Austrian League, Dos Hermanas, Upcoming Events
March 23, 2009 • General
Hello to everyone out there. I do apologize for taking such a long absence from blogging, however I have been busy of late with many other projects. I do not plan to take such a long break in the future though and will try to blog as often as there is relevant news pertaining to chess.
Austrian League:
Unfortunately, I never could quite get my feet on the ground during the Austrian League. I think in large part this was due to my lack of recovery time after flying in. On most of the days, I was usually asleep until about an hour before the games and this affected me adversely. Overall, the first two legs were quite forgettable and I played anything but inspiring chess. This time around though, I started off quite well with a nice win over Gyimesi in the first game. In the second game against GM Miroshnichenko from Ukraine, I first obtained a winning position, then a losing position, then a winning position again! However, due to some very bad time pressure I missed a win in two and lost. It cannot be understated how much this game affected me the following day when I walked into some preparation by GM Gustafsson and was simply lost with White after 15 moves! This was simple a disaster of epic proportions and one which I don’t hope to repeat. In the final round I was black against the Hungarian GM Ruck. There are really very few comments that I can use to describe this game other than that it was a game where none of my moves make much sense unless one has studied the games of Suttles. In the end, I found a way to grind an endgame to somewhat salvage the damage. In the end my final result was 5 wins, 5 losses?? and 1 draw. I shedded quite a few points along the way, but alas such is life. The one bright spot was that my team Husek Wien ended up winning the league overall due to our massive 5.5-.5 score in the final match. Overall my result was quite mediocre, but I think more than playing badly it was simply all the wear and tear of traveling and not having enough time to recover.
Dos Hermanas:
For the 10th year, ICC ran a form of the Dos Hermanas internet chess tournament. Originally, as I recall, the winner of the online event (before computer programs) got an invitation to the actual event in Spain which no longer exists anymore. Therefore, it has simply turned into a blitz tournament. In past years, there has been rampant cheating and it always seems that the top players never win. As such, I was not planning to play this year, but a friend convinced me to at least take a shot. In typical fashion, much like last year, I lost to someone who I ordinarily would not lose to. Although I’m sure that many people would love to hear who I think may or may not have cheated, I will stay away from such gossip as I’m not 100% convinced about it unlike the past few years when it seemed rather obvious to me. There really is little else to say other than that I am not going to play this tournament in future years due to inability to prove or disprove one’s ability to cheat.
Upcoming Events:
My next event will be the French League at the end of April, and I will do my best to have better results there than I had in Austria! I will also be in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from July 20-22 for the Canadian Youth Chess Festival (http://monroi.com/2009-canadian-youth-chess-championship-home.html)
Other notable events which I have planned are the NH Rising Stars event from August 19th-September 1st along with the European Club Cup Championship in Macedonia in early October. Last but not least, I will be playing in a prestigious category 19 (2700 average) round robin in London during December. Until next time!
Vienna, 23.3.09
Hikaru Nakamura
Best Wishes and return home safely Hikaru
US championship? Did you just forget to list this event?
The USCF has you listed as playing.
Regards
Steve
From: Einar S Einarsson
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 11:39 AM
To: ‘Edward Labate’
Cc: ‘Yasser Seirawan’
Subject: RE: Were you, or anyone that was in contact with Bobby his last two years aware of…
Good morning to you Mr. Labate
As you are probably already aware I sent my comments about the big fake scandal reg My 61 Memorable Games to Yasser earlier today and a copy to you for information.
But there were other questions or items in your message which you wanted some inside info about.
It is absolutly absurd theory or assertion that Bobby Fischer had been working on a classical chess project or writing or revising his book of My 60 Mem. Games, after he settle down in Iceland in the spring of 2005, after being given an Icelandic citizenship and released from his kidnap detention in Japan. Still he was eager to show us, his confidant friends, some alleged pre-arranged games from his collection of games between Russian grandmasters. He had fully given up on and was not interested in classical chess, the old chess, as he used to call it, which he deemed to be finished for professional chessmaster because e.g. of its computerization.
Only once he sat down with me opened his travel chess set and studied for a while a game which I had pointed out to him, from NIC 2005/4, between the US Champion Hikaru Nakamura and Krishnan Sasikiran, played in Copenhagen 2005, 1.e4 e5, 2 Qh5 !? a move which he found hilarious and a good example of how frustrated professional chessplayers of today had become, allowing themselves to break all traditonal theories and tactics in chess in their severe search for new moves, a clear witness of that the classical chess was emtied or finished.
Although Hikaru lost that game, his opening theory was quite sound in the Qh5 line he played. Fischer may have found it hilarious, but the line was played seriously and the loss had nothing to do with the opening from when I played through it. I’m of the opinion that new ideas are discovered by taking a second look at previously dismissed dusbious moves like 2. Qh5. Its not out of desparation, but rather a good example of how one can find new areas to explore without having play main lines all the time. Of course, there’s no denying the impact of computer databases on openings. The Najdorf poison pawn line is just too drawish now with the latest computer databases on it.