Levon Aronian (2825, +5) edged closer to ratings leader Magnus Carlsen (2835, +0) in the last FIDE list. Aronian gained five points in the Bundesliga while most of the top ten were inactive. Viswanathan Anand (2791, -8) actually lost points playing in the same Bundesliga league. While both Aronian and Kramnik played a thrilling six-game match, it will not be recorded until the next list.

Sergey Karjakin (2779, +13) leapfrogged two positions after leading his team in the Russian Team Championship. Hikaru Nakamura (2775, +4) picked up a few points from winning the Grand Pacific Open in Canada. Ironically, this was after implying that Fabiano Caruana (2770, +3) was picking up easy ELO points in the Reykjavik Open. The two played on the same team in the Italian League, but Caruana addressed the issue very diplomatically.

The biggest loser in the top twenty was Shahkriyar Mamedyarov (2726, -26) who withdrew from the European Championships after being sanctioned for flouting the “no draw” rules. The result was recorded as 0-0 (double loss), a rare event.

Players protesting after a double loss ruling. Shahkriyar Mamedyarov (seen smiling) committed a separate violation apparently in protest (see story). The loss was counted as an official loss and not a forfeit.

The biggest winner was Viktor Bologan (2716, +29) who has been in form lately. He scored in the Bundesliga as well as coming in joint second the European Championship. He most recently won the Tata Cuca tournament in Angola, Africa (nine GMs) so he has a few more points coming. Cuba’s Lazaro Bruzon (2711, +17) is over 2700 for the first time after a long climb.

Judit Polgar (2709, +0) had heard the footsteps of Hou Yifan (2623, -6) before the World Champion tumbled in a couple of tournaments losing more than 20 points after the successful Reykjavik Open. Hou had poor showings in the Chinese Championship and the Bangkok Open. Anna Muzychuk (2598, +15) gained a healthy clip after coming in joint first at the European Women’s Championship behind Valentina Gunina.

Ding Liren, the newest star in China.
Photo by Fan Lulu, http://sports.sina.com.cn/chess/.

On the Junior list, Caruana still leads by a healthy amount of ELO over Anish Giri (2693, -24) who is still recovering from the flogging he got at the Tata Steel and European Championships. Ding Liren (2679, +19) won his third national title and will join the Chinese team for the Olympiad in Turkey. On the girls’ list Hou Yifan is 167 points in front of Mariya Muzychuk (2456, -34) and 229 over Ananstasia Bodnaruk (2394, -18).

FIDE: http://ratings.fide.com/toplist.phtml

National chess champion FM Ryan Harper, assisted by ex-champion Marcus Joseph, has again made chess history, but this time not over the chessboard. Instead, the two stalwarts have jointly launched the country’s first chess magazine, Ace Chess, intended primarily to serve the Caribbean chess community.

~Carl Jacobs, Double Rooks

Full Story: http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2012-05-02/welcome-ace-chess-magazine

Be Someone Inc. Creative Director Orrin ”Checkmate” Hudson has announced the 10th Annual “Be Someone Day” May 5 will be dedicated to teenager Trayvon Martin who was killed earlier this year by a self-proclaimed community watch volunteer in Florida.

According to Hudson, “Along with this incident the multiple homicides with young people against each other this day will bring much needed attention to these issues effecting young African American males. We need to focus on the root causes and seeds of our community challenges.”

Hudson’s story is well-known on these pages and he continues to lead a charge for helping troubled youth make better decisions in life. The use of chess as a metaphor combined with his motivational pitch has helped Hudson gain the attention of many media outlets including CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox News People, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, USA Today, Black Enterprise and chess media such as Chess Life for Kids and of course, The Chess Drum.

According to the orgranization’s press release, The 2000 square-foot facility will be the venue to the event and will provide attendees with a idea of of how such a program has played a role in the lives of many troubled youth.

More information is available about the non-profit organization which is located at 949 Stephenson Road Stone Mountain by visiting www.besomeone.org.

