Corus 2008 Final Round Results

Group "A": Polgar, Judit - Aronian, Levon ½-½ (10th place, 6.0. Winners finished 8.0) Aronian shares the win with 17 year old Magnus Carlsen (but actually he was ranked below Aronian). Group "B": Koneru, Humpy - Movsesian, Sergei ½-½ (11th place, 5.5) Krasenkow, Michal - Hou Yifan ½-½ (9th place, 6.0) Movsesian clearly outclassed the rest of the field, winning with 9.5, 1 full point ahead of the next finisher, GM Nigel Short (astonishing - I thought he was all washed up. Just goes to show you, darlings...) A good finish for Hou; I expected more from Koneru. With five players rated above her, she should have done better. Group "C": Braun, Arik - Ushenina, Anna 1-0 (13th place, 4.5) Grivas, Efstratios - Peng Zhaoqin 1-0 (12th place, 4.5) Ruijgrok, Dennis - Krush, Irina 0-1 (5th place, 7.0) Caruana finishes with an outstanding 10.0/13 and shows he's no flash in the pan. Watch out, Carlsen, he's gunning for you... Kudos to Krush, an excellent finish with 7.0/13 and some scalps under her belt.

Corus 2008 9th Round Results

Group "A": Polgar, Judit - Radjabov, Teimour ½-½ (12th place with 4.0) Group "B": L'Ami, Erwin - Hou Yifan 1-0 (12th place with 3.5) Koneru, Humpy - Harikrishna, P ½-½ (10th place with 4.0) Group "C": Reinderman, Dimitri - Ushenina, Anna 1-0 (12th place with 3.5) Peng Zhaoqin - Krush, Irina ½-½ (13th place, 2.5; 11th place, 3.5)

Corus 2008 8th Round Results

Boo hoo, the Packers lost. There's a lot of trauma in Wisconsinland today, sigh. But the world goes on. Here are the results from Round 8 yesterday (today is an off day): Group "A": Kramnik, Vladimir - Polgar, Judit ½-½ (12th place with 3.5) Group "B": Bacrot, Etienne - Koneru, Humpy ½-½ (10th place with 3.5) Hou Yifan - Nepomniachtchi, Ian ½-½ (11th place with 3.5) Group "C": Negi, Parimarjan - Peng Zhaoqin 1-0 (13th place with 2.0) Ushenina, Anna - Ruijgrok, Dennis 1-0 (1oth place with 3.5) Krush, Irina - Carlsson, Pontus 1-0 (11th place with 3.0)

Corus 2008 7th Round Results

Group "A": Polgar, Judit - Anand, Viswanathan 0-1 (12th place with 3.0) Group "B": Smeets, Jan - Hou Yifan 0-1 (1oth place with 3.0) Koneru, Humpy - Krasenkow, Michal 1-0 (11th place with 3.0) Group "C": Negi, Parimarjan - Krush, Irina 1-0 (12th place with 2.0) Van der Werf, Mark - Ushenina, Anna 0-1 (11th place with 2.5) Peng Zhaoqin - Nijboer, Friso ½-½ (13th place with 2.0)

Corus 2008 6th Round Results

Group "A": Carlsen, Magnus - Polgar, Judit 1-0 (9th place with 3.0) Group "B": Cheparinov, Ivan - Koneru, Humpy ½-½ (13th place with 2.0) Hou Yifan - Movsesian, Sergei 0-1 (12th place with 2.0) Group "C": Krush, Irina - Caruana, Fabiano 1-0 (11th place with 2.0) Ushenina, Anna - Peng Zhaoqin 1-0 (13th with 1.5; 12th with 1.5) I'm interested in analysis of the Krush-Caruana game and Humpy's draw with Cheparinov. If you know where I can read one or both, please let me know (or provide one here, thanks).

Corus 2008 5th Round Results

Group "A": Polgar, Judit - Lékó, Peter ½-½ (5th place, 3.0) Group "B": Koneru, Humpy - Sargissian, Gabriel ½-½ (13th place, 1.5) Spoelman, Wouter - Hou Yifan ½-½ (11th place, 2.0) Group "C": Negi, Parimarjan - Ushenina, Anna 1-0 (14th place, 0.5) Nijboer, Friso - Krush, Irina 1-0 (12th place, 1.0) Peng Zhaoqin - Li Shilong ½-½ (11th place, 1.5) Hmmm, the only chess femme who is having a "good" event thus far is Judit Polgar, with 3.0/5.

