World Champion Anand – Opening A New Chapter In Chess History

World Champion Anand:  His Victory, Character and Personality

The World Chess Championship 2007 in Mexico produced very interesting games.  Most of the decisive games were a result of tough intellectual fights.

World Champion Anand was especially good in playing tense positions in which it was necessary to take some risks.

His most impressive victory in the World Championship was on the 11th Round against GM Morozevich, in this game Anand fought like a tiger and ended up winning with a beautiful combination.

Vishi as his chess friends call him, is a very well liked individual in the chess community. Many times I have heard people referring to him as a wonderful person.

Anand is the first World Champion from India.

It is claimed, that the origin of chess was in India, and although India has a tremendous amount of casual players – in the history of chess, no one has been as prominent as Anand.

Yesterday, at a press conference following the Final Round, Anand expressed his gratitude to his wife, trainer and the organization in Mexico.

Anand’s wife Aruna, whom Anand credited for keeping him in shape for competition, also proved to be a very helpful translator in Mexico, due to her fluency in Spanish.

In the chess world, the Anands’ are known as very modest, down to earth, and genuinely good people.

Anand is a family man with really good values and personality, and far from the egotistic stereo type which many believe is attributed to great chessplayers.

Chess fans around the world are celebrating his success and embracing him as a true new World Champion !

An Unforgettable World Championship in Mexico !

GM ANAND NEW WORLD CHESS CHAMPION 2007 !!!!

Ahead of the rest of the players by one point, Anand won the World Championship after drawing his last round’s game !

He sent out thanks to his wife, trainer, friends and Mexico for its hospitality.

This evening, at the Press Conference, our World Champion said:

“You can imagine how I feel. I won a big tournament last year and this is something very special for me. I want to thank all my friends that helped me a lot. I want to thank my wife that has done everything to keep me in a good shape for competing. I also want to thank my trainer. And most of all, I want to thank Mexico for its hospitality, not in so many places you can find as many chess fans as here. I always feel great in Mexico. At this moment, I can recall Mr. Saggiante’s words that this would be an unforgettable championship.”

FINAL RESULTS:

• 1st Place -Anand, Viswanathan  2792 9.0 Pts.
• 2nd Place - Kramnik, Vladimir 2769 8.0 Pts.
• 3rd Place -Gelfand, Boris 2733 8.0 Pts.
• 4th Place - Leko, Peter 2751 7.0 Pts.
• 5th Place - Svidler, Peter 2735 6.5 Pts.
• 6th Place – Morozevich, Alexander 2758 6.0 Pts.
• 7th Place - Aronian, Levon 2750 6.0 Pts.
• 8th Place - Grischuk, Alexander 2726 5.5 Pts.

How To Start A Chess Program In Your School

CHESS IN THE SCHOOLS

How Does Chess Benefit Children?

• The game of chess helps young people learn to concentrate, think logically, overcome obstacles, spot patterns and categorize information.
• It helps with the development of problem-solving skills, planning, patience, focus of thought and self-discipline.
• Chess is a competitive activity, but , good sportsmanship and fair play are taught as essential elements of the game.
• Chess is a one-against-one activity, however, teamwork is also an important element.  This element comes into play when Club members must practice and work on problems together.
• Everyone has a chance to contribute to the team in tournament play as chess clubs may enter as many players as they wish and various skill-levels or age-based sections are generally available.
• A scholastic chess club provides a challenge for students while helping build confidence and self-esteem. It offers a combination of educational and social activity.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do I have to be a chess player to start a chess club?

No, you do not need advanced chess skills to organize a club. There are videos and simple instructional booklets that anyone can use to learn the game. You can almost always find a parent, older student or chess player in the community to help the group get started. You will want to read through a rule book and learn the basic elements of the game, but you do not have to be a skilled player yourself. Many clubs benefit from having non-playing organizers to support chess instructors.

Do I have to be a teacher to start a chess club?

No. A chess club may be sponsored by a parent or interested chess player in the community. Frequently, a parent and teacher will jointly sponsor a club, because being a teacher might make it easier to gain permission to use school facilities for meetings or tournaments.
It is important to work with school administrators for recognition of chess clubs as a school function, part of the schools extracurricular program. While this may take some time, achievement of this goal will benefit both the chess club and the school.

How much time does a Chess club take?

It depends on how much time you are willing to invest. It could be as little as an hour a week, but it will vary depending on the number of students involved and their ages. Most clubs meet regularly for one to two hours per week. These meetings may be after school, in the evening or on weekends.

How much money is involved in starting a club?

You can start a scholastic chess program for very little money – substantially less than the cost of just one football uniform. All that is required are a few chess sets.

If local funding is not available, contact the U.S. Chess Trust for assistance on getting free chess sets and US Chess Federation memberships.

You may send an E-mail with your Questions and/or Requests to info@uschesstrust.org , or, you may Post Your Comments and Questions on our Blog !

To Post a Comment – just Click the Comments balloon at the top of the Blog Post in question, Leave a Reply, and Click Submit !

Your comment will be posted the same day, and responses follow shortly, it’s that simple !

Get inspired – Get Chess !

FIDE Continental President, Jorge Vega – Report

FIDE PRESIDENTIAL BOARD MEETING
MEXICO CITY, SEPTEMBER 13-14, 2007.

I would like to report the most important aspects addressed at the Board meeting in connection with the American Continent. More information can be found at the FIDE Website.

