 Sasikiran leads M-tel after Round 8
Sasikiran, at 4.5/8 is followed by 4 other GMs at only half point distance.
 He's been forever in the shadows of new world no.1 Viswanathan Anand, but Indian No.2, Krishnan Sasikiran, is turning in a magical performance to make the news for himself. Following back-to-back wins against top-ten players Michael Adams and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, underdog Sasikiran looks set to finally break the 2700 barrier as he sensationally holds the sole lead at the top going into the final two rounds in Sofia.
Sasikiran's progress though was checked in round 8 by comeback kid Gata Kamsky, who for the second time of asking defeated the tournament leader at the M-Tel Masters following his classy round 6 win over Mamedyarov. Kamsky now joins Veselin Topalov and Livi-Dieter Nisipeanu (who played arguably the best game so far of the tournament in round 8 to defeat Adams) just a half point behind Sasikiran.
Should Sasikiran's nerves hold out over the final weekend, the signs for Indian chess would look good, especially following hard on the heels of Anand's big win at Morelia\Linares.
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  Take the Ronen Challenge
Friday & Saturday, [20:00 EDT | 02:00 CET]
 Former
world under-16 junior champion GM Ronen Har-Zvi has a reputation of being
one of the toughest simultaneous masters on ICC.
Each Friday and Saturday, at 20:00 EDT, Ronen will take on
30 all- comers (restricted to 2150 Elo or below) in a series of twice weekly
simuls (time control 45 20), with the winners receiving a 3-month membership
extension and going forward to the first grand prize final on Saturday,
26 May 20:00 EDT. Five members - saluki, Zebbile, nevyn, primerpaso and
Ehab - have so far battled their way through to the finals and a chance
of a free 1-year membership extension. Do you have what it takes for the
Ronen Challenge?
Read
the full announcement
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 John Watson Chess & Book Show 
Tuesdays [21:00 EDT | 03:00 CET]
 New
on ICC Chess.FM! Tune-in
for The John Watson Chess & Book Show on Tuesday, 22 May at 21:00
Server Time.
Each week, John's 90-minute show will be reviewing
all the latest titles and discussing books with his
guests.
Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, Editor-in-Chief of New In
Chess magazine, author and famed chess interviewer
will be John Watson's guest on the show. This show will be made available
for 7-days ONDemand for members.
Chess
FM page on our website
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Position after 20...h5 |
Mamedyarov,S (2757) - Topalov,V (2772) [D43]
MTel Sofia BUL 2007
Previously White had played his rook to f3,
so it's the right time to find the best square from where the bishop
can contribute to the attack on f7. 21.c5!! Bxc5 [21...Qxc5
22.Bc4 f6 23.a3 b5 24.Nb3 is very poor for Black] 22.Bc4
f6 23.Ne6+ Bxe6 24.Rxe6 White now has an undisputed supremacy
along the white squares 24...Qd7 25.Qf5! Qd4 [25...Qd1+
26.Bf1 threatening 27.Rxf6+ 26...Bd4 27.Re4 Bb6 28.Qe6 penetrating
easily] 26.Re4! Qd1+ 27.Bf1 Bd6 a mistake, but
Black was completely lost anyway 28.Rd3 Bxh2+ 29.Kxh2 Qxf1
30.Rd7 1-0
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Position after: 43.Qd3 |
Topalov,V (2772) - Nisipeanu,LD (2693) [B01]
MTel Sofia BUL 2007
The fragile position of the white pieces suggests
a nice tactical continuation. 43...Bd4!!
44.Bxe6 [The worst from
several bad alternatives. The attempt to sacrifice the queen
with 44.Qxd4 Nxd4
45.Bxd4 was not sufficient because of the blow 45...Nxf4+! 46.Nxf4
Qe4 +; 44.Bd2 Qf2+ 45.Kh3 (45.Kh1 Qf1+ 46.Kh2 Bg1+ 47.Nxg1 (47.Kg3
Qf2+ 48.Kh3 Qh2#) 47...Qxd3-+) 45...Qf1+ 46.Kh4 Bf2+-+] 44...Nxe3+
45.Kh2 Qf2+ 46.Kh3 Qf3+?! [46...Qg2+! lead to a forced mate
in 4. 47.Kh4 Qh2+ 48.Bh3 Qf2+ 49.Ng3 Qxf4+ 50.Bg4 Qxg4#] 47.Ng3
Qg2+ 0-1
Black wins a piece after
48.Kh4 Qh2+ 49.Bh3 Ng2+ 50.Kg4 Qxh3+ 51.Kxh3 Nxf4+
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  Tomato’s 300,000th Tourney Celebration!
