chiminiello (2167) & Gregg Stark (1954). 19 players competed in the Open section. Complete results are available at the
Ohio Chess Association website.
*****
Texas Team Championship Results
The Texas Team Championships were held 19-20 February in San Antonio, TX (USA). Nine teams competed. The winner, with a score of 3.5-0.5, was "Tell Your Mom I Want A Refund." Team members were David John, Selby Anderson, Ali Morshedi and Enrique Rios. Complete results are available at the
Texas Chess Association website.
*****
28 February 2000
Kasparov Laughs at FIDE's Plan
El Pais chess journalist Leontxo Garcia reports that Garry Kasparov burst out laughing when asked about FIDE's new plan to conquer the world of chess. "The document is so pathetic that it is not necessary to comment on it in detail," the world's number one player said dismissively in the
newspaper article. Kasparov, who recently arrived in Spain to participate in the Linares tournament, said the plan is inspired by the old Soviet mentality. "The report contains a great truth in the first paragraphs," he said, "where it is recognized that FIDE needs urgent solutions to avoid their economic ruin."
27 February 2000
Kruppa & Milos Win at Cappelle la Grande Open
At the 16th Cappelle la Grande Open, held February 19-26 in France, GM Yuri Kruppa (Ukraine) and GM Gilberto Milos (Brazil) tied for first with 7.5 points. Eleven grandmasters were tied with 7 points.
Complete results are available at the
Cappelle website.
*****
26 February 2000
Hillarp-Persson Wins Jersey Festival
Tiger Hillarp-Persson of Sweden has won the Jersey Festival of Chess with a score of 6-1. Christopher Ward of England finished in clear second with 5.5. Three players finished with 5 points: H. James Plaskett, Aaron Summerscale, and Guenther Ballon. Young sensation David Howell had 3 points. Complete results are at the official site:
Jersey Festival 2000
*****
Labensky & Lastin Win at Rovno, Ukraine
At the Category 8 International Chess Tournament in Rovno, Ukraine, January-February 2000, I. Labensky (2367) and GM A. Lastin (2510) tied for first with 11 points. IM G. Gutman was third with 10.5.
Complete results are available at:
Rovno
*****
24 February 2000
U.S. Amateur Team Results
The 4 U.S. Amateur Team Championship tournaments were held over the February 19-21 weekend at various locations around the U.S.
The U.S. Amatuer Team Midwest was won by "U C Rooks" with a perfect 5-0 score. The team consisted of William Maddex, Wiliam Lopes, Todd Rowland, and Frank Titus. Finishing second was "U of Chicago" (Angelo Young, Dejan Maksimovic, Blair Machaj, and Charihos Skiadas). In third was "www.chessdepot.com" (Dominik Pedzich, Kenneth Wallach, Glenn Panner, Rhys Read, and David Monatelli). Full results are available at http://www.64.com/usatmw/.
At the U.S. Amateur Team South, the winner was "Psyched" with a score of
4-1. The team consisted of Miles Ardaman, John Nardandrea, Larry Storch, and Michael Leavitt. Tying for second with 3 1/2 points were "Teens 'N Tolani (TNT)," "Blunder Bayou II," and "Honey, I Shrunk The King."
According to Randy Hough, the U.S. Amateur Team West drew a disappointing 46 teams. The clear winner, with 5 1/2 of 6 match points, was "Dogs" (IM
Jack Peters, FM Robert Rowley, NM Ronald Gross, and Alan Compton).
Sam Sloan reports that the U.S. Amateur Team East was won by "Total Brutality" with a score of 5 1/2 - 1/2. The team consisted of Igor Shliperman (USCF
2542), S. Robovoc ("Robocop") (2430), Mark Kurtzman (2205) and P. Sorge
(1617). "Total Brutality" won on tiebreaks over "CK Fischers" (Ron Burnett, Brian McCarthy, Thomas Bartell, and Jonathan Cohen) and "CIS 2K"
(IM Ben Finegold, Yuri Lapshun, William Chris, and Craig Berger).
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