Hooray, Gata Kamsky!

There'a a dude's Grand Prix going on right now in Thessoliniki, Greece.  I don't normally follow male-only events, but since recently crowned U.S. Chess Champion GM Gata Kamsky is in first place by half a point with one more game to go, I felt it incumbent upon me to give a nod in his direction, one fellow law degree holder to another :)

According to Mark Crowther at The Week in Chess (I used to spoof it as The Weak in Chess at the old International Chessoid):

Gata Kamsky was not forced to work very hard at all for yet another win in the FIDE Grand Prix in Thessaloniki, this time in the 10th round against Alexander Morozevich. Kamsky turned 39 today although he was trying not to make very much of it. For Morozevich this was his fourth loss in a row. He arrived at the board hidden under a baseball cap and played a rather rare variation which he used over a decade ago against Peter Leko. Already 17...Nxb2 loses to a long line in which Kamsky missed a key point at the end: 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Rxc2 20. Rxe7 Rxe7 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Qxf6! Re1+ 23. Rxe1 Qxf6 24. Re8# but his 18.Bb3 left him with an easy position to play and after 18...Bd8? (20...Ne5 had to be tried) 19.Nxg7 Morozevich could have resigned. Morozevich just needs the event to end now. Kamsky leads by half a point going into the final round and a draw in the final round against Caruana should take him back into the top 10 in the world.

Imagine, THE USA HAVING TWO CHESSPLAYERS IN THE WORLD TOP 10.  Holy Hathor!  When was the last time that happened?

BTW, Happy Birthday to GM Kamsky.  Thirty-nine was a very good year for moi, and I hope it will be for him, too :)))

Makedonia Palace FIDE GP Thessaloniki GRE (GRE), 22 v-4 vi 2013															cat. XXI (2753)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2
1.	Kamsky, Gata	g	USA	2741	*	1	.	½	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	½	7½	2945
2.	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	g	CUB	2723	0	*	1	½	½	1	1	.	½	½	1	1	7	2900
3.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2774	.	0	*	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	6½	2862
4.	Grischuk, Alexander	g	RUS	2779	½	½	½	*	½	.	½	½	½	1	½	½	5½	2791
5.	Ponomariov, Ruslan	g	UKR	2742	½	½	½	½	*	0	½	½	1	½	.	1	5½	2789
6.	Kasimdzhanov, Rustam	g	UZB	2699	0	0	½	.	1	*	½	½	½	1	½	½	5	2755
7.	Svidler, Peter	g	RUS	2769	0	0	½	½	½	½	*	½	1	.	0	1	4½	2713
8.	Topalov, Veselin	g	BUL	2793	½	.	0	½	½	½	½	*	0	0	1	1	4½	2715
9.	Bacrot, Etienne	g	FRA	2725	½	½	0	½	0	½	0	1	*	½	½	.	4	2683
10.	Nakamura, Hikaru	g	USA	2775	0	½	½	0	½	0	.	1	½	*	½	½	4	2677
11.	Morozevich, Alexander	g	RUS	2760	0	0	0	½	.	½	1	0	½	½	*	½	3½	2643
12.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2755	½	0	0	½	0	½	0	0	.	½	½	*	2½	2562