 Topalov Tops - but Carlsen Numero Uno!
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Play starts daily at 11:00am ET (17:00pm CET)
Next round: September 6, 2008 11:00am
ICC link: http://www.chessclub.com/finger/bilbao08
Official link: http://www.bilbaofinalmasters.com/en_index.asp
Taking advantage of the new scoring system of 3-points for a win in the $570,00 Bilbao Grand Slam Final, Veselin Topalov and Magnus Carlsen have been the two stars enthralling the large audience each day surrounding the sound-proofed air-conditioned glass arena on Plaza Nueva in the Basque city.
Topalov, who has a reputation of being a streak player, looks to be in formidable form as he takes the lead with his unbeaten score of 8/12 in the richest tournament of the year following two big wins in successive rounds - first beating Carlsen in round three, and then sensationally world champion Vishy Anand in just 25 moves!
But just a point behind there lurks the young 17-year-old Norwegian ace Carlsen, who not only has his eye on the top prize but also Anand's World #1 spot! Although Carlsen (who was profiled this week in the International Herald Tribune) lost to Topalov, in the opening round he beat Levon Aronian followed by Teimour Radjabov in round four - and he has now grabbed the unofficial #1 spot in Hans Arild Runde's virtual live ratings at http://chess.liverating.org/
We could be in for an epoch-making finish to the tournament. Carlsen could well be celebrating a double joy of taking the top prize and the youngest-ever World #1 come the official publication of the FIDE world rating list on October 1. Will he do it or will Topalov top him? You can find out with ICC Chess.FM's extended live coverage throughout all of next week!
Play starts daily at 11:00am ET (17:00pm local CET) with Mig Greengard being joined each day by his regular GM sidekicks, Joel Benjamin, Larry Christiansen, Nick De Firmian, Ronan Har-Zvi and Gregory Kaidanov - and don't dare miss a very special guest appearance in the commentary hot-seat all day Monday, September 8 from four-time Russian champion GM Peter Svidler!
CJA Chess Journalist of the Year, Macauley Peterson is in Bilbao giving us his unique spin on all the action on and off the board - and a special live video feed of the players in action during each round! Check out his videos below. Also in Bilbao is Chess.FM Producer John Henderson, who will be providing a daily picture gallery of what's likely to be a visual extravaganza for chess fans. Check out his picture gallery below.
Bilbao: Macauley Videos
Bilbao: John Henderson Picture Gallery
Bilbao: Game of the Day
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DATE |
GAME-OF-THE-DAY |
GM COMMENTATOR |
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1
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9/02
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Nick de Firmian
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2
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9/03
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Ronen Har-Zvi
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3
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9/04
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Ronen Har-Zvi
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4
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9/05
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Joel Benjamin
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5
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9/06
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Nick de Firmian
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6
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9/08
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Peter Svidler
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7
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9/09
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Larry Christiansen
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8
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9/10
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Joel Benjamin
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9
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9/12
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Larry Christiansen
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10
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9/13
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Gregory Kaidanov
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IM Alex Lenderman "Manest on The Slav"
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The solid Slav Defence with 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 is enjoying a renaissance these days thanks to its extreme solidity and abundant possibilities for dynamic counter-play. Many masters of Slavic descent helped develop its theory in the 1920s, but its popularity increased dramatically after two exhaustive trials during the Alekhine-Euwe World Championship encounters of 1935 and 1937.
It had a lengthy hiatus thereafter - but now, thanks to a modern-day re-evaluation of its theory, the Slav is back in vogue again both at grandmaster and club level.
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And in a new three-part opening video series for ICC Chess.FM, IM Alex Lenderman (manest) provides an ideal primer for anyone looking to learn the nuances of this perennial favorite.
Preview Part 1
Preview Part 2
Preview Part 3
To watch the rest sign up for membership!
Mondays: GM Ronen Har-Zvi "Unusual Queen Pawn Openings"
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In his “New Ideas in....” regular video series for ICC Chess.FM, GM Ronen Har-Zvi investigates the latest developments and trends in those downright annoying and unusual Queen Pawn openings that avoid the main battle-lines with 2 c4.
Are you searching for a quick-fix against the Colle-Zukertort, Torre Attack, London System, QB Attack with 2 Bg5, Stonewall Attack or perhaps the King's Fianchetto Attack with 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 g3 (without c4)? Then look no further as Ronen gives you an easy-to-play antidote to all those annoying 1 d4 openings.
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Preview Part 1
Preview Part 2
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 will feature an interview with leading chess personalities. All shows run on demand for members after airing.
This week, on his return from his summer break (Tue., Sept. 2), joining IM John Watson on Chess Talk is Chess writer and teacher, IM Larry Kaufman. We all know Larry for his long association in chess, but he's also one of the best Shogi players in the west, with many US and international titles to his name.
Over the chessboard though, Larry has played in the U.S. championships and won multiple state championships, including D.C., Virginia, Florida, Massachusetts, Southern California, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. From 1986-1994, he worked full-time in developing chess software.
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! |
And this week for non-members, you can listen to the full show for free by clicking here. So, all the more reason to become a member now and get to listen each week to all the shows on ICC Chess.FM!
