Posts
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Nato Chess Championships
As reported on Susanpolgar.blogspot.com:
The prestigious 17th NATO CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP took place this year at Wellington College in Berkshire (UK) from August 21 - 25, 2006.Here are the results:
1. Germany 23
2. Poland 18
3. Norway 18
4. Turkey 17
5. France 16.5
6. United Kingdom 16
7. Denmark 15.5
8. United States of America 15.5
The prestigious 17th NATO CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP took place this year at Wellington College in Berkshire (UK) from August 21 - 25, 2006.Here are the results:
1. Germany 23
2. Poland 18
3. Norway 18
4. Turkey 17
5. France 16.5
6. United Kingdom 16
7. Denmark 15.5
8. United States of America 15.5
Friday, April 07, 2006
Saturday, March 11, 2006
A Call To Action: Math and Chess For Our Children
I believe in the future. I believe that through hard work and determination that the human spirit cannot be deterred. I have faith that something great may be accomplished.
The Math and Chess curriculum has been proven effective. Why not use a proven effective tool to give all of our children the opportunity to excel?
With this in mind I have contacted the Governor's of all 50 States. I have received direct responses from three States already as well as a Congressman and a US Senator and former Secretary of Education.
Meetings are scheduled. It is my job to sell various administration officials on the efficacy for my proposal. Our nation cannot continue on it's current path without dire consequences. That is why millions of dollars are being proposed to train new math and science teachers.
I think it only wise to take advantage of the timing and use it to our advantage. We have the attention of the government right now. Now is the time we should act and work towards improving our childrens opportunities for a better life. Now is when we should all be advocating Math and Chess for all of our students.
Rob Mitchell
The Math and Chess curriculum has been proven effective. Why not use a proven effective tool to give all of our children the opportunity to excel?
With this in mind I have contacted the Governor's of all 50 States. I have received direct responses from three States already as well as a Congressman and a US Senator and former Secretary of Education.
Meetings are scheduled. It is my job to sell various administration officials on the efficacy for my proposal. Our nation cannot continue on it's current path without dire consequences. That is why millions of dollars are being proposed to train new math and science teachers.
I think it only wise to take advantage of the timing and use it to our advantage. We have the attention of the government right now. Now is the time we should act and work towards improving our childrens opportunities for a better life. Now is when we should all be advocating Math and Chess for all of our students.
Rob Mitchell
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Paul Morphy: Greatest Chess Player of All Time
Many authors, (most notably Reinfeld); have criticized Morphy's Generation as, "Too weak."
This is nonsense. (In 1000 years, when humans have computer chips embedded in their brains, perhaps someone will look at Garry Kasparov's opposition and claim his opponents were too weak!! Silly.)
Professor Arpad Elo stated that you can only judge a player by the standards of his generation!! (See section 5.13 on page 81 of Dr. Elo's book, "The Ratings of Chess-Players, Past & Present.")
Quite simply, using scientific, statistical & mathematical comparisons, Morphy was easily the best player who ever lived. Just measure, "The Gap," or the distance that a player is ahead of his generation. Using this standard, Morphy was #1, Fischer was #2, and Kasparov is #3. (No others need apply!!!) (I am not the only one who thinks this. One fellow, who was nominated for for a top prize in mathematics, (The Field's Medal?); in the 1980's wrote an article concerning this subject. He too thinks Morphy was the greatest player of all time.
Ratings are not a totally reliable method either. Generally there has been a significant inflation in ELO ratings in the last 20 years. Most mathematicians agree it is in the neighborhood of [at least] one to two percent, (per year). If one adds this number to Bobby Fischer's best rating (2815 following his match with Petrosian), then Fischer's peak rating, after adjusting for inflation, would be 2860!! This compares very favorably to Kasparov.
Another thing to consider is that when Bobby was 2700-plus, there was no one within 100 rating points of Bobby! (circa 1972.) [Kasparov usually has had at least five to ten players within 100 points of his rating.]
Morphy can be and generally is considered the first modern player. If his games do not look modern, it is because he did not need the sort of slow positional systems that modern grandmasters use, or that Staunton, Paulsen, and later Steinitz developed. His opponents had not yet mastered the open game, so he played it against them and he preferred open positions because they brought quick success. He played open games almost to perfection, but he also could handle any sort of position, having a complete grasp of chess that was years ahead of his time. Morphy was a player who intuitively knew what was best, and in this regard he was much like Capablanca. He was, like Capablanca, a child prodigy; he played fast and he was hard to beat. Löwenthal and Anderssen both later remarked that he was indeed hard to beat since he knew how to defend and would draw or even win games despite getting into bad positions. At the same time, he was deadly when given a promising position. Anderssen especially complained of this, saying that after one bad move against Morphy one may as well resign. Morphy would win his won games, but if he made an error, it was still a long, hard process trying to beat him, and more likely than not the game would still go to him in the end. "I win my games in seventy moves but Mr. Morphy wins his in twenty, but that is only natural..." Anderssen moaned, explaining his poor results against Morphy. Anderssen was perhaps grateful that he did get a 70 move win, as he did not get many wins of any kind against Morphy.
Of Morphy's 59 "serious" games — those played in matches and the 1857 New York tournament — he won 42, drew 9, and lost 8.
This is nonsense. (In 1000 years, when humans have computer chips embedded in their brains, perhaps someone will look at Garry Kasparov's opposition and claim his opponents were too weak!! Silly.)
Professor Arpad Elo stated that you can only judge a player by the standards of his generation!! (See section 5.13 on page 81 of Dr. Elo's book, "The Ratings of Chess-Players, Past & Present.")
Quite simply, using scientific, statistical & mathematical comparisons, Morphy was easily the best player who ever lived. Just measure, "The Gap," or the distance that a player is ahead of his generation. Using this standard, Morphy was #1, Fischer was #2, and Kasparov is #3. (No others need apply!!!) (I am not the only one who thinks this. One fellow, who was nominated for for a top prize in mathematics, (The Field's Medal?); in the 1980's wrote an article concerning this subject. He too thinks Morphy was the greatest player of all time.
Ratings are not a totally reliable method either. Generally there has been a significant inflation in ELO ratings in the last 20 years. Most mathematicians agree it is in the neighborhood of [at least] one to two percent, (per year). If one adds this number to Bobby Fischer's best rating (2815 following his match with Petrosian), then Fischer's peak rating, after adjusting for inflation, would be 2860!! This compares very favorably to Kasparov.
Another thing to consider is that when Bobby was 2700-plus, there was no one within 100 rating points of Bobby! (circa 1972.) [Kasparov usually has had at least five to ten players within 100 points of his rating.]
Morphy can be and generally is considered the first modern player. If his games do not look modern, it is because he did not need the sort of slow positional systems that modern grandmasters use, or that Staunton, Paulsen, and later Steinitz developed. His opponents had not yet mastered the open game, so he played it against them and he preferred open positions because they brought quick success. He played open games almost to perfection, but he also could handle any sort of position, having a complete grasp of chess that was years ahead of his time. Morphy was a player who intuitively knew what was best, and in this regard he was much like Capablanca. He was, like Capablanca, a child prodigy; he played fast and he was hard to beat. Löwenthal and Anderssen both later remarked that he was indeed hard to beat since he knew how to defend and would draw or even win games despite getting into bad positions. At the same time, he was deadly when given a promising position. Anderssen especially complained of this, saying that after one bad move against Morphy one may as well resign. Morphy would win his won games, but if he made an error, it was still a long, hard process trying to beat him, and more likely than not the game would still go to him in the end. "I win my games in seventy moves but Mr. Morphy wins his in twenty, but that is only natural..." Anderssen moaned, explaining his poor results against Morphy. Anderssen was perhaps grateful that he did get a 70 move win, as he did not get many wins of any kind against Morphy.
