 Ich bin ein...
  The annual Sparkassen Chess Meeting, sponsored by the German bank in Dortmund of the same name, will take place from June 28th to July 6th, in the Dortmund Civic Theater.
Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik is no stranger to Dortmund being one of his favorite tournaments. He's a big favorite to win and add to his record eight titles there, and heads the 8-player field that also includes top ten players Shakriyaz Mamedyarov, Peter Leko and Vasily Ivanchuk. This will be Kramnik’s first Classical outing since his failure at Corus Wijk aan Zee at the start of the year and one of his last before he attempts to wrest the title from Vishy Anand in the autumn in Bonn, Germany.
The full line-up (in rating order from the April Fide list) is: Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), ShakriyazMamedyarov (Azerbaijan), Peter Leko (Hungary), Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Loek van Wely (Holland), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia), Arkady Naiditsch (Germany), Jan Gustafsson (Germany).
You can find the round-by-round pairings here.
The ICC Chess.FM team (though minus Macauley Peterson) will also be covering Dortmund, with host Mig Greengard being joined each round by GMs Joel Benjamin, Larry Christiansen, Nick De Firmian, Ronen Har-Zvi and Gregory Kaidanov. Play will get underway each day at 9:00AM ET (Final round 7:00AM ET). Our full schedule can be found here.
On ICC: fingerDortmund08
Hikaru Wins Mainz Qualifier
  Second seed GM Hikaru Nakamura (Smallville) of the USA reasserted his authority as one of the top dogs onICC last week by winning the Mainz Chess Classic online Chess960 title. After winning the first qualifier, Nakamura beat with ease Cassano (3-0), VerdeNotte (2.5-0.5) and Yarosavich (3-0) en route to the six-game final.
And in a more closely contested final, Nakamura beat the young Russian top seed Dmitry Andreikin(DSquared), 4-2, to claim the $1090 (700 Euro) first prize, invitation to the FiNet and Ordix opens, hotel room and breakfast at the Hilton Mainz Hotel by the banks of the Rhine, just 1 block from the picturesque Old Town.
Qualifiers were held here on ICC for the coveted spots in the 16-player KO Mainz Chess Classic online Chess960 finals. The full list of finalists and results can be found below or at our dedicated Mainz Chess960 page.
Download games from the finals
in PGN format.
The human qualifier is over, but now its the turn of the machines! The qualifiers were held here at ICC on Thursday, and the best-of-six-game computer final will be on Saturday, June 28, 3pm ET, with NaumXMP and Sjeng battling it out for a spot in the Livingston Chess960 Computer World Championship in Mainz.
Are
You a Member of the USCF?
In a new sponsorship deal with the
United States Chess Federation, ALL current members of the
USCF will qualify for a free 6-month membership! For new
WCL members, simply check the USCF Member box and enter
your USCF membership number and PIN on the WCL
registration page. If you're already registered with
WCL, go to your
account page and use the USCF link at the bottom.
WCL is the new sponsor of the USCF's
2008 Grand Prix and 2008 Junior Grand Prix. We're providing
prize funds of $20,000 and $7,500, respectively, and will
also be running Online Grand Prix events all year, beginning
in April, open only to USCF members. So what are you waiting
for? Sign up now for your FREE 6 month membership to World
Chess Live and start winning those Grand Prix points!
So what are you waiting for? Come join
the growing USCF community at WCL and take part in all the
activities.
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NM Dan Heisman "Improve Your Chess"
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National Master Dan Heisman is a
name that is synonymous with excellence in chess coaching
and teaching.
Over the years, Dan has produced
many winning students and scholastic teams - and now
he can help you, too! In this series of five instructional
videos for ICC Chess.FM, Dan brings you his innovative
teaching methods on how to play better chess - and
all packed with sound advice from the maestro himself.
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1. Introduction to Safety and Counting
(below 1500) -- Watch
now
2. Introduction to Time Management (all players)
3. Introduction to Thought Process (800-1800)
4. Common Evaluation Misconceptions (1000-2200)
5. Is It Safe? (below 1900) - this video is a follow-up
to "Introduction to Safety and Counting"
These 5 videos are available exclusively
for ICC members - but as a special launch promotion, non-members
can view for free Dan's
first video in full. To view the other four video in
the series, sign
up for membership!
Mondays: GM Ronen Har-Zvi "New Ideas
in the Petroff's Defense"
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The Petroff Defence (sometimes called the Russian Defence, and named after Russia's Alexander Petrov, 1794-1867) is considered as one of Black’s most reliable and solid methods of meeting the king’s pawn opening. It is easy to play and an excellent choice for someone looking for an alternative to the Scotch Opening, the Italian Game and the ‘Spanish torture’ of the Ruy Lopez.
Until a few years ago, the Petroff was an opening that was favored by only a few top Grandmasters, including Anatoly Karpov and Artur Yusupov. However, the last few years have seen a dramatic rise in its popularity, and it now provides battlefields for many top clashes of the modern elite players, including Anand, Kramnik, Leko, Topalov, and Shirov. And in the latest of his "New Ideas in..." series, GM Ronen Har-Zvi, takes a closer look under the microscope at the solid Petroff.
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Click here
for a free 5 minute preview of Ronen's latest video. To
listen to the full videos, sign
up for membership!
Tuesdays: Chess Talk with IM John Watson
 Tune-in
for Chess Talk with IM John Watson on ICC Chess.FM. John's
weekly 60+ minute show (members only) will feature an interview
with leading chess personalities. All shows run on demand
for members after airing.