About Be Someone

Founded in 2001, Be Someone is a non-profit crime prevention program aimed at the youth of America. Be Someone teaches self-esteem, responsibility and analytical thinking skills to at-risk youth through numerous tools, including the game of chess. Be Someone also offers inspirational programs for corporations and parents, designed to foster teamwork and encourage participation in the lives of children. If you are interested in donating, volunteering or learning more about Be Someone, please visit www.besomeone.org.

Link: http://www.besomeone.org/latest-news/

The latest New in Chess has an intriguing story on Jose Raul Capablanca often dubbed “The Mozart of Chess”. The story recounts some of his competitions during his time in the U.S. and Europe. His 1919 Hasting and 1924 New York tournaments were mentioned. While it is a lengthy prose, it is an enchanting story!

There is also a follow-up story to the Reykjavik Open with games from winner Fabiano Caruana and Hou Yifan. There was also a very interesting segway on Fischer’s last days in Reykjavik and a new book titled, “Bobby Fischer Comes Home” by GM Helgi Olafsson. He quotes Fischer’s last words as “I leave this to you.”

This book appears to be a pleasant respite from other popular books which psychoanalyze the champion in harsh fashion. While the review did show he expressed harsh views until the end, this book appears to paint a more serene picture of the champion in a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. This book is to be released on June 16, 2012 and has a foreword by Viswanathan Anand (See Amazon).

According to the review of Olafsson’s book,

Bobby Fischer Comes Home is the story of their friendship. With a keen eye for detail and fine sense of humour, Olafsson paints a portrait of a complicated person. A man who could be at time funny and good-natured, at times bitter and barely bearable, almost always suspicious, but also touching, spontaneous and fun to be with. Filled with unforgettable scenes and revealing insights, the book presents a compelling picture of the last years of the man who many see as the greatest chess player that ever lived.

The 2012 European Women’s Championships featured Valentina Gunina’s triumph in a highly-contested tournament. There was actually a three-way tie with Tatiana Kosinteva (Russia) and Anna Muzychuk (Slovenia), but the Russian won on tiebreaks. “Valya” as she is called, rose meteorically in the Russian ranks after showing a prodigious talent. She was said to have a great eye for tactics earning the moniker “Tal in a skirt”. Gunina often repeated her fondness for “adrenaline-inspired” activities.

Gunina caught the chess world’s attention by her sterling performance at the 2010 Olympiad in Khanty Mansiysk where Russia won the gold and she scored 6½/7. There is an interesting interview of her throughout the article. At the end, she was asked about chess as a profession.

I think that any kind of sport is extremely selective. You need a multitude of different qualities. Above all, health. A small sprinkling of talent, as not everyone is given that. And, naturally, the ability to work. When I started working with coaches I realized that I could work eight hours a day. You need diligence.

The profession of a chess player is very difficult. You’re always living out of suitcases. I don’t know how people have families, as they’re always on trips. Chess player are special people. We probably belong to the same group as writer and artists.

CONTENTS

Link: http://www.newinchess.com/New_In_Chess_2012_3-p-480.html

In what is an unprecedented even, IS-318 of Brooklyn, New York has won the National Jr. Chess Championship. This not their first national championship as they won the honor a couple of years back. However, they have made history by capturing both the National Jr. High and National High School titles in the same academic year.

Magnus Carlsen’s visit may have provided inspiration for James Black, Jr. who struggled a month earlier during the team’s championship run at the National H.S. tournament. He led the team with a strong 6/7.

Led this time by James Black, Jr., IS-318 topped the field with 20.5 points. The school had won the National H.S. Championship a month earlier… barely beating New York’s Hunter College. Team scores are calculated using the scores of the top four players of each school. Arizona’s Catalina Foothills came in second with 18.5 points while Newark Academy came in third with 16.5.

Black won the individual championship on tiebreaks, but was tied with Michael Brown (California’s Trabuco Hills H.S.) and Bryan Hu (Arizona Catalina Foothills H.S.) with 6/7. I.S. 318 also dominated in blitz taking four of the top five places. Sean Vibbert won followed by Black Jr. and Justus Williams.

With such a successful year and more than half a year left, what’s next… the Pan-Am Intercollegiate Championship??? Congratulations (again)!!

Results: http://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2012/jhs/?page=RESULTS

Contact: Pamela Marcil 313-833-7899 pmarcil@dia.org www.dia.org

April 27, 2012 (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) will host national Chess Master David Allen in a simultaneous (simul) competition with 40–50 members of the Detroit City Chess Club (DCCC) on Friday, May 4, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.The museum is open until 10 p.m. every Friday night, and the event and other activities are free with museum admission.

Allen, who is from Cleveland and holds a Ph.D. in information technology, coaches Cleveland-area youth and high school chess teams and teaches Cleveland-area scholastic players. Detroit City Chess Club members range from five to 18 years old, and have won national, regional and state competitions, with several members currently holding impressive national rankings. DCCC practices at the DIA most Friday evenings.

Kevin Fite, DCCC founder and one of its coaches (standing left), started the club as a lunchtime activity at Detroit’s Duffield Elementary School in 2003. The lunchtime program expanded and became the Detroit City Chess Club to allow participation of former Duffield students as well as students from all over metropolitan Detroit. The clubs’ mission is to teach area students the game of chess and all the life lessons it has to offer. One of the most important, according to Fite, is “to teach children to think critically and make good judgments.”

Fite uses simuls to develop the skills of his players, and they have competed in several at the DIA. They have played against International Master and Woman Grandmaster Martha Fierro, GM Ben Finegold, GM Maurice Ashley, National Master John Brooks and in 2010, Michigan’s then- youngest master, in ninth grade at the time, Atula Shetty.

Thirty DCCC students taking on National Master Kayin Barclay then-freshman at Morehouse College. All photos by Daaim Shabazz.

Hours and Admission

Museum hours are 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4 for ages 6–17, and free for DIA members. For membership information call 313-833-7971.

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), one of the premier art museums in the United States, is home to more than 60,000 works that comprise a multicultural survey of human creativity from ancient times through the 21st century. From the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum (Self-Portrait, 1887), to Diego Rivera’s world-renowned Detroit Industry murals (1932–33), the DIA’s collection is known for its quality, range, and depth. The DIA’s mission is to create opportunities for all visitors to find personal meaning in art.

Programs are made possible with support from the City of Detroit.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 30, 2012
Zachary Ramsay, The Jamaica Chess Federation

Davy and Mellace Share First At Chess Champs

National Masters Damion Davy and Andrew Mellace shared first place in the 2012 National Chess Championships, which concluded this weekend at the Norman Manley Law School. The tournament, which was in its 44th edition, headlined with the highest ranked players in the history of the game in Jamaica competing in a new twenty-four player format. Super National Master (SNM) Duane Rowe, International Master Jomo Pitterson, defending champion Damion Davy and FIDE Masters Warren Elliott and Shane Matthews started as clear favorites.

Pitterson and Elliott advanced to the top of the table with consecutive wins leading up to fifth round victories over Adrian Palmer and Stuart James respectively. In the rounds that followed, both drew with Matthews and Rowe, and finally met in round seven when they settled for a draw to both claim 5 points.

National Master Andrew Mellace who has enjoyed excellent results locally over the past year, dispatched Duane Rowe in the seventh round. This launched him into the joint lead and virtually ended Rowe’s chances of claiming his fourth title. Round seven action also saw Davy join the leaders by defeating record seven time champion Matthews.

Andrew Mellace
Photo by Claire Clarke.

In the penultimate and most climatically decisive round, Davy and Mellace, who are both training partners, struck convincing wins over their higher rated counterparts Elliott and Pitterson respectively. The ninth and final round ended quietly with draws on all the top four games, securing tied first place for Davy and Mellace on 6.5 points. Matthews trailed closely behind with 6 points, while Malaku Lorne, Ian Wilkinson, Paul Brooks, Elliott, Pitterson and Rowe all tied for fourth place with 5.5 points. A six game tiebreak play-off is scheduled to be played between Davy and Mellace.

The National Women’s Championship, which took place concurrently, featured the top eight female chess players in the island competing in a closed round-robin. Krishna Gray became the first new Women’s Champion in over 10 years, when she finished on an impressive unbeaten score of 5 points. Ariel Barrett, Melicia Smith and Hui Zhu tied for second place with 4 points.