Of Morphy's 59 "serious" games — those played in matches and the 1857 New York tournament — he won 42, drew 9, and lost 8.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Creative New Math Curriculum Solves NCLB Issues
Education is one of the single largest state budgetary expenditures. Educating our children and providing them with the necessary tools to become productive citizens is a moral and legal duty of parents and governmental entities. Our nations future depends upon our next generation's ability to remain globally competetive in the fields of math and science. Yet even with the increased focus we place on education our students still fall below national norms in math scores.
There is an efficient and innovative way to teach our students mathematics. That is by integrating math with the game of chess.
Chess has long been considered a way for children to increase their mental prowess, concentration, memory, and analytical skills. To anyone who has known the game, it comes as no surprise that these assumptions were actually proven in several studies on how chess can improve the grades of students.
Although chess has been shown to increase the mental abilities of persons of all ages, the main studies have been done with children. This is first for the obvious reason that students are constantly tested anyway, and therefore the data need only be analyzed, and secondly because children's mental development is more rapid and can be more easily measured than persons at a later life stage.
Early Conclusions
After several informal studies were done in the early 20th century on the effect that chess has on logical thinking and other such functions, a primary conclusion was drawn that chess does in fact not only demand such characteristics, but develops and promotes them as well. John Artise in Chess and Education wrote "Visual stimuli tend to improve memory more than any other stimuli; chess is definitely an excellent memory exerciser the effects of which are transferable to other subjects where memory is necessary."
With this in mind, legislation in the U.S. in 1992 promoting and encouraging the incorporation of chess into the curriculum of schools was passed. Funding is available under the “ Educate America Act” (Goals 2000) public law 103-277, section 308.b.2.E. The U.S. joined the more than 30 countries which already had chess included in some form in their school curricula.
In part due to the educational community, which has noted the increased academic performance of students participating in chess, there has been an explosion in the number of children playing chess in the U.S. An estimated 250,000 children in the U.S. are introduced every year through the school system to the basics of the game. Studies have already been done to confirm the hypothesis that chess is linked to increased grades in school..
Case Studies
As reported in Developing Critical Thinking Through Chess, Dr. Robert Ferguson tested students from seventh to ninth grades from the years 1979-1983 as part of the ESEA Title IV-C Explore Program. He found that non-chess students increased their critical thinking skills an average of 4.6% annually, while students who were members of a chess club improved their analytical skills an average of 17.3% annually. Three separate tests to determine how chess affects creative thinking were also done as part of the same study. It concluded that on average, different aspects of creative thinking had improved at a rate two to three times faster for chess playing students, as opposed to their non-chess playing counterparts.
Subsequent studies by Dr. Ferguson further supported these original conclusions. In the Tri-State Area School Pilot Study conducted in 1986 and Development of Reasoning and Memory Through Chess (1987-88) chess playing students showed more rapid increased gains in memory, organizational skills, and logic.
In Zaire the study Chess and Aptitudes, was conducted by Dr. Albert Frank at the Uni Protestant School, during the 1973-74 school year. Using sufficiently large experimental and control groups, Dr. Frank confirmed there was a significant correlation between the ability to play chess well, and spatial, numerical, administrative-directional, and paperwork abilities. The conclusion was that students participating in the chess course show a marked development of their verbal and numerical aptitudes. Furthermore, this was noticed in the majority of chess students and not only those who were better players.
A study conducted in four large elementary schools in Texas in 1997 further demonstrated the positivism of chess. Through the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), the study was done to test the difference that chess playing had on standardized tests. These schools selected all had a chess program in existence for a minimum of two years. Since a few thousand total students took the test and all types of students were tested from special education students to gifted and talented students, the sample was large and diverse enough to make a concrete conclusion. There were significant improvements in both reading and math for all grade levels and all classes of students (regular, gifted and talented, special education, academically able, etc.). Through the Texas Learning Index, or TLI, it was determined that on average the students who played chess improved in reading and mathematics at a rate between 1.5 and two times faster than non-chess playing students.
In terms of verbal improvement specifically, a study by Dr. Stuart Margulies from 1991 addressed this. Students with higher verbal skills tend to score higher on word problems than their lower performing counterparts. The "Margulies Study” is one of the strongest arguments to finally prove what hundreds of teachers knew all along-chess is a learning tool. (Inside Chess, February 1994).
"Can chess promote earlier intellectual maturation" was the question posed in the Chess and Cognitive Development study directed by Johan Christiaen from the 1974-76 school years in Belgium. The results again clearly confirmed that the group of chess playing students showed significantly more improvement then the non chess playing students. In 1982, Dr. Gerard Dullea mentioned this study and proclaimed "…we have scientific support for what we have known all along-chess makes kids smarter! (Chess Life, November 1982) In a similar study done in a test series in New Brunswick, Canada called Challenging Mathematics, the mathematics curriculum used chess to teach logic from grades 2 to 7. The average problem solving score in the province increased from 62% to 81%.
Conclusions
We can now say with full confidence that chess has been PROVEN to enhance creativity, problem solving, memory, concentration, intellectual maturity, self esteem, and many other abilities that a parent or teacher would desire. We should act now to provide our children with an innovative and exciting approach to learning mathematics: Math and Chess for America's Schools.
There is an efficient and innovative way to teach our students mathematics. That is by integrating math with the game of chess.
Chess has long been considered a way for children to increase their mental prowess, concentration, memory, and analytical skills. To anyone who has known the game, it comes as no surprise that these assumptions were actually proven in several studies on how chess can improve the grades of students.
Although chess has been shown to increase the mental abilities of persons of all ages, the main studies have been done with children. This is first for the obvious reason that students are constantly tested anyway, and therefore the data need only be analyzed, and secondly because children's mental development is more rapid and can be more easily measured than persons at a later life stage.
Early Conclusions
After several informal studies were done in the early 20th century on the effect that chess has on logical thinking and other such functions, a primary conclusion was drawn that chess does in fact not only demand such characteristics, but develops and promotes them as well. John Artise in Chess and Education wrote "Visual stimuli tend to improve memory more than any other stimuli; chess is definitely an excellent memory exerciser the effects of which are transferable to other subjects where memory is necessary."
With this in mind, legislation in the U.S. in 1992 promoting and encouraging the incorporation of chess into the curriculum of schools was passed. Funding is available under the “ Educate America Act” (Goals 2000) public law 103-277, section 308.b.2.E. The U.S. joined the more than 30 countries which already had chess included in some form in their school curricula.
In part due to the educational community, which has noted the increased academic performance of students participating in chess, there has been an explosion in the number of children playing chess in the U.S. An estimated 250,000 children in the U.S. are introduced every year through the school system to the basics of the game. Studies have already been done to confirm the hypothesis that chess is linked to increased grades in school..
Case Studies
As reported in Developing Critical Thinking Through Chess, Dr. Robert Ferguson tested students from seventh to ninth grades from the years 1979-1983 as part of the ESEA Title IV-C Explore Program. He found that non-chess students increased their critical thinking skills an average of 4.6% annually, while students who were members of a chess club improved their analytical skills an average of 17.3% annually. Three separate tests to determine how chess affects creative thinking were also done as part of the same study. It concluded that on average, different aspects of creative thinking had improved at a rate two to three times faster for chess playing students, as opposed to their non-chess playing counterparts.
