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NIC'S Café THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME
'This year it was relatively easy. Things went very smoothly and I was getting everything in the openings that I wanted. I was getting some pressure even if I was not showing anything, no real novelties, which was also my goal.' Those were the words of Vladimir Kramnik after he had won Dortmund for a record eighth(!) time. In his last serious event before Mexico, Kramnik coasted to victory with superior ease, finishing with a one-point lead after only seven rounds.
Don't miss the World Champion's in-depth (but highly lucid!) notes to his win against Gelfand. A WHIFF OF THE GOLDEN AGE
The capital of Kalmykia once again drew the attention of the world of chess, as FIDE's brief flirtation with the classic format of Candidates' Matches offered us a delightful set of clashes. The survivors of the Elista event, Peter Leko, Boris Gelfand, Levon Aronian, and Alexander Grischuk, will join Vishy Anand, Peter Svidler, Alexander Morozevich, and the reigning champion Vladimir Kramnik in the World Championship Tournament in Mexico later this year. An extensive report by Misha Savinov plus annotated games by all four qualifiers. FIERCE FIGHTS IN FOROS
The second edition of the Aerosvit tournament ended in a resounding Ukrainian success. The insatiable Vasily Ivanchuk claimed first prize, while local boy Sergey Karjakin ended as runner-up after he had been dominating the event for most of the rounds. One of the aces who finished in shared third place was our man-on-the-spot Loek van Wely. The Dutch grandmaster relates how he got to Foros and back, and expresses his happiness to play in an environment where there was only chess, chess and chess. IVANCHUK BREAKS HIS OWN RECORD
When in 2005 Vasily Ivanchuk played the Capablanca Memorial for the first time he achieved the highest performance rating in the history of this traditional tournament. This year 'Chuky' pulverized his own record, lifting it from 2829 to an imposing 2877. FOR AULD LANG SYNE
Instead of tailoring their invitation list to the players' current Elo ratings, the Romanian Chess Federation let more romantic criteria prevail for the 'Kings' Tournament' in Bazna, a small village known for its hydro-therapies. Jan Timman enjoyed the nostalgic reunion that was won by easily the youngest participant, Alexander Khalifman. MOROZEVICH? NO, MOVSESIAN!
Although he was only seeded fifth, nothing could stop Sergei Movsesian from claiming first place in Sarajevo. The Slovakian grandmaster himself explains why he presented one of the waiters at the Bosna Chess Club restaurant with another shirt of his favourite Real Madrid. CLICHY CLINCHES FRENCH TITLE
With the NAO Chess Club no longer towering above the rest, the French Top 16 suddenly looked like an open fight. Despite their undeniable strength hot favourites Paris Chess XV stumbled in the last round allowing Clichy to win the championship. WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION
'Do we, as chess players, need education? If so, what kind?' Inspired by a popular Pink Floyd song, Jonathan Rowson went looking for an answer. SOS: BAYONET BLOW IN THE BOGO
The current g4 rage can be seen in a multitude of openings. So why not in the Bogo-Indian, Jeroen Bosch wonders. FIDE DESIGNS A GRIFFON
Hans Ree tries to make sense of the latest FIDE edict concerning the World Championship. JUST CHECKING
Any idea what's Sergei Movsesian's favourite drink?
Did they play your opening?In this issue games with the following openings were annotated by world class players: Sicilian:
Shirov-Van Wely, by Van Wely
Alekseev-Mamedyarov, by Alekseev French:
Khalifman-Vaganian, by Timman Caro-Kann:
Leko-Bareev, by Leko Ruy Lopez:
Rausis-Fressinet, by Fressinet
Carlsen-Aronian, by Aronian
Shirov-Ivanchuk, by Ivanchuk
A.Sokolov-Mecking, by Timman Scotch:
Rublevsky-Grischuk, by Grischuk King's Pawn:
Guerra-De la Paz, by Vera Slav:
Eljanov-Karjakin, by Karjakin
Timman-Ribli, by Timman
Malakhov-Grischuk, by Grischuk
Kramnik-Gelfand, by Kramnik
Gelfand-Kasimdzhanov, by Gelfand Catalan:
Tkachiev-Pelletier, by Pelletier Nimzo-Indian:
Gurevich-Leko, by Leko
Morozevich-Movsesian, by Movsesian
Vaganian-Portisch, by Timman
Khalifman-Chiburdanidze, by Khalifman Queen's Indian:
Aronian-Carlsen, by Potkin
Bareev-Polgar, by Bareev
Shirov-Aronian, by Potkin
Van Wely-Yakovenko, by Van Wely English:
Carlsen-Aronian, by Carlsen
Nielsen-Ivanchuk, by Vera
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