Corus 2008 4th Round Results

Hola darlings! Results from Round 4 and femme standings after R4:

Corus "A":
Gelfand, Boris - Polgar, Judit 0-1 (6th place with 2.5)

Corus "B":
Short, Nigel D - Koneru, Humpy ½-½ (13th place with 1.0)
Hou Yifan - Stellwagen, Daniël ½-½ (11th place with 1.5)

Corus "C":
Van der Wiel, John - Peng Zhaoqin ½-½ (11th with 1.0)
Krush, Irina - Grivas, Efstratios 0-1 (12th with 1.0)
Ushenina, Anna - Nijboer, Friso 0-1 (13th with 0.5)


Good heavens! I just saw this photo of Judit Polgar from R3. What IS that thing she's wearing? Looks like something out of a bad Russian melodrama. FUR BALLS? For Goddess sake! I saw the photo at The Week in Chess, who said it came from Chessvibes.com. Checked out Chessvibe's coverage - extensive - take a look - and lots of photos too.

I think Judit must win Chess Fashion Faux Pas of the Month for that fur-whatever-it-is (whether faux fur or not; although if it is faux fur, that somehow makes it even worse, because it's not even expensive!)

On the other hand, Judit looks tres chic and tres sleek in this photo from Chessvibes, giving the press conference today after her VICTORY with the black pieces against Boris Gelfand. YAAAAAAYYYYY!

Corus in Historical Perspective

Great column from Lubomir Kavalek at the Washington Post: A Memorable Sacrifice Monday, January 14, 2008; Page C10 The Dutch coastal town of Wijk aan Zee is an addictive place despite the howling winds and the cold you are certain to get when playing chess there. Every January, many amateurs as well as the world's best players gather under the same roof in a huge tournament hall, sneezing their way through one of the world's most attractive chess festivals. A Memorable Sacrifice I took part in this traditional tournament seven times, playing 95 games -- the most by any American player. My first chess book, "Wijk aan Zee Grandmaster Chess Tournament 1975," was devoted to this event. The centerpiece of that work is one of my favorite games -- a draw against the tournament winner, Lajos Portisch of Hungary. A draw rarely gets you a brilliancy prize, but this game, featuring a positional queen sacrifice for a single bishop and a couple of pawns, was awarded the Leo von Kuijk prize for the most spectacular game of the event. Andy Soltis included this King's Indian game in his book "The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century, Ranked." Portisch-Kavalek 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 (Portisch liked the sharp Samisch variation.) 5...c6 6.Be3 a6 7.Bd3 b5 8.e5 Nfd7 9.f4 0-0 10.Nf3 Nb6 11.b3 N8d7 12.a4! (Black's pieces are terribly tangled and white threatens to win outright with 13.a5. Black is clearly outplayed.) 12...bxc4 13.bxc4 c5!? 14.a5 cxd4 15.Nxd4! (After 15.Bxd4 dxe5 16.fxe5 Nxe5! 17.Bxe5 Bxe5 18.Nxe5 Qd4! 19.Kd2! white is better, but it is not Portisch's cup of tea.) 15...dxe5 (While choosing this move, sacrificing the queen crossed my mind. It allowed me to fight back.) 16.Nc6 Qe8!? (16...Qc7? 17.Nxe7+ Kh8 18.axb6 loses a piece without any compensation.) 17.axb6 exf4! 18.Nd5! (After 18.Bd2? Nc5 19.Nb4 a5 20.Be2 axb4! 21.Rxa8 bxc3 black is better.) 18...fxe3!! (The success of the queen sacrifice pivots around this strong pawn.) 19.Nc7 Bc3+! 20.Kf1 (Forced. After 20.Ke2? Nxb6 21.Nxe8 Bg4+ black wins.) 20...Bb7 21.Nxe8 Bxc6 22.Nc7 Rad8 23.Rc1 Bd2 24.Nd5 Bxd5 25.cxd5 Nxb6! 26.Rc5 Nxd5 27.g3 Rd6 28.Kg2 Rfd8 (Piling up all pieces on the d-file makes Portisch nervous.) 29.Rxd5?! (Getting rid of the knight gives Portisch control over the light squares. For some time 29.Bc4!? was considered winning for white, but after, for example, 29...Nb6 30.Qb3 Nxc4 31.Qxc4 e2! 32.Re5 e1Q 33.Rhxe1 Bxe1 34.Rxe1 Rd2+ 35.Re2 e6 36.Qxa6 Rxe2+ 37.Qxe2 h5 38.Kf3 Rd5 black creates a fortress that is hard to break.) 29...Rxd5 30.Bc4 Rf5 31.Qb3 (The computers show that after 31.Rf1 Ba5 32.Qa4 Rd2+ 33.Kh3 Rdf2! 34.Rxf2 exf2 35.Qe8+ Kg7 36.Qxe7 white is winning, but black continues 36...f1Q 37.Bxf1 Rxf1 38.Qe5+ Rf6 39.Qxa5 Re6 40.g4 h6 41.Kg3 g5 and holds the game.) 31...Rf2+ 32.Kh3 Rd6 (32...e2?? 33.Qb6 forks the rooks.) 33.Qb8+ (After 33.Rf1 Rxf1 34.Bxf1 a5 black is still in the game.) 33...Kg7 34.Qa7 g5! (Black threatens mate: 35...Rh6+ 36.Kg4 f5+ 37.Kxg5 e2+ etc.) 35.Qxe7 g4+! (With a little time on the clock, black chooses the perpetual check. It turned out to be the correct decision, confirmed later by the computer programs.) 36.Kxg4 Rg6+ 37.Kh3 Rh6+ 38.Kg4 Rg6+ draw. We will cover this year's event in the next few columns. Meantime, it can be followed at http://www.coruschess.com.