Subsequent studies by Dr. Ferguson further supported these original conclusions. In the Tri-State Area School Pilot Study conducted in 1986 and Development of Reasoning and Memory Through Chess (1987-88) chess playing students showed more rapid increased gains in memory, organizational skills, and logic.
In Zaire the study Chess and Aptitudes, was conducted by Dr. Albert Frank at the Uni Protestant School, during the 1973-74 school year. Using sufficiently large experimental and control groups, Dr. Frank confirmed there was a significant correlation between the ability to play chess well, and spatial, numerical, administrative-directional, and paperwork abilities. The conclusion was that students participating in the chess course show a marked development of their verbal and numerical aptitudes. Furthermore, this was noticed in the majority of chess students and not only those who were better players.
A study conducted in four large elementary schools in Texas in 1997 further demonstrated the positivism of chess. Through the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), the study was done to test the difference that chess playing had on standardized tests. These schools selected all had a chess program in existence for a minimum of two years. Since a few thousand total students took the test and all types of students were tested from special education students to gifted and talented students, the sample was large and diverse enough to make a concrete conclusion. There were significant improvements in both reading and math for all grade levels and all classes of students (regular, gifted and talented, special education, academically able, etc.). Through the Texas Learning Index, or TLI, it was determined that on average the students who played chess improved in reading and mathematics at a rate between 1.5 and two times faster than non-chess playing students.
In terms of verbal improvement specifically, a study by Dr. Stuart Margulies from 1991 addressed this. Students with higher verbal skills tend to score higher on word problems than their lower performing counterparts. The "Margulies Study” is one of the strongest arguments to finally prove what hundreds of teachers knew all along-chess is a learning tool. (Inside Chess, February 1994).
"Can chess promote earlier intellectual maturation" was the question posed in the Chess and Cognitive Development study directed by Johan Christiaen from the 1974-76 school years in Belgium. The results again clearly confirmed that the group of chess playing students showed significantly more improvement then the non chess playing students. In 1982, Dr. Gerard Dullea mentioned this study and proclaimed "…we have scientific support for what we have known all along-chess makes kids smarter! (Chess Life, November 1982) In a similar study done in a test series in New Brunswick, Canada called Challenging Mathematics, the mathematics curriculum used chess to teach logic from grades 2 to 7. The average problem solving score in the province increased from 62% to 81%.
Conclusions
We can now say with full confidence that chess has been PROVEN to enhance creativity, problem solving, memory, concentration, intellectual maturity, self esteem, and many other abilities that a parent or teacher would desire. We should act now to provide our children with an innovative and exciting approach to learning mathematics: Math and Chess for America's Schools.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Insurance for Chess Players
Chess Master Insurance is proud to announce insurance for the chess community.
They can provide Global Medical Insurance for American's travelling and living abroad as well as non- American citizens travelling to or living and working in the United States. Chess Master Insurance also provides dental , vision, medical insurance, prescription drug cards and guaranteed issue life insurance with no medical underwriting.
For more information about these plans, check out their website:
www.chessmasterinsurance.com
They can provide Global Medical Insurance for American's travelling and living abroad as well as non- American citizens travelling to or living and working in the United States. Chess Master Insurance also provides dental , vision, medical insurance, prescription drug cards and guaranteed issue life insurance with no medical underwriting.
For more information about these plans, check out their website:
www.chessmasterinsurance.com
Friday, July 22, 2005
Chess Masterminds Television Show and Webcast
For Immediate Release
“Chess MasterMinds” show
Nashville, Tennessee
July 21, 2005
On Sunday, July 24th, 2005, the world will see a chess match that has not been done in 60 years. This is the first distance chess match to be held between the old Soviet Union, (Russia) and the USA since the end of WWII and the start of the cold war. It can be viewed on broadcast TV in 35 markets in the US(visit www.chessmasterminds.com for station listings) or viewed over the internet at www.martinbroadcasting.com .
July 10, 2005 games are the first of three distance chess matches that are scheduled between Russian and U.S. players. The games will be 20-minute matches between four Russian chess grandmasters vs. four U.S. chess grandmasters. The games will be played over the Internet using e-boards. The players for the first match are located in St. Petersburg, Russia and Nashville, Tennessee. The production of this event, provided by Nashville International Studios, (NIS), will be taped on July 10th, 2005, in Nashville, Tennessee, with feeds coming in from Russia. The show will be called Chess MasterMinds and will be aired Sunday, July 24th, 2005. Mention the word Chess and the first thing that comes to people’s minds is a pair of old men in dark stuffy rooms, huddled over a chessboard. The game has changed.
This is a "distance chess" match series of 10-, 20- or 30-minute games between chess grandmasters from different parts of the world. In addition, these matches will be produced for video and made available to the rest of the world through satellite up-links. Featured in this event of the century will be some of the world’s greatest chess grand masters, such as, Susan Polgar, who has ranked in the top three in the world for the last twenty years. Polgar is currently ranked #1 in the United States.
Not only is Polgar a dynamic player, she is rated as one of the best players in the world in both the men and women’s divisions. Her passion for teaching chess to children and young girls and women has truly earned Polgar the title of “Chess Ambassador”.
Also in the match for the U.S. team is Grand Master, Alex Onischuk is indeed “The Rock”. Rated #59 in the world, his defense and counter attacks have made for some of the most dramatic play over the board of battle. Using a style similar to boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s “rope a dope”; Alex will wait until an attacker has “punched himself out” and then deliver a lethal combination. Onischuk was the Olympiad Silver Medalist in 1996 and Bronze Medalist in 1998. He competed in the 2004 US Olympiad team and playing board number one, placed fourth in the overall games.
On the Russian Team, we will have Alexander Khalifman, he is rated #42 in the World, and has become one of the strongest contemporary chess players in the world. An International Grandmaster in 1990, he became The Champion of Russia in 1996. He has been the winner of World Chess Olympiads three times (1992, 2000 and 2002); Khalifman was a two-time Saint-Petersburg Champion, winning in 1996 and 1997. He was the FIDE World champion in 1999. In addition, Khalifman was the winner of the World Team Championship in 1997 and the Europe Team Championship 2003. In addition to being an excellent player, he is a respected chess journalist and the founder of grandmaster chess school and website.
This young player for the Russian team, Konstantin Sakaev, rated #30 in the world, was born on April 13, 1974, and is one of the leading Russian chess players. He became an International Grandmaster in 1992. He was the winner of the Youth Russian Championship in 1990, as well as the three-time winner of the World Youth Championship games in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Sakaev participated in four of last FIDE World Championships (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2004). He was the Champion of Russia in 1999, the Champion of Saint Petersburg in 1990 as well as a two-time winner of World Chess Olympiads in 1998 and 2000. Sakaev is a four-time winner of Russia Club Championship (1992, 1995, 2000 and 2001).
Our commentators hosting the Chess MasterMinds show will be Paul Truong and Phil Innes. Paul Truong is the FIDE Master and Captain and Manager of the 2004 Women’s Olympiad Silver Medalist team and an 11 time Champion. Phil Innes created program for qualitative assessment of on-line arts education, which appeared before Senate Technology Committee, Washington D.C. Synchronously with business activities, worked with the inventor of chess broadcasting technologies in St. Petersburg, Russia, since 1996, to promote greater world-wide interactions and audiences for chess.
