Ivanchuk Is The New World Rapid Chess Champion--Grischuk Second

Carlsen finished third losing one game today as White in spectacular fashion.

[Event "World Rapid 2016"]
[Site "Doha QAT"]
[Date "2016.12.28"]
[Round "11.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Korobov, Anton"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2840"]
[BlackElo "2692"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 c5 3. e3 Nc6 4. c3 Nf6 5. Nd2 e6 6. Ngf3 Bd6 7. Bg3 O-O 8. Bb5
Ne7 9. Bd3 b6 10. e4 Bxg3 11. hxg3 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Ng6 13. dxc5 Bb7 14. Nxf6+
Qxf6 15. cxb6 e5 16. Bxg6 hxg6 17. Qd7 Qxb6 18. Ng5 Bxg2 19. O-O-O Rab8 20. b3
Qxf2 21. Qg4 Rfc8 22. Kb1 Rxc3 23. Qb4 Rcc8 0-1

Ivanchuk Leads At World Rapid Championship After Round 10

Ivanchuk Leads World Rapid Championship by 1/2 Point After en Rounds.
Here are two of his wins from today. The first is his win as White against a Caro Kahn. The second is his win over Carlsen.
[Event "World Rapid 2016"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"]
[Site "Doha QAT"]
[Round "4.4"]
[Annotator ""]
[Result "1-0"]
[Date "2016.12.26"]
[WhiteElo "2747"]
[BlackElo "2689"]
[PlyCount "97"]

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d3 dxe4 4. dxe4 Qxd1+ 5. Kxd1 Bg4 6. Be3 Nd7 7. Nbd2 e5 8. Bc4 Bc5 9. Ke2 Bxe3 10. Kxe3 Ngf6 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Nxf3 Ke7 13. Rhd1 Nb6 14. Nxe5 Nfd7 15. Rxd7+ Nxd7 16. Nxf7 Rhf8 17. Ng5 b5 18. Bb3 a5 19. a3 Ne5 20. Ne6 Rfb8 21. Nxg7 a4 22. Nf5+ Kf6 23. f4 axb3 24. fxe5+ Kxe5 25. cxb3 c5 26. Rc1 c4 27. Nd4 Rc8 28. b4 c3 29. bxc3 Rxa3 30. Nxb5 Ra2 31. Rf1 Rxg2 32. Rf5+ Ke6 33. Rh5 Rg7 34. Nd4+ Kf6 35. Rf5+ Ke7 36. Kd3 Rg3+ 37. Rf3 Rxf3+ 38. Nxf3 Rg8 39. h4 Rg3 40. Ke3 Rg4 41. c4 h5 42. c5 Kd8 43. b5 Kc7 44. e5 Rc4 45. Nd4 Rc3+ 46. Ke4 Rh3 47. Nf5 Rb3 48. b6+ Kb7 49. e6 1-0

[Event "World Rapid 2016"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Site "Doha QAT"]
[Round "7.1"]
[Annotator ""]
[Result "1-0"]
[Date "2016.12.27"]
[WhiteElo "2747"]
[BlackElo "2840"]
[PlyCount "103"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 e6 5. Nbd2 dxc4 6. Nxc4 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 0-0 9. b4 Be7 10. Bb2 Qc7 11. Rc1 Nbd7 12. e4 b5 13. Na5 Qxc2 14. Rxc2 Nxe4 15. Bxb5 Nd6 16. Bc6 Rb8 17. 0-0 Nb6 18. Rd1 Rd8 19. Ne5 f6 20. Bf3 fxe5 21. Nc6 Bb7 22. Nxe7+ Kf8 23. Bxe5 Nbc4 24. Bxd6 Nxd6 25. Nc6 Bxc6 26. Rxc6 Nb5 27. Rxd8+ Rxd8 28. Ra6 Rc8 29. h4 Rc7 30. Bg4 e5 31. Ra5 Nd6 32. Rxe5 Nc4 33. Rf5+ Ke7 34. Rf3 Ne5 35. Re3 Kd6 36. Be2 h6 37. f4 Rc1+ 38. Kf2 Nd7 39. Bf3 Rc2+ 40. Kg3 Ra2 41. Rd3+ Ke7 42. Rc3 Kd8 43. Kg4 Rd2 44. Rc6 Rd3 45. Ra6 Nf6+ 46. Kf5 Rd7 47. g4 Ne8 48. g5 hxg5 49. hxg5 Nd6+ 50. Kg6 Nb5 51. Ra5 Nd4 52. Bg4 1-0

All the games can be found at chessbase

http://en.chessbase.com/post/rapid-world-championship-vassily-ivanchuk-strikes

Even GMs Make Blunders Like Mortals

Luke McShane played ...Rd1 leading to a back rank mate.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/23/valentina-gunina-wesley-so-super-rapidplay

Kavalek Looks Back on 50 Years

http://en.chessbase.com/post/lubomir-kavalek-nailed-to-the-chessboard-for-50-years

Weekly Chess Starting in Danville, Tuesday, January 17 from 6PM until 9PM

Mike Chadburn has tentatively agreed to a 1/17/2017 start of chess at his new place of business in Danville, VT. on Rt. 2 in the VT Liquor Store -- North side of the road just before the intersection with the traffic light as one drives West from St. Johnsbury.

We will be incorporating as Kingdom Chess Association, Ltd., which we hope to have qualified with the IRS as a 501 (c)3 charitable organization. Mike Chadburn, Melissa Manseau and I will be the incorporators and directors. There will be some basic costs to the club as a US Chess affiliate that includes annual affiliation fee and liability insurance (you never know when someone might lose and turn their wood board into a weapon of mass destruction). Thus, after several free visits, we will likely have the option of an annual association fee, probably in the range of $25 a year, or people can play for perhaps $5 a visit. The annual amount is the clear bargain and will help to meet costs.

Mike is in the process of obtaining appropriate food and beverage licenses to allow us to eat and drink wine or beer/ale from his Growler Bar. We may have something similar to the chess pub night done in Toronto once a month where anyone can attend and for an "pub fee" have a sandwich, a Pint and hear a talk by a well-regarded chess player or play a simul, perhaps against someone like David Carter.

A central part of our mission will be to grow adult chess in Vermont in partnership with the Vermont Chess Association and in the Northeast Kingdom with any number of groups that might find chess a way of helping the overall community.

Please join us for chess, conversation and community building in Danville, starting 1/17/2017. Good chess to all.

New Vermont Chess Club Is Forming Based In Danville Vermont

   A soon to be non-profit organization affiliated with US Chess, the national governing body for tournament chess in the United States. We will be meeting at Mike Chadburn's new place of business in Danville, VT on Tuesday evenings from 6PM until 9PM beginning in mid-January.

   All levels of chess expertise are welcome, from absolute beginners to the World Champion should Magnus pass through the area. 

   Good chess to all!  Visit us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/700339456802664/?ref=bookmarks

The London Chess Classic Has Begun With An Interesting So Win Over Nakamura

Wesley so leads the overall Grand Prix chess series. His win over Nakamura is a sweet one. Pgn is below with analysis by Fritz 12.

[Event "8th London Classic 2016"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "2016.12.09"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nakamura, Hi"]
[Black "So, W."]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2779"]
[BlackElo "2794"]
[Annotator "Fritz 12 (15m)"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

{D85: Exchange Grünfeld: Unusual White 7th moves and lines with 7 Nf3} 1. d4
Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8. Rc1 O-O
9. Qd2 e5 {last book move. Black threatens to win material: e5xd4} 10. d5 {
White has a new protected passed pawn: d5} (10. Nf3 exd4 11. cxd4 cxd4 12. Nxd4
Qe7 $11) 10... Nd7 (10... Qd6 11. Bd3 $11) 11. c4 {Black's piece can't move: c8
} (11. f3 Qc7 $14) 11... f5 $11 {Black threatens to win material: f5xe4} 12.
Bg5 {White threatens to win material: Bg5xd8} (12. exf5 $5 {is worth
consideration} gxf5 13. Bg5 $11) 12... Nf6 $15 {Black threatens to win
material: Nf6xe4} 13. Ne2 $2 (13. exf5 $142 $5 {is an interesting idea} Bxf5
14. Bd3 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 $15) 13... Nxe4 $17 14. Bxd8 Nxd2 15. Be7 Rf7 16. Bxc5
Nxf1 17. Rxf1 b6 18. Bb4 Ba6 19. f4 (19. f3 Rc8 20. c5 bxc5 21. Rxc5 Rxc5 22.
Bxc5 Rc7 $19) 19... Rc8 $19 20. fxe5 $2 (20. c5 $142 bxc5 21. Rxc5 (21. Bxc5 $4
Rfc7 22. Be3 Rxc1+ 23. Bxc1 exf4 $19) 21... Rxc5 22. Bxc5 $19) 20... Bxe5 21.
Rf3 Bxc4 (21... Rxc4 {might be the shorter path} 22. Rxc4 Bxc4 23. Re3 Bxh2 24.
d6 $19) 22. Re3 Bg7 (22... Bxh2 $6 23. a4 a6 24. g3 $17) 23. Nf4 Rd7 24. a4 Bh6
25. g3 Bxf4 26. gxf4 Rxd5 27. Re7 Rd4 28. Bd2 Kf8 29. Bb4 (29. Be3 Rd3 30. Re5
Kf7 $19) 29... Re8 (29... Re8 30. Rxe8+ Kxe8 $19) 0-1

2018 World Chess Championship Slated For Asia According to Kirsan

The Next World Chess Championship Match is to be Held in Asia.
China or North Korea anyone? I think the Great Leader in Pyongyang is capable of tightening his citizens' belts to fund a WCC sanctioned by an organization led by a man under US sanctions. The Great Leader likely will jump at the opportunity, especially if Kirsan can arrange a ride for him in an alien spacecraft. James Franco could host the event on Agon Television with Seth Rogan and Randall Park helping with color commentary. 
http://tass.com/sport/915798

Carlsen Retains His Classical Chess Title In Rapid Tiebreaks

Carlsen Wins In The Rapid Games after falling into a stalemate in a winning position in game 2. Here are the pgns for the decisive games 3 and 4.

[Event "Carlsen-Karjakin World Chess Championsh"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.11.30"]
[Round "15.1"]
[White "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2853"]
[Annotator "Fritz 12 (10m)"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Russia"]
[BlackTeam "Norway"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "NOR"]

