THE WEEK IN CHESS 533 24th January 2005 by Mark Crowther

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Contents

1) Introduction
2) Corus Chess Tournament
3) Kasparov, FIDE, ACP and Kramnik, a week of World Championship news
4) Gibtele.com Masters International
5) Keres Memorial Rapid
6) 130th New York Masters
7) Montreal World Chess Tournament
8) 4th Praha Open
9) Sao Paulo Chess Club Championship
10) French Chess Federation Elections
11) 4NCL
12) Belgian Teams 2004-2005
13) Forthcoming Events and Links


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Games section

Corus Chess Tournament               126 games
Keres Memorial Rapid                  56 games
130th New York Masters                 9 games
Montreal World Chess Tournament       45 games
4th Praha Open                        94 games
Sao Paulo Chess Club Championship     18 games
Belgian Teams 2004-2005               96 games
444 games

1) Introduction

My thanks to Olivier Adda, Herman Claudius van Riemsdijk, Steve Laios, Anjo Anjewierden, Pedro Alberdi, Marek Kolk, Feodor Skripchenko, Laszlo Nagy, Bartlomiej Macieja, Christophe Philippe, Michiel Abeln and everyone else who helped with the issue.

After many years of promising to go I finally made it to the Wijk aan Zee tournament. This event is now clearly the best in the World, taking over from Linares which held the title for a number of years (although certainly in terms of its top event it is still a calendar highlight). Big crowds, fantastic organisation and a great atmousphere all seem to inspire the players to good chess. The event is guaranteed until 2010 (unless I missed an announcement extending it) and it seems unlikely to be rivalled any time soon (although it would be really nice to see someone follow the model somewhere else!). I certainly resolve to get back for next years tournament.

Its been the week that the Prague agreement finally died. Press releases from Kasparov, FIDE and the ACP along with an interview with Kramnik to New in Chess make this clear. I've made a lengthy comment below. I used to get very het up about these problems but life's too short for that. We'll just have to see what happens.

Hope you enjoy this issue.

Mark

2) Corus Chess Tournament

The Corus Chess Tournament takes place 14th-30th January 2005. After 8 rounds the A group is led by half a point by Vesselin Topalov. Topalov started with 2/2 but was brought back to the field by a loss to Michael Adams in round 4. Wins against Short and Bruzon took him to the top. Half a point behind him are Peter Leko, Michael Adams and Viswanathan Anand. Anand got off to a slow start with a loss and three draws but three consecutive wins brought him back into contention. Half a point further back are Alexander Grischuk and Vladimir Kramnik. Kramnik got off to a slow start and even admitted he'd really not done any preparation for the event, needing the rest after his match against Leko. He was just appalling against Topalov where he made mistake after mistake. However he's gradually played himself into reasonable form and isn't out of contention. Players that are out of contention are Alexander Morozevich and Peter Svidler both will be slightly encouraged to eventually win games one in round 7 and the other in round 8. In the B event Shakhriyar Mamedyarov is on 6.5/8. The 19 year old former World Junior Champion is currently number 42 in the world but I think he may have what it takes to be much higher. Daily reports on the TWIC main pages from on the spot reporter Michiel Abeln.

Official site: http://www.coruschess.com/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (NED), 15-30 i 2005                   cat. XIX (2721)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Topalov, Veselin        g BUL 2757  * . 0 . = 1 1 1 1 . = . . =  5.5  2847 
 2. Leko, Peter             g HUN 2749  . * = 1 = = . = . . = 1 = .  5.0  2818 
 3. Adams, Michael          g ENG 2741  1 = * . . . = . = = . = = 1  5.0  2810 
 4. Anand, Viswanathan      g IND 2786  . 0 . * = = 1 1 = . . = . 1  5.0  2809 
 5. Grischuk, Alexander     g RUS 2710  = = . = * . = . = = . . = 1  4.5  2764 
 6. Kramnik, Vladimir       g RUS 2754  0 = . = . * = = . = . 1 1 .  4.5  2767 
 7. Bruzon, Lazaro          g CUB 2652  0 . = 0 = = * . 1 . = . . 1  4.0  2730 
 8. Ponomariov, Ruslan      g UKR 2700  0 = . 0 . = . * . 1 = = 1 .  4.0  2734 
 9. Short, Nigel D          g ENG 2674  0 . = = = . 0 . * = . . 1 1  4.0  2725 
10. Polgar, Judit           g HUN 2728  . . = . = = . 0 = * = 1 . 0  3.5  2673 
11. Van Wely, Loek          g NED 2679  = = . . . . = = . = * 0 = =  3.5  2675 
12. Svidler, Peter          g RUS 2735  . 0 = = . 0 . = . 0 1 * = .  3.0  2640 
13. Sokolov, Ivan           g NED 2685  . = = . = 0 . 0 0 . = = * .  2.5  2576 
14. Morozevich, Alexander   g RUS 2741  = . 0 0 0 . 0 . 0 1 = . . *  2.0  2522 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Round 3 (January 17, 2005)

Topalov, Veselin       -  Van Wely, Loek         1/2   19  B30  Sicilian Rossolimo
Leko, Peter            -  Svidler, Peter         1-0   57  B90  Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Bruzon, Lazaro         -  Adams, Michael         1/2   30  C91  Ruy Lopez
Short, Nigel D         -  Anand, Viswanathan     1/2   23  B12  Caro Kann Advanced
Polgar, Judit          -  Kramnik, Vladimir      1/2   59  B33  Sicilian Sveshnikov
Sokolov, Ivan          -  Ponomariov, Ruslan     0-1   61  E32  Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Morozevich, Alexander  -  Grischuk, Alexander    0-1   42  B21  Sicilian Morra Gambit

Round 4 (January 18, 2005)

Adams, Michael         -  Topalov, Veselin       1-0   41  B90  Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Anand, Viswanathan     -  Svidler, Peter         1/2   55  C99  Ruy Lopez Chigorin
Grischuk, Alexander    -  Bruzon, Lazaro         1/2   22  D35  QGD Exchange
Kramnik, Vladimir      -  Sokolov, Ivan          1-0   36  C96  Ruy Lopez
Ponomariov, Ruslan     -  Leko, Peter            1/2   44  A36  English Botvinnik
Short, Nigel D         -  Morozevich, Alexander  1-0   43  C41  Philidor's Defence
Van Wely, Loek         -  Polgar, Judit          1/2   58  A30  English Symmetrical

Round 5 (January 20, 2005)

Topalov, Veselin       -  Grischuk, Alexander    1/2   55  C88  Ruy Lopez Closed
Leko, Peter            -  Kramnik, Vladimir      1/2   28  E15  Queens Indian
Bruzon, Lazaro         -  Short, Nigel D         1-0   48  D37  QGD 5.Bf4
Polgar, Judit          -  Adams, Michael         1/2   63  C99  Ruy Lopez Chigorin
Svidler, Peter         -  Ponomariov, Ruslan     1/2   23  B90  Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Sokolov, Ivan          -  Van Wely, Loek         1/2   23  E35  Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Morozevich, Alexander  -  Anand, Viswanathan     0-1   41  A46  Queen's Pawn Opening

Round 6 (January 21, 2005)

Adams, Michael         -  Sokolov, Ivan          1/2   31  C91  Ruy Lopez
Anand, Viswanathan     -  Ponomariov, Ruslan     1-0   62  B90  Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Grischuk, Alexander    -  Polgar, Judit          1/2   44  E05  Catalan
Kramnik, Vladimir      -  Svidler, Peter         1-0   28  B41  Sicilian Paulsen
Short, Nigel D         -  Topalov, Veselin       0-1   55  B33  Sicilian Sveshnikov
Van Wely, Loek         -  Leko, Peter            1/2   38  E32  Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Morozevich, Alexander  -  Bruzon, Lazaro         0-1   69  C42  Petroff's Defence

Round 7 (January 22, 2005)

Topalov, Veselin       -  Morozevich, Alexander  1/2   40  C67  Ruy Lopez Berlin
Leko, Peter            -  Adams, Michael         1/2   41  C87  Ruy Lopez
Bruzon, Lazaro         -  Anand, Viswanathan     0-1   44  D30  Queen's Gambit (without Nc3)
Ponomariov, Ruslan     -  Kramnik, Vladimir      1/2   45  B33  Sicilian Sveshnikov
Polgar, Judit          -  Short, Nigel D         1/2   59  C95  Ruy Lopez Breyer
Svidler, Peter         -  Van Wely, Loek         1-0   20  B30  Sicilian Rossolimo
Sokolov, Ivan          -  Grischuk, Alexander    1/2   64  E12  Queens Indian Petrosian

Round 8 (January 23, 2005)

Adams, Michael         -  Svidler, Peter         1/2   21  B85  Sicilian Scheveningen
Anand, Viswanathan     -  Kramnik, Vladimir      1/2   27  B33  Sicilian Sveshnikov
Grischuk, Alexander    -  Leko, Peter            1/2   63  E32  Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Bruzon, Lazaro         -  Topalov, Veselin       0-1   33  B40  Sicilian Classical
Short, Nigel D         -  Sokolov, Ivan          1-0   48  C67  Ruy Lopez Berlin
Van Wely, Loek         -  Ponomariov, Ruslan     1/2   24  D38  QGD Ragozin
Morozevich, Alexander  -  Polgar, Judit          1-0   59  A46  Queen's Pawn Opening