The match will also include two arbiters. The U.S. Arbiter is Harry Sabine and the Russian Arbiter is Igor Bolotinsky, who is now the #2 Arbiter in Russia.
There could be no other choice for the music in this show, but to have Bering Strait, a band from Nashville that consists of brilliant young Russians to perform and be featured in Chess MasterMinds. The band earned a 2002 Grammy award nominee for best “Country” music instrumental and the group was featured in a documentary film directed by Nina Gilden Seavey, “The Ballad of Bering Strait”. The striking story of the band growing up outside of Moscow in Obninsk, where the members of Bering Strait attended music school, fell in love with and mastered the American form of bluegrass, journeyed to the United States, and ended up recording their by then multi-faceted music for a major Nashville recording company. The band just released it’s new album, “Pages” on June 28th,2005. This new album definitely has the flavor of their Russian descent flowing through the music, giving it a very distinctive sound that is hard to place in any one genre of music.
In addition, Chess Masterminds is in the planning stage for a match on October 29th, with former President Gorbachev. He has agreed to visit Lindsborg, Kansas, to promote a Chess for Peace program at the Karpov International School of Chess. We are looking forward to host former President Carter at the same time to make the first ever chess match with two former Presidents and Nobel Prize winners.
Please see the website for further information at www.chessmasterminds.com or contact Diana Macys-Staley for media inquiries at 615/596-6280 or email at dianamacys@yahoo.com.
“Chess MasterMinds” show
Nashville, Tennessee
July 21, 2005
On Sunday, July 24th, 2005, the world will see a chess match that has not been done in 60 years. This is the first distance chess match to be held between the old Soviet Union, (Russia) and the USA since the end of WWII and the start of the cold war. It can be viewed on broadcast TV in 35 markets in the US(visit www.chessmasterminds.com for station listings) or viewed over the internet at www.martinbroadcasting.com .
July 10, 2005 games are the first of three distance chess matches that are scheduled between Russian and U.S. players. The games will be 20-minute matches between four Russian chess grandmasters vs. four U.S. chess grandmasters. The games will be played over the Internet using e-boards. The players for the first match are located in St. Petersburg, Russia and Nashville, Tennessee. The production of this event, provided by Nashville International Studios, (NIS), will be taped on July 10th, 2005, in Nashville, Tennessee, with feeds coming in from Russia. The show will be called Chess MasterMinds and will be aired Sunday, July 24th, 2005. Mention the word Chess and the first thing that comes to people’s minds is a pair of old men in dark stuffy rooms, huddled over a chessboard. The game has changed.
This is a "distance chess" match series of 10-, 20- or 30-minute games between chess grandmasters from different parts of the world. In addition, these matches will be produced for video and made available to the rest of the world through satellite up-links. Featured in this event of the century will be some of the world’s greatest chess grand masters, such as, Susan Polgar, who has ranked in the top three in the world for the last twenty years. Polgar is currently ranked #1 in the United States.
Not only is Polgar a dynamic player, she is rated as one of the best players in the world in both the men and women’s divisions. Her passion for teaching chess to children and young girls and women has truly earned Polgar the title of “Chess Ambassador”.
Also in the match for the U.S. team is Grand Master, Alex Onischuk is indeed “The Rock”. Rated #59 in the world, his defense and counter attacks have made for some of the most dramatic play over the board of battle. Using a style similar to boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s “rope a dope”; Alex will wait until an attacker has “punched himself out” and then deliver a lethal combination. Onischuk was the Olympiad Silver Medalist in 1996 and Bronze Medalist in 1998. He competed in the 2004 US Olympiad team and playing board number one, placed fourth in the overall games.
On the Russian Team, we will have Alexander Khalifman, he is rated #42 in the World, and has become one of the strongest contemporary chess players in the world. An International Grandmaster in 1990, he became The Champion of Russia in 1996. He has been the winner of World Chess Olympiads three times (1992, 2000 and 2002); Khalifman was a two-time Saint-Petersburg Champion, winning in 1996 and 1997. He was the FIDE World champion in 1999. In addition, Khalifman was the winner of the World Team Championship in 1997 and the Europe Team Championship 2003. In addition to being an excellent player, he is a respected chess journalist and the founder of grandmaster chess school and website.
This young player for the Russian team, Konstantin Sakaev, rated #30 in the world, was born on April 13, 1974, and is one of the leading Russian chess players. He became an International Grandmaster in 1992. He was the winner of the Youth Russian Championship in 1990, as well as the three-time winner of the World Youth Championship games in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Sakaev participated in four of last FIDE World Championships (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2004). He was the Champion of Russia in 1999, the Champion of Saint Petersburg in 1990 as well as a two-time winner of World Chess Olympiads in 1998 and 2000. Sakaev is a four-time winner of Russia Club Championship (1992, 1995, 2000 and 2001).
Our commentators hosting the Chess MasterMinds show will be Paul Truong and Phil Innes. Paul Truong is the FIDE Master and Captain and Manager of the 2004 Women’s Olympiad Silver Medalist team and an 11 time Champion. Phil Innes created program for qualitative assessment of on-line arts education, which appeared before Senate Technology Committee, Washington D.C. Synchronously with business activities, worked with the inventor of chess broadcasting technologies in St. Petersburg, Russia, since 1996, to promote greater world-wide interactions and audiences for chess.
The match will also include two arbiters. The U.S. Arbiter is Harry Sabine and the Russian Arbiter is Igor Bolotinsky, who is now the #2 Arbiter in Russia.
There could be no other choice for the music in this show, but to have Bering Strait, a band from Nashville that consists of brilliant young Russians to perform and be featured in Chess MasterMinds. The band earned a 2002 Grammy award nominee for best “Country” music instrumental and the group was featured in a documentary film directed by Nina Gilden Seavey, “The Ballad of Bering Strait”. The striking story of the band growing up outside of Moscow in Obninsk, where the members of Bering Strait attended music school, fell in love with and mastered the American form of bluegrass, journeyed to the United States, and ended up recording their by then multi-faceted music for a major Nashville recording company. The band just released it’s new album, “Pages” on June 28th,2005. This new album definitely has the flavor of their Russian descent flowing through the music, giving it a very distinctive sound that is hard to place in any one genre of music.
In addition, Chess Masterminds is in the planning stage for a match on October 29th, with former President Gorbachev. He has agreed to visit Lindsborg, Kansas, to promote a Chess for Peace program at the Karpov International School of Chess. We are looking forward to host former President Carter at the same time to make the first ever chess match with two former Presidents and Nobel Prize winners.
Please see the website for further information at www.chessmasterminds.com or contact Diana Macys-Staley for media inquiries at 615/596-6280 or email at dianamacys@yahoo.com.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
CHESS MASTERMINDS MATCH BROADCAST
For Immediate Release
“Chess MasterMinds” show
Nashville, Tennessee
June 29, 2005
On Sunday, July 24th, 2005, the world will see a chess match that has not been done in 60 years. This is the first distance chess match to be held between the old Soviet Union, (Russia) and the USA since the end of WWII and the start of the cold war.
July 10, 2005 will be date of the first of three distant chess matches that are scheduled between Russian and U.S. players. The games will be 20-minute matches between four Russian chess grandmasters vs. four U.S. chess grandmasters. The games will be played over the Internet using Shahcom’s e-boards. The players for the first match are located in St. Petersburg, Russia and Nashville, Tennessee. The production of this event, provided by Nashville International Studios, (NIS), will be taped on July 10th, 2005, in Nashville, Tennessee, with feeds coming in from Russia. The show will be called Chess MasterMinds and will be aired Sunday, July 24th, 2005. Mention the word Chess and the first thing that comes to people’s minds is a pair of old men in dark stuffy rooms, huddled over a chessboard. The game has changed.