{C84: Closed Ruy Lopez: Unusual White 6th moves} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6
4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 $146 (9. c3 Na5 10.
Ba2 c5 11. Nbd2 Qc7 12. Re1 Re8 13. Nf1 h6 14. Ng3 c4 15. d4 Bd7 16. d5 Bc8 17.
h3 Nh7 18. Be3 Rf8 19. Qd2 Nb7 20. Bb1 Nc5 21. Bc2 Rb8 22. Rad1 Rd8 23. Qe2 a5
{Osmanovic,F (2138)-Kryukova,I (2249)/Marianske Lazne 2008/CBM 122 Extra/1/2-1/
2}) (9. Nbd2 Na5 10. Ba2 c5 11. Re1 Nc6 12. Nf1 Be6 13. Bxe6 (13. Ne3 Bxa2 14.
Rxa2 d5 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Ra1 Qd7 17. Nxd5 Qxd5 18. Qe2 f6 19. Qe4 Rfd8 20. Bd2
Rac8 21. Qxd5+ Rxd5 22. Re2 g5 23. h3 h5 24. g4 Kf7 25. Kg2 Kg6 26. Re4 Nd4 27.
Ne1 hxg4 {Magyar,A (2248)-Jurcik,M (2367)/Banska Stiavnica 2007/CBM 119 ext/
0-1 (36)}) 13... fxe6 14. c3 Qd7 15. Ng3 c4 16. b4 cxd3 17. Qxd3 Nd8 18. c4 Nf7
19. Bd2 Rac8 20. cxb5 Qxb5 21. Qb3 Qc4 22. Qxc4 Rxc4 23. Rac1 Rfc8 {Anand,V
(2792)-Aronian,L (2750)/Mainz 2007/CBM 120/1/2-1/2}) 9... Na5 (9... Bg4 10. h3
Bxf3 11. Qxf3 $11) 10. Ba2 Be6 11. b4 {White threatens to win material: b4xa5}
Nc6 12. Nd5 Nd4 (12... a5 13. Bd2 $11) 13. Ng5 (13. Nxd4 exd4 14. Bb2 c5 $14)
13... Bxd5 $11 14. exd5 {White has the pair of bishops} Nd7 (14... h6 15. Nf3
$11) 15. Ne4 $14 f5 {Black threatens to win material: f5xe4} 16. Nd2 f4 {Wins
material} 17. c3 {White threatens to win material: c3xd4} Nf5 18. Ne4 {A sound
move} Qe8 19. Bb3 (19. Qg4 h5 20. Qh3 Qg6 $11) 19... Qg6 $15 20. f3 Bh4 21. a4
Nf6 22. Qe2 a5 23. axb5 axb4 24. Bd2 bxc3 25. Bxc3 Ne3 {Black threatens to win
material: Ne3xf1. Praise the knight!} 26. Rfc1 Rxa1 {Black has a mate threat} (
26... Nfxd5 $2 {doesn't work because of} 27. Qxe3 $5 {Double attack: a8/g8}
fxe3 28. Bxd5+ Kh8 29. Rxa8 Rxa8 30. Bxa8 $16) 27. Rxa1 Qe8 (27... Nfxd5 $4 {
the pawn is something Black will choke on} 28. Qa2 $18) 28. Bc4 Kh8 29. Nxf6
Bxf6 30. Ra3 e4 (30... Qb8 31. Ra6 $11) 31. dxe4 $14 Bxc3 32. Rxc3 Qe5 {Black
threatens to win material: Qe5xc3} 33. Rc1 Ra8 34. h3 {Consolidates g4} (34.
Qd2 Kg8 $11) 34... h6 (34... Qd4 35. Kh1 $11) 35. Kh2 Qd4 36. Qe1 (36. Ba2 Ra7
$11) 36... Qb2 $15 {Black has a mate threat} ({Worse is} 36... Nxc4 37. Qb4 $16
) 37. Bf1 Ra2 38. Rxc7 $4 (38. Rb1 $142 {was much better} Qf6 39. Be2 $15)
38... Ra1 $19 (38... Ra1 39. Qxa1 Qxa1 $19) 0-1

[Event "Carlsen-Karjakin World Chess Championsh"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.11.30"]
[Round "16.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B55"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Fritz 12 (15m)"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Norway"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

{B55: Sicilian: 2...d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 f3} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. f3 e5 6. Nb3 Be7 7. c4 a5 8. Be3 a4 9. Nc1 (9. N3d2 Qa5 10. Be2
(10. Nc3 O-O 11. Be2 Bd7 12. O-O Na6 13. Kh1 Nc7 14. Rb1 Ne6 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16.
cxd5 Nc5 17. Nc4 Qc7 18. Qd2 b5 19. Na3 Qb7 20. Rbc1 Rfc8 21. Rfd1 Bd8 22. Qe1
Ba5 23. Qf1 Rab8 24. Rc2 Bb4 {Nyzhnyk,I (2504)-Damljanovic,B (2587)/Budva 2009/
CBM 130/1-0 (79)}) 10... Bd8 11. Nc3 a3 12. b4 Qxb4 13. Nb5 O-O 14. Rb1 Qa5 15.
Nxd6 Qc7 16. Nb5 Qc6 17. Nc3 Nh5 18. g3 Qg6 19. Nd5 Nc6 20. f4 Nxf4 21. gxf4
exf4 22. Bf2 Re8 23. Nxf4 Qd6 {Zvjaginsev,V (2635)-Novikov,I (2590)/Luzern
1997/CBM 062/1-0 (55)}) 9... O-O $146 {Black castles and improves king safety}
(9... Nc6 10. Bd3 Qa5+ 11. Qd2 Bd8 12. Ne2 Be6 13. Na3 Bb6 14. Qxa5 Bxa5+ 15.
Nc3 Ke7 16. Ke2 Nd7 17. Nd5+ Bxd5 18. cxd5 Nd4+ 19. Bxd4 exd4 20. Bb5 Ne5 21.
Rhc1 Bb6 22. f4 Ng4 23. Nc4 Bc5 24. h3 {Mastrovasilis,D (2567)-Vouldis,A (2521)
/Ermioni 2006/CBM 113 ext/1-0 (39)}) 10. Nc3 {White threatens to win material:
Nc3xa4} Qa5 11. Qd2 Na6 (11... Nc6 $5 $15) 12. Be2 Nc5 13. O-O Bd7 14. Rb1 Rfc8
(14... Ne6 $5 $11) 15. b4 $14 axb3 16. axb3 (16. Nxb3 Qa6 $14) 16... Qd8 (16...
Ne6 17. b4 Qd8 18. g3 $11) 17. Nd3 $11 Ne6 18. Nb4 {White has an active
position} Bc6 (18... Qa5 19. Nc2 $11) 19. Rfd1 (19. Nbd5 Bxd5 20. cxd5 Nd4 21.
Bxd4 exd4 22. Qxd4 Nd7 $16) 19... h5 20. Bf1 h4 21. Qf2 {White threatens to
win material: Qf2xh4} Nd7 22. g3 {Controls f4} Ra3 {White has an active
position} 23. Bh3 Rca8 24. Nc2 R3a6 25. Nb4 {White threatens to win material:
Nb4xa6} Ra5 (25... Ra3 26. Bxe6 fxe6 27. Nc2 $14) 26. Nc2 b6 {Covers c5} 27.
Rd2 Qc7 (27... Kh7 $5 $11) 28. Rbd1 $14 Bf8 29. gxh4 Nf4 (29... R5a7 30. h5
Ndc5 31. b4 $18) 30. Bxf4 exf4 31. Bxd7 Qxd7 32. Nb4 Ra3 33. Nxc6 Qxc6 34. Nb5
Rxb3 35. Nd4 Qxc4 36. Nxb3 Qxb3 37. Qe2 Be7 {Black threatens to win material:
Be7xh4} 38. Kg2 Qe6 39. h5 Ra3 40. Rd3 Ra2 41. R3d2 {White threatens to win
material: Rd2xa2} Ra3 42. Rd3 {Twofold repetition} Ra7 (42... Ra2 43. R1d2 Ra7
$16) 43. Rd5 $16 Rc7 (43... Ra3 44. R1d3 Ra4 45. Qd2 $16) 44. Qd2 $18 Qf6 45.
Rf5 Qh4 (45... Qh6 46. Qxf4 Rc2+ 47. Kg3 $18) 46. Rc1 Ra7 $2 (46... Rxc1 47.
Qxc1 Bf6 48. Qxf4 Qxf4 49. Rxf4 $18) 47. Qxf4 (47. Rc8+ $142 {finishes off the
opponent} Bd8 48. h6 gxh6 49. Rxf4 Qe7 50. Rg4+ Kh7 $18) 47... Ra2+ 48. Kh1 Qf2
$4 {Black falls apart} (48... Qxf4 49. Rxf4 f6 $18) 49. Rc8+ Kh7 (49... Bf8 {
a fruitless try to alter the course of the game} 50. Rxf8+ $1 {Decoy: a5} Kxf8
51. Rxf7+ Ke8 52. Rf8+ Kd7 53. Qf5+ Kc6 54. Rc8+ Kb7 55. Qd7+ Ka6 56. Ra8#) 50.
Qh6+ $3 {Deflection: f7} (50. Qh6+ Kxh6 51. Rh8#) 1-0

