 X Dos Hermanas
|
It is now in its tenth consecutive year, and each year the online chess fans eagerly look forward to it - it can only be the annual "Ciudad de Dos Hermanas" 2009, the biggest and best online tournament, hosted right here, right now on ICC.
The cash prize fund amounts to EUR 7,600 (about $9,600), with Euro 2,000 (roughly $2,500) first prize, plus additional class prizes and ICC membership prizes for amateur players. Entry is completely FREE but you DO need to be a member of ICC to play!
This is one of the most important Internet chess tournaments in the world with the last three editions boasting an entry of over 4,000 players from all over the world. Will two-time winner IM Jorge Sammour-Hasbun make it a third successive victory this year, or will one of the top grandmasters who have played in the past, such as Shahriyar Mamedyarov, Tigran L. Petrosian, Gata Kamsky, Hikaru Nakamura, Kiril Georgiev or Sergey Shipov stop his winning run?
As in previous editions, the playing system is as follows: twelve 12-round Swiss qualifiers using the playing rate of 3 minutes per game. Qualifiers are held twice a day from March 13th to March 18th, with the finals being held on March 20th & 21st. The 12 qualifier winners plus the 20 best scores qualify to the 32 KO final.
Even if you are not aiming to win a prize, this tournament gives you a unique chance to meet world class players! We hope that Dos Hermanas will become the internet chess tourney of the year once again. Make sure to register early! Your registration is valid for all qualifiers, but you do not need to play all.
Full rules, guidelines and registrations can be found at our special Dos Hermanas website.
Please download the latest versions of Dasher (1.3) or BlitzIn (2.7) to play.
Last Gasp Linares
|
After an exciting conclusion to the penultimate round of Linares, we're heading for what could be a dramatic finale to this year's Spanish supertournament.
After leading for much of the tournament, Alexander Grischuk may well be kicking himself after missing a likely win over world champion Vishy Anand that would have retained his half point lead at the top.
But by drawing, he left the door open for Vassily Ivanchuk, who beat Levon Aronian to join the Russian in the lead on 7/13. Magnus Carlsen also squandered a golden opportunity to join the leaders by blowing a totally won game against Teimour Radjabov; though is only a half point behind the leaders in third place.
Will Grishcuk win his first elite title, or will fan-favorite Ivanchuk, who last won Linares in 1991, make it an 18-years-apart double? Why not sit back and tune-in to Mig Greengard and GM Joel Benjamin here on ICC Chess.FM for the final round on Saturday, March 7th, starting at 10:00am ET, and watch it all unfold move-by-move?
And also in Linares now to bring you all the best videos and interviews is Macauley Peterson. Dare you miss them at the ICC Chess.FM Blog?
Check out the two exciting competitions to win major chess prizes with the New In Chess Trivia contest and The House of Staunton GOTD Trivia contest.
|
Chess Explained: The Main-Line Slav - David Vigorito
The Main-Line Slav is one of the key battlegrounds of modern chess, with adherents among all levels of chess-players. It is notoriously difficult for White to prove any advantage against Black's solid set-up, while the lack of symmetry in the position provides scope for creative players to obtain winning chances with either colour. This book discusses all major lines following the moves 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4. There are many strategic directions the play can take: sometimes the center is blasted open and piece-play dominates, while in other cases the centre becomes fixed, or remains dynamic well into the middlegame. Vigorito dissects the most important themes and nuances, placing them firmly in the context of the practical struggle, making sure that readers will be familiar with the resources at their disposal, and understand when to employ them.
Paperback, 112 pages.
Price:
$22.95 -
 Buy
now!
John Nunn's Chess Puzzle Book (new enlarged edition)
Most chess puzzle books put you in an artificial situation: you are told a combination exists, what the theme is and what you are required to achieve. This one is different. In a real game, a player may sometimes need to find a combination. On the other hand he may have to reject a tactical idea and simply find a good positional move. His task is to find the right move, whatever it may be.
The 300 puzzles in this book put you precisely in that situation. Spectacular ideas abound in these positions, but it is for you to decide whether to go in for them, or whether you would be falling into a trap. If you need them, there are hints to help you on your way. The book ends with a series of tests to measure your skills against those of other players.
Published by Gambit, Soft cover, 335 pages.
Price:
$22.95 -
Buy
now!
|
|
|
|
Chess Explained: The Grunfeld - Valentin Bogdanov
The Grünfeld Defence is one of the most aggressive openings at Black's disposal. He creates immediate imbalance and plans to strike at White's centre with all available resources. An insipid response from White may not even retain equality, so in the main lines he takes up the gauntlet: he creates a large pawn-centre and puts this to use to launch an attack. While the theory of these lines has been extensively developed, there is a coherent logical thread running through them: the Grünfeld is essentially an opening of grand ideas, which need to be understood well in order to get to grips with the theory and handle the resulting positions. This book provides a discussion of all major lines, and a special contribution from Viacheslav Eingorn on the key ideas of the Rb1 Exchange main line, which he was instrumental in developing in the 1970s and 1980s.
Paperback, 112 pages.
Price:
$22.95 -
Buy
now!
New In Chess Magazine 2009 #1
This issue features: An exclusive interview with Veselin Topalov, First Chinese Super-Tournament in Nanjing, Armenie reigns supreme in Dresden Olympiad, Kramnik: My side of the story - Vladimir Kramnik answers Kasparov, Endgame Anxiety - Jonathan Rowson wonders: 'What's the use of studying the endgame?'.
Soft cover, 106 pages.
Price:
$12.50 -
Buy
now!
|
|
|
|