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED (NED), 15-30 i 2005                   cat. XIII (2564)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar   g AZE 2657  * = . . . = = . 1 1 . 1 1 1  6.5  2806 
 2. Karjakin, Sergey         g UKR 2599  = * 1 = . = . = . = 1 . 1 .  5.5  2714 
 3. Cheparinov, Ivan         m BUL 2572  . 0 * . . . 1 = = 1 . = = 1  5.0  2628 
 4. Carlsen, Magnus          g NOR 2553  . = . * = = = . 1 = . = = .  4.5  2595 
 5. Stellwagen, Daniel       m NED 2524  . . . = * 0 . = . = 1 = 1 =  4.5  2594 
 6. Onischuk, Alexander      g USA 2652  = = . = 1 * = . 0 = . . = .  4.0  2558 
 7. Nielsen, Peter Heine     g DEN 2648  = . 0 = . = * 1 . = = . . =  4.0  2578 
 8. Smeets, Jan              g NED 2475  . = = . = . 0 * = . = 1 . =  4.0  2570 
 9. Kosteniuk, Alexandra     m RUS 2490  0 . = 0 . 1 . = * . = 1 . =  4.0  2580 
10. Stefanova, Antoaneta     g BUL 2491  0 = 0 = = = = . . * . . 1 .  3.5  2546 
11. Nikolic, Predrag         g BIH 2676  . 0 . . 0 . = = = . * = 0 1  3.0  2450 
12. Ramirez, Alejandro       g CRC 2507  0 . = = = . . 0 0 . = * . =  2.5  2421 
13. Ernst, Sipke             m NED 2509  0 0 = = 0 = . . . 0 1 . * .  2.5  2449 
14. Nijboer, Friso           g NED 2549  0 . 0 . = . = = = . 0 = . *  2.5  2427 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Round 3 (January 17, 2005)

Karjakin, Sergey        -  Onischuk, Alexander     1/2   30  C92  Ruy Lopez Chigorin
Nielsen, Peter Heine    -  Carlsen, Magnus         1/2   30  D85  Gruenfeld Defence
Smeets, Jan             -  Stellwagen, Daniel      1/2   27  C11  French Defence
Kosteniuk, Alexandra    -  Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar  0-1   33  D94  Gruenfeld Closed
Ramirez, Alejandro      -  Cheparinov, Ivan        1/2   52  C67  Ruy Lopez Berlin
Ernst, Sipke            -  Stefanova, Antoaneta    0-1   33  D15  Slav Defence
Nijboer, Friso          -  Nikolic, Predrag        0-1   77  C18  French Winawer

Round 4 (January 18, 2005)

Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar  -  Nielsen, Peter Heine    1/2   34  D39  QGD Ragozin
Cheparinov, Ivan        -  Kosteniuk, Alexandra    1/2   35  C42  Petroff's Defence
Carlsen, Magnus         -  Karjakin, Sergey        1/2   40  A35  English Symmetrical
Stellwagen, Daniel      -  Stefanova, Antoaneta    1/2   41  C78  Ruy Lopez Moeller Defence
Onischuk, Alexander     -  Ernst, Sipke            1/2   82  D58  Queens Gambit Tartakover
Smeets, Jan             -  Nijboer, Friso          1/2   18  B30  Sicilian Rossolimo
Nikolic, Predrag        -  Ramirez, Alejandro      1/2   32  E60  King's Indian without Nc3

Round 5 (January 20, 2005)

Karjakin, Sergey        -  Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar  1/2   23  C42  Petroff's Defence
Nielsen, Peter Heine    -  Cheparinov, Ivan        0-1   28  A32  English Symmetrical
Kosteniuk, Alexandra    -  Nikolic, Predrag        1/2   36  C90  Ruy Lopez
Stefanova, Antoaneta    -  Onischuk, Alexander     1/2   78  A46  Queen's Pawn Opening
Ramirez, Alejandro      -  Smeets, Jan             0-1   58  A22  English Opening
Ernst, Sipke            -  Carlsen, Magnus         1/2   37  E94  King's Indian Classical
Nijboer, Friso          -  Stellwagen, Daniel      1/2   86  B70  Sicilian Dragon

Round 6 (January 21, 2005)

Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar  -  Ernst, Sipke            1-0   31  D24  QGA
Cheparinov, Ivan        -  Karjakin, Sergey        0-1   43  A33  English Symmetrical
Carlsen, Magnus         -  Stefanova, Antoaneta    1/2   73  D15  Slav Defence
Stellwagen, Daniel      -  Onischuk, Alexander     0-1   48  C88  Ruy Lopez Closed
Smeets, Jan             -  Kosteniuk, Alexandra    1/2   61  B89  Sicilian Sozin Attack
Nikolic, Predrag        -  Nielsen, Peter Heine    1/2   19  D02  Queen's Pawn Game
Nijboer, Friso          -  Ramirez, Alejandro      1/2   20  B30  Sicilian Rossolimo

Round 7 (January 22, 2005)

Karjakin, Sergey        -  Nikolic, Predrag        1-0   47  C18  French Winawer
Onischuk, Alexander     -  Carlsen, Magnus         1/2   42  D88  Gruenfeld Alekhine
Nielsen, Peter Heine    -  Smeets, Jan             1-0   95  D44  Anti-Meran Gambit
Kosteniuk, Alexandra    -  Nijboer, Friso          1/2   65  B67  Sicilian Rauzer
Stefanova, Antoaneta    -  Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar  0-1   40  A45  Trompowsky
Ramirez, Alejandro      -  Stellwagen, Daniel      1/2   44  C01  French Exchange
Ernst, Sipke            -  Cheparinov, Ivan        1/2   51  E32  Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2

Round 8 (January 23, 2005)

Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar  -  Onischuk, Alexander     1/2   44  C45  Scotch Game
Cheparinov, Ivan        -  Stefanova, Antoaneta    1-0  155  C78  Ruy Lopez Moeller Defence
Stellwagen, Daniel      -  Carlsen, Magnus         1/2   52  B31  Sicilian Rossolimo
Smeets, Jan             -  Karjakin, Sergey        1/2   54  B52  Sicilian Rossolimo
Nikolic, Predrag        -  Ernst, Sipke            0-1   27  D20  QGA
Ramirez, Alejandro      -  Kosteniuk, Alexandra    0-1   68  E01  Catalan
Nijboer, Friso          -  Nielsen, Peter Heine    1/2   31  B80  Sicilian Scheveningen

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corus C Wijk aan Zee NED (NED), 15-30 i 2005                    cat. VII (2422)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Alekseev, Evgeny        g RUS 2605  * . . . = = . 1 1 1 1 . 1 =  6.5  2630 
 2. L'Ami, Erwin            m NED 2531  . * . . 1 = 1 0 . 1 1 = 1 .  6.0  2582 
 3. Georgiev, Vladimir      g MKD 2517  . . * = = 1 . = = 1 . . 1 1  6.0  2590 
 4. Zhukova, Natalia       wg UKR 2465  . . = * 0 . . 1 1 = . 1 1 1  6.0  2592 
 5. Korotylev, Alexey       g RUS 2603  = 0 = 1 * . 1 . = . 1 . . 1  5.5  2574 
 6. Bosboom, Manuel         m NED 2426  = = 0 . . * 0 1 . . = = 1 .  4.0  2420 
 7. Bosboom-Lanchava, Tea  wg NED 2366  . 0 . . 0 1 * 1 . 1 0 . 0 1  4.0  2395 
 8. Muhren, Bianca         wm NED 2295  0 1 = 0 . 0 0 * . . 1 1 . .  3.5  2408 
 9. Jonkman, Harmen         g NED 2399  0 . = 0 = . . . * 0 . 1 = 1  3.5  2403 
10. Spoelman, Wouter          NED 2381  0 0 0 = . . 0 . 1 * . = . 1  3.0  2354 
11. Negi, Parimarjan          IND 2316  0 0 . . 0 = 1 0 . . * = 1 .  3.0  2357 
12. Pliester, Leon          m NED 2383  . = . 0 . = . 0 0 = = * . 0  2.0  2191 
13. Mamedjarova, Zeinab    wg AZE 2349  0 0 0 0 . 0 1 . = . 0 . * .  1.5  2202 
14. Wempe, Joost              NED 2265  = . 0 0 0 . 0 . 0 0 . 1 . *  1.5  2213 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Round 3 (January 17, 2005)

Alekseev, Evgeny       -  Muhren, Bianca         1-0   27  B80  Sicilian Scheveningen
L'Ami, Erwin           -  Negi, Parimarjan       1-0   68  D31  Semi-Slav Defence
Georgiev, Vladimir     -  Mamedjarova, Zeinab    1-0   35  D35  QGD Exchange
Zhukova, Natalia       -  Korotylev, Alexey      0-1   33  E16  Queens Indian
Bosboom-Lanchava, Tea  -  Bosboom, Manuel        1-0   51  E15  Queens Indian
Jonkman, Harmen        -  Spoelman, Wouter       0-1   47  B29  Sicilian Defence
Wempe, Joost           -  Pliester, Leon         1-0   61  D12  Slav Defence

Round 4 (January 18, 2005)