And Now--Rapid/Blitz Playoff Games Will Determine the Classical World Chess Championship

Note to FIDE and Agon. Tie breaks for a classical chess championship are stupid and uninteresting. There are separate Rapid and Blitz world championships already. If there's a tie in one of those, do they have a playoff with games played at classical time controls? This boring championship match is thankfully over for this classical time control fan. It matters not who wins these bullshit Rapid/Blitz playoffs. 

BTW, it will be interesting to see how much money FIDE receives from Agon from the proceeds of this match. High time for the major chess powers, excluding Russia, to form a new international chess governing body.

The Reality Behind the Agon Created and Controlled Facade

Thank you NY Times for showing the reality of the emperor's clothes.  Imagine paying $600+ per day to be in the VIP area with unfinished ceiling and sprinkler system visible!

FIDE and Kirsan Problematic for the Business and Growth of Chess Sponsorship

The reality is that business knows how connected FIDE and AGON are to corrupt Russians in Putin's circle. Today from Bloomberg News:
"It didn’t help. The New York tournament, which hoped to attract luxury retailers and financial firms as sponsors, wound up with an odd quartet: a Russian fertilizer company, a Moscow-based asset-management firm, a Norwegian bottled-water company that sponsors Carlsen, and S.T. Dupont, whose stylish pens are being used by the two players to make notes. “People are afraid,” Makropoulos said." As well they should be. As Karpov is quoted as saying,“Any dickhead could do a better job.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-world-chess-championship/

Why We Should All Support The Boycott of the Women's World Chess Championship Set In Iran For 2017

"Not surprisingly, many have called for a lifting of the boycott on Tehran’s chess tournament and have shunned women from the outside for meddling in the affairs of Iranian women. Once again, women are counseled to turn a deaf ear on their natural allies and trust in “quiet and slow reform.” But Paikidze is doing for the cause of gender equality in Iran what Ray Charles did when he refused to perform in the segregated American South. She is refusing to play by the rules of the oppressors. Where would the civil rights movement be if high profile advocates had not rained on the Jim Crow parade?

There has been no greater plague on human rights campaigns in Iran than “relativism” and its post-modern peddlers. The only thing relativist arguments achieve is to disband the hard-earned solidarity established despite border lines by the idealism of the 20th century. Now relativists are bullying female chess players and their supporters into withdrawing their boycott, accusing them of “cultural meddling.”

Women are women wherever they may be, and as such they have the right to make their own decisions — be it about their dress or their reproductive rights. Those who argue that female activists in Iran should keep their “foreign” sympathizers at bay and opt for slow reform have not suffered under the mandatory veil for the longest 37 years of their lives. No doubt if a well-meaning bus-driver had quietly allowed Rosa Parks to sit at the front of the bus, she would have gotten off and waited for the next bus, for any right that is earned as a mere hush-hush favor, without a binding social contract, can just as hush-hushedly be taken away.