This is a distant chess match series of 10-, 20- or 30-minute games between chess grandmasters from different parts of the world. In addition, these matches will be produced for video and made available to the rest of the world through satellite up-links. Featured in this event of the century will be some of the world’s greatest chess grand masters, such as, Susan Polgar, who has ranked in the top three in the world for the last twenty years. Polgar is theked #1 ranked female in the United States.
Not only is Polgar a dynamic player, she is rated as one of the best players in the world in both the men and women’s divisions. Her passion for teaching chess to children and young girls and women has truly earned Polgar the title of “Chess Ambassador”.
Also in the match for the U.S. team is Grand Master, Alex Onischuk is indeed “The Rock”. Rated #59 in the world, his defense and counter attacks have made for some of the most dramatic play over the board of battle. Using a style similar to boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s “rope a dope”; Alex will wait until an attacker has “punched himself out” and then deliver a lethal combination. Onischuk was the Olympiad Silver Medalist in 1996 and Bronze Medalist in 1998. He competed in the 2004 US Olympiad team and playing board number one, placed fourth in the overall games.
On the Russian Team, we will have Alexander Khalifman, he is rated #42 in the World, and has become one of the strongest contemporary chess players in the world. An International Grandmaster in 1990, he became The Champion of Russia in 1996. He has been the winner of World Chess Olympiads three times (1992, 2000 and 2002); Khalifman was a two-time Saint-Petersburg Champion, winning in 1996 and 1997. He was the FIDE World champion in 1999. In addition, Khalifman was the winner of the World Team Championship in 1997 and the Europe Team Championship 2003. In addition to being an excellent player, he is a respected chess journalist and the founder of grandmaster chess school and website.
Konstantin Sakaev, rated #30 in the world, was born on April 13, 1974, and is one of the leading Russian chess players. He became an International Grandmaster in 1992. He was the winner of the Youth Russian Championship in 1990, as well as the three-time winner of the World Youth Championship games in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Sakaev participated in four of last FIDE World Championships (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2004). He was the Champion of Russia in 1999, the Champion of Saint Petersburg in 1990 as well as a two-time winner of World Chess Olympiads in 1998 and 2000. Sakaev is a four-time winner of Russia Club Championship (1992, 1995, 2000 and 2001).
Our commentators hosting the Chess MasterMinds show will be Paul Truong and Phil Innes. Paul Truong is the FIDE Master and Captain and Manager of the 2004 Women’s Olympiad Silver Medalist team and an 11 time Champion. Phil Innes created program for qualitative assessment of on-line arts education, which appeared before Senate Technology Committee, Washington D.C. Synchronously with business activities, worked with the inventor of chess broadcasting technologies in St. Petersburg, Russia, since 1996, to promote greater world-wide interactions and audiences for chess.
The match will also include two arbiters. The U.S. Arbiter is Harry Sabine and the Russian Arbiter is Igor Bolotinsky, who is now the #2 Arbiter in Russia.
There could be no other choice for the music in this show, but to have Bering Strait, a band from Nashville that consists of brilliant young Russians to perform and be featured in Chess MasterMinds. The band earned a 2002 Grammy award nominee for best “Country” music instrumental and the group was featured in a documentary film directed by Nina Gilden Seavey, “The Ballad of Bering Strait”. The striking story of the band growing up outside of Moscow in Obninsk, where the members of Bering Strait attended music school, fell in love with and mastered the American form of bluegrass, journeyed to the United States, and ended up recording their by then multi-faceted music for a major Nashville recording company. The band just released it’s new album, “Pages” on June 28th,2005. This new album definitely has the flavor of their Russian descent flowing through the music, giving it a very distinctive sound that is hard to place in any one genre of music.
In addition, NIS is in the planning stage for a match on October 29th, with former President Gorbachev. He has agreed to visit Lindsborg, Kansas, to promote a Chess for Peace program at the Karpov International School of Chess. We are looking forward to host former President Carter at the same time to make the first ever chess match with two former Presidents and Nobel Prize winners.
Please see the website for further information at www.chessmasterminds.com or contact Diana Macys-Staley for media inquiries at 615/596-6280 or email at dianamacys@yahoo.com.
“Chess MasterMinds” show
Nashville, Tennessee
June 29, 2005
On Sunday, July 24th, 2005, the world will see a chess match that has not been done in 60 years. This is the first distance chess match to be held between the old Soviet Union, (Russia) and the USA since the end of WWII and the start of the cold war.
July 10, 2005 will be date of the first of three distant chess matches that are scheduled between Russian and U.S. players. The games will be 20-minute matches between four Russian chess grandmasters vs. four U.S. chess grandmasters. The games will be played over the Internet using Shahcom’s e-boards. The players for the first match are located in St. Petersburg, Russia and Nashville, Tennessee. The production of this event, provided by Nashville International Studios, (NIS), will be taped on July 10th, 2005, in Nashville, Tennessee, with feeds coming in from Russia. The show will be called Chess MasterMinds and will be aired Sunday, July 24th, 2005. Mention the word Chess and the first thing that comes to people’s minds is a pair of old men in dark stuffy rooms, huddled over a chessboard. The game has changed.
This is a distant chess match series of 10-, 20- or 30-minute games between chess grandmasters from different parts of the world. In addition, these matches will be produced for video and made available to the rest of the world through satellite up-links. Featured in this event of the century will be some of the world’s greatest chess grand masters, such as, Susan Polgar, who has ranked in the top three in the world for the last twenty years. Polgar is theked #1 ranked female in the United States.
Not only is Polgar a dynamic player, she is rated as one of the best players in the world in both the men and women’s divisions. Her passion for teaching chess to children and young girls and women has truly earned Polgar the title of “Chess Ambassador”.
Also in the match for the U.S. team is Grand Master, Alex Onischuk is indeed “The Rock”. Rated #59 in the world, his defense and counter attacks have made for some of the most dramatic play over the board of battle. Using a style similar to boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s “rope a dope”; Alex will wait until an attacker has “punched himself out” and then deliver a lethal combination. Onischuk was the Olympiad Silver Medalist in 1996 and Bronze Medalist in 1998. He competed in the 2004 US Olympiad team and playing board number one, placed fourth in the overall games.
On the Russian Team, we will have Alexander Khalifman, he is rated #42 in the World, and has become one of the strongest contemporary chess players in the world. An International Grandmaster in 1990, he became The Champion of Russia in 1996. He has been the winner of World Chess Olympiads three times (1992, 2000 and 2002); Khalifman was a two-time Saint-Petersburg Champion, winning in 1996 and 1997. He was the FIDE World champion in 1999. In addition, Khalifman was the winner of the World Team Championship in 1997 and the Europe Team Championship 2003. In addition to being an excellent player, he is a respected chess journalist and the founder of grandmaster chess school and website.
Konstantin Sakaev, rated #30 in the world, was born on April 13, 1974, and is one of the leading Russian chess players. He became an International Grandmaster in 1992. He was the winner of the Youth Russian Championship in 1990, as well as the three-time winner of the World Youth Championship games in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Sakaev participated in four of last FIDE World Championships (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2004). He was the Champion of Russia in 1999, the Champion of Saint Petersburg in 1990 as well as a two-time winner of World Chess Olympiads in 1998 and 2000. Sakaev is a four-time winner of Russia Club Championship (1992, 1995, 2000 and 2001).
