Javier

ISBN: 0-7134-7093-3 Publisher: Batsford Year of publication: 1992, reprinted in 95, 96 Pages: 275 This is an excellent book, like most of Dvoretsky's other works, but don't be decieved: if your rating is below 2000, I don't think you'll be able to learn much from it. The examples chosen are *extremely difficult*, and only someone with an excellent tactical ability will be able to solve the abundant tactical exercises found in the book. It is hard to do any constructive criticism of such a good book but one thing I don't like about Mark's books is that rather than teaching us how to acquire knowledge and techniques, he concentrates on the "teach by the example" method, which is good, but surely a world class trainer like him has a bit more to offer in this respect, but we don't see much of it... no real methodology is explained, only some ocassional notes on the type of work that he does with his student, one example after another with some interesting comments to bind them together. For this reason, my vote for this book is a 7. Keep in mind, however, that the book has been reprinted several times, so a lot of people have loved it. Also, read what GM Chandler has to say about it: "A deep and authentic revelation of some of Russia's best kept training secrets". I guess Murray has a good sense of humor.

ISBN : 0-7134-8686-4 First published in 2001 by Batsford (Chrysalis) pages :160 editor price :£ 14.99 As a number of average players, I am fond of the Queen's Pawn openings like the Colle, London, Torre, Trompovsky, Veresov, because : - they are easy to learn, with generally (as the fisrt 3 are concerned at least) few razor-sharp theoretical variations to know, - they rely on sound development - they often give interesting, lively games, without spoiling endgame chances (the player can do that, not the opening ! . Moreover, a lot of middlegame themes are common to these openings, and it's rather easy to switch from one to the others. Maybe you don't get a theoretically better position after 10 or 15 moves, but it's a position you know and you feel at home with. For those attracted by the Colle System, several books are to be found in your favorite chess bookshop. Before telling you more about Gary Lane's book, I would like to give my opinion about some of them : - "Colle System" by George Koltanowski, 12th edition by Chess Enterprises ,1990 (I never heard of later editions, even if the 12th was reprinted several times). This unexpensive, small booklet is THE choice for not-too-experienced players (let's say under 1500-1600) wanting to discover the opening. Maybe his recommendation against a king's fianchetto as black is a bit strange, or at least it should be detailed a bit more ... But you get a very good grasp of the opening's themes, and the book is extremely entertaining. - "Colle System" by Andy Soltis . Two small volumes published 1998 by Chess Digest. If you want to know how it's possible to make some money with a VERY bad book, take this one ! Very poor content, no structure at all, minimal and superficial comments. Maybe I'll write a review on this one, just to give the "zero" vote a try ! - "Winning with the Colle System" by K.Smith and J. Hall . The first edition was published 1990 by Chess Digest, and an improved 2nd edition was published, probably around 1998 - but never reached France : I was only able to find a translation in german, published by Kurt Rattman Schachzentrale in 1999. Very honest and serious book, with a paedagogic effort, and giving some close attention to alternative systems by Black. A very good final section of 42 annotated illustrative games is a really nice feature of this book, I can warmly recommend to any club player. - For those wishing a big collection of classified, unanotated main-line Colle games, a volume on the Colle System was published by the czech editor "Moravian Chess" , in 1990, in the "The Complete Encyclopedia of Chess Openings" series. About 1500 bare games from players of various levels, but no comments and no analysis. You can sometimes find there the refutation of a sub-sub-variation, but in my opinion, this book hasn't a great interest for average club players. - and , finally, in 2001, Batsford published a very interesting book "the Ultimate Colle" by IGM Gary Lane. The different variations are presented using a number of very well annotated, complete games. The text annotations abound, and the explanations given are very clear, emphacizing the middlegame and endgame themes. I found the games very well chosen, with a good mix of classical and modern games. The coverage is rather detailed, and a great amount of information is presented, so, in spite of the author's effort to make his work as easy to read as possible, I would recommend the less experienced players to begin with Koltanowski's book, just to get a taste, and get first some experience with the opening before beginning the study of Lane's book. The interesting Colle-Zukertort system (a subvariation characterized by a queenside fianchetto by white) is more detailed than in other references. The only small reproach I can address this book is the rather light coverage of King's Indian/Benoni systems by Black (e.g. the annoying 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. e3 ?! g6 ). But each of us will after some time find his or her own solution to these problems ! In my opinion, a very good job by IGM Lane. (Originally posted by Jean Saulnier)