Thursdays: Boris Alterman's Gambit Guide
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In his weekly video lecture series
for ICC, Boris Alterman's Gambit Guide,
Boris investigates gambits old and new and show that,
while some may not be actively played on the grandmaster
circuit these days, they are all exciting to play
and at the same time instructive as they teach us
all about natural development of the pieces and tactics
in chess. GM Boris Alterman has just opened his
official blog where, among other things, he'll
be discussing some of his choices for his Gambit Guide.
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Show Previews:
Danish Gambit Part 1 Part
2
Evans
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3 Part
4
Cochrane
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3
Budapest
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3
Hennig-Schara
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3
Falkbeer
Counter Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3
Two
Knights Defence, Fried Liver Attack Part 1 Part
2
Two
Knights Defence, Traxler Counter-attack Part 1 Part
2 Part
3
Benko
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3 Part
4
Urusov
Gambit Part 1 Part 2
Max Lange Gambit Part 1
Part 2
Two Knights Morphy Attack Part 1
Part 2 
To listen to the full show, sign
up for membership!
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! |
Garry Kasparov on Modern Chess, Part 2: Kasparov vs Karpov 1975-1985
The history of sport has seen many great gladiatorial clashes: Ali vs Frazier in boxing, McEnroe vs Borg in tennis, Prost vs Senna in motor racing. None however can quite compare to the intensity of the rivalry between those two great world chess champions: Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. Between 1984 and 1990 they contested an astonishing five World Championship matches consisting of 144 individual encounters.
This volume concentrates on the first two of those matches.The epic 1984/85 contest which lasted six months before being controversially halted "without result" by the President of FIDE Florencio Campomanes and the 1985 match when Kasparov brilliantly won the final game to take the title and become, at the age of 22, the youngest ever world champion.
In this volume Garry Kasparov (world champion between 1985 and 2000 and generally regarded as the greatest player ever) analyses in depth the clashes from 1984 and 1985, giving his opinions both on the political machinations surrounding the matches as well as the games themselves.
424 pages, hardcover.
Price: $40.95 -  Buy now!
Chess Instructor 2009 - Jeroen Bosch & Steve Giddins
Training Methods, Chess in Schools, Exercises, Top Coaches Explain, the Benefits of Learning Chess, the Use of Computers & the Internet, Interviews, Tools, Reviews, etc.
In the last decade there has been a phenomenal growth of chess within the educational community.
The popularity of chess is no accident: in an era of compulsive zapping of TV channels, violent gaming and mobile chatter, learning chess means improving basic skills (like analysis, decision making, strategic thinking, stamina, and dealing with stress) while interacting meaningfully with other pupils. A great job for motivated teachers and coaches.
But how do you teach chess? What material do you use? Is there a particularly successful method? How do you sell a chess curriculum, how do motivate your pupils and monitor their progress?
The Chess Instructor 2009 aims to give answers to all these questions, and more. It provides tools and methodologies for beginners as well as for more advanced coaching. With ready-to-use teaching exercises for all levels.
Published by New in Chess, 230 pages, soft cover.
Price: $26.95 - Buy
now! |
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Play 1.b3! The Nimzo-Larsen Attack: A Friend for Life - Ilya Odessky
The popularity of the Nimzo-Larsen Attack is largely based on its surprise value, but in fact 1.b3 is one of White’s more logical first moves. By immediately developing his queen’s bishop, White aims at undermining the black centre.
Ilya Odessky’s message in this unusual opening book is: opening with 1.b2-b3 is a lot of fun! Odessky will amuse and surprise you, but also teach you all the ins and outs of this offbeat system, which has been used by top players like Bobby Fischer and Bent Larsen.
White avoids the many theoretical landmines of mainline openings and steers towards an open battle, right from the start. This system’s basic ideas are strategically sound and easy to learn. But it can also offer wild complications for lovers of tactics.
Odessky does not fool you into believing that White is better in all 1.b3 lines. But you will get to know this opening deeply, and you will be better prepared for the struggle than your opponent will be. You will enjoy playing 1.b3!
Ilya Odessky is an International Master from Russia, a well-known chess coach and an outstanding chess writer.
Published by New in Chess, 258 pages.
Price: $26.95 - Buy
now!
Fighting the Anti-King's Indians - Dembo
'I love playing the King's Indian, but no-one ever allows me to reach my favourite opening!'
Does this sound like an all too familiar complaint? The answer to this problem lies here.
The truth is you will reach your favourite opening in barely half the games you play against 1 d4, and that's why this book is a godsend to those players fed up with blindly searching for the right way to play against these annoying White systems designed to avoid the main lines: the Trompowsky; the London System; the Torre Attack; the Barry Attack; the Colle System; the Veresov; the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit - the list goes on and on!Yelena Dembo, who as a hardened King's Indian and Grunfeld player has considerable experience facing these irritating openings, deals with them in no uncertain terms, in each case offering Black a no-nonsense solution that enables you to face the future with confidence. This title covers all of White's possibilities after 1 d4 Nf6.
It also includes King's Indian solutions to 1 Nf3 and 1 c4. It is written by a renowned opening expert.
Published by Everyman.
Price: $22.95 - Buy now!
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