Korotylev, Alexey      -  Georgiev, Vladimir     1/2   17  D45  Anti-Meran Variations
Bosboom, Manuel        -  L'Ami, Erwin           1/2   53  A45  Trompowsky
Muhren, Bianca         -  Bosboom-Lanchava, Tea  0-1   45  C41  Philidor's Defence
Spoelman, Wouter       -  Zhukova, Natalia       1/2   59  C67  Ruy Lopez Berlin
Pliester, Leon         -  Negi, Parimarjan       1/2   29  D02  Queen's Pawn Game
Mamedjarova, Zeinab    -  Alekseev, Evgeny       0-1   63  D37  QGD 5.Bf4
Wempe, Joost           -  Jonkman, Harmen        0-1   40  D26  QGA

Round 5 (January 20, 2005)

Alekseev, Evgeny       -  Korotylev, Alexey      1/2   15  C96  Ruy Lopez
L'Ami, Erwin           -  Muhren, Bianca         0-1   39  D02  Queen's Pawn Game
Georgiev, Vladimir     -  Spoelman, Wouter       1-0   38  A45  Trompowsky
Zhukova, Natalia       -  Wempe, Joost           1-0   39  D48  Queens Gambit Meran
Bosboom-Lanchava, Tea  -  Mamedjarova, Zeinab    0-1   50  B14  Caro Kann Panov
Jonkman, Harmen        -  Pliester, Leon         1-0   20  B19  Caro Kann
Negi, Parimarjan       -  Bosboom, Manuel        1/2   33  C41  Philidor's Defence

Round 6 (January 21, 2005)

Korotylev, Alexey      -  Bosboom-Lanchava, Tea  1-0   40  A42  Modern Defence
Muhren, Bianca         -  Negi, Parimarjan       1-0   34  B82  Sicilian Scheveningen
Jonkman, Harmen        -  Zhukova, Natalia       0-1   41  C02  French Advance
Spoelman, Wouter       -  Alekseev, Evgeny       0-1   47  B82  Sicilian Scheveningen
Pliester, Leon         -  Bosboom, Manuel        1/2   55  A77  Benoni
Mamedjarova, Zeinab    -  L'Ami, Erwin           0-1   64  D11  Slav Defence
Wempe, Joost           -  Georgiev, Vladimir     0-1   88  D30  Queen's Gambit (without Nc3)

Round 7 (January 22, 2005)

Alekseev, Evgeny       -  Wempe, Joost           1/2   51  C19  French Winawer
L'Ami, Erwin           -  Korotylev, Alexey      1-0   37  E39  Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Georgiev, Vladimir     -  Jonkman, Harmen        1/2  120  D46  Semi-Slav Defence
Zhukova, Natalia       -  Pliester, Leon         1-0   37  D17  Slav Defence
Bosboom, Manuel        -  Muhren, Bianca         1-0   19  D21  QGA
Bosboom-Lanchava, Tea  -  Spoelman, Wouter       1-0   30  E39  Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Negi, Parimarjan       -  Mamedjarova, Zeinab    1-0   39  C42  Petroff's Defence

Round 8 (January 23, 2005)

Zhukova, Natalia       -  Georgiev, Vladimir     1/2   13  D45  Anti-Meran Variations
Korotylev, Alexey      -  Negi, Parimarjan       1-0   39  E59  Nimzo Indian
Jonkman, Harmen        -  Alekseev, Evgeny       0-1   53  B22  Sicilian Alapin
Spoelman, Wouter       -  L'Ami, Erwin           0-1   33  B80  Sicilian Scheveningen
Pliester, Leon         -  Muhren, Bianca         0-1   45  B81  Sicilian Keres Attack
Mamedjarova, Zeinab    -  Bosboom, Manuel        0-1   41  E48  Nimzo Indian
Wempe, Joost           -  Bosboom-Lanchava, Tea  0-1   50  B07  Pirc Defence

3) Kasparov, FIDE, ACP and Kramnik, a week of World Championship news

For a few years now I've left the subject of FIDE and World Championships in general alone. I cover events and leave it at that. Whether you believe FIDE is the only organisation that can run a title event or that Kramnik is the only true World Champion is irrelevant, things are, as they are. However this week is deserving of at least some comment.

The Prague agreement was a messy compromise that promised a single champion but ignored a lot of players who had a right to be involved. This week produced a number of important developments. Firstly Kasparov withdrew from talks with FIDE for his match against Rustam Kasimdzhanov. He was initially supposed to be playing Ruslan Ponomariov but Ponomariov was eventually defaulted by FIDE in very unclear circumstances and a match against the new FIDE Champion was talked about. Kasparov missed the Wijk aan Zee tournament because he was supposed to be playing Kasimdzhanov in Dubai but the money simply wasn't there. His frustration is similar to others who have been messed about in the last decade.

Kasparov really wants a rematch against Kramnik. It seems strange that he didn't have a rematch clause if he believed that this is something that should happen. He did it deliberately and to me that implies he should have expected to qualify for a rematch. Given Kramnik's match record before he played Kasparov perhaps it never occurred to him that he would lose.

Although still World Number 1 Kasparov's form has been poor by his own extraordinary standards since the Prague agreement. His best result was the recent Russian Championship. One theory is that Kasparov's main problem is becoming tired late in the game. Its possible with the help of sports scientists he may overcome this problem.

Vladimir Kramnik gave an interview to Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam for the latest issue of his magazine New in Chess. Its a very clear interview which says that above all he wants the re-establishment of an old style World Championship cycle and that FIDE have broken the Prague agreement so he regards it as dead. I wonder if this was the final straw for Kasparov and the real reason he withdrew from negotiating with FIDE. FIDE in a press release said that they were close to getting money for a match in Turkey. However Kasparov wants a rematch with Kramnik and he isn't going to get it the FIDE way.

Kasparov has accused Kramnik of avoiding him. Kramnik rejected these suggestions, he claims he wants a return to the old methods of running a World Championship cycle, an aim I really support, and to be fair his actions look consistant with this. But I can also see Kasparov's point of view having signed the Prague agreement and then had to deal with FIDE and Kirsan Iljumzhinov for what turns out to be nothing in the end.

Kramnik held out an olive branch by saying that he thought a short term solution to the problem would be to have a 4 player qualifier with Kasimdzhanov, Kasparov, Anand and Ponomariov. This solution excludes many players who would legitimately ask "what about me?" but if it were to resolve the problem then would be a solution. Kramnik didn't think it likely this would happen.

Kramnik wants the ACP to organise future cycles. The majority of the top 100 players are members. However its clear that membership doesn't necessarily mean support for solutions they come up with, recently Topalov and Ponomariov withdrew from the organisation. So its clear they have a difficult task ahead, one its not yet clear they are equipped to do.

Kasparov Press Release 18th January 2005 - http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/kasplet.html

FIDE issued a press release on 20th January regretting the decision.

FIDE Respond to Kasparov Press Release 18th January 2005 - http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/fidekasplet.html

The ACP announced that this is the end of the Prague agreement.

ACP Respond to Kasparov Press Release 18th January 2005 - http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/acpkasplet.html

Vladimir Kramnik's gave a detailed and important interview to New in Chess after his match against Leko. It appears in full on the ChessBase site. http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2154.

4) Gibtele.com Masters International

The Gibtele.com Masters International takes place 25th January - 3rd February 2005. Leading entries so far: Alexei Shirov, Alexey Dreev, Lev Aronian, Emil Sutovsky, Krishnan Sasikiran, Kiril Georgiev, Boris Avrukh, Pavel Tregubov, Hikaru Nakamura, Gabriel Sargissian, Zahar Efimenko, Ian Rogers etc.

There will be live audio/video commentary from Stuart Conquest. He will take questions from people logged into ICC.

Official site: http://www.gibraltarchesscongress.com/

5) Keres Memorial Rapid

The Keres Memorial Rapid tournament took place in Tallinn 7th-9th January 2005. Alexei Shirov won the event with 5/5/7. The field included Anatoly Karpov and Boris Gelfand who finished on 50%. Games now available. My thanks to Marek Kolk.

Further info: http://www.maleliit.ee/

----------------------------------------------------------------
Keres Mem Rapid Tallinn EST (EST), 8-9 i 2005   cat. XIII (2568)
----------------------------------------------------------------
                                      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 
----------------------------------------------------------------
1. Shirov, Alexei         g ESP 2726  * = 1 = 1 = 1 1  5.5  2775 
2. Malaniuk, Vladimir P   g UKR 2513  = * = 0 = = 1 1  4.0  2626 
3. Balashov, Yuri S       g RUS 2469  0 = * 1 = = = 1  4.0  2632 
4. Gelfand, Boris         g ISR 2693  = 1 0 * 0 1 = =  3.5  2550 
5. Karpov, Anatoly        g RUS 2682  0 = = 1 * = = =  3.5  2551 
6. Rytshagov, Mikhail     g EST 2442  = = = 0 = * = =  3.0  2536 
7. Brodsky, Michail       g UKR 2533  0 0 = = = = * 1  3.0  2523 
8. Dobrov, Vladimir       g RUS 2487  0 0 0 = = = 0 *  1.5  2349 
----------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Keres Mem Rapid w Tallinn EST (EST), 8-9 i 2005        cat. I (2268)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina   m RUS 2471  * 1 = = 1 1 1 =  5.5  2469 
2. Ciuksyte, Dagne          wg LTU 2361  0 * 1 1 1 = = 1  5.0  2412 
3. Cramling, Pia             g SWE 2477  = 0 * 0 1 1 1 1  4.5  2340 
4. Fomina, Tatyana          wm EST 2207  = 0 1 * 0 1 = =  3.5  2276 
5. Tsiganova, Monika        wm EST 2211  0 0 0 1 * = 1 =  3.0  2226 
6. Sarakauskiene, Zivile       LTU 2183  0 = 0 0 = * 1 1  3.0  2230 
7. Golubenko, Valentina        EST 2158  0 = 0 = 0 0 * 1  2.0  2125 
8. Narva, Regina R             EST 2076  = 0 0 = = 0 0 *  1.5  2065 
--------------------------------------------------------------------

6) 130th New York Masters

The 130th New York Masters took place on 18th January 2005. Jay Bonin won the event with 4/4 beating Leonid Yudasin in the final round. Tables now available for the last weeks event also. I also correct the games given last week as I had 128th instead of 129th New York Masters in the title and the wrong date.