Our commentators hosting the Chess MasterMinds show will be Paul Truong and Phil Innes. Paul Truong is the FIDE Master and Captain and Manager of the 2004 Women’s Olympiad Silver Medalist team and an 11 time Champion. Phil Innes created program for qualitative assessment of on-line arts education, which appeared before Senate Technology Committee, Washington D.C. Synchronously with business activities, worked with the inventor of chess broadcasting technologies in St. Petersburg, Russia, since 1996, to promote greater world-wide interactions and audiences for chess.
The match will also include two arbiters. The U.S. Arbiter is Harry Sabine and the Russian Arbiter is Igor Bolotinsky, who is now the #2 Arbiter in Russia.
There could be no other choice for the music in this show, but to have Bering Strait, a band from Nashville that consists of brilliant young Russians to perform and be featured in Chess MasterMinds. The band earned a 2002 Grammy award nominee for best “Country” music instrumental and the group was featured in a documentary film directed by Nina Gilden Seavey, “The Ballad of Bering Strait”. The striking story of the band growing up outside of Moscow in Obninsk, where the members of Bering Strait attended music school, fell in love with and mastered the American form of bluegrass, journeyed to the United States, and ended up recording their by then multi-faceted music for a major Nashville recording company. The band just released it’s new album, “Pages” on June 28th,2005. This new album definitely has the flavor of their Russian descent flowing through the music, giving it a very distinctive sound that is hard to place in any one genre of music.
In addition, NIS is in the planning stage for a match on October 29th, with former President Gorbachev. He has agreed to visit Lindsborg, Kansas, to promote a Chess for Peace program at the Karpov International School of Chess. We are looking forward to host former President Carter at the same time to make the first ever chess match with two former Presidents and Nobel Prize winners.
Please see the website for further information at www.chessmasterminds.com or contact Diana Macys-Staley for media inquiries at 615/596-6280 or email at dianamacys@yahoo.com.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Sam Sloan Albian Gambit Video
Chessmaster Sam Sloan has produced a free instructional chess lesson. Sources indicate it covers the Albin Counter Gambit. Here is the link :
http://www.ishipress.com/samchess2.asf
http://www.ishipress.com/samchess2.asf
Son of FIDE President Kirsan Ilumzhinov Badly Beaten
MosNewsPolice have badly beaten the son of Kirsan Ilumzhinov, president ofthe Republic of Kalmykia and the head of the FIDE chess organization,Regnum reported Thursday.16-year-old David Ilumzhinov was out street racing with two friends ata deserted airport near Elista, the republic's capital. The cityadministration permits street racing at the airfield.Four policemen, among them the head of Elista's criminal investigationdepartment, Vitaly Elkuev, were off duty and drinking alcohol near theairport, Regnum reports, when they decided to check the teenagers'documents and look in the trunk of their car.The president's son told the policemen his name and asked forpermission to leave, but he and his friends were then beaten up.Afterwards the boys left in their car with the policemen chasing them,the agency reports. As a result of the high-speed chase the boy's carcrashed.In spite of the injuries that the youngsters sustained in theaccident, they were once more beaten up by the drunk policemen. Allthree of them are currently in the hospital.Three of the four policemen have been detained, the republic'sprosecutor, Sergei Khlopushin, told journalists. They are accused ofexceeding their authority, but the severity of the charges now dependson the condition of the victims, which remains unstable, Regnum adds.Kirsan Ilumzhinov became Kalmykia's president in 1993 at the age of30. He was reelected in 1995 with 85 percent of the vote. He has alsobeen the president of FIDE chess federation since 1995.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Welcome Susan Polgar To Blogging!
This is wonderful news for the chess community. Susan Polgar, the legendary four times womens world chess champion, has created her own blog! This is another wonderful outreach program by GM Polgar. Visit her site often and interact with the greatest woman's champion of all time! http://www.susanpolgar.blogspot.com/
Friday, May 13, 2005
MTEL Masters Super Tournament
SIX TOP CHESS PLAYERS AT THE "M-TEL MASTERS" SUPER TOURNAMENT
The competition is part of the "Ten Years of Mobiltel" Anniversary
Mobiltel and Kaissa Chess Management, Agency of Silvio Danailov, Manager of the best Bulgarian chess player Veselin Topalov, are going to organize an international Super chess tournament May 11th - 22nd, 2005 in Sofia.
The event constitutes a part of the festivities on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the biggest Bulgarian mobile operator (www.mobiltel.bg).
The competition will be attended by 6 of the best chess players on the planet: Viswanathan Anand (India), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine), Michael Adams (England) and Judit Polgar (Hungary).
The tournament belongs to the 20th Category of FIDE. According to average ELO this will be toughest tournament in the world for the current year. The Tournament's Regulation provides for the holding of 2 rounds with seven-hours' time control, classical chess. This way every participant will be able to play two games against the others. If there is a draw at the top, a tie-break will be provided for which has to determine the winner in the Tournament of Sofia.
The venue is the five-star luxury Grand Hotel Sofia (www.grandhotelsofia.bg) where the opening and the closing ceremony of the Tournament will be organized.
During the rest day Grand Master Veselin Topalov will give a simul to chess fans at the garden in front of the National Theater. Mobiltel will provide and set up 10 marble chess play tables in the garden.
For a second year in a row Mobiltel has been sponsoring the best Bulgarian chess player. In February last year the mobile operator organized a demonstration TV match between the rapid chess World Champion Viswanathan Anand and Topalov.
The competition is part of the "Ten Years of Mobiltel" Anniversary
Mobiltel and Kaissa Chess Management, Agency of Silvio Danailov, Manager of the best Bulgarian chess player Veselin Topalov, are going to organize an international Super chess tournament May 11th - 22nd, 2005 in Sofia.
The event constitutes a part of the festivities on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the biggest Bulgarian mobile operator (www.mobiltel.bg).
The competition will be attended by 6 of the best chess players on the planet: Viswanathan Anand (India), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine), Michael Adams (England) and Judit Polgar (Hungary).
The tournament belongs to the 20th Category of FIDE. According to average ELO this will be toughest tournament in the world for the current year. The Tournament's Regulation provides for the holding of 2 rounds with seven-hours' time control, classical chess. This way every participant will be able to play two games against the others. If there is a draw at the top, a tie-break will be provided for which has to determine the winner in the Tournament of Sofia.
The venue is the five-star luxury Grand Hotel Sofia (www.grandhotelsofia.bg) where the opening and the closing ceremony of the Tournament will be organized.
During the rest day Grand Master Veselin Topalov will give a simul to chess fans at the garden in front of the National Theater. Mobiltel will provide and set up 10 marble chess play tables in the garden.
For a second year in a row Mobiltel has been sponsoring the best Bulgarian chess player. In February last year the mobile operator organized a demonstration TV match between the rapid chess World Champion Viswanathan Anand and Topalov.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
2005 EUROPEAN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP DATES SET
The portal is now open fro application to the 2005 Individual European Championship. Consult the URL:-
http://www.eurochamp.pl/
The Championship will be held from June 17th (day of arrival) until July 3rd (day of departure), 2005 in Warsaw - Zegrze Poludniowe (about 35 km from the Warsaw Airport and 30km from the Warsaw Central Railway Station). The Technical Meeting will take place on June 17th at 8 p.m. at the tournament hall at the Hotel 500, Zegrze Poludniowe, Warszawska 31A
The championship will be 13 rounds, played in the Swiss system in accordance with the ECU Tournament Rules and FIDE Laws of Chess. The playing time will be 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per a move, starting from move 1.