Corus 2008 3rd Round Results

Group "A": Polgar, Judit - Topalov, Veselin ½-½ (8th place with 1.5) Group "B": L'Ami, Erwin - Koneru, Humpy 1-0 (13th place with 0.5) Hou Yifan - Short, Nigel D 1-0 (11th place with 1.0) Group "C": Peng Zhaoqin - Braun, Arik 0-1 (12th place with 0.5) Ushenina, Anna - Krush, Irina ½-½ (Krush 11th place with 1.0; Ushenina 13th place with 0.5)

Corus 2008 2nd Round Results

"A" Group: Van Wely, Loek - Polgar, Judit ½-½ (Polgar in 5th place after R2) "B" Group: Harikrishna, P - Hou Yifan 1-0 (Hou in 13th place after R2) Koneru, Humpy - Nepomniachtchi, Ian ½-½ (Koneru in 12th place after R2) "C" Group: Carlsson, Pontus - Peng Zhaoqin ½-½ (Peng in 9th place after R2) I. Krush - D. Reinderman ½-½ (Krush in 10th place after R2) Li Shilong - Anna Ushenina 1-0 (Ushenina in 11th place after R2) Official website

Corus 2008 1st Round Results

Group "A": Ivanchuk, Vassily - Polgar, Judit ½-½ Group "B": Smeets, Jan - Koneru, Humpy 1-0 Hou Yifan - Bacrot, Etienne 0-1 Group "C": Li Shilong - Krush, Irina 1-0 Peng Zhaoqin - Caruana, Fabiano 0-1 Ushenina, Anna - Van der Wiel, John 0-1 Hmmmm, not an auspicious start.