The regular rapid event (mostly weekly) organised by IM Greg Shahade and John Fernandez provides regular chances for keen players of 2200 and above to compete against GMs and IMs in New York. See: http://www.newyorkmasters.com/

-------------------------------------------------------------------
130th New York Masters Action USA (USA), 18 i 2005
-------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       1   2   3   4   Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. Bonin, Jay            m USA 2423 +14 + 4 + 5 + 3   4.0  ($400)
  2. Ehlvest, Jaan         g EST 2714 + 9 - 6 +10 + 7   3.0  ($ 70)
  3. Yudasin, Leonid       g ISR 2691 +10 + 8 + 6 - 1   3.0  ($ 70)
  4. Stripunsky, Alex      g USA 2640 +11 - 1 + 9 + 6   3.0  ($ 70)
  5. Figler, Ilye          f USA 2326 =   +12 - 1 + 8   2.5  ($100)
  6. Miton, Kamil          g POL 2629 +13 + 2 - 3 - 4   2.0
  7. Wojtkiewicz, Aleks    g USA 2621 -12 +11 +13 - 2   2.0
  8. Sarkar, Justin        m USA 2341 +15 - 3 +12 - 5   2.0
  9. Bartell, Thomas       f USA 2303 - 2 +14 - 4 +13   2.0
 10. Privman, Boris        f USA 2248 - 3 +15 - 2 +14   2.0
 11. Maltese, Adam           USA 2218 - 4 - 7 +15 +16   2.0
 12. Agaian, Sarkis          USA 2106 + 7 - 5 - 8 =     1.5
 13. Barsky, Sam             USA 2154 - 6 +16 - 7 - 9   1.0
 14. Zenyuk, Iryna           USA 2058 - 1 - 9 +16 -10   1.0
 15. Pressman, Leif          USA 2038 - 8 -10 -11 =     0.5
 16. Potts, Bill             USA 1727 --- -13 -14 -11   0.0

PRIZES 1ST - $ 400 2ND - $ 150 3RD - $ 60 U2400 - $ 100 

-------------------------------------------------------------------
129th New York Masters Action USA (USA), 11 i 2005
-------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       1   2   3   4   Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. Yudasin, Leonid       g ISR 2691 +12 +13 = 4 + 5   3.5  ($420)
  2. Nakamura, Hikaru      g USA 2698 +11 - 8 +13 + 4   3.0  ($200)
  3. Sorkin, Igor          f ISR 2396 -15 +14 +11 + 7   3.0  ($200)
  4. Wojtkiewicz, Aleks    g USA 2621 +14 +15 = 1 - 2   2.5  ($ 20)
  5. Lenderman, Alex       f USA 2348 =17 + 6 + 8 - 1   2.5  ($ 20)
  6. Sarkar, Justin        m USA 2341 =16 - 5 +12 + 8   2.5  ($ 20)
  7. Bonin, Jay            m USA 2423 -13 +16 +15 - 3   2.0
  8. Braylovsky, Gregory     USA 2398 +10 + 2 - 5 - 6   2.0
  9. Norowitz, Yaacov        USA 2285 -   =   =16 +15   2.0  ($ 50)
 10. Privman, Boris        f USA 2248 - 8 =12 +14 =11   2.0  ($ 50)
 11. Molner, Mackenzie       USA 2321 - 2 +18 - 3 =10   1.5
 12. Bartell, Thomas       f USA 2319 - 1 =10 - 6 +16   1.5  
 13. Klein, Erez           f USA 2302 + 7 - 1 - 2 =     1.5
 14. Shevelev, Danny       f USA 2317 - 4 - 3 -10 +     1.0
 15. Weeramantry, Sunil    f SRI 2201 + 3 - 4 - 7 - 9   1.0
 16. Zenyuk, Iryna           USA 2058 = 6 - 7 = 9 -12   1.0
 17. Fernandez, John         USA 2116 = 5 --- --- ---   0.5
 18. Teasley, Dolly       wm USA 2000 --- -11 --- ---   0.0

PRIZES 1ST - $ 400 2ND - $ 200 3RD - $ 60 U2400 - $ 200 U2300 - $ 100 

7) Montreal World Chess Tournament

The Montreal World Chess Tournament took place January 15th-22nd 2005 in Saint-Laurent. Dmitry Jakovenko ran away with the event with 8/9. The event was sponsored by a company that has produced a new method of recording the moves.

Official site: http://www.monroi.com/worldchesstournament/

------------------------------------------------------------------------
It Montreal CAN (CAN), 15-22 i 2005                        cat. X (2495)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Jakovenko, Dmitry         g RUS 2596  * 1 1 = 1 = 1 1 1 1  8.0  2835 
 2. Mikhalevski, Victor       g ISR 2553  0 * = 1 1 = = = 1 1  6.0  2613 
 3. Nataf, Igor-Alexandre     g FRA 2557  0 = * = = = = 1 1 1  5.5  2568 
 4. Perelshteyn, Eugene       m USA 2505  = 0 = * = 1 = 1 = =  5.0  2537 
 5. Hauchard, Arnaud          g FRA 2487  0 0 = = * = = 1 1 1  5.0  2539 
 6. Roussel-Roozmon, Thomas   m CAN 2425  = = = 0 = * = 1 = =  4.5  2503 
 7. Fedorowicz, John P        g USA 2507  0 = = = = = * = = 1  4.5  2493 
 8. Antonio, Rogelio jr       g PHI 2539  0 = 0 0 0 0 = * 1 =  2.5  2324 
 9. Lawson, Eric              m CAN 2373  0 0 0 = 0 = = 0 * 1  2.5  2342 
10. Hebert, Jean              m CAN 2410  0 0 0 = 0 = 0 = 0 *  1.5  2231 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

8) 4th Praha Open

The 4th Praha Open took place 14th-21st January 2005. Eduard Meduna won the event on tie-break from Karel Van der Weide, Andrey Orlov and Milko Popchev all scored 7/9. Games from the first seven rounds only available.

Official site: http:/www.czechtour.net

--------------------------------------------------------------
Open Prague CZE (CZE), 14-21 i 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Meduna, Eduard              g CZE 2435 7.0 38.0 54.5 2543
 2 Van Der Weide, Karel        m NED 2490 7.0 37.5 53.5 2561
 3 Orlov, Andrey               m RUS 2403 7.0 37.0 49.0 2498
 4 Popchev, Milko              g BUL 2442 7.0 35.0 48.0 2492
 5 Adler, Viktor               m USA 2399 6.5 36.5 52.5 2471
 6 Voloshin, Leonid            g CZE 2464 6.5 35.0 53.5 2488
 7 Hasangatin, Ramil           g RUS 2353 6.5 35.0 50.5 2492
 8 Hardarson, Robert           f ISL 2325 6.5 32.0 46.5 2433
 9 Vokac, Marek Ing.           g CZE 2476 6.5 31.5 50.0 2417
10 Zakhartsov, Viacheslav V    m RUS 2529 6.5 31.0 46.5 2407
11 Vavra, Pavel                m CZE 2390 6.5 27.0 39.0 2314
12 Virostko, Petr                CZE 2319 6.0 32.5 50.0 2414
13 Priborsky, Jan                CZE 2305 6.0 32.0 48.0 2374
14 Simacek, Pavel              m CZE 2432 6.0 31.5 43.5 2319
15 Skjoldborg, Jesper            DEN 2274 6.0 31.0 46.5 2327
16 Golcman, Evgeny               RUS 2336 6.0 28.5 43.5 2286
104 players

9) Sao Paulo Chess Club Championship

The Sao Paulo Chess Club Championship is an International category 3 tournament. It's the championship of 2004. On Tuesday 25th January, on Sao Paulo's 451th birthday, a blitz tournament will be played before the 5th round. Argentinean IM Giaccio has a perfect score after 3 rounds. News: Herman Claudius van Riemsdijk.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Club Championship Sao Paulo BRA (BRA), 22-28 i 2005             cat. III (2303)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Giaccio, Alfredo            m ARG 2467  * . . . . . . 1 . 1 . 1  3.0       
 2. De Souza, Mauro             m BRA 2377  . * = 1 . . . . . . = .  2.0  2407 
 3. Maia, Luciano                 BRA 2287  . = * . . . 1 . = . . .  2.0  2511 
 4. Bachmann, Axel                PAR 2314  . 0 . * . 1 . . 1 . . .  2.0  2471 
 5. Aranha Filho, Alvaro Z        BRA 2274  . . . . * . = . = = . .  1.5  2285 
 6. Marra, Eduardo da Costa       BRA 2261  . . . 0 . * . = . . 1 .  1.5  2323 
 7. Tsuboi, Edson Kenji         f BRA 2380  . . 0 . = . * . . . . 1  1.5  2234 
 8. Van Riemsdijk, Herman C     m BRA 2409  0 . . . . = . * . . 1 .  1.5  2325 
 9. Crosa, Martin               m URU 2401  . . = 0 = . . . * . . .  1.0  2166 
10. Limberg, Estacio Vermelho     BRA 2076  0 . . . = . . . . * . =  1.0  2169 
11. Vera, I Jorge               f PAR 2247  . = . . . 0 . 0 . . * .  0.5  2076 
12. Morales Mendoza, Luciana   wm PER 2141  0 . . . . . 0 . . = . *  0.5  2034 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10) French Chess Federation Elections

Jean-Claude Moingt has been elected as president of the French Chess Federation. Moingt won 71% of the vote.