ISBN : 1 901983 53 6 edited 2001 by Gambit Publications Ltd pages : 416 editor price : $ 29.95 The authors of this thick endgame book also wrote the very interesting "Secrets of pawn Endings" published a few months before. Here a general overview of endgame theory is presented, but the nice characterics of the former book (paedagogic approach with developped text comments, clarity of expression, numerous exercices) remain. The authors made a specific effort to illustrate their work with positions from recent games, even if classics and studies are also well represented. They intended to provide the reader not only with a reference book, to be consulted about specific positions you meet in your games - just a polite way so speak about all these silly endgames you lost - but also with a REAL TEXTBOOK. In my opinion, in spite of the book's size (more than 400 pages), they succeeded completely, and, unlike many other complete endgame treatises, "Fundamental Chess Endings" can be used for a systematic work on endings. The basics ideas are clearly explained, and each chapter ends with : - a conclusion highlighting the main points and typical positions the practical player has to keep in mind, - and some exercises. I only regret the authors didn't employ again the nice idea used in "Secret of pawn endings", i.e. a "Crash Course" summary selecting about 20% of the complete book as the minimal vital knowledge for the tournament player. But, as already said, a lot of useful information in this respect is contained in the "Rules and Principles" part, to be found at the end of each chapter. I consider this book really fills a gap, and should be an excellent, complete but still handy study/reference work for intermediate or advanced players. Of course, the matter remains rather technical and detailed, so that i would not recommend it as a FIRST endgame book for beginners or unexperienced players. My vote : a solid 8. (Originally edited by Jean Saulnier)

Ivanchuk,V (2750) - Topalov,V (2783) [b90] XXIV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (2), 18.02.2007 Maybe he's like Tahl, who rarely had a good tournament start, but watch what happened when Topalov (black) had to make his 40th move before the time control: 40...Qf7?? 41.Qxc4! 1-0 Admitedly, Ivanchuk was a Pawn up already and enjoyed a comfortable advantage. Another thing Topalov has in common with Tahl is that he usually wins the tournaments he takes part in, regardless of the bad start.

ISBN: 3-283-00416-1 Year of publication: 2001 Publisher:Edition Olms Pages: 260 This book is mainly geared towards the advanced player, I'd say +2300, possibly more. The book is as good as any of thes previous books written by Mark Dvoretsky, one of the best coaches in the world: Opening preparation, Secrets of chess tactics, Training for the tournamente player, etc. Here you can find endgame ideas played by some of the top players. There are also lots of exercises, some of them very difficult even for a master! I wish Dvoretsky had spent a little more time talking about his "out of the board" experience with his students: what happens when a student doesn't assimilate the ideas, how do you motivate players, how does he deal with the failure of his students and so on. Also, I miss some down to earth practical advice: apparently you can only get better by the "follow the example" method. Instead, Dvoretsky just gives us a collection of examples, very high level ones, but were the topics chosen at random? I don't really see anything that links the topics.

