Moscow, Dec 15 - Gata Kamsky of United States came one step closer to the chess World Cup when he won his second game against Latvian-born Spaniard Alexei Shirov at the FIDE Word Cup Final 2007 Friday.The players have two more games to play in the four-game final. Earlier Kamsky and Shirov drew the first game with black.In a very interesting game Shirov went down in a difficult ending with mutual time trouble, where Kamsky played very strongly. Shirov opened with the Sicilian Sveshnikov, which has been his favourite in this tournament and Kamsky was well prepared for it. Kamsky went for a positional and less theoretical line. Interestingly during the blitz event of the Tal Memorial last month these players faced each other in the same position.Kamsky slowly but steadily created an advantage and outplayed Shirov. Kamsky brought his knight into play after it seemed to have been left out like a spectator. He finally won in 44 moves.Some years back Kamsky, who was a strong contender for world title in the 1990s, gave up chess to pursue a degree in medicine. Now he is back and as strong as he was a decade ago.

Source : earthtimes.org

Popularity: 17% [?]

Share This

Posted by Cikgu Farizal | No Comments »

The illustrative positions, all taken from real games, show the 50 Tricky Tactics that experienced chess masters use to win their games.

Recognizing frequently-occurring tactical ideas is vital to success in chess. One of the fastest and most enjoyable ways to improve at chess is by learning these thematic manoeuvres.

Beginners will benefit from the clear explanation of basic concepts, such as how to utilise a fork, pin, or skewer. Advanced players will delight in the many devious middlegame tricks — some classified here for the first time — which can catch out even grandmasters. Chess Tactics for Kids makes improving easy and fun, and is full of helpful explanations on how to approach chess games with confidence — and success.

GET IT 

Popularity: 16% [?]

Share This

Posted by Cikgu Farizal | 1 Comment »

By Bradford Roegner

Ask some one to envision a chess set, and invariably they have just thought of a Staunton chess set. Why shouldn’t they? Simple and elegant, what started as a blue print for standardizing designs - has turned into a familiar friend that still allows for special touches to be added to the chess pieces. The Staunton design has been so popular for over one hundred years, that it is the standard for chess clubs and tournaments throughout the world.

But, not everyone’s style goes with the flow of the norm, and this includes chess sets. Thankfully, there are several different types of themed chess sets for players and collectors alike.

Since chess is considered to be the ultimate battle of the mind, themed chess set typically revolve around historical battles and wars that we all remember. By far the most known of these is the civil war. Collectors and casual players alike have long been fans of the civil war chess set. Depicting one of the darkest times of American history, players have a myriad of options for chess sets. The majority of these center around either brass sets or a more popular and colorful marble-resin chess set.

While the civil war is not always everyone’s favorite war, there are still several options. One may choose amongst sets that commemorate the American Revolution, the historical battles of England and Scotland, or the trials of the Greeks vs. the Romans. No matter the battles, a chess set can be found.

While the battle themes do dominate the themed chess set category, there are still a multitude of chess sets that do not center on war. Literary buffs can focus their sights on sets from Shakespeare. A popular group of themed chess sets are the mythological chess sets. Characters in these chess sets include the powerful Hercules, God of the Seas Poseidon, and even the menacing Minotaur.

Never forgotten, the sports fans are also have their choice of themes that match their own interests. Hockey, golf, football or baseball, there is a chess set that satisfies the need of every fan out there.

Finally there are sets for the TV buff. Characters from shows such as South Park or the Simpsons have the effect of both being a talking point and even a welcome distraction from a difficult chess game.

Whether the chess set is used for regular playing or for more ornamental uses, a themed set will give the opportunity to have a set that defines a player’s own style and flair.

Bradford Roegner is webmaster for Themed Chess Sets. He is available to help provide people with the tools to bring chess into their life. You can contact him Bradford@braroechess.com any time with question.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bradford_Roegner

Popularity: 11% [?]

Share This

Posted by Cikgu Farizal | No Comments »

The most captivating, entertaining chess movie since Searching for Bobby Fischer!

You’ll be thrilled. It’s inspirational.

I watched the entire movie at one time and throughly enjoyed it…

A business man decides that he wants to teach school in the inner city and chooses a tough school in the South Bronx. He teaches the children how to play the game of chess, and along the way they learn a lot about life.

Richard’s entire class is lifted out of nothingness and boredom to fight for life, success, and the thrill of achievement! He helps his entire class discover chess one day, much to the dismay of school authorities. Richard’s mind is torn as even his wife disapproves when he turns down a lucrative job offer to stay with low-paying job… “his kids” and his class. But Richard cannot be swayed from helping the kids find new hope in life. When Richard’s class is reaching new levels of achievement in their studies the tide is turned, his wife comes to his side, and his Knights of the South Bronx battle their way to winning championships and battling all signs of defeat… often from within their own minds and ranks - their classmates. But they encourage one another and overcome, inspired by the game of chess.

Running Time: 86 minutes

GET IT NOW! 

Popularity: 8% [?]

Share This

Posted by Cikgu Farizal | 1 Comment »

No other program in the past years was able to win as many world championship titles as Shredder. The new version, Shredder 11, is stronger than any previous version, with its performance improved by about 100 Elo points. This was achieved by implementing more effecient search techniques and a new evaluation function which delivers more realistic assessments. Shredder still likes to go on the attack, but is not as speculative as previous versions. The evaluation of passed pawns has also been greatly improved. All of this leads to more reliable and realistic results during your analysis with the computer. A completely new feature is the “Opening Advisor”, which allows Shredder to handle opening lines much better without the help of an openings book.

Included:

* Original Fritz 10 interface: Included in the Shredder 11 package is the latest Fritz interface with extensive training and entertainment features for beginners, club players and grandmasters.
* Shredder 11 also gives you full and free access to the ChessBase Playchess server (1 year), where you can play games against people all over the world. Naturally the Shredder 11 engine runs under the Fritz interface.
* Tournament openings book: The enhanced and extended Shredder openings book gives you full statistical information for every move that has been played in the current position. In addition you get a database with 1 million historic and current games.

Shredder’s world championship titles:

* Jakarta 1996: World micro-computer chess champion
* Paderborn 1999: Computer chess world champion
* London 2000: World micro-computer chess champion
* Maastricht 2001: World micro-computer chess champion
* Maastricht 2002: Computer chess blitz world champion
* Graz 2003: Computer chess world champion and blitz world champion
* Tel Aviv 2004: Computer chess blitz world champion
* Reykjavik 2005: Computer chess blitz world champion
* Mainz 2006 Chess960 Computer chess world champion
* Amsterdam 2007: Computer chess blitz world champion

System Requirements: Minimum: Pentium 300 MHz, 64 MB RAM, Windows Vista or XP (SP 2), DVD ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9. Recommended: Pentium IV 2.2 GHz or higher, 256 MB RAM, Windows Vista, GeForce5 or compatible graphics card with 64 MB RAM or higher, 100% DirectX compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 9, DVD ROM drive.

GET IT NOW! 

Popularity: 11% [?]

Share This

Posted by Cikgu Farizal | No Comments »