The European Championship is open to all players representing the Chess Federations which comprise the European Chess Union (FIDE zones 1.1 to 1.9) regardless of their title or rating. There is also no limit of participants per federation, however applications have to be sent by the national federations, only.
The European Individual Championship 2005 is a qualification event for the next World Chess Championship. According to the decision passed by the ECU Board, 34 players will qualify for the WCC.
The Guaranteed Total Prize Fund (after the deduction of required payments of around 25.000 Euros to the ECU and to FIDE) is 120.000 Euros. Moreover, the top 10 players with highest ratings will receive all inclusive accommodation in a single room, at the expense of the organizers.
Information courtesy of Bartlomiej Macieja.
//Phil Innes
http://www.eurochamp.pl/
The Championship will be held from June 17th (day of arrival) until July 3rd (day of departure), 2005 in Warsaw - Zegrze Poludniowe (about 35 km from the Warsaw Airport and 30km from the Warsaw Central Railway Station). The Technical Meeting will take place on June 17th at 8 p.m. at the tournament hall at the Hotel 500, Zegrze Poludniowe, Warszawska 31A
The championship will be 13 rounds, played in the Swiss system in accordance with the ECU Tournament Rules and FIDE Laws of Chess. The playing time will be 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per a move, starting from move 1.
The European Championship is open to all players representing the Chess Federations which comprise the European Chess Union (FIDE zones 1.1 to 1.9) regardless of their title or rating. There is also no limit of participants per federation, however applications have to be sent by the national federations, only.
The European Individual Championship 2005 is a qualification event for the next World Chess Championship. According to the decision passed by the ECU Board, 34 players will qualify for the WCC.
The Guaranteed Total Prize Fund (after the deduction of required payments of around 25.000 Euros to the ECU and to FIDE) is 120.000 Euros. Moreover, the top 10 players with highest ratings will receive all inclusive accommodation in a single room, at the expense of the organizers.
Information courtesy of Bartlomiej Macieja.
//Phil Innes
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Kasparov Injured in Political Assault!
News From Chessbase:
Kasparov assaulted in Moscow16.04.2005 Garry Kasparov was attacked after a meeting with youth activists in Moscow. He was approached by an autograph seeking participant. The young man circled Kasparov and delivered a sharp blow to the head with the chessboard. A Russian news agency places the blame on the pro-Putin organisation Nashi. We spoke to Kasparov
The Russian news agency Interfax news agency quotes Kasparov's advisor Marina Litvinovich, who described the events as follows: Garry Kasparov, co-chair of the Fair Elections 2008 party, was subjected to an attack on Friday night. After a meeting with youth activists in Moscow he was approached by one of the participants with a chessboard. The young man asked the 13th chess world champion for an autograph, but then suddenly went behind Kasparov and delivered a strong blow to Kasparov's head, yelling obscenities as he did os. The attacker was taken out by the people present according to Litvinovich. Kasparov suffered an acute haematoma (Russian gematoma, hemorrhage), but declined to seek immediate medical treatment.
Litvinovich added that Kasparov was meeting with the activists of youth movement in order to discuss tactics and strategy of creating a united democratic front.
Friday, April 15, 22:32h (Moscow time): NEWSru.com is reporting the incident, the first media outlet to do so in Russia. In essence they confirm what we have reported, and place the blame for the incident on a pro-Putin youth movement called "Walking Together" (Nashi), founded by Vasilii Yakemenko. The goal of this new "anti-fascist" movement is to put an end to the "anti-Fatherland union of oligarchs, anti-Semites, Nazis, and liberals." [See: Walking with Putin]. Such incidents are becoming more common in Russia today. Yakemenko has declared war on the "unnatural union of liberals and fascists, occidentophiles and ultras-nationalist, international funds and terrorists that exist today. They are united by only one thing – hatred for Putin. In this situation we will work for the support of Putin and consider those our enemies who do not share his political views". [Full NEWSru report in Russian].
Saturday, April 16, 11:00h (Moscow time): Kasparov's family have confirmed to us that the injury was not serious and that Garry in fact was at the moment attending a meeting. But of course everyone is terrified. Kasparov now has a security detail allocated to him.
Kommersant.com has reported on Kasparov's recent visit to St. Petersburg to lauch the local chapter of his party there. He and State Duma’s deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov officially announced that they would create their own party after all attempts to set up a united democratic party based on the Committee-2008 had come to a standstill. Kasparov said his objective is to get 40 percent in the next State Duma, and to attract all political forces in order to do so:“From the radically right to the radically left, there is a political morass. Our chance to win is to take in everyone." The new party needs a 50,000-member minimum to be registered. [Full Kommersant report]
Chris Major of Mountain View, USA sent us a link to what he calls "by far the best Kasparov interview I've read. It entitled 'Kasparov's secret: great enemies' and appeared in the Australian Financial Review/Harvard Business Review – whod'a thunk? The interviewer was female, maybe that made Garry let loose?"
Another reader named Dave sent us a link to a page describing the symptoms and effects of hematoma. We just hope and assume that in Garry's case it is not subdural.
Saturday, April 16, 14:30h (Moscow time): We spoke to a somewhat grave and subdued Kasparov on the phone, and he confirmed that our reports so far were essentially accurate. We asked him exactly what transpired – was it thugs from the Yakemenko group?
Kasparov: There was no one group that instigated this. There were a number of groups of youth activists who were gathered at the meeting.
Why were you there?
Kasparov: They were gathered to meet me. There was a dialogue between us, I was telling them about my plans, we discussed the current political situation – a normal political meeting. Maybe I was agitating them a little.
Then what happened?
Kasparov: It was quite surprising and shocking. It happened so fast that nobody could intervene. I signed the chessboard for a "fan" and then turned away to talk to another person. He was telling me about his town, and I was looking at a local paper he showed me. Anyway, I had turned my head and this guy simply attacked me.
Didn't you have security?
Kasparov: Yes, there was security, but you know what it is like when you are signing autographs. Everybody crowds around, the security people step back.
The attacker was yelling obscenities, we hear...
Kasparov: Actually his behavior was a clear indication that this was planned. It was a provocation. He was shouting: "Call the police, beat me up, I don't care..." He was obviously counting on two reactions: either we call the police and have him arrested, or we attack him. But in fact we did nothing.
So what happened to him?
Kasparov: Nothing. We got his name, since he was registered for the meeting, but we decided to do nothing. We let him go, at least for the time being.
Now you have arranged special security?
Kasparov: Yes, in the future it will have to be different. But it is difficult to run a political campaign and at the same time avoid physical contact. It is young people, they want to talk to me, tell me things, get my autograph.
And the wound, it is not so serious?
Kasparov: It's very unpleasant, it hurts, but I'm not going to stop.
What are your immediate plans? Do you have more meetings lined up?
Kasparov: There are a few meetings here in Moscow, and then in a week I am heading for the countryside...
A holiday...?
Kasparov: No, to the countryside – rural Russia, for public events.
I understand, like to the Mid-West...
Kasparov: Yeah, exactly, but here it is the "Mid-East", it is all east of Moscow.
Well just be careful, will you.
Kasparov: Yes, obviously. Okay, I will have security, but [hums thoughfully] it is not going to be so easy.