ISBN : 1-85744-043-9 Edited : 1rst ed 1994, reprinted 1999 by EVERYMAN CHESS pages : 183 As a poor tactician, even among my clubmates, I never felt like studying M. Tal's games, even if I keep a very nice image from him at Candidates Tournaments held in Montpellier, 1985. As he was going out from the playing hall, together with Vassily Smyslov, a fan came to him with a collection of Tal's games, asking him to sign it, what Tal did very kindly. But before giving back the book to its owner, he had a quick look at it, and at some page, suddenly stopped. A broad smile appeared on his face, and,as happy and excited as a child, he caught Smyslov's elbow. I was too far for the scene to see what game it was about, but it's easy to imagine it was one of their many fights. Giving a friendly push on Smyslov's arm, he told him something who probably meant "hey, do you remember that one ??". Smyslov had a look at the game, then at Tal, and both bursted into laughing ! But I imagined for some reason, that the brillancies of such a tactical genius were to be admired, but could hardly help average players to progress. During the last winter, I discovered this book,probably well-known by many of you... In 9 chapters such as "The Assault Ratio", "Lines of Communication", "Destroying the Fortress Walls", Tal and Damsky give a fantastic lecture on tactical play. The examples (in major part from Tal practice) are well-chosen, and explained so clearly you wonder why you just can't play like that in your own games ! Moreover, the style is entertaining, and I found difficult closing that book everytime I opened it ... My main discovery is this book (don't smile ...) is that Tal was a very logical and rational player after all. OK, in some cases, he let his positional feeling and attacking instinct speak, but what I found striking is how methodically he build most of his attacking games. And that's probably why there is so much to learn in this excellent book! The best I can say is that, since I read this book, I added 4 more books about Mikhail Tal on my bookshelves! Very warmly recommended, even for tactical fraidy-cats! (Originally edited by jeansaulnier, Oct. 08 2002)

ISBN: 0-7134-8441-1 Date of publication: 1999 Publisher: Batsford Pages: 112 I can't believe this book was published in 1999. The book is structured in two halves. In the first one we find "typical two knights defence games". Really? well, many of the games are dated in the fifties! (which makes you wonder what use they can be 50 years later considering they're very lightly annotated, and I do mean lightly). The second half is supposed to be a theoretical survey. A little over 50 pages with pretty ordinary variations which one can find in any old opening encyclopedia. No original analysis, just links to other games. Very few comments or explanations. Did Batsford really need two world class GMs to produce this piece of junk? A rip off! If it makes you feel better, I was ripped off too.

(Note by the administrator: Although I've managed to recover this post, I can't find who wrote it) I was also slightly disappointed by this book. As Javier said, it seems to be a very serious, painstaking, and honest work, the games selected are very interesting, but : - I found the comments are very "dry", the overall impression is somewhat boring. - I cannot judge about quality and originality of the analytical work, but in some cases it's rather heavy and difficult to follow. I completely agree on the fact that such books cannot really be aimed at strong players (I mean strong club level, 2000 and above), because these players can find more detailed information of this kind elsewhere. But, on the other side, it's not a book for intermediate club players either, because it lacks explanations, and -more probably- paedagogic skill. This very scrupulous, but cold approach doesn't convey any enthousiasm, any feeling of the author about the games he would like us to enjoy. I don't think (your opinion ?) we average players buy such games collections primarily to STUDY chess. You use them (at least I do ) when you come back tired from work or school, and want to enjoy a "nice game game of chess" together with your favorite cup coffee or glass coke... of course you don't expect reading a joke every two lines, but you like reading something lively, and feeling entertained. I'm afraid IGM Stohl's editor missed that ! I had the opportunity of buying in the last months two games collections I consider better, but for completely different reasons : - "Understanding Chess Move by Move" by IGM John Nunn, published by GAMBIT . Really a good book, with an emphasis on very detailed explanations. A real 30-game lecture on top level chess, but readable by any intermediate player. - " Super Tournaments 2000" published by Chess Stars. The style of this book is not so far from Stohl's ( in my opinion a bit more lively, but it's a rather subjective matter) . The point is that, in 445 pages (Stohl's book has about 320) you have 300 annotated games from the best 2000 tournaments, only between top players. Ok, the analyses are somewhat lighter that in Stohl's book, but, I confess, still quite sufficient for me! And there are comparatively more text annotations ... Finally, sorry to mention this down-to earth detail, the price is only 10% higher ... Vote : 5 points for the serious job, but no more.