Krishna Gray
2012 Women’s Champion
Photo by Claire Clarke.

The tournament was sponsored by the Sports Development Foundation, the Spanish Court Hotel, the Norman Manley Law School, and the Magnificent Chess Foundation.

This is it. This is the moment that chess fans in the U.S. have been anticipating. Who would win the inaugural Xtreme Chess Championships? Would it be Justus Williams, 13-year old star of the famed IS-318 or 22-year old Elliott Liu of Stanford University??

Williams has been getting a lot of publicity lately because his Jr. High team won both the High School AND Jr. High School championships. Success is coming fast for the soft-spoken Bronx native, but he would certainly be bearing his teeth. Liu has played enterprising chess beating FMs Alisa Melenkhina and Alex Barnett on the way to the final. Williams beat Kevin Wang and FM Kassa Korley.

If you didn’t see the earlier segments, watch them first…
Episode 1 (Williams-Wang, Korley-Martinez)
Episode 2 (Kats-Barnett, Melekhina-Liu)
Episode 3 (Williams-Korley, Liu-Barnett).

Teaser… the match was exciting with a very unusual ending. Take a look!

https://www.facebook.com/XChessChamps
https://www.twitter.com/XChessChamps
http://www.youtube.com/user/XChessChamps

Trinidad’s top junior FIDE Master Keron Cabralis left the recent CARIFTA Chess Games after filing a complaint about poor conditions. His ongoing battle with mismanagement has pushed the 16-year old star to the brink of retiring from chess.

In an April 19th article in the Trinidadian Guardian, problems were reported at the CARIFTA Games held at the University of West Indies campus. Quinton Cabralis, Keron’s father and past President of the T&T Chess Association, pointed out two issues…

the level of disturbance at the opening round of the tournament and the allegedly unconstitutional use of ad-hoc assistants by the Association to perform a number of functions at the tournament.

Citing the rules and by-laws, Mr. Cabralis pointed out that “the management committee must first approve any sub-committee selected before they can legitimately function on behalf of the T&TCA.”

Keron was competing in the under-20 section of CARIFTA and complained to the arbiters about the constant noise and chatter resonating throughout the tournament and close to his board. The organizers seemed overwhelmed and unable to quell the noise.

“Young children, in particular, were scampering throughout with no control, including up and down the stairs to the stands. It was a constant challenge telling people to be quiet, removing people from between the aisles, trying to protect the players in a terrible situation,” said the elder Cabralis.

With no help in sight, Keron settled for a quick draw against Kemp Lynch of Barbados and promptly withdrew from the tournament after his complaints went unheeded.

There are fears that he may abandon chess given his previous issues with local organizers. There may be a larger issue as the elder Cabralis has issued scathing comments saying that the T&T Chess Association has been “hijacked” by a “non-elected clique.”

Link: http://m.guardian.co.tt/sport/2012-04-18/cabralis-hits-carifta-games

Magnus Carlsen made a pit stop at newly-crowned national champions IS-318 and heightened the celebratory mood in New York. IS-318 is the first middle school (6th-8th grade) to win the National High School Championship (9th-12th grade). Carlsen was in New York on business and stopped by the school.

From the photos there was a lot of excitement in the room as Carlsen signed lots of autographs and settled in to play the blitz games with the championship team. According to onlookers Carlsen won 4-0 and afterward remarked that “he knew the players were good, but not THAT good!”

Carlsen attempts to hold off James Black, Jr. The world’s top-ranked player finally broke through on the queenside.

Rachel Maddow of MSNBC profiled the school on her show and while she still repeated the tired “geek” analogies, it was welcome recognition for a deserving program. Good showing IS-318!

Alina L’Ami wrote a glowing ChessBase report of the 4th Taca Cuca tournament being held in Luanda, Angola. The tournament boasts nine Grandmasters and this is exactly what is needed to provide African players more chances for norms.