If a movement for equality were to reject global support, it would betray a lack of conviction in its cause. To keep a struggle “local,” is to reduce the gravity of its historic plight, as if fighting for the freedom to choose how to dress were a mere squabble to be settled by the village chief. It infantilizes women by belittling their concerns. To become equal citizens, Iranian women cannot be expected to behave as defenseless minors, at the mercy of governmental masters. As for the rest of us, we must steel ourselves against academic fatwas and relativist opinions. We must keep doing what women do best: stand together in sisterhood."

http://www.politico.eu/article/women-right-to-boycott-iran-world-chess-tournament-tehran-2017/

Carlsen Wins Tenth Game To Level the WCC Match

[Event "Carlsen-Karjakin World Chess Championshi"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.11.24"]
[Round "10.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Norway"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]
[TimeControl "6600+1875"]
[WhiteClock "0:06:34"]
[BlackClock "0:04:52"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. O-O
d6 9. Nbd2 Nh5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Nc4 Nf4 12. Ne3 Qf6 13. g3 Nh3+ 14. Kh1 Ne7
15. Bc4 c6 16. Bb3 Ng6 17. Qe2 a5 18. a4 Be6 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. Nd2 d5 21. Qh5
Ng5 22. h4 Nf3 23. Nxf3 Qxf3+ 24. Qxf3 Rxf3 25. Kg2 Rf7 26. Rfe1 h5 27. Nf1 Kf8
28. Nd2 Ke7 29. Re2 Kd6 30. Nf3 Raf8 31. Ng5 Re7 32. Rae1 Rfe8 33. Nf3 Nh8 34.
d4 exd4 35. Nxd4 g6 36. Re3 Nf7 37. e5+ Kd7 38. Rf3 Nh6 39. Rf6 Rg7 40. b4 axb4
41. cxb4 Ng8 42. Rf3 Nh6 43. a5 Nf5 44. Nb3 Kc7 45. Nc5 Kb8 46. Rb1 Ka7 47. Rd3
Rc7 48. Ra3 Nd4 49. Rd1 Nf5 50. Kh3 Nh6 51. f3 Rf7 52. Rd4 Nf5 53. Rd2 Rh7 54.
Rb3 Ree7 55. Rdd3 Rh8 56. Rb1 Rhh7 57. b5 cxb5 58. Rxb5 d4 59. Rb6 Rc7 60. Nxe6
Rc3 61. Nf4 Rhc7 62. Nd5 Rxd3 63. Nxc7 Kb8 64. Nb5 Kc8 65. Rxg6 Rxf3 66. Kg2
Rb3 67. Nd6+ Nxd6 68. Rxd6 Re3 69. e6 Kc7 70. Rxd4 Rxe6 71. Rd5 Rh6 72. Kf3 Kb8
73. Kf4 Ka7 74. Kg5 Rh8 75. Kf6 1-0

In Depth BBC Radio Program on FIDE's President

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04gn2h1

Federal District Court Judge Marrero Files His Decision and Order Ruling Against Agon

The court filed its decision and order denying Agon's minions the requested preliminary injunction. This is one of those decisions that can make the losing attorney feel like he should have become a shoe salesman instead of an attorney. Presumably, Patterson Bellknap got a nice retainer up front. 