ISBN: 9 781901 983425 Year of publication: 2001 Publisher: Gambit Pages: 320 Stohl is a strong GM from Slovakia. This is a nice book. Annotations are superb and so is the selection of games, most of them pretty modern. Unfortunately, this book has 2 problems. 1- The best annotator of a game is usually (but not always) the player who has played the game himself. None of the games were played by Stohl. Of course, sometimes you'll come accross games that have been annotated by other palyers and thos annotations are simply outstanding, even much better than the ones written by the player, but Stohl doesn't seem to have included any original ideas of his own. For example, he doesn't suggest too many opening ideas. Not much imagination in his analysis. 2- This kind of material is actually not that hard to find. For example, a single copy of chessbase magazine contains hundreds of annotated games. Good job, but not particularly useful for the learning player. Material is not organized in a friendly way.

ISBN: 0-8129-2291-3 Year of publication: 1994 Editor: Mckay Chess Library Pages: 360 The title reads "The inner game of chess, how to calculate and win". It is mainly a book on chess calculation, and a very good one for that matter, particularly if you've read "Think like a GM" by Kotov before. Here's a listing of the 10 chapters included in the book: What calculation is and isnt. Ideas. Analysis Trees and how to build them. Force. Counting out. Choice. Monkey wrenches. Oversights. Rechecking. The practical calculator. The positions have been meticulously selected. I was completely baffled with many of them. The most possitive aspect about this book is that Soltis, unlike Kotov in his book, makes calculation look simple, or at least he tells you how to get better at calculation from a realistic stand point. This is an excellent book.

ISBN: 1857442350 Year of publication: 1999 Publisher: Everyman Chess Pages: 160 Paperback - 160 pages 1 edition (December 1, 1999) Everyman Chess; ISBN: 1857442350 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.51 x 8.19 x 5.67 Just a few words about one of my favourite endgame books ! This small book about rook endings (edited 1999) is really good when you have been trying to study rook endings a little bit, and just got desperate and/or disgusted with major treatises on the subject. I remember trying, 20 years ago, to read Levenfish and Smyslov's book (at the time, it was only available in descriptive notation so you had to digest things like " if now 27. R-QB1? R-KB4, 28. R-QR1 R-KR4 wins, transposing into pos.56ter, ch.6". You guys from the "algebraic generation" don't know how lucky you are ! This book authored by J. Emms has in my opinion some nice features : - not too thick ! - well chosen positions - good paedagogic approach. A lot of text explanations, the authors give necessary variations, but no more. - each position illustrates clearly a new idea - there are exercises, some of them more difficult, but most are applications of the lecture. You can really work on them, the solutions are concise, and they will generally help you understanding the material, and not the opposite. (If french-speaking people know about Villeneuve's book, they will know what I mean) - I enjoyed a little chapter on double rook endgames, a topic you rarely find in basic treatises. If you need just a good introduction on the very basic principles of Rook endings (Philidor, Lucena, outside passed pawn) in about 50 pages, I consider Mednis booklet "Practical Rook Endings" as a "must". But, if you want to go a little further, you should find the "survival guide to Rook Endings" very enjoyable. It's worth noting that some kind of equivalent of Emms book, but on pawn endings, has been also edited by EVERYMAN CHESS : "Secrets of pawn endings" by Muller & Lamprecht . I think the "teaching" quality of both books can be compared. Maybe "Secrets of pawn endings" is a more detailed, and some advanced chapters are not of immediate interest for average club players, but the authors had a great idea : they give in the introduction what you really have to know for practical play ("Crash Course"), that represents about 50 pages, and around 15-20% of the total book . (Originally edited by Jean Saulnier on June 10 2002)

