Σκακιστικά νέα

The 77th edition of the Italian Chess Championship takes place in Cosenza, Italy, from 28th November to 11th December and consist of three simultaneously played events:

Round three of the London Chess Classic did not bring any decisive results, but it was not for the lack of effort.

Levon Aronian gave everyone hope by predicting that in an effort to win, at one point, someone will play something complicated, blunder and lose their game. It could have very well been him today were it not for a well-timed draw offer during his opponent’s time trouble in a completely lost position. It was a disappointing result for Karjakin who could have been leading the tournament.

Reigning European champion Maxim Matlakov (Russia) and his countryman Dmitry Gordievsky will participate in the 80th edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January.

No blood was spilled during round two of the London Chess Classic, however, many of the games were combative.

Early in the round there were several enterprising middlegame positions which looked promising; yet, bringing the full point home is an extremely daunting task as all the players are extremely good defenders.

The fighting spirit the players showcased today demonstrates that everyone is eager to play until the very end in the hopes of scoring a victory.

The Superfinals of 70th Russian men’s championship and 67th Russian women’s championship are taking place on December 2-15 at the State Museum of Political History of Russia (2-4, Kuybysheva St., Saint Petersburg).

The Russian Chess Superfinal 2017 is going to take place December 3-14. It is the top event for Russian chess and includes GM Sjugirov, GM Inarkiev, GM Matlakov, GM Tomashevsky, GM Fedoseev, GM Rizantsev, GM Malakhov, GM Romanov, GM Vitiugov, GM Svidler, GM Volkov, and GM Dubov.

The 67th Russian Women’s Championship Superfinal takes place in the in St. Petersburg, December 3-14, 2017. The participants list includes GM Valentina Gunina, WGM Goryachkina, WGM Pogonina, WGM Girya, WIM Shuvalova, IM Bodnaruk, IM Ovod, IM Galliamova, IM Kovalevskaya, IM Kashlinskaya, WFM Gritsayeva, and IM Nechaeva.

It was a peaceful day at the Google Headquarters in London, which hosted round one of the London Chess Classic.

The day started slowly with three symmetrical positions out of the opening. It seemed that the only game that had any promise of producing a decisive result was the battle between Carlsen and Caruana until the game between Anand and Nakamura steered itself toward murkier waters. Unfortunately, neither Carlsen nor Anand were able to drive the full point home and now all the players have equal points.

By Romualdo Vitale

On the same day the 2017 FIDE World Junior and Girls Under 20 chess championship started, I was designated as an arbiter and put in the sector of the DGT live boards.

Best female player of all times, Judit Polgar, speaks about the importance of Chess in Schools projects.