VICTOR MARRERO, United States District Judge. 
Plaintiffs World Chess US, Inc. and World Chess Events 
Ltd. (collectively, "World Chess") filed a complaint in this 
Court against defendants Chessgames Services LLC 
(" Chessgames") , E-Learning Ltd. ( "E-Learning") , and Logical 
Thinking Ltd. (together with E-Learning, "Chess24") 
(collectively, "Defendants"). The complaint alleges (1) 
misappropriation of "hot news" and (2) breach of contract or, 
in the alternative, tortious interference with contractual 
relations. 
World Chess filed a motion for a temporary restraining 
order and preliminary injunction, seeking to prevent 
Defendants from publishing updates regarding the 2016 World 
Chess Championship Match ("Championship") while the games are 
in progress. The motion was supported by a memorandum of law 
dated November 7, 2016. ("Memorandum," Dkt. No. 16.) The 
Championship was scheduled to commence in New York City on 
November 11, 2016 and continue through November 30, 2016. On 
November 10, Chess24 filed its Memorandum of Law in Opposition 
to World Chess's Motion. ("Opposition," Dkt. No. 11.) 
The Court held a preliminary injunction hearing on 
November 10, 2016, at which it heard oral argument from World 
Chess and Chess24. 1 ("Preliminary Injunction Hearing," Dkt. 
Minute Entry for Nov. 10, 2016). For the reasons stated by 
the Court at the conclusion of the Preliminary Injunction 
Hearing and the reasons stated below, World Chess's motion 
for a preliminary injunction is DENIED. 
I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND 
World Chess, a British Virgin Islands corporation with 
its principal place of business in New York, organizes 
championship-level chess tournaments and sells tickets for 
admission to its live tournament events. World Chess also 
maintains a website on which it distributes real-time 
webcasts of tournament games and commentary, among other 
things, to website subscribers. (Memorandum, at 1-2.) World 
Chess is the organizer of the Championship. 
1 At the time of the Preliminary Injunction Hearing, Chessgames had not yet secured legal counsel and therefore did not participate in the hearing. (See "November 10 Letter," Dkt. No. 13.) 
Chess24, a Gibraltar corporation, is the operator of a 
website providing chess-oriented content, including, among 
other things, a "live broadcast" of matches from major events 
and accompanying commentary. (Opposition, at 5.) While the 
designation may suggest otherwise, Chess24's "live 
broadcasts" do not consist of "video feeds of the players of 
the chess games themselves" but rather of a "computer
generated 'virtual' chess board" on which Chess24 displays a 
chess player's moves as the live game progresses. (Id.) 
Chess24 also reports on live games by displaying a series of 
alphanumeric characters corresponding to specific chess 
moves, and by providing running commentary from chess experts 
as to the matches' progress. (See Id., at 5-6; "McGourty 
Declaration," Dkt. No. 12, at 4-5.) 
The previous World Chess Championship, which was held 
in 2014, was organized by World Chess and reported on by 
Chess24 in the manner described above without issue between 
the parties. (See Opposition, at 7.) Following the March 2016 
"Candidates Tournament," an affiliate of World Chess 
initiated litigation against Chess24 in Moscow seeking 
monetary and injunctive relief alleging Chess24 engaged in 
unfair competition by reporting on and broadcasting the 
players' chess moves. On October 25, 2016, the Commercial 
Court of Moscow held a hearing in the matter and denied World 
Chess relief. (See id., at 7-8.) 
On November 7, World Chess filed the comglaint in this 
action against Chess24 and Chessgames alleging 
(1) misappropriation of "hot news" and (2) breach of contract 
or, in the alternative, tortious interference with 
contractual relations. The complaint also seeks to require 
third party service providers to take any actions necessary 
to block the Defendants' websites from continuing to operate 
should Defendants fail to comply with the temporary 
restraining order. Final9..y, World Chess seeks declaratory 
relief "to confirm the enforceability of World Chess's 
website and admission ticket terms and conditions and that 
the defendants' retransmission of the chess moves is in 
violation of one or both of these contracts and also 
constitutes actionable misappropriation." ("Complaint," Dkt. 
No. 1, at 2.) 
Together with the Complaint, World Chess also filed a 
Motion seeking an order to prohibit Chess24 from republishing 
updates of each game at the Championship while the matches 
are in progress. World Chess argues that, as the organizer of 
the Championship, it "has obtained exclusive access to and 
rights to stage and disseminate the [chess] moves" 
themselves. (Memorandum, at 13-14.) Accordingly, World Chess 
argues Chess24' s "reproduction of the moves made by 
contestants" constitutes "misappropriation of the chess 
moves" and should be enjoined. (Id., at 13, 21.) 
In its Opposition, Chess24 argues that tije information 
on which it seeks to report, including the chess players' 
moves, consists of factual data that will be in the public 
domain by the time of Chess24's reports and commentary. (See 
Opposition, at 6.) Chess24 maintains that it will not be 
copying (or pirating) any content prepared by World Chess and 
"nothing will be published on the Chess24 Website before it 
is made public from some other source." (Id., at 5-6.) Rather, 
Chess24 states that it intends to gather its website content 
of the Championship chess moves not from any agents attending 
and reporting on the matches, but from a variety of secondary 
sources that are publicly available, including the 
broadcasting of the Championship on Norwegian television and 
from third-party websites, such as posts on Facebook and 
Twitter. (See id.) Chess24 contends that it will then project 
the players' moves onto a virtual chess board of Chess24's 
creation; make alphanumeric notations of the moves in a manner 
commonly understood in the sport; and provide their 
subscribers with detailed written and video commentary about 
the Championship. (See id., at 4-5.) 
II. DISCUSSION 
A. LEGAL STANDARD 
The district court has wide discretion in determining 
whether to grant a preliminary injunction. ~ Grand River 
Enter. Six Nations, Ltd. v. Pryor, 481 F.3d 60, 66 (2d Cir. 
2007) (per curiam) (citations omitted). However, a preliminary 
injunction "is an extraordinary and drastic remedy, one that 
should not be granted unless the movant, by a clear showing, 
carries the burden of persuasion." Id. at 66 (internal 
quotation marks omitted) . 2 
A party seeking a preliminary injunction must 
demonstrate "(1) either (a) a likelihood of success on the 
merits or (b) sufficiently serious questions going to the 
merits to make them a fair ground for litigation and a balance 
of hardships tipping decidedly in the movant's favor, and (2) 
irreparable harm in the absence of the injunction." Faiveley 
Transport Mahno AB v. Wabtec Corp., 559 F.3d 110, 116 (2d 
Cir. 2009) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). 
B. APPLICATION 
The Court finds that World Chess has failed to make a 
sufficient showing that it is entitled to injunctive relief. 
2 The legal standards governing preliminary injunctions and temporary restraining orders are the same. See AFA Dispensing Group B. V. v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc., 740 F. Supp. 2d 465, 471 (S.D.N.Y. 2010). 
First, World Chess has failed to demonstrate that 
Defendants would be pirating, by live redistrib~tion on their 
websites, the reports of chess moves that World Chess would 
produce and distribute. The Court is not persuaded that 
Chess24 would be taking content from World Chess and merely 
"free-riding" or republishing the information for Chess24's 
own subscribers. Rather, the evidence presented indicates 
that Chess24 digests factual information about the 
Championship from secondary sources and creates its own 
website content at great expense. (See Opposition, at 4-5.) 
Second, World Chess must show that it is more likely 
than not to prevail should this action be tried in court. 
See AFA Dispensing Grp. B.V., 740 F. Supp. 2d at 473. World 
Chess has not met its burden. World Chess relies on the Second 
Circuit's decision in National Basketball Association v. 
Motorola, Inc., 105 F.3d 841, 845 (2d Cir. 1997), for the 
proposition that Defendants are liable for "hot news" 
misappropriation. However, as Chess24 contends, National 
Basketball Association expressly rejected the NBA' s "hot 
news" misappropriation argument. Specifically, the Second 
Circuit "held that the NBA could not prevent Motorola from 
attending and watching basketball games and selling play-by
play accounts of the game to its mobile customers." 105 F.3d 
at 846. In pertinent part, the Second Circuit found that: 
"Motorola expend [s] their own resources to collect 
purely factual information generated in NBA games to transmit 
to SportsTrax pagers. They have their own network and assemble 
and transmit data themselves." Id. at 854. 
Similarly, in Barclays Capital Inc. v. 
Theflyonthewall.com, Inc., financial services firms brought 
suit against an Internet-based subscription news aggregation 
service alleging "hot news" misappropriation and copyright 
infringement as to their securities recommendations. 
Plaintiffs argued that the defendant's republication of their 
securities recommendations before they were known to the 
public constituted "hot news" misappropriation. See 650 F.3d 
876 (2d Cir. 2011). The Second Circuit dismissed the case, 
holding that the "hot 'news" misappropriation claim was 
preempted by federal copyright law and that the defendant was 
not "free riding" on the plaintiffs' efforts, but rather were 
collecting, summarizing, and disseminating news of the 
securities recommendations "through a substantial 
organization effort." Id. at 905. 
Based on a review of the evidence in this case, the Court 
finds no material difference between the facts presented here 
and those at issue in National Basketball Association and 
Barclays Capital Inc .. As an initial matter, the Court is not 
persuaded that World Chess alone can report on the 
Championship game scores. Indeed, it is well-established that 
sports scores and events, like players' moves in the 
Championship, are facts not protectable by copyright. 
Nat'l Basketball Ass'n., 105 F.3d at 946. Further, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
See 
the 
evidence presented here shows Chess24 has expended 
considerable resources and hired employees to collect from 
secondary sources, analyze, and project factual information 
about the Championship, among other things, to its users. 
(Opoosition, at 5; McGourty Declaration, at 7.) Like 
Motorola's SportsTrax pager, Chess24's virtual chessboard and 
compilation of players' moves display factual data that 
Chess24 has "assemble[d] and transmit[ted] ... themselves." 
Nat'l Basketball Ass'n., 105 F.3d at 854. 
Third, " [a] showing of irreparable harm is the single 
most important prerequisite for the issuance of a preliminary 
injunction." Faiveley Transport Mahno AB, 559 F.3d at 116. 
"To satisfy the irreparable harm requirement, Plaintiffs must 
demonstrate that absent a preliminary injunction they will 
suffer an injury that is neither remote nor speculative, but 
actual and imminent, and one that cannot be remedied if a 
court waits until the end of trial to resolve the harm." Grand 
River Enter. Six Nations, Ltd., 481 F.3d at 66. 
Here, World Chess has failed to show that it would suffer 
an immediate injury that cannot be remedied by money damages 
after trial. Even assuming World Chess is correct that - in 
the absence of relief - Defendants' reproduction of the chess 
moves made by the contestants in the Championship devalues 
World Chess's website product and threatens the existence of 
its website, World Chess has provided no basis for concluding 
that it cannot be sufficiently compensated by money damages. 
The alleged injury here - that a rival website operated by 
Defendants may supplant some in-person ticket sales and 
subscribership to World Chess's website - is precisely the 
type of loss compensable by money damages. Moreover, as 
Chess24 indicates, World Chess licenses "to various websites 
the right to report on the [Championship] in real time, thus 
implicitly conceding that any injury is fully compensable by 
monetary damages (i.e. lost licensing fees)." (Opposition, at 
3. ) 
Fourth, World Chess has failed to show that the balance 
of equities tips decidedly in its favor. World Chess argues 
that "absent a preliminary injunction with a temporary 
restraining order, World Chess will likely lose a substantial 
number of subscribers and lose its goodwill as the party with 
exclusive control over dissemination of Championship updates 
and organizer of the Championship." (Memorandum, at 20.) By 
contrast, Chess24 argues that it will lose revenue and 
reputation if prevented from reporting on the Championship. 
On balance, the Court agrees with Chess24 that the public 
interest is best served by the robust reporting of factual 
data concerning the contestants' moves accompanied by 
analysis and commentary on the Championship. 
Having found that World Chess has failed to establish 
that it satisfies the requirements for a preliminary 
injunction, the Court is persuaded that Defendants should be 
permitted to report on the Championship while this action is 
pending. 
III. ORDER 
For the foregoing reasons, it is hereby 
ORDERED that the motion of plaintiffs World Chess us, 
Inc. and World Chess Events Ltd. (collectively, "World 
Chess") for a temporary restraining order and preliminary 
injunctive relief prohibiting defendants Chessgames Services 
LLC ("Chessgames"), E-Learning Ltd. ("E-Learning"), and 
Logical Thinking Ltd. (together with E-Learning, "Chess24") 
(collectively, "Defendants") from republishing the updates of 
each game· at the World Chess Championship ("Championship") in 
New York City from November 11, 2016 to November 30, 2016, 
while the game is in progress is DENIED. 
SO ORDERED. 
Dated: New York, New York 22 November 2016