ISBN : 1 901983 36 6 1rst edited 2000 by GAMBIT Publications Ltd - London 207 pages editor price : US $ 24.95 I wondered if a review about this fascinating book was belonging to the "middlegame book topics", and finally decided for "other books" due to his atypical nature. IGM Jonathan Rowson built his book around the identification and analysis of seven "deadly chess sins" . Don't be mislead if the name of first sin is "thinking" ! It's just a typical "rowsonian" provocation ! Seriously now, the author goes far in the analysis of what, in our (chess players) mind, leads to defeat. Every chapter, if not every page, will probably remember you horror stories you lived over the board, and above all, in your head ! Even if this book gives you some keys about fighting against our "suicidal tendencies" at chess, don't expect opening a recipe book. But if you take time to understand this provocative but honest chess thinker, you could then go back to your next tournament game with a slightly different, more lucid state of mind. This book needs time to be fully understood and enjoyed. In my opinion, it's much more a reflection on chess philosophy and chess psychology, than a battle manual, even if interesting, deeply-annotated games abound. Sometimes you will find it provocative, or irritating. You won't see immediately where the author leads you with all that strange stuff. But, in my experience, patience, second readings are always rewarded ! Some friends of mine reacted very negatively to this book. Others are as enthousiastic as I am ... But it cannot leave you without a reaction ... The first ones probably expected a practical, "improve-your-chess-fast" book, and they "only" found a thought-provoking book. Couldn't it be also a slow but sure way to progress ? Now about the poll ... Especially for this book, it's a highly subjective matter! As you may have guessed, I fell in love with this highly original book. So, it's a 9 in my heart ! But I expect it could well be 1 or 2 for some of you ! I think this book could be good for your chess only if, in some way, you feel in accordance with the author, and let him guide you. Clearly, it won't be the case for everyone. But, if you buy it, forget training for a few hours, and just enjoy! (Originally edited by Jean Saulnier, June 10 2002)

ISBN: 1889323071 Year of publication: 2001 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pages: 400 Hello ! I bought a few weeks ago Alburt's and Chernin's book about the Pirc Defense : "Pirc alert". I have a lot of positive comments about this book, and also some (very few.. )critics ! Positive Points : - very good design, lots of diagram, important points clearly emphacized, - this book is REALLY TEACHING an opening, not just listing variations. Another class than the poor standard of most GAMBIT opening productions ... - one half of the book is devoted to the understanding of the main themes of the Pirc, with a particular attention to pawn structures. I found the chapters comparing Pirc, King's Indian, Philidor, and Ruy Lopez structures great. I read it like a thriller, and ... I never played the Pirc in my life ! Other topics as the chapter about queenside pawn play by black are also very enjoyable. - the other half is devoted to a Pirc repertoire (so considered from BLACK's point of view), but theory is also very clearly explained, using complete games. - In conclusion, I would say that the high paedagogic quality of this book can only be compared to those of M.Sadler (have a look to his book on Orthodox QGD !, even if the style is completely different. Some negative points : - it's an EXPENSIVE BOOK ! I found it in France around 50-55 euros. - the variation section is written from Black's point of view, and the scope is limited to selected lines for every variation (Austrian Attack, Fianchetto, Classical , etc...). So if what you look for is only a good weapon AGAINST the Pirc, maybe it's not the best choice. But the first half of the book is great anyway. And ... after reading this book, you are of course convinced YOU HAVE TO PLAY THE PIRC AS BLACK ! About the level : it's of course a subjective matter, so please take what I say with some care ! I am a 1800-1900 player, and I found some topics (maybe 25%) difficult. You understand and enjoy this book better if you already have a good chess practice, and if you already had some experience about related openings (e.g. : Dragon Sicilian, Spanish, King'sIndian). So, I wouldn't recommend this book to unexperienced players wanting to try the Pirc for their first tournaments ! (Originally edited by Jean Saulnier on June 10 2002)