Frederic Friedel
Kasparov assaulted in Moscow16.04.2005 Garry Kasparov was attacked after a meeting with youth activists in Moscow. He was approached by an autograph seeking participant. The young man circled Kasparov and delivered a sharp blow to the head with the chessboard. A Russian news agency places the blame on the pro-Putin organisation Nashi. We spoke to Kasparov
The Russian news agency Interfax news agency quotes Kasparov's advisor Marina Litvinovich, who described the events as follows: Garry Kasparov, co-chair of the Fair Elections 2008 party, was subjected to an attack on Friday night. After a meeting with youth activists in Moscow he was approached by one of the participants with a chessboard. The young man asked the 13th chess world champion for an autograph, but then suddenly went behind Kasparov and delivered a strong blow to Kasparov's head, yelling obscenities as he did os. The attacker was taken out by the people present according to Litvinovich. Kasparov suffered an acute haematoma (Russian gematoma, hemorrhage), but declined to seek immediate medical treatment.
Litvinovich added that Kasparov was meeting with the activists of youth movement in order to discuss tactics and strategy of creating a united democratic front.
Friday, April 15, 22:32h (Moscow time): NEWSru.com is reporting the incident, the first media outlet to do so in Russia. In essence they confirm what we have reported, and place the blame for the incident on a pro-Putin youth movement called "Walking Together" (Nashi), founded by Vasilii Yakemenko. The goal of this new "anti-fascist" movement is to put an end to the "anti-Fatherland union of oligarchs, anti-Semites, Nazis, and liberals." [See: Walking with Putin]. Such incidents are becoming more common in Russia today. Yakemenko has declared war on the "unnatural union of liberals and fascists, occidentophiles and ultras-nationalist, international funds and terrorists that exist today. They are united by only one thing – hatred for Putin. In this situation we will work for the support of Putin and consider those our enemies who do not share his political views". [Full NEWSru report in Russian].
Saturday, April 16, 11:00h (Moscow time): Kasparov's family have confirmed to us that the injury was not serious and that Garry in fact was at the moment attending a meeting. But of course everyone is terrified. Kasparov now has a security detail allocated to him.
Kommersant.com has reported on Kasparov's recent visit to St. Petersburg to lauch the local chapter of his party there. He and State Duma’s deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov officially announced that they would create their own party after all attempts to set up a united democratic party based on the Committee-2008 had come to a standstill. Kasparov said his objective is to get 40 percent in the next State Duma, and to attract all political forces in order to do so:“From the radically right to the radically left, there is a political morass. Our chance to win is to take in everyone." The new party needs a 50,000-member minimum to be registered. [Full Kommersant report]
Chris Major of Mountain View, USA sent us a link to what he calls "by far the best Kasparov interview I've read. It entitled 'Kasparov's secret: great enemies' and appeared in the Australian Financial Review/Harvard Business Review – whod'a thunk? The interviewer was female, maybe that made Garry let loose?"
Another reader named Dave sent us a link to a page describing the symptoms and effects of hematoma. We just hope and assume that in Garry's case it is not subdural.
Saturday, April 16, 14:30h (Moscow time): We spoke to a somewhat grave and subdued Kasparov on the phone, and he confirmed that our reports so far were essentially accurate. We asked him exactly what transpired – was it thugs from the Yakemenko group?
Kasparov: There was no one group that instigated this. There were a number of groups of youth activists who were gathered at the meeting.
Why were you there?
Kasparov: They were gathered to meet me. There was a dialogue between us, I was telling them about my plans, we discussed the current political situation – a normal political meeting. Maybe I was agitating them a little.
Then what happened?
Kasparov: It was quite surprising and shocking. It happened so fast that nobody could intervene. I signed the chessboard for a "fan" and then turned away to talk to another person. He was telling me about his town, and I was looking at a local paper he showed me. Anyway, I had turned my head and this guy simply attacked me.
Didn't you have security?
Kasparov: Yes, there was security, but you know what it is like when you are signing autographs. Everybody crowds around, the security people step back.
The attacker was yelling obscenities, we hear...
Kasparov: Actually his behavior was a clear indication that this was planned. It was a provocation. He was shouting: "Call the police, beat me up, I don't care..." He was obviously counting on two reactions: either we call the police and have him arrested, or we attack him. But in fact we did nothing.
So what happened to him?
Kasparov: Nothing. We got his name, since he was registered for the meeting, but we decided to do nothing. We let him go, at least for the time being.
Now you have arranged special security?
Kasparov: Yes, in the future it will have to be different. But it is difficult to run a political campaign and at the same time avoid physical contact. It is young people, they want to talk to me, tell me things, get my autograph.
And the wound, it is not so serious?
Kasparov: It's very unpleasant, it hurts, but I'm not going to stop.
What are your immediate plans? Do you have more meetings lined up?
Kasparov: There are a few meetings here in Moscow, and then in a week I am heading for the countryside...
A holiday...?
Kasparov: No, to the countryside – rural Russia, for public events.
I understand, like to the Mid-West...
Kasparov: Yeah, exactly, but here it is the "Mid-East", it is all east of Moscow.
Well just be careful, will you.
Kasparov: Yes, obviously. Okay, I will have security, but [hums thoughfully] it is not going to be so easy.
Frederic Friedel
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
FISCHER FREE
On Thursday, March 24, 2005, Bobby Fischer will be released from the East Japan Immigration Detention Center in Ushiku, north of Tokyo, and he will drive to Narita Airport, to the east of Tokyo, for onward travel to his new home in Iceland. He will be joined by his fiancée, the women's chess champion of Japan, Ms. Miyoko Watai, who will fly to Iceland with him.
They should be leaving the detention center at 9:00 AM Japan time and arrive at Narita Airport sometime after 10:00 AM. At the airport, we will be trying to give Bobby Fischer a chance to speak to the media sometime between 10:00 AM and 12:00 noon. We hope he will be able to describe his Japanese ordeal and the two decades of harassment by the U.S. government for holding unapproved political views.
When he won the World Chess Championship in 1972 and took the title away from the Soviet Union, this true U.S. national hero showed the world how one freethinking man can defeat any system, no matter how powerful. By going forward, despite U.S. sanctions, with his rematch chess championship against Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia in 1992, he demonstrated that no government can stop a man from freely practicing his art anywhere on this planet. And now, over the past nine months, Bobby Fischer has proven that the individual can withstand the combined forces of the world's mightiest governments, whenever he has justice on his side.
We have witnessed a historic battle.
Bobby Fischer will be flying out of Tokyo's Narita Airport on the Scandinavian Airways flight to Copenhagen that leaves at 12:40 PM on Thursday.
They should be leaving the detention center at 9:00 AM Japan time and arrive at Narita Airport sometime after 10:00 AM. At the airport, we will be trying to give Bobby Fischer a chance to speak to the media sometime between 10:00 AM and 12:00 noon. We hope he will be able to describe his Japanese ordeal and the two decades of harassment by the U.S. government for holding unapproved political views.
When he won the World Chess Championship in 1972 and took the title away from the Soviet Union, this true U.S. national hero showed the world how one freethinking man can defeat any system, no matter how powerful. By going forward, despite U.S. sanctions, with his rematch chess championship against Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia in 1992, he demonstrated that no government can stop a man from freely practicing his art anywhere on this planet. And now, over the past nine months, Bobby Fischer has proven that the individual can withstand the combined forces of the world's mightiest governments, whenever he has justice on his side.
We have witnessed a historic battle.
Bobby Fischer will be flying out of Tokyo's Narita Airport on the Scandinavian Airways flight to Copenhagen that leaves at 12:40 PM on Thursday.
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