Karjakin Defeats Carlsen in 51 Moves In Game 8

[Event "Carlsen-Karjakin World Chess Championshi"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.11.21"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Norway"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]
[TimeControl "6600+1325"]
[WhiteClock "0:17:49"]
[BlackClock "0:29:57"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Bb2 b6 8. dxc5
Bxc5 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Nbd7 11. c4 dxc4 12. Nxc4 Qe7 13. a3 a5 14. Nd4 Rfd8
15. Rfd1 Rac8 16. Rac1 Nf8 17. Qe1 Ng6 18. Bf1 Ng4 19. Nb5 Bc6 20. a4 Bd5 21.
Bd4 Bxc4 22. Rxc4 Bxd4 23. Rdxd4 Rxc4 24. bxc4 Nf6 25. Qd2 Rb8 26. g3 Ne5 27.
Bg2 h6 28. f4 Ned7 29. Na7 Qa3 30. Nc6 Rf8 31. h3 Nc5 32. Kh2 Nxa4 33. Rd8 g6
34. Qd4 Kg7 35. c5 Rxd8 36. Nxd8 Nxc5 37. Qd6 Qd3 38. Nxe6+ fxe6 39. Qe7+ Kg8
40. Qxf6 a4 41. e4 Qd7 42. Qxg6+ Qg7 43. Qe8+ Qf8 44. Qc6 Qd8 45. f5 a3 46.
fxe6 Kg7 47. e7 Qxe7 48. Qxb6 Nd3 49. Qa5 Qc5 50. Qa6 Ne5 51. Qe6 h5 52. h4 a2
0-1

Final Position

One of the Last Problem Compositions of a Civil War Union Soldier

In 1861, a Syracuse, NY chess player and problem composer named George Nelson Cheney was killed at the Battle of Bull Run. He was 24 years of age. Below is one of his problems that was published in the US and England earlier that year. White to move. Mate in four.