This week (Tue., 24 June), joining IM John Watson on Chess
Talk is chess trainer, grandmaster and acclaimed writer Genna Sosonko.
Before leaving for the Netherlands (via Israel) in 1972, Genna
Sosonko rose through the Soviet training system and served as seconds to Tal
and Kortchnoi. As a player, he's a former two-time Dutch champion (1973 and
1978); winner of Wijk ann Zee (1977); and played in the Olympiad for the Dutch
team eleven times, winning individual gold (1976) and bronze (1974), and two
team medals (silver in 1976 and bronze in 1988).
He's more famous though today as one of the leading columnist
for New In Chess, where
apart from being editor for their Yearbook series, he's also written three critically
acclaimed books: The Reliable Past, Russian Silhouettes and Smart Chip from St. Petersburg.
Find below a selection of free 5-minute
previews of the latest shows. To listen to the full shows, sign
up for membership! |
Wednesdays: Attack with LarryC!
 New
at ICC Chess.FM - Attack With LarryC! A
weekly 30 min+ show on Wednesdays at 15:00 EDT
(and available on-demand thereafter for members), featuring
three-time U.S. Champion Larry Christiansen, one of the
most dangerous and respected attacking players of his generation.
Larry is a feared competitor and attacker
who authored two popular books that showcase his aggressive
style: Storming
the Barricades and Rocking
the Ramparts. And each week on his show, Larry
will feature various attacking motifs and themes and showing
you how best to play for mate.
Click "Play
Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Larry's latest
video. By popular demand from members, we are now archiving
previous Attack
with LarryC shows. This video is just one of the many
benefits of being a full member of ICC - so, sign
up for membership!
Thursdays: Ask the Renaissance Man
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Tune-in for "Ask the Renaissance
Man" with National Master Dan Heisman
every Thursday at 21:00 EDT. You send in the questions
and Dan provides the answers every week on his Q&A
show. Questions on tournament rules, opening play,
chess books, chess politics, current events, and more!
Click
"Play Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Dan's
latest show. To listen to the full show, sign
up for membership!
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Thursdays: Boris Alterman's Gambit Guide
Israeli GM Boris Alterman
is best known as a leading chess advisor for the multi-title
winning chess software program (Deep) Junior, where he specialized
in developing its opening book.
Fridays: GM Joel Benjamin "Game
of the Week"
 Three-time
U.S. Champion GM Joel Benjamin starts his
weekly show every Friday at 15:00 Server Time. Click "Play
Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Joel's latest
show. To listen to the full show, sign
up for membership!
Joel is regarded by many as one of
the best commentators and analysts' we have in the game
today, and each Friday he will be giving us his insight
and spin with his selection of Game of the Week.
This not-to-be-missed weekly video
series is exclusive for ICC members only -- so if you want
to get ahead of the game, get ready to tune-in! By popular
demand and requests from members, ALL
of Joel Benjamin's GOTW videos are available. Enjoy!
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The Greatest Ever Chess Opening Ideas -
Christoph Scheerer
 In this book, Christoph Scheerer looks though chess history and present day games to create his own list of favourites. His selection of hundreds of candidates, Scheerer examines factors such as creativity, shock value, effectiveness and endurance in order to decide which ideas are most worthy of inclusion. This book will provide you with a collection of powerful opening ideas and how you may use them in your game.
363 pages.
Price $24.95
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Buy
now!
The Wisest Things Said About Chess - Andrew Soltis
 'The best opening is the opening your opponent doesn't know.'
'The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake.'
This fascinating book contains 300 of the most astute insights on chess ever uttered, culled from three centuries of great players. Each of these invaluable maxims is illustrated with an annotated chess position, making the book a short cut to learning from the masters. These snippets of wisdom are arranged into chapters for easy reference: Calculation, Intuition, Strategy, Position Evaluation, Openings, Sacrifices, Attitude, Endgames, Mistakes, Studying, Time Management and Tournament Tactics. This is a great book to dip in and out of - every page contains a nugget of wisdom that will help you hone your own chess skills and win your next game.
It is ideal for all levels of chess player. The author is renowned for his stylish and authoritative chess writing.
304 pages, soft cover.
Price $20.95 -
Buy
now! |
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Pawn Sacrifice - Timothy Taylor
 This book is an in depth study of the common pawn sacrifice. Timothy Taylor takes us on journey of the most common piece on the chess board. Using a collection of instructive examples, he demonstrates the pros and cons of pawn sacrifice. Showing effective and ineffective ideas which in turn will widen your understanding and undoubted improve your game..
240 pages, soft cover.
Price $23.95
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Buy
now!
Forcing Chess Moves - Charles Hertan
 Subtitled: The Key to Better Calculation
Why is it that the human brain so often refuses to consider winning chess tactics?
Every chess fan marvels at the wonderful combinations with which famous masters win games. How do they find those fantastic moves? Do they have a special vision? And why do computers outwit us tactically?
This rich book on chess tactics proposes a revolutionary method for finding winning moves. Charles Hertan has made an astonishing discovery: the failure to consider key moves is often due to human bias. Your brain tends to disregard many winning moves because they are counter-intuitive or look unnatural.
We can no longer deny it, computers outdo us humans when it comes to tactical vision and brute force calculation. So why not learn from them? Charles Hertan’s radically different approach is: use COMPUTER EYES and always look for the most forcing move first!
382 pages.
Price $27.95 -
Buy
now!
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