published 1999 (2nd expanded edition) ISBN : 1-890085-02-2 Editor : Siles Press - Los Angeles pages : 443 editor price : US $ 19,95 Having been an enthusiatic reader of Jeremy SILMAN's "How to Reassess your Chess" and "How to Reassess your Chess Workbook", I was eager to discover this third title, who was made available in my country only quite recently. IM Silman aims to explain how amateur players (Elo range 900- 2100) think (or don't think at all ..) during a game, and how their play is influenced by their emotional state. He then tries to draw conclusions and advices from his observations. For this, he selects interesting positions, most from classical games, explains first what happened in the real games, tactical ideas and plans, and then presents a series of games where his students play the positions against him (giving the student the winner's side). The student express their thoughts loud during the game, and these "live comments" are analysed by Silman. This process is repeated all along the book. Compared to the first edition, an important test section with 26 exercises (which can be compared to those proposed in "How to Reassess Your Chess Workbook") has been added. Well, to put it mildly, I have mixed feelings about this book. Silman's introductory explanations about the positions are as enlightning as usual, and the exercices at the end of the book are interesting, with well-thought comments. The core of the book, that is the games with students of various levels, I found of much less value, at least as instruction is concerned. However, it's often fun to read, and it might be of interest for people involved in chess psychology, or in chess teaching (Javier , what do you think ? ..). My feeling while looking at the game was : "OK, honest now, I would have misplayed this one as well, but, nooooo, I would NEVER have played THAT move !". So, I found a lot of these games fun to read, but .. then what ? Ok, you find some useful tips, but, compared to what I consider as a GREAT book like "How to Reassess your Chess", the matter is very much diluted, and ... the book could have been made twice shorter without too much difficulty.. And ... you cannot prevent yourself thinking it's an easy job for a IM author to show how convincingly he can win against much weaker players, sometimes to have his readers laughing at them, and to make a 400-page book of it. So, my vote for this book will be a severe 3/10, for two main reasons : 1°) in my opinion - it is of no much use for the practical player, 2°) Jeremy Silman has proved his writing and teaching standards could be MUCH, MUCH higher than this (Originally edited by Jean Saulnier on June 10 2002)

Year of publication: 1997 Publisher: Chess Press (Cadogan books) Pages: 144 English GM Matthew Sadler (who plays the Slav himself) annotates 88 games with the Slav. The book is well organized into different chapters, each covering one variation. Sadler's notes are somewhat brief but straight to the point. I enjoy his annotating style which resembles the Socratic "dialogues" with questions and answers. Ideas are very well explained. The book is geared towards players in the 1700-2000 rating range. The selection of games is good. The book is lacking in in-depth analysis or original ideas or analysis. Still, I would rate this book above the average opening manual, but no more than a six. (Originally edited on June 09, 2002)

Year of publication: 2001 Publisher: Gambit Pages: 208 International Master John Watson has written some very interesting books (The Chigorin, Modern Chess Strategy, etc.), but I was quite disappointed with this one. This book belongs to the "telephone book" type. Endless game links with few explanations. Apart from this, John has chosen to "impose" his own choice of lines, and simply avoids the lines which he doesn't like for black. I must admit that this does have some merits, but not everyone will agree with his choice! If you happen to be one of these persons, tough luck, your line isn't covered! (for example, he claims that the variation: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd 5.cxd d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4 Bg7 8.Bb5 Nbd7 just doesn't work, but doesn't tell you how to refute it, which doesn't say much for a book which is supposed to be a guide). The book does contain some original ideas and assessments, but most of it is just a bunch of game links with some very light notes at the end. Disappointing.

It's been a while since a last saw a game which left me with my mouth open . Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen has just played one of those games in Mexico against no other than GM Morozevich. Carlsen's 12th move (Nde4) is a Novely and it is a very intereting move indeed. It's not hard to see that if black goes 12... f5 then the g5 square becomes weak, but did you expect white's next move? 17.d7! is a powerful move also. After all the fireworks, Magnus is just one pawn up, but he converts his advantage with excellent technique and determination. Worth seeing : Carlsen,M (2690) - Morozevich,A (2741) [E66] XXIV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (1), 17.02.2007 [pgn]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.Nc3 d6 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Na5 9.Nd2 e5 10.b3 Ng4 11.h3 Nh6 12.Nde4 f6 13.Nxd6 Qxd6 14.Ne4 Qd8 15.Nxc5 f5 16.d6 e4 17.d7 Nf7 18.Rb1 Qe7 19.dxc8=Q Raxc8 20.Na4 Rfd8 21.Qe1 Nc6 22.Nc3 Nd4 23.Bb2 b5 24.Nd5 Qd6 25.Bxd4 Bxd4 26.Rd1 Be5 27.Qa5 bxc4 28.Ne3 Qc7 29.Qxc7 Bxc7 30.Nxc4 Ne5 31.Rxd8+ Rxd8 32.Rc1 Nxc4 33.Rxc4 Rd1+ 34.Bf1 Bd6 35.e3 a5 36.Kg2 Kf7 37.Rc2 Ke7 38.Be2 Rd5 39.Bc4 Rd1 40.g4 f4 41.exf4 Bxf4 42.Re2 Rd4 43.Bd3 Kf6 44.Bxe4 Rd2 45.Rxd2 Bxd2 46.Kg3 Be1 47.Kf3 Bb4 48.h4 h6 49.Ke2 Bd6 50.Kd3 Bc5 51.f4 h5 52.g5+ Kg7 53.Kc4 Bd6 54.Kb5 Bxf4 55.Kxa5 Bg3 56.Kb5 Bxh4 57.a4 Bxg5 58.a5 Kf6 59.a6 Be3 60.Kc6 g5 61.b4 Ke5 62.b5 Kxe4 63.b6 g4 64.a7 g3 65.a8=Q Kf3 66.b7 Bf4 67.Qf8 Ke4 68.Qe8+ 1-0[/pgn]