  A
Final Reminder! Tomato will be celebrating 300,000 tourneys
run on ICC on Saturday, May 19th at 2:00 pm server time! There
will be cash prizes (to be determined) for the top finishers, so
you can expect to see many top players in the tourney! Congratulations
tomato, and a special thanks to all the managers who have worked
so hard to provide our members with 300,000 tourneys and counting!
April Prize Winners!
(Part 2/2)
Nightly U1500: Best 1. Talmage
2. therev1957 3. clarinetref. Most 1. reckless 2.
Adytum 3. Meridian1.
Nightly
Over 1500: Best 1. searchforbobby1 2.
NightMovesTN 3. Burning-Bush. Most ;1.
sorinc 2. Stroggs 3. OF.
League
of Losers: Overall Best: 1. Hogwarts 2. hillbilly. Saturday
Best: 1. PeterPatzer. Thursday Best: 1. NeedsBoon. Overall
Most: 1. gissmo 2. Neptune
Zhouse-League: Overall
Best: 1. Wreckmaster 2. sharkmeister. Sunday
Best: 1. WhiteKiller. Friday Best: 1. Tornon. Overall
Most: 1. Qualo 2. Hamish.
Monthly
Standard: Best: 1. akibael 2. SUNTZU76 3.
WhiteEvil. Most; 1. Ecuadorian 2.
Engevik.
Congratulations to all the April prize winners! |
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Scheduled Fischer Random!
Every
Tuesday evening at 18:00 server time, a 5 round swiss 4 2 blitz
Fischer Random (w22) tourney is held in Wildone! Every game
begins with the correct number of pieces, but your back row is
arranged in a totally random order from game to game. It’s
the ultimate test of chess strategy without memorized openings! Come
out this Tuesday and give it a try… you won’t be sorry!
 Tourney Tip of the Week: Request Guidelines:
Channel 221 is always available
for your tournament requests. However, please follow a few simple
guidelines when requesting a tourney: Do include
all the information the manager needs to know, such as wild type, time
control, style, etc. Do ask politely. Don’t request
an “under” tourney unless you’re 200 rating points below
the request (example: don’t request an under 1600 unless your
rating is 1400 or below). Don’t spam the channel
with lots of requests for the same tourney… it doesn’t help
your cause! We run lots of tourneys and we always love your
input: Just remember these simple guidelines and you’ll enjoy
many of your favorite tournaments here on ICC!
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 37th
Bosna tournament
  The
traditional 37th Bosna tournament takes place May 18th-28th 2007
in Sarajevo.
Double round robin with:
Alexander Morozevich (RUS 2762) Nigel Short (ENG 2691) Artyom
Timofeev (RUS 2658) Ivan Sokolov (NED
2655) Sergei Movsesian (SVK 2642) Borki Predojevic (BIH 2609)
Visit the official
website of the match. |
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FIDE Candidate matches
  16 strong grandmasters will compete for 4 spots in the next World Championship.
The Candidates Matches for the 2007 World Championship Tournament will take place in Elista, 26 May - 14 June 2007. The prize fund for each match of both rounds will be $40,000. The FIDE president will personally contribute $320,000 towards the total prize fund and a further $160,000 will be contributed by FIDE.
Visit the official
website of the match.
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Gambiteer
I - A Hard-hitting Chess Opening Repertoire for White - Nigel Davies
 Opening
expert Nigel Davies produces a complete opening repertoire which
is certainly not for the faint-hearted: uncompromising and wild attacking
ideas for both colors.
Read
more
192 pages, Published by Everyman
 Price $22.95 - Buy
now!
Back to Basics: Tactics - Dan Heisman
 An
instructional book, aimed at beginning and improving players, designed
to hone your tactical skills. Includes about 500 examples and test
positions, from easy to challenging.
Read
more
192 pages, large format
Price $20.95 - Buy
now!
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Starting Out: Sicilian Sveshnikov - John Cox
 John
Cox revisits the fundamentals of the Sveshnikov, elaborating on the
crucial early moves and ideas for both sides in a way that is often
neglected in other texts.
Read
more
192 pages, Published by Everyman
Price $22.95 - Buy
now!
Solitaire Chess - Bruce Pandolfini
 From
world-renowned chess teacher Bruce Pandolfini comes a collection
of the 50 best games from his popular "Solitaire Chess" Column in
Chess Life magazine.
Read
more
229 pages, published by McKay
Price $14.95 - Buy
now! |
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