French Chess Federation site: http://www.echecs.asso.fr/

11) 4NCL

Rounds 5 and 6 of the 4NCL took place on January 22nd-23rd 2005. I will round up results and games next week.

Official site: http://www.4ncl.co.uk/

12) Belgian Teams 2004-2005

The Belgian Teams started on 19th September 2004 for division 1 teams. The title is likely to be won by SK47 Eynatten 1, Temse Boey 2 or SK Rochade Eupen The next round was on 7th november 2004 (to follow). News Steve Laios.

Round 1: 19.09.04                            
1. Eynatten 1 - Eynatten 2 : 5.0 - 3.0           
2. Liège - Gent            : 3.5 - 4.5                   
3. Jean Jaurès - Leuven    : 4.5 - 3.5            
4. Charleroi - Brugge      : 3.5 - 4.5 (1/8 game)  
5. Borgerhout - Rochade    : 2.5 - 5.5            
6. Temse 1 - Temse 2       : 2.0 - 6.0              

Round 2: 26.09.04
1. Eynatten 2 - Temse 2 : 4.5 - 3.5
2. Rochade - Temse 1    : 5.5 - 2.5 
3. Brugge - Borgerhout  : 4.5 - 3.5
4. Leuven - Charleroi   : 2.5 - 5.5
5. Gent - Jean Jaurès   : 5.0 - 3.0
6. Eynatten 1 - Liège   : 7.5 - 0.5

STANDINGS After ROUND 02.
                        Pts  MP
 1. SK47 Eynatten 1   : 12.5 2.0 .
 2. Rochade Eupen     : 11.0 2.0
 3. K. Gent S.R.L     : 9.5  2.0
 4. Temse Boey 2      : 9.5  1.0
 5. K. Brugge S.K.    : 9.0  2.0
 6. C.R.E. Charleroi  : 9.0  1.0
 7. Jean Jaurès       : 7.5  1.0
 7. SK47 Eynatten 2   : 7.5  1.0
 9. Borgerhout        : 6.0  0.0
 9. L.V. Leuven       : 6.0  0.0
11. Temse Boey 1      : 4.5  0.0
12. C.R.E. Liège E.L. : 4.0  0.0    

13) Forthcoming Events and Links

6th Poikovsky Karpov tournament

The 6th Karpov tournament in Poikovsky, Russia takes place 26th February - 7th March 2005. Players: Peter Svidler, Etienne Bacrot (still considering entry), Alexander Grischuk, Alexey Dreev, Viktor Bologan, Rafael Vaganian, Lenier Domingues, Alexander Onischuk, Sergey Rublevsky + more). Average XVIII category. Further information soon.

Further details: http://www.chesspro.ru/events/poikovsky05.shtml

European Individual Women's Chess Championship

The European Individual Women's Chess Championship takes place in Chisinau, Moldova 10th-25th June 2005. Organisers Chess Federation of Moldova Sciusev Street, 111 2004, Chisinau Tel.: 00373-22-565451 Fax.: 00373-22-565451 or 210707 E-Mail: fskrip@company.md

Details on http://www.eurochess.org.

Official site for the event: http://eiwcc2005.chisinau.md/

3rd International Chess Festival

The 3rd International Chess Festival in Nancy (France) takes place February 14th-20th 2005. No open, but several Round-Robin closed tournaments for 10 players each (9 rounds in 7 days - 2 hours + 30seconds per player). One grandmaster group for GM norms (completed, no more invitation for titled players), and several others groups arranged by Elo between 1000 and 2300.

Details: http://echiquier.nanceien.free.fr/festival.html

First Saturday February

The First Saturday February events take place 5th-18th of February 2005. There are still places in the events, contact the organiser:

Nagy Laszlo e-mail: firstsat@hu.inter.net http://www.firstsaturday.hu or http://home.hu.inter.net/~firstsat if you wish to play.

FSGM IGM Ilincic, Zlatko (SCG, 2502), IGM Fogarasi, Tibor (HUN, 2442), IGM Seres, Lajos (HUN 2418), IM Boros, Denes (HUN, 2404), IM Szabo, Krisztian (HUN, 2376), IM Paschall, William (USA, 2403), IM Thinius, Marco (GER, 2384), FM Zlatic, Mihajlo (SCG, 2451), IM Erdõs, Viktor (HUN, 2453), IM Almási, István (HUN, 2427), FM Bérczes, Dávid (HUN, 2313), IM Kristjansson, Stefan (ISL, 2438), IM Flumbort, András (HUN, 2479), Min 10, max 14 players. Min.2381 ELO average, according to the new FIDE rules. Reserves: FM Gonda, László (HUN), IM Turzó, Attila (HUN), IM Szeberényi, Ádám (HUN), IM Jakab, Attila (HUN),

FSIM IM Jakab, Attila (HUN, 2439), WIM Mar, Karmen (SLO, 2119), IM Farago, Sandor (HUN, 2290), Sisatto, Olli (FIN, 2180), Rombaldoni, Denis (ITA, 2244), Ignácz, Mária (HUN, 2187), IM Lengyel, Béla (HUN, 2313), IM Werner, Dimo (GER, 2312), FM Brustkern, Jurgen (GER, 2251), Solomons, Deon (RSA, 2287), FM Fodor, Tamás (HUN, 2226), IM Szeberényi, Ádám (HUN, 2357), IM Eperjesi, László (HUN, 2283), Pap, Gyula (HUN, 2371), FM Caruana, Fabiano (USA, 2219(. FM Stupavski, Zdenko (SCG, 2313), FM Johannsson, Ingvar(ISL, 2315), Tóth, Ervin (HUN, 2239), WIM Tóth, Lili (HUN, 2157), Potential players: Schneider, Veronika(HUN), FM Kjartansson, David(ISL), IM Hardicsay, Péter (HUN), Prohászka, Péter (HUN), IM Petrán, Pál (HUN), Horváth, András (HUN), Min 10, max 14 players. Min.2231 ELO average, according to the new FIDE rules.

FSFM Mihók, Olivér (HUN, 2082), Schulze, Hubertus (GER, 2175), Valet, Richard (GER, 2082), Hoang, Tri (HUN, 2044), Mészáros, Attila (HUN, 2032), Kubacsny, Vilmos (GER, 2129), Takács, Tamás (HUN, 2027), Lakat, Gyula (HUN, 2006), Borda, Lajos (HUN, 2082), Lim, Andrew (SIN, 2089), Papp, József (HUN, 1953), Czimer, József (HUN, 1931), Hönsch, Pál (HUN, 1974), Lantos, Attila (HUN, 2010), Zilahi, Gábor (HUN, 2062), Zoltán, András (HUN, 2044), Maródi, Mátyás (HUN, 2168), Sárközi, Ferenc (HUN, 2008), Zelei, János (HUN, NR), Metaxasz, Vaszilisz (HUN, 2109), Beszterczey, László (HUN, 2077), Pongó, István (HUN, 1824), Sianec, Attila (HUN, 1817), Katsuhara. Osamu (JPN, 2083), Palotás, Péter (HUN, 1908),

Brunei Open

The Brunei Open takes place 14th Jan to 19th Jan 2005.

Official site: http://www.bruneichess.org.bn/

4th Aeroflot Chess Festival

The 4th Aeroflot Chess festival takes place in Hotel Rossija in Moscow, 14th (arrival day) - 24th February 2005 (departure day).

There are 4 tournaments: Tournament A1 for players rated 2550 and higher, tournament A2 for players rated 2400 and higher, but lower than 2550, tournament B for players rated 2200 and higher, but lower than 2400 and tournament C for players rated under 2200 and unrated players. The organising committee has in special cases the right to permit a player to participate in a higher group than indicated by his rating.

The tournaments are 9 rounds Swiss tournaments. The total prize fund is $175.000.

The organising committee offers packages for Aeroflot tickets, hotel and entry fee. The Aeroflot packages prices are published on the website of the festival.