Along with top-seed Viktor Bologan (2687, Moldova), you have Grandmasters Sergey Tiviakov (2673, Netherlands), Erwin L’Ami (2611, Netherlands), Alexander Fier (2599, Brazil), Ahmed Adly (2596, Egypt), Maxim Dlugy (2518, USA), Sergey Kasparov (2503, Belarus), Thal Abergel (2474, France), Antonio Fernandes (2400, Portugal).

Ceremonial game between top-seed GM Viktor Bologan and The game between Dr. Jaime Aguinaldo, President of Angolan Chess Federation. Photo by Alina L’Ami.

Unfortunately the top African players are not present, but FM Daniel Jere (2396, Zambia) and Stanley Chumfwa (2358, Zambia) will make a strong showing. Hometown favorite and top Angolan IM Pedro Aderito (2320, Angola) is in the field. It is a shame that more strong African players are not taking advantage of this opportunity.

In the women’s section, 17 players will vie for top honors with WGM Alina L’Ami (2372, Netherlands) being the top seed and Portugal’s WIM Catarina Leite behind her.

Games in Action!

Standings (chess-results): OPEN, WOMEN
Link: http://www.chessbase.com/

Adisa Banjoko’s Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF) has received a lot of notoriety of late after having celebrated the organization’s fifth anniversary. The HHCF graced the cover of the February 2012 edition of Chess Life and the subject of a lengthy article.

The Chess Drum has written more articles about the HHCF than any organization, but had never conducted a comprehensive interview. Finally, Daaim Shabazz of The Chess Drum was able to conduct a 30-minute Skype interview with Banjoko to get an idea of the HHCF’s evolution, some of its programs and future plans.

It was a compelling interview and covered some very interesting topics including the HHCF philosophy of using three art forms as a metaphors.

What we are trying to do is use these arts to help children find themselves and then help them develop life strategies to actualize the highest essence of who they want to be after they discover their true self.

The interview showed the passion of Banjoko and he hopes to expand the vision of the organization and make a greater impact on an national and international scale. Enjoy!

Listen to interview with Adisa Banjoko!

With the World Championship only a few weeks away, everyone is anticipating the big match. However, there may be a match that will capture quite a bit of interest in that it is a championship-caliber event. Both Vladimir Kramnik (ranked #4) and Levon Aronian (ranked #2) have decided to stage a “friendly” match of six classical games (40/120, 20/60, 15m/30s).

The match is being held in Savoy Baur en Ville Hotel in Zurich, Switzerland. This match will be an incredible measuring stick for Aronian as this is his first classical match. The first match begins today with a rest day after every two games and ending on April 28th.

Levon Aronian vs. Vladimir Kramnik match April 21-28, 2012, Zurich Switzerland
	Rating	Flag	G1	G2	G3	G4	G5	G6	Pts.
Aronian	2820		1	½	0	½	½	½	3
Kramnik	2801		0	½	1	½	½	½	3
Official Site: http://www.kramnikaronian.com/

Video Coverage

Videos produced by Macauley Peterson.

I.S. 318 – National Champions
(L-R) Justus Williams, James Black, Isaac Barayev and Matthew Kluska.
Photo by I.S. 318 (Brooklyn, NY)

The hardware just keep piling up for I.S. 318. As the screening for the movie “Brooklyn Castle” continues, the middle school has perhaps added another saga to its spectacular run of success. Led by Justus Williams, the school bested New York’s Hunter College to win the K-12 School Championship.

Williams (2307) was the leading scorer with 5.5/7 with Issac Barayev (2141) and Matthew Kluska (1844) with 5/7 and , teamed with James Black Jr. (2312) with 4.5/7. The team won the Jr. High championship a couple of years back. It is presumably the first time a middle school has won the high school championship.

Results: http://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2012/hs/?page=RESULTS

Julius Wade, Vice President of the Maryland Chess Association, submitted this press release.

THE BEST OF TWO TITLES

In the third “Drum Beat” segment, we look at the latest news on The Chess Drum including a few interesting features such as “Will Hou Yifan become the greatest?” and “Bobby’s Blitz Chess“. There is also a very interesting story on Theophilus Thompson by Dr. Steven Dowd on a composition that he was never given credit for.