Corus 2008

The mega-event that has started off the year in chess for as long as I've been online - CORUS - is back at Wijk aan Zee (The Netherlands), with games beginning today. I usually can't monitor the games at work and I won't be able to monitor any of the chess femmes' games tomorrow as I'll be at an investment club meeting with the ladies. We're meeting in Racine at one of the members' homes. It's imperative, of course, that we're all back in our own homes well before the Packers 3:15 p.m. tomorrow kick-off against the Seattle Seahawks, led by that ARCH TRAITOR Mike Holmgren - BOO HISS BOO. For those of you who may not remember, the ARCH TRAITOR Mike Holmgren is a former head coach of the Green Bay Packers and led them to two Super Bowls, in the 1996 and 1997 seasons, led by SUPERSTAR QUARTERBACK BRETT FAVRE, who should have won MVP for a FIFTH TIME this year - but was robbed! Well, SUPERSTAR QUARTERBACK BRETT FAVRE has had a great season - after many pundits (and I'm sure the ARCH TRAITOR, too) had written him off as an old has-been who should have retired at the end of 2006. HA! At the beginning of this season, the Packers, coming off a dismal 2006 season, were on nobody's radar screen, except for their faithful fans, for whom the flame burns ever-eternal. And here they are, NFC North Champions, well-rested and healthy (a key ingredient) after their first round bye, meeting Seattle tomorrow afternoon at legendary Lambeau Field. Oooooohhhh, I can hardly wait! Back to Corus. Six chess femmes are battling for position this year. In the "A" event is GM Judit Polgar (HUN 2707), one of the highest rated chess players in the world, and the highest rated woman chess player EVER (so far), Polgar is quite at home mixing it up with the other players in the "A" group (all at plus 2700 ELO). She is a chess legend, part of the trio of the equally legendary Polgar sisters, Susan and Sofia. Polgar is currently the 22nd ranked player in the world; her stated aim is to get back into the top 10 players, but she'll has her work cut out for her to do that! There are lots of up and coming youngsters out there now, all gunning for those top 10 spots. Some folks seem to think that perhaps Polgar's best chessplaying days are behind her. After all (I believe the reasoning goes) she is a married woman now, with two small children; she is now in her 30's, and has other interests that compete for her time. She has paid her dues, and let's face it, in one's 30's, one's energy is not the equal of what it was when one was 18, or 20, or 25... Are they right? I have no clue! A player's personal motivations cannot necessarily be measured by external means, and surely not by such means as mere age and number of years participating in the international tournament circuit. It is heart and willpower along with a relentless drive that powers the greatest champions - and those intangibles are not capable of being reduced to measurable quantities. In the "B" event are GM Koneru Humpy (IND 2612) and WGM Hou Yifan (CHN 2527). Humpy (I believe she turns 21 this year) is the second highest female chess player in the world, behind only Judit Polgar, and broke the 2600 ELO level for the first time this year. Yifan, who turns 14 this year, is a future potential star - and has already developed quite an international following. It's good to see that the Chinese authorities are carefully grooming Yifan, allowing her to take her lumps by playing against higher rated players in international events - not consigning her to playing only against women who are rated much lower than she is. The best learning experiences (and motivation, for those who have The Eye Of The Tiger), according to the experts, come from players mixing it up with those higher-rated than they are in the cauldron of intense competition. In the "C" event are WGM Anna Ushenina (UKR 2484), IM Irina Krush, who is the current U.S. Women's Chess Champion (USA 2473), and GM Peng Zhaoqin (NED 2461). Good luck to all the chess femmes. I'll be reporting on their results as time allows. I'm rooting for all of them to have an excellent showing.

Corus 2008

Hola darlings! Okay, I've been a good hausfrau today - had the furniture cleaned shortly after 8 this morning; fed the critters outside before 6:30 a.m.; swept up the branches, twigs and leaves on the front stoop and in front of the garage door to tidy up the entrance to Maison Newton, and I even clipped back the overgrown barberry hedge blocking access to the non-working doorbell at the front door (I put up a new "out of order" sign, too, LOL!). I cleaned off the pile of junk and not-so-junk mail on the kitchen table, did the dishes left over from last night's successful kitchen foray (cheeseburger casserole, yum!), studied the health insurance information received from my employer (re-enrollment for 2008) and tried my best to figure out what plan is the best for my circumstances (impossible!); and I diligently worked on gathering information that dondelion uses for our weekly "Random Round-up" Updates at Goddesschess. As you know, I only pay attention to events in which at least one chess femme participates. Corus is one of the venerable events, garnering my attention every year since I went online in 1999, because every year at least one chess femme has participated in either the "A" or "B" events. 2008 is no exception. In the "B" event, it has been announced that Hou Yifan and Koneru Humpy are playing. As you know, Humpy is the second highest rated female in the entire world, behind only Judit Polgar. Speaking of which, Judit will be the lone chess femme participating in the Corus "A" event. So, there will be lots of news to follow about these great chessplaying femmes. Expect the unexpected!