The strongest tournament in the world is back! Here's the tournament schedule: MORELIA Estado de Michoacán (México) February 16th, Opening ceremony, February 17th, Round 1 February 18th, Round 2 February 19th, Round 3 February 20th, Rest day February 21st, Round 4 February 22nd, Round 5 February 23rd, Rest day February 24th Round 6 February 25th Round 7 LINARES Comunidad autónoma de Andalucia (Spain) March 2nd, Round 8 March 3rd, Round 9 March 4th, Round 10 March 5th, Rest day March 6th, Round 11 March 7th, Round 12 March 8th, Rest day March 9th, Round 13 March 10th, Round 14 March 11th, Closing ceremony You can find more information, mostly in Spanish, here: (hey, this is a good opportunitly to learn Spanish amigos! ) http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/ajedrez/es/index.html http://www.soloajedrez.com/ http://www.ajedrezmorelialinares.org.mx/

I found this old song on itube a couple of days ago. I used to love it! I think I'm getting old! iFrame (Click here to see this in a new window.) Computer games I fidget with the digit dots and cry an anxious tear As the XU-1 connects the spot But the matrix grid don't care Get a message to my mother What number would she be There's a million angry citizens Looking down their tubes at me Com-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-puter-puter, puter games Com-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-puter-puter-puter-puter, computer games There's safety in numbers, they say 'Cause the figures never lie No perfect persons ever noticed one computer die I'm programmed to a schedule What will the answer be Is it suicide run till the work gets done 'Cause the matrix grid don't say Com-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-puter-puter, puter games Com-pu-pu-pu-pu-puter-puter-puter-puter, computer games Jammed up tight by red traffic lights Advance one level on green These opportune commuters They're blasting on thier hooters I fidget with the digit dots Frustration rules out there As the XU-1 connects the spot But the matrix grid don't care Com-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-puter-puter, puter games Com-pu-pu-pu-pu-puter-puter-puter-puter, computer games Com-pu-pu-pu-pu-puter-puter-puter-puter, computer games Com-pu-pu-pu-pu-puter-puter-puter-puter, computer games Com-put-er Games

I've just read an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. Here's an extract: "SYDNEY'S rental crisis hit home yesterday when up to 100 people queued to inspect a single property ( ) The frenzy illustrated the predicament faced by renters, with agents warning the city's lowest rental vacancy rate in 20 years could push up weekly rents by as much as $150 by year's end. " Another 150$ a week is something like 650$ a month (on top of what the price is already!). Who the hell can afford that kind of extra money? Or, put it this way, what kind of job do you have to do to make that kind of money? Is it really worth living in Sydney to become a slave 50 hours a week just to pay the rent?