Carlsen vs. Karjakin A Hard Fought Seven Hour Draw

[Event "Carlsen-Karjakin World Chess Championshi"]
[Site "chess24.com"]
[Date "2016.11.14"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2853"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "Fritz 12 (15m)"]
[PlyCount "156"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Norway"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "NOR"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]

{C67: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence: 4 0-0 Nxe4} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4.
O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 (9... b6 10.
Nc3 Bf6 11. Nd5 Bb7 12. Nxf6+ Qxf6 13. Bd3 h6 14. Qg4 Rae8 15. Bf4 Be4 16. Bxe4
Nxe4 17. Re1 d5 18. f3 Rxe5 19. Bxe5 Qg5 20. Qf4 Qxf4 21. Bxf4 Ng5 22. Bxg5
hxg5 23. Re5 Rd8 24. Rxg5 {Asrian,K (2646)-Jakovenko,D (2675)/Sochi 2006/CBM
111 ext/1/2-1/2 (83)}) (9... Ne8 10. Bd3 d5 11. Re1 c6 12. c3 Bd6 13. Nd2 Qf6
14. Nf3 Bg4 15. Bg5 Qxg5 16. Nxg5 Bxd1 17. Raxd1 g6 18. g3 Nc7 19. Re2 Rfe8 20.
Rde1 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 Kg7 22. Kf1 h6 23. Nf3 b6 24. h4 {Zhigalko,S (2539)
-Aleksandrov,A (2601)/Minsk 2007/CBM 116 ext/1/2-1/2 (53)}) 10. Re2 $146 (10.
Re1 Re8 11. Rxe8+ Nxe8 $11) 10... b6 11. Re1 Re8 12. Bf4 Rxe1 13. Qxe1 Qe7 {
Black threatens to win material: Qe7xe1} (13... Bb7 $5 {should not be
overlooked} 14. Bxd6 cxd6 $11) 14. Nc3 Bb7 15. Qxe7 Bxe7 16. a4 a6 {Prevents
intrusion on b5} 17. g3 {Covers h4} g5 18. Bxd6 Bxd6 ({Instead of} 18... cxd6
19. Bg2 Bc6 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. Bxd5 $16) 19. Bg2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 f5 21. Nd5 Kf7 22.
Ne3 {White threatens to win material: Ne3xf5} Kf6 23. Nc4 Bf8 24. Re1 Rd8 25.
f4 gxf4 26. gxf4 b5 27. axb5 axb5 28. Ne3 (28. Ne5 d5 $14) 28... c6 {
Consolidates d5} 29. Kf3 Ra8 30. Rg1 Ra2 31. b3 c5 {Black threatens to win
material: c5xd4} 32. Rg8 {White threatens to win material: Rg8xf8} Kf7 {Black
threatens to win material: Kf7xg8} 33. Rg2 cxd4 34. Nxf5 d3 35. cxd3 Ra1 36.
Nd4 b4 37. Rg5 Rb1 38. Rf5+ Ke8 39. Rb5 Rf1+ 40. Ke4 Re1+ 41. Kf5 Rd1 42. Re5+
Kf7 43. Rd5 {White threatens to win material: Rd5xd7} Rxd3 44. Rxd7+ Ke8 45.
Rd5 Rh3 46. Re5+ Kf7 47. Re2 Bg7 {Black threatens to win material: Bg7xd4} 48.
Nc6 Rh5+ {Begins the manoeuvre Rh3-h5-c5-c3-c1-d1-d4-d3-g3} (48... Rxb3 $4 {
taking the pawn will bring Black grief} 49. Nd8+ Kg8 50. Re8+ Bf8 51. Ne6 $18)
49. Kg4 {White threatens to win material: Kg4xh5} Rc5 50. Nd8+ Kg6 51. Ne6 h5+
52. Kf3 Rc3+ {The rook dominates} 53. Ke4 Bf6 54. Re3 h4 55. h3 Rc1 56. Nf8+
Kf7 57. Nd7 Ke6 58. Nb6 Rd1 59. f5+ Kf7 60. Nc4 (60. Rd3 Re1+ 61. Kf3 Rf1+ 62.
Kg4 Rg1+ 63. Kf4 Rf1+ 64. Rf3 Rd1 $14) 60... Rd4+ $11 61. Kf3 Bg5 {Black
threatens to win material: Bg5xe3} 62. Re4 Rd3+ 63. Kg4 Rg3+ {Here comes the
goal-getter} (63... Bf6 $5 $11 {is worth consideration}) 64. Kh5 $16 {The
isolani on h4 becomes a target} Be7 (64... Bd8 $5 65. Nd6+ Kg7 66. Rg4+ Kf8 67.
Rxb4 Rxh3 $14) 65. Ne5+ $18 Kf6 66. Ng4+ Kf7 67. Re6 Rxh3 $2 (67... Bd8 $142
68. Ne5+ Kg7 69. Rg6+ Kf8 $18) 68. Ne5+ Kg7 69. Rxe7+ Kf6 70. Nc6 Kxf5 71. Na5
Rh1 72. Rb7 Ra1 73. Rb5+ $4 {weakening the position} (73. Nc4 $142 {would have
made live much easier for White} h3 74. Rf7+ Ke6 75. Rf2 $18) 73... Kf4 $11 74.
Rxb4+ Kg3 75. Rg4+ Kf2 76. Nc4 h3 {Black advances the passed pawn} 77. Rh4 {
White threatens to win material: Rh4xh3} Kg3 78. Rg4+ Kf2 1/2-1/2