Further details: http://www.aeroflotchess.com

For more information it is possible to contact the Association of Chess Federations in Moscow: Tel/Fax: +7-095-2918578 or E-mail: chess@sovintel.ru

Asia vs. Rest of the World Charity Correspondence Match

AJEC (French CC Association) with the help of Med Samraoui (ICCF Zonal Director for Asia and Africa) are organising a match "AJEC/Asia vs. Rest of the World". The pairings will be done according to the native country of the entrant players. The main rules of this match are as follows:

1. Med Samraoui msamraoui@iccf.com will be the TD of the match. He will collect entries from Asian players and Rest of the World Players. Med will be helped by Jean Marc Refalo from France jm.refalo@ajec-echecs.org to collect the entries from French players.

2. The games will be played on the ICCF webserver www.iccf-webchess.com with the last rules adopted in Mumbai Congress.

3. The entry fee is 8 euros. Generous donors can give more. All the money will be given to a charity organisation. You can send the payment to your national federation. Please find out your National Delegate at http://www.iccf.com/nations/start_01.shtml

National delegates will send entries to Mr. Samraoui.

4. Everybody can participate in this match which will begin on February 15th.

5. To have more details and to subscribe please feel free to contact Med Samraoui or Jean Michel Refalo.

Sozina 2005

The Sozina 2005 tournament takes place in Bar a city on the Montenegro coast 4th-12th March 2005. Prize fund is EUR 10.000, and organizer guaranty possibility of getting norms for international titles. Also, special conditions are provide for the grandmasters. Further details contact: sozina2005@yahoo.com

Further details; http://www.scgchess.org/

Azura Chess Open

The Azura Chess Open International Rapid Chess Tournament also Belgian Rapid Chess Championship 2005 Brussels Rapid Chess Championship 2005 takes place Saturday-Sunday 23rd-24th April 2005 (11 rounds ~ 25 minutes games) Tournament for players with more than 2000 elo.

Playing venue: Palais du Midi rue van der Weyden 3 1000 Brussels Entry fee : IGM and IM free Others 25 euro Junior 15 euro

Registration: Registration only by e-mail. No registration at the venue. bennyasman@skynet.be Send payment to 210-0937331-72 with your name and elo rating as message

Details: http://www.creb.be/

Fajr Chess Festival

There are three events in the Fajr Chess Festival

I- 13th Fajr International Open Tournament, 27Jan. - 1st Feb. 2005 take Place in Tehran, 9 round Swiss, FIDE standard time control (90 Min.+ 30 Sec./Move), with 10000$ prize money.

II- 3rd Fajr International Youth tournament, under 10,12&14 years old Categories, 2-6 Feb. 2005 take place in Tehran, 9 round Swiss, Fide Standard time control (90 Min. + 30 Sec./Mov.) with 3000$ prize money.

III- 2nd Kish GM tournament, 2-10 Feb. 2005 take place in Kish Island, 12 Players Round Robin tournament, FIDE standard time control (90 Min. + 30 Sec./Mov.)

Further details: http://www.iranchess.com/indexen.html

Evry Tournaments

The 2nd GM and IM tournaments in Evry takes place 21st-27th February 2005.

Official site: http://www.evry-grandroque.com

21st Cappelle la Grande Open

The 21st Cappelle la Grande Open takes place 12th-19th February 2005.

Official site: http://www.cappelle-chess.com

Moscow Open 2005

The Moscow Open 2005 takes place 23rd February - 3rd March 2005 in the Central Chess House, Gogolevsky Boulevard 14. The Moscow Chess Federation organises this 9 round event with a time control of 40 moves in 90 minutes, then 15 minutes for the remaining moves with an increment of 30 seconds per move from move 1.

Contacts - Moscow Chess Federation: phone/fax: (+7)-095-250044. E-mail: mcf05@mail.ru

Detailed information: http://www.chessplayers.org/eng/news/viewarticle.html?id=242

HB Global Chess Challenge

The HB Foundation has posted $500,000 prize fund for the HB Global Chess Challenge, a Maurice Ashley-led event expects to bring more than 4,000 participants to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The event takes place May 18th-22nd 2005 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. First place in the Open section has a cash prize of $50,000, and that overall more than 50 others will receive cash prizes. Many other side events. There is an extension to the discount period for signing up for the event.

Official sites: http://www.hbfoundation.org and http://www.generationchess.com

Stepichev Memorial

The Stepichev Memorial took place in Kiev 21st-29th of December 2004.

Futher information: http://mirror01.iptelecom.net.ua/~chessfed/turnir/t037.html

16th Pobeskydi Tournament

The 16th Pobeskydi Chess Tournament takes place 24th-28th March 2005 in Frydek-Mistek, Czech Republic. There will be at least two tournaments. Round-robin with possibility to achieve IM and WGM norm and FIDE Open.

For futher details: http://www.chessfm.cz

7th United Insurance GM Rescheduled due to Tsunami

The 7th United Insurance & United Leasing Grandmasters Chess Tournament has been rescheduled (due to the Tsunami) and now takes place 4th-14th April 2005 in the Conference-Room of the National Sports Council 62/3 Purana Paltan Dhaka-1000. Organised by the Bangladesh Chess Federation. 11 round Swiss System with around 40. Total Prize Money US $5000.00 Accommodation & Food : Free for all GM’s & IM’s, only accommodation 2350+ Appearance Money : GM 2500+ US $ 500.00. Contact: Syed Shujauddin Ahmed, General Secretary Bangladesh Chess Federation, 2nd Floor, 62/3 Purana Paltan, Dhaka-1000, Fax + Phone: 88 (02) 7169336 , E-mail: bcf@bdonline.com

Millennium Chess Festival

The 6th annual Millennium Chess Festival takes place February 25th-27th 2005, at the Ramada Plaza Oceanfront Resort in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. The event, with over $18,000 in total prizes, is sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton and is presented by Beach Events and the city of Virginia Beach. It is a 5-round swiss, FIDE rated.

Comps available: GMs/WGMs/IMs: free entry fee. GMs/WGMs: free hotel accommodations if you commit to come by February 10, 2005. Contact eschlich@aol.com for details.

Special events include: Lecture by Susan Polgar on Fischer-Random Chess (Chess 960), Fischer-Random Blitz Chess Tournament, Nakamura vs Susan Polgar ³Dinner/Exhibition Match²

Further information: http://www.geocities.com/millenniumchessfestival

Nakamura vs. Polgar Chess Exhibition

New U.S. Chess Champion Hikaru Nakamura and GM Susan Polgar have agreed to play a unique ³GM Dinner/Exhibition Match² game during the Millennium Chess Festival on February 26, 2005, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA.

The unusual exhibition game features two grandmasters playing each other from separate rooms before a live audience with moves relayed by radio. As they play, using demo boards, the GMs explain for the audience what they are thinking about and why they are choosing certain options. This year¹s exhibition is the fourth in a popular annual series at the Millennium Chess Festival. Previous participants were Nakamura - Fedorowicz (2004), Shabalov - Fedorowicz (2003), and Stripunsky - Rohde (2002). The Millennium Chess Festival (Feb 25-27) is sponsored by the consulting firm of Booz Allen Hamilton and is presented by Beach Events and the city of Virginia Beach.

Further information: http://www.geocities.com/millenniumchessfestival

14th Aurec Open

The 14th Aurec Open takes place 19th-20th February 2005. Two rapid tournaments (9 r / 20 mn) Total prize fund : Euro 5,000 Further details: aurec2005@tiscali.fr

12th Echternach International Open

The 12th Echternach International Open takes place 25th-26th June 2005. Seniors should also note the following dates: 2nd Open (rapid chess) for young seniors (aged 50 and above) 13th-14th August 2005. 5th Open-seniors (aged 60 and above) 15th-21st August 2005.

Further info: http://www.desprenger-echternach.lu/

Novi Sad Open A

There are 7 places left for the Open A (actually Semi-closed for IMs and GMs) event taking place 19th-26th March 2005.

Further info: http://www.drazic.co.yu or more specifically http://www.drazic.co.yu/t_2005_03_19-26_info.html

 1  gm Lalic Bogdan         ENG     
 2  gm Kosanovic Goran      SCG     
 3  gm Drazic Sinisa        SCG     
 4  gm Fontaine Robert      FRA     
 5  gm Lazic Miroljub 	     SCG
 6  gm Savic M .R.          SCG     
 7  im Colovic A.           MAC     
 8     Franchini Gabriele   ITA     
 9     Barilaro Luca        ITA     
10  im Pilgaard Kim         DEN     
11     Lundin Jan           SWE     
12  fm Kokeza Mirko         SCG     
13  fm Guadalpi D.          FRA     
14  fm Stupavski Z.         SCG     
15  im Popovic D.           SCG     
16  fm Juergen Brustkern    GER     
17  im Pap Misa             SCG     
18  im Marzolo Cyril        FRA     
19     Craig Young          ENG     
20  im Tratar M.            SLO     
21  im Sebenik  M.          SLO     
22  fm Dumpor A             BIH     
23  gm Kovacevic A.         SCG     
24  im Laketic Gojko        SCG     
25  im Kostic Vlada         SCG     
7 places left

Oceania Zonal

The Oceania 2005 FIDE Zonal qualifier takes place January 30th - February 4th 2005 in Auckland, New Zealand

Official site: http://www.globalchessenterprises.co.nz/

Linares 2005

According to Spanish Teletext Garry Kasparov, Viswanathan Anand, Veselin Topalov, Peter Leko, Michael Adams, Francisco Vallejo Pons and Rustam Kasimdzhanov will be the 7 players at this year's event. The event takes place 22nd February - 10th March 2005.