In this segment is an emphasis on the World Championship which starts on May 10th. The official website has been released as well as the world championship cycle on the FIDE site.

The 2012 Olympiad website has also been released with details on the tournament and visa requirements. There are also a number of national championships in preparation for the Olympiad beginning August 27th in Istanbul, Turkey. The London Chess Classic has been confirmed as well.

There is a clip from the Maurice Ashley interview which ran a couple of weeks ago. Check out the entire segment below (17:59 minutes). Enjoy!!

Botswana Chess Federation will on the 6th-9th April 2012 host the Metropolitan National Chess Championships at Yarona Country Lodge. The event is the final lap of the three-stage tournament.

The tournament will be played by 10 men and 10 women who were placed in top 10 at 2nd Qualifiers in Francistown. The drawing of lots will be done on the 5th in the evening at Yarona Country Lodge (18:00).

All the results and pairings will be posted in www.chess-results.com.The event is sponsored by Metropolitan Botswana at the Tune of P75,000.00.

~ Kelapile Kelatlhilwe (corekk2003@yahoo.com)

The CARIFTA Chess Games which begins at University of West Indies (UWI) on Friday will make history in several ways, not the least being the honouring of past presidents of the T&T Chess Association, all players winning medals at Olympiads and official FIDE tournaments.

According to Association president Kamla Rampersad De Silva, the inaugural tournament will be a landmark affair, marking the 75th anniversary of the Association.

“It will also be the inaugural tournament of the official FIDE event which will be an annual event alternating among Carifta countries,” she added. “So we are honoured to be the first in hosting it.”

The Association President said she was pleased with the assistance received from sponsors which has enabled the Association to cover almost all its expenses.

Major sponsor is the National Lotteries Control Board which has given a total of $50,000. Caribbean Airlines has donated two tickets to bring chief arbiter Rohan Waithe and chairman of the appeals committee Allan Herbert from Barbados. First Citizens Bank is footing the bill for school backpacks, T-shirts for volunteers and souvenir items. T-shirts for all participants will be courtesy Oscar Francois and Glaxo Smith Kline while Republic Bank and Whan Tong Agencies are providing the anniversary plaques. Kamal Design Studios are supplying medals for tournament winners.

The Association president was also happy over the regional response to the Carifta tournament, revealing that more than 90 entries had been received so far coming from Barbados, Jamaica, Suriname, Martinique and T&T. She expected also that the parallel T&T International Open would attract a substantial turn out of regional senior players.

Link: fideamerica.com
Trinidad & Tobago Chess Association: http://www.chesstt.org/

This weekend The Chess Drum will release its third edition of “The Drum Beat”. We will feature the latest updates, visit top websites, Facebook, Twitter and perhaps run an exclusive segment on the World Championship. You can also send in your questions and they can be addressed on the air. Get news you can’t get anywhere else and help keep the drum beating!

Follow @thechessdrum

World Champion Viswanathan Anand will defend his crown against Boris Gelfand. The match begins May 11th and will be held in Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery. This will be Anand’s second defense since winning the crown at a championship tournament in 2007 in Mexico. He defended his crown against both Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov.

There has been a lot of interest in this match for a multitude of reasons. Most recently, Ilya Levitov (Chairman of Russian Chess Federation) has given a number of interviews about his vision and the agreement to host the match in such a place. According to Levitov, “classical chess is opera” and he wants to bring back the renaissance of chess by making it more attractive and appealing to viewers.

On the official site, it states,

The FIDE world chess champion title match between Viswanathan Anand (India) and Boris Gelfand (Israel) will take place from 10 to 31 May in the Engineering Building of the State Tretyakov Gallery. The prize fund for the match is 2.55 million dollars, 60% of which will go to the winner and 40% to the loser.

This title match will precede the Candidates tournament which will be held in March 2013 to select the next challenger for the world title. The tournament will be a double round-robin tournament with eight players (including the loser of this match). The winner of that tournament will face the Anand-Gelfand winner in November 2013.

Link: http://moscow2012.fide.com/en/