I tried to find an interesting game from the Moscow Open. Normally I'd try to find a game by the tournament winner, but I don't know whether it's me or for some reason I didn't like any of his games. However, there was one game which I quite liked. Take a look at the position after black's 13th move, 13...Bg8!. What a great bishop, isn't it! Only a few moves later that very bishop will turn out to be black's most dangerous piece! Here's the game: Chernobay,A (2408) - Deviatkin,A (2544) [b11] Open Moscow RUS (2), 28.01.2007 [pgn] 1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bh5 5.exd5 cxd5 6.Bb5+ Nc6 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 Rc8 9.d4 e6 10.Qe2 Nge7 11.h4 h5 12.Bg5 Bh7 13.Qf3 Bg8 14.Bxe7 Bxe7 15.g5 Bd6 16.0-0-0 Bxe5 17.dxe5 Bh7 18.Qxh5 0-0 19.Bxc6 Rxc6 20.Rd2 Qa5 21.Kb1 Rfc8 22.g6 Bxg6 23.Qg5 Rxc3 24.h5 Rxc2 25.Rxc2 Bxc2+ 26.Ka1 Qd8 0-1 [/pgn]

The Moscow Open was a very strong event (GM Dreev only came 20th!) which took place 27th January - 4th February 2007. The Joint winners were Evgeny Najer and Vasily Yemelin, both of which finished on 7.5/9. Final Standings: 1 Najer Evgeniy GM RUS 2605 7,5 2 Yemelin Vasily GM RUS 2539 7,5 3 Svetushkin Dmitry GM MDA 2588 7,0 4 Malakhov Vladimir GM RUS 2663 7,0 5 Smirnov Pavel GM RUS 2621 7,0 6 Vorobiov Evgeny E GM RUS 2563 7,0 7 Kazhgaleyev Murtas GM KAZ 2579 7,0 8 Dobrov Vladimir GM RUS 2479 7,0 9 Aleksandrov Aleksej GM BLR 2601 7,0 10 Askarov Marat IM RUS 2487 6,5 11 Riazantsev Alexander GM RUS 2629 6,5 12 Amonatov Farrukh GM TJK 2559 6,5 Ulko Jaroslav IM RUS 2460 6,5 14 Yakovich Yuri GM RUS 2577 6,5 15 Korotylev Alexey GM RUS 2615 6,5 16 Zvjaginsev Vadim GM RUS 2658 6,5 17 Ionov Sergey GM RUS 2522 6,5 18 Chuprov Dmitry IM RUS 2534 6,5 19 Lastin Alexander GM RUS 2583 6,5 20 Bocharov Dmitry GM RUS 2602 6,0 21 Dreev Alexey GM RUS 2658 6,0 22 Gareev Timur GM UZB 2551 6,0 23 Chernyshov Konstantin GM RUS 2556 6,0 24 Grachev Boris IM RUS 2563 6,0 25 Novikov Stanislav GM RUS 2535 6,0 26 Krapivin Alexander IM RUS 2478 6,0 27 Balashov Yuri S GM RUS 2422 6,0 28 Burmakin Vladimir GM RUS 2568 6,0 29 Khismatullin Denis GM RUS 2599 6,0 30 Deviatkin Andrei IM RUS 2544 6,0 ... etc.

This is what I've been working on for the last few days. Give it a try! (but dont' forget to register at this forum first!) http://www.chessnia.com/playchess

http://www.chessnia.com/playchess

The quick answer is NO. But please be a little patient and read this: How to use Chessnia's on-line system: Step 1. In order to be able to register on our on-line system, you MUST be a registered user on our forums. Our server uses an authentification system and ff you're not registered on our forums, the program will simply send you back to our forums registration page everytime you try to register on the playzone. Step 2. You must also register on our play on-line system. The two registrations are different. Yes, I'm aware that this is time confusing and you just want to check out what this on-line system is like or perhaps you just want to play chess and don't care too much about anything else, but bear in mind that this on-line system is FREE and preference is given to people who take chess very seriously. If you have trouble logging into the playzone, make sure you log into this forum first, and then simply go to the playzone, the system will then recognize your username. Once you are registered, things become a lot easier and if you choose the "remember me" option, you won't even have to type your details again next time you play.