Last year Marca had the official website: http://www.marca.com/linares/

ELO Listing:
No. Name                               t  NAT ja05
   1 Kasparov, Garry.................  g  RUS 2804
   2 Anand, Viswanathan..............  g  IND 2786
   3 Topalov, Veselin................  g  BUL 2757
   5 Leko, Peter.....................  g  HUN 2749
   7 Adams, Michael..................  g  ENG 2741
  18 Vallejo Pons, Francisco.........  g  ESP 2686
  25 Kasimdzhanov, Rustam............  g  UZB 2678
Average Rating 2743 Category 20

Alushta Diary 2005

Leonid Galperin sends a calendar of planned events in Alushta, Ukraine 2005.

GM Norm events: 12.05 - 22.05 24.05 - 4.06 17.06-27.06. 1.09-11.09 25.09-5.10 7.10-17.10 IM Norm events 12.05 - 22.05 24.05 -4.06 17.06-27.06. 1.09-11.09 25.09-5.10 7.10-17.10 Rating tournament 5.06 - 13.06 Open tournament (under 16 years) First prize - 200 $ 14.06 - 22.06 Alushta Swiss 9 rounds Blitz tournament 28.06 12.09 Alushta Swiss 9 rounds Open tournament (rapid chess) 29 - 30.06 13-14.09 Alushta Swiss 9 rounds Open tournament First prize 1000 $ First prize (woman) 500$ 2.07-10.07 15.09-23.09 Alushta Swiss 9 rounds Session of school of Gennadi Kuzmin 5.06-14.06 25.09-4.10 Alushta Individual and group studying

Further information: http://www.kaissa.com.ua phone +38 (06560)5-05-32 (for Russian speaking) + 38 050 669-26-04 (for English speaking) e-mail: info@kaissa.com.ua

5th Chess Grand Prix of Bordeaux

The 5th Chess Grand Prix of Bordeaux takes place 28th April - 1st May 2005. In addition the 2nd Chess Grand Prix in d'Aix en Provence takes place in December 2005.

Details: http://www.grandprixdeparis.com/BA2005.html

Harald Malmgren 100 years Correspondence

31st Dec 2004 saw the start of the first Grandmaster tournament on the ICCF Webserver. The tournament is the "Harald Malmgren 100 years". The occasion is to commemorate the 100:d birthday of Harald Malmgren, Tierp in Sweden. Malmgren was runner up after Cecil Purdy in ICCF's first World Championship and earned his GM title in the event. Malmgren passed away in 1957. In his career he was also second in IFSB Championship 1939 and won the Swedish CC Championship in 1942. Malmgren was a true chess enthusiast and issued a book in 1953 "Mina bästa partier" (My best games) with only CC games he had played.

There are 13 participants and you will be able to follow the results on http://www.schack.se/SSKK/palview/res/malmgren.htm and as soon as about 10 moves are made in every game, SSKK will open a page for "live" games. That is games according to the ICCF CoC regulations for live games. The Category of the event is 10 which means that all norms are available.The tournament has two sponsors, Schackakademin and Svenska Schackbutiken AB.

The players are: IM Jan Bennborn, Sweden, IM Sture Olsson, Sweden, IM Rune Bergquist, Norway, IM Ervin Liebert, Estonia, IM Taisto Koskela, Finland, IM Leif Åhman, Sweden, SIM Jón A Pálsson, Iceland, SIM Josef Mrkvicka, Czech Rep, GM Matthias Rüfenacht; Switzerland, IM Gary S Benson, Australia, SIM John Pugh, England, Phillippe Chopin, France and Mads Smith Hansen, Denmark. The withdrawing ICCF President keeps playing CC and starts this event on his very last day in office.

Tomas Carnstam, Jonas Dahlgren, Robert Ericsson, Sebastian Nilsson and Per Söderberg wedish Correspondence Chess Federation (SSKK) Board members.

Games Festival Chalkidiki Greece

The Games Festival is is organised for the first time in Greece and takes place from 21st-29th of April 2005 at the Porto - Carras Grand Resort, in Chalkidiki in Greece.

Tennis, chess, golf, biliards, bridge, famous athletes, world champions will be present in Porto Carras. The festival includes a series of tournaments, competitions, seminars and exhibitions in sports and the most popular entertaining games.

The chess events are the 2nd International Open Chess Tournament "Porto Carras 2005" and the 1st World School Chess Championship. More specifically, the Open Tournament will be held 22nd-28th April 2005 at the Porto Carras Grand Rresort with open participation, 9 rounds swiss system and time control 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment per move, according to the official announcement of the Greek Chess Club "A.M.O. Galaxias". Total prizes: 6.500 EURO. For more information visit http://www.gamesfestival.com or contact info@gamesfestival.com & GrivasEfs@netonline.gr

The 1st World School Championship for school chess champions in categories Under 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16, will be held 21st-29th April 2005 at the Porto Carras Grand Resort. Organizers of this great event are the World Chess Federation (FIDE), the International School Chess Union, the Greek Chess Federation, the Chess Club "Galaxias" of Thessaloniki and the Hotel Complex of "Porto Carras Grand Resort".

Bermuda Tournament

The Bermuda Invitational will be held 30th January - 9th February 2005 with the traditional Open following - 10th Feb: Opening Party and Blitz; 11th to 13th, 5 round Open followed by Closing Party. The Invitational will be the strongest yet - Dominguez, Gelfand, Harikrishna, Macieja, Vescovi & Volokitin (exp. 2656 Elo) and several of the invitees have confirmed that they will play in the Open.

Further details: http://www.bermuda.bm/chess

38th Biel International Chess Festival

38th Biel International Chess Festival Dates: 16th-29th July 2005 with, in particular: - the Grandmaster tournament (17th-27th July 2005) - the Accentus Ladies Tournament 17th-27th July 2005) - the active chess tournament (16th and 17th July 2005) - the Master Open (18th-29th July 2005, last round in the morning) - the General Open (20th-29th July 2005, last round in the morning) - the Blitz tournament (23th July 2005)

Further details: http://www.bielchessfestival.ch

3rd Nancy International Festival

The 3rd Nancy (France) International Festival sees several round-robins tournaments (9 rounds / fischer 2 hours per players + 30 sec) by elo which take place 14th-20th February 2005.

Group A will be category 10 with : Bauer 2622 Istratescu 2611 Nijboer 2567 Tirard 2461 Marzolo 2437 Rocha 2431 Wirig 2408 Nezar 2375 Philippe 2371. (one im more than 2520 elo non-FRA-code can contact philippe.chr@free.fr).

Details in french/english/german on http://echiquier.nanceien.free.fr/festival.html

Events in India in 2005

5th Asian Individual Championship

The 5th Asian Individual Chess Championship 2005 takes place in Cochin, Total Prize Fund : US$33000. The event has been postponed until 21st-31st March 2005 due to the recent Tsunami disaster. Organiser : P.T. Ummer Koya , koya@chessindia.org ; aicf@chessindia.org Website: http://www.chessindia.org

Commonwealth Championships

The Commonwealth Chess Championships for Men, Women, Boys & Girls incorporating An International Open Chess Tournament TOtal Prize Fund: US$12000 ARRIVAL : 27/02/2005 CLOSING : 09/03/2005 Organiser : Rajastan State Chess Association Contact : aicf@chessindia.org ; slharsh2000@yahoo.co.uk Website: http://www.chessindia.org

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister's International Open

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister's International Open Chess Tournament, Raipur Total Prize Fund : Us$12000 Arrival : 10/03/2005 Closing : 20/03/2005 Organiser : Hotel Babylon, Vip Road, Raipur, India. Contact : aicf@chessindia.org ; vkrathi_aicf@rediffmail.com Website : Website: http://www.chessindia.org

Hamarat Challenge Match

The ICCF World Champion Tunc Hamarat (AUT) who has never lost a single game with White, has challenged the "Rest of the World" to a friendly 2-game match. He will have White in both games. The games (one will start with 1.e4 and one with 1.d4) will be played on the ICCF Webserver and started on 10th February 2005 with the rule "10 moves/70 days".

The players on the "Rest of the World" team will vote on each move. The move receiving the most votes will be selected. Should 2 or more moves receive the same number of votes, the "Rest of the World" will be given 2 more voting days to decide between the tied moves. Participation in this event is open to all players who pay an entry fee of 5 EUR or $7.00 US dollars via their National CC Federation or the ICCF Direct Entry (DE) option. All fees collected will be transferred to the ICCF Development Fund. The money will be used primarily for development and system support of the ICCF WebChess Server. It will be possible to join the "Rest of the World" team at any stage of the game.

The games may be seen "live" by all players and other observers at http://www.iccf-webchess.com

Each player who voted for the selected move will receive 1 point per move. The player(s) with the most points at the end of the games will receive an ICCF Gold Book. The list of all entrants will be published on the ICCF webpage.

21st Cappelle la Grande Open

21st INTERNATIONAL CHESS OPEN - CAPPELLE LA GRANDE - FRANCE 12th-19th February 2005. 9 Round Accelerated Swiss System Tournament, registered with FIDE Rate of play : 2 hours for 40 moves followed by a one hour quickplay finish. Playing hall : COMPLEXE SPORTIF ROGER GOUVART IGM's INVITATIONS - Possibility of norms. Prizes (minimum 600 players) :The 1st prize is :3000 euros The 2nd prize is 1500 euros and 3 to 10: 1000 euros. Registration by templeurjcs@club-internet.fr

Further details: http://www.cappelle-chess.com

Hungarian chess tournaments December 2004 - August 2005

1. 5th-18th of February 2005, FS GM-IM-FM closed, Budapest, Org.NL.

2. 5th-18th of March 2005, FS GM-IM-FM closed, Budapest, Org. : NL,

3. 18th- 26th of March, "SPRING FESTIVAL" 9 rounds Swiss Open, Budapest, Org.: NL

4. 2nd-15th of April , FS GM-IM-FM closed, Budapest, Org: NL:

5. 7th-19th of May, FS GM-IM-FM closed, Budapest, org.: NL

6. 20th-28th of May, ZALAKAROS Open, 9 rounds Swiss, (250 km West from Budapest), org: IM Horvath, Tamas, phone: +(36)-20-9777003

7. 21st-31st of May, ELEKES Memorial, GM-IM closed, Budapest, org.IM Zsinka, phone: +(36)-20-921-91-97

8. 4th-16th of June, FS GM-IM-FM, Budapest, Org: NL

9. 18th-26th of June, BALATONLELLE Open + GM-IM closed, 120 km West from Budapest, organizer: IM Rigo, e-mail: me-ri@axelero.hu

10. 2nd-14th of July, FS GM-IM-FM Budapest, org. NL.

11. 23rd- 31st of July, Agria Open /EGER, 100 km North-East from Budapest/, organizer: Rauch Ferenc, e-mail: rauch@freemail.hu

12. 6th-18th of August, FS GM-IM-FM Budapest org.:NL

Dutch Open Blitzchess Championship

The Dutch Open Blitzchess Championship takes place on February 5th 2005 in the Mercure Hotel Dordrecht, The Netherlands. 17 double rounds with 5 minutes per player per game, Swiss system in one group. Prizefund Euro 8.500. First Euro 1.750, Second Euro 1.250, third Euro 1.000. Also several grading prizes. Contact: info@blitzchess.nl

Further details: http://www.blitzchess.nl

8th Afro-Asian Correspondence Championship

All players from Africa and Asia (including Japan , Hong-Kong, Singapore, New Zealand , Australia, Turkey, ...) may apply for the 8th Afro-Asian Correspondence championship (Zonal Championship) . The preliminary stage will start on 15.01.2005 and will be played by ICCF webserver .There is no entry fees required .The number of sections will depend upon the entries number . The application should be sent to : msamraoui@iccf.com not late than 31.12.2004. (supplied by the ICCF zonal director Med Samraoui)

ICCF website is http://www.iccf.com and for ICCFwebchess http://www.iccf-webchess.com

Czech Tour 2004-2005

4th International Chess Festivals Series

14th-21st January 2005 4th OPEN PRAHA (2 FIDE opens, one of them with IM norm)

22nd-30th January 2005 4th OPEN MARIANSKE LAZNE (FIDE open and 1-2 closed IM tournaments)

More details e-mail: j.mazuch@avekont.cz and http:/www.czechtour.net

Frank Quisinsky Chess Calendar

Frank Quisinsky has updated his computer chess calendar. Recent events include: Dutch-Open 2004, Diep won France-ch 2004, ChessTiger won Polish-ch 2004, Rzeznik won Australasian NCC-ch 2004, Warp won

Address: http://www.playwitharena.com the CC-Calendar is a selection of Arena Chess GUI webpage

CC-Calendar: http://www.playwitharena.com/directory/calendar.htm

Kings Head Rapidplay

The 29th Kings Head Rapidplay will take place on Saturday 12th March 2005, 6-round Swiss rapidplay (30 minutes), prize fund £650, entry fee £17 > The Porchester Hall Porchester Road Bayswater London W2

Contact: Colin Mackenzie 9 Allan Way Acton London W3 0PW 020 8992 1949 colin.mackenzie@atosorigin.com

Further details: http://www.khcc.org.uk

1st ICCF Webchess Open Tournament

The ICCF have announced the 1st WebChess Open Tournament and invites every player worldwide to participate in the event. The event is to be played on the ICCF dedicated Webserver http://www.iccf-webchess.com. This tournament is open to all correspondence chess players worldwide, also for those without any previous ICCF experience. Multiple entries are allowed. The tournament will be played in three stages - preliminaries, semifinal and final.

Details: http://www.iccf-webchess.com/Message.aspx?message=19

Swiss Chess Tour 2005

The Swiss Chess Tour starts in Basle in the New Year (1st-8th January 2005.). New event is European ITAG Masters & Rapid Championship will be 1-2.1.2005. 11 Round, 30 minutes each, guarantee prizes. Prizes: 2500/2000/1500/1000/800/700/600/500/ 2x400/2x300/4x250/4x200 CHF; Special prizes: 400/300/200 CHF for Ladys, seniors (1945), juniors (1985 and younger), amateur under 2200 (FIDE or national), under 1800. Enter fee 30.00 CHF Hilton Open (2-8.1.2005.) 7 Rounds, 6 hours (2 hours for 40 moves + 60 minutes for complete the game. Prizes: 2000/1500/1200/800/600/500/2x400/2x300/5x200 CHF. Special prizes 200 CHF for best Lady, Senior (1945), junior (1985-88), schoolboy (1989). Enter fee: 130 CHF (FM and juniors 60 CHF) GM & IM free. At the door 10 CHF. Basle amateur (2-8.1.2005.) 7 Rounds, 4 hours (90 minutes 30 moves + 30 minutes to complete the game). Players under 1900 rating (FIDE or national). Enter fee: 10 CHF (juniors 50 CHF). At the door 10 CHF. Prizes: 500/400/2x300/2x200/4x150 CHF. Basle juniors (2.1.2005.) 7 Rounds, 15 minutes for the game. Juniors 1985 and younger. Enter fee 5 CHF. Natural prizes for all players. NSV Senior Open (1-4.1.2005.) 7 Rounds, 4 hours (90 minutes for 30 moves + 30 minutes for complete the game) Seniors 1945. Prizes: 400/300/200 CHF + natural prizes. Enter fee: 60 CHF. At the door 10 CHF. ITAG - Tele-Rapid (3-5.1.2005.) European Rapid Champion, Andrei Sokolov, last year winner and two others. 15 minutes for the game. All games will be on TV Tele-Basel in live. BaZ Lighting Chess (8.1.2005. from 19.00 to 22.00) 9 Rounds, 5 minutes. Enter fee: 20 CHF (juniors 5 CHF). Prizes 300/200/150/2x100/2x50 CHF natural prizes for everybody 50% and more points. ITAG Simultan (9.1.2005.) with European Rapid Champion 2005

More information and registration: Robert Spoerri tel. +41+34+424-01-06, fax +41+34+424-01-07 E-mail info@beochess.ch Further information: http://www.beochess.ch

Jersey International Chess Festival 2005

The Jersey International Chess Festival takes place 13th-19th February 2005 inclusive. 7 rounds, three sections; OPEN (FIDE rated), MAJOR Under 160 / 1880 ELO and MINOR Under 130 / 1640 ELO. There is a total of £7,000 in prizes and is part of the British Chess Federation Grand Prix.

Details: http://www.geocities.com/adamraoof/jersey.htm

Russia vs ROW Correspondence

The Russian Chess Federation is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is using this occasion to challenge the rest of the world to a match over 64 boards with 2 games for each and the start is 15.02 2004. Players include Joop van Oosterom

http://www.mychessweb.com/Tables/Internationale/Play/russia-world.htm

2005 European Union Championship

The 2005 European Union Championship whic his part of the programme of events celebrating Cork City's status as European Capital of Culture for 2005. The event takes place 21st March - 3rd April 2005 in the Ballroom Suite Gresham Metropole Hotel MacCurtain Street Cork Ireland. Prize Fund - 7,750 Euros. A FIDE rated ten round Swiss Open for players registered with FIDE as a player in the European Union or a citizen of a European Union member state 1st prize 2,000 Euros plus numerous place prizes and other awards including a British Championship Qualifying Place.

In addition the 13th Annual Cork Congress takes place 1st-3rd April 2005 with a Prize Fund 5,000 Euros an ICU rated six round Swiss with three rated sections. 1st prize 750 Euros plus numerous place prizes and other awards

Full details, special offers to a limited number of IMs and GMs and entry forms are available from Michael Burniston Tournament Director Ladybird House Glengarriff County Cork Ireland. phone 00 353 27 63113 e mail jemcreations@eircom.net

Website: http://www.corkchess.com

TWIC Messageboard

With the Linares tournament about to start it seems a good time to launch a new discussion forum. Vote on your prediction of the winner of Linares. The TWIC message board. You need to register to post and vote. Address: http://www.chesscenter.com/messageboard

New York Masters

Regular competition for players in New York Rated 2200 and above.

Further details: http://www.newyorkmasters.com/