1. Sites:

One of the topics was in reference to the 2008 Womens World Championship. The Presidential Board decided to award this event to the proposal presented by Argentina. Therefore, the 2008 Womens World Championship will be held in San Luis, Argentina with a tentative date of May 2008.

The site for the 2009 World Youth Championship was also analyzed, our Continental has two proposals one from Mexico and the other from Argentina. There are five more proposals to be considered.

The Presidential Board agreed to make the final decision in Antalya, Turkey at the next meeting in November 2007. The top three proposals to be considered are from Montenegro, Turkey and Argentina.

2. Commissions and Committees

A proposal by Mr. Leong Ignatius, FIDE General Secretary, was submitted to the Presidential Board.

This proposal was to consider a new structure for the Commission and Committees. There are Commissions in which members of our Continent are the Chairman, these commissions are Chess in Schools and CACDEC, and both commissions maintained their functions. The only pending issue is about a proposal to change the name of these commissions; this will be discussed at the upcoming Presidential Board meeting in Turkey.

3. Cycle of the World Championship

It was approved that the CCA could reallocate the number of spots for the 2009 World Cup Championship.

CCA will be granting a qualifying spot to the 2008 Pan-American Championship. The new name of this event will be Continental & Pan-American Championship. The six remaining qualifying spots will continue to be a part of the Continental Championship 2009. The final decisions will be made at the next meeting in Turkey.

4. ISCU America

Considering that FIDE and CCA did not know about this organization which is an affiliate member of FIDE ISCU. It was decided that their events would be considered private and will not be included in the official calendar of CCA.

The CCA in coordination with the FIDE Chess in the Schools Commission will continue with the independent scholastic projects.

Jorge Vega
Continental President

WCC – Anand Unstoppable !

WCC ROUND 11 – COMMENTS, RESULTS AND STANDINGS

Anand won an excellent game against Morozevich, this victory put him 1.5 points ahead of Boris Gelfand who is in now in 2nd place.

There are only 3 rounds remaining and chances are that GM Anand will become our next World Chess Champion.

The most remarkable aspects of Anand’s spectacular performance is his excellent psychological preparation; the natural tensions of the Championship do not seem to be affecting him. And even after complicated games, he remains calm and assertive.

IM Victor Frias used to tell me – CHESS IS 50% PSYCHOLOGY and 50% TALENT AND HARD WORK. WHAT DO YOU THINK ?

ROUND 11 RESULTS:

• Boris Gelfand ½ – ½ Peter Svidler
• Peter Leko ½ – ½ Levon Aronian
• Alexander Grischuk ½ – ½ Vladimir Kramnik
• Viswanathan Anand 1 – 0  Alexander Morozevich

STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 11:

1. Anand, Vishwanatan 7.5 points
2. Gelfand, Boris 6.0 points
3-5. Kramnik, Vladimir; Leko, Peter; Aronian, Levon 5.5 points
6. Grischuk, Alexander 5.0 points
7-8. Morozevich, Alexander; Svidler, Peter 4.5 points

MORE TO COME ON THE WCC – SO STAY TUNED !!

Harold B Dondis -Chess Modesty to Be Admired

Chairman Emeritus, Trustee & Co-Founder of the U.S. Chess Trust, Harold Dondis

Our Officers and Trustees, not only promote and contribute generously to the U.S. Chess Trust Mission, but, their lives are inspiring and quite a vision in the chess world.

In 1972, thirty-five years ago this month, Fischer was victorious over the Soviet’s chess supermen, including World Champion Boris Spassky.

In light of this 35-year mark and all of its controversy, among the people that come to mind is, U.S. Chess Trust Co-Founder, Chairman Emeritus and Trustee, Harold B Dondis, who played against Fischer.

“I did beat Bobby Fischer one time.”, Harold Dondis has said , matter-of-factly, in a discussion about his favorite game.  Dondis has the proof to back it up.

In 1964, he beat Fischer, who was only 20 yrs old at the time.  “It was a fluke that I beat him,” Dondis maintains.

According to the book “A Legend on the Road” , that chronicles Fischer’s cross-country trip, Dondis was carried out of the room on the shoulders of the crowd after he defeated Fischer.

Dondis later traveled to Iceland to officially cover Fischer’s match against the Soviet grandmaster Boris Spassky for the Boston Globe.

Despite graduating 56 years ago, Dondis still considers himself a student.  Now, his studies tend to focus on specific chess moves.

He has even spent 12 years writing a book on artificial intelligence.  It was never published but that doesn’t seem to bother Dondis.

That seems to be typical of Dondis, who is now writing yet another book.

“This one is about applied problem solving,” he has said. “It’s just a hobby.”

He has been the writer of the Boston Globe’s chess column for the last 37 years.

“I’m just an amateur,” Harold Dondis insists.

STATED LIKE A TRULY MODEST CHAMP.

Click here for more on Harold Dondis, and stay tuned for the collection of 100 Columns of Harold B Dondis, soon to be posted on our site !

GET INSPIRED, learn more about our programs and vision today !

UPCOMING BLOG NEWS !

More on how U.S. Chess Trust, Officers and Trustees have participated in and made significant contributions to chess history and its development !

Next time, we feature Dr. Leroy Dubeck, our Asst. Treasurer, who was President of the United States Chess Federation from 1969 to 1972 , and was instrumental in bringing Bobby Fischer to the Board to play his match for the World Chess Championship against Boris Spassky.

The 2007 Miami Chess Open September 26-30

IM Blas Lugo, Organizer of the 2007 Miami Chess Open

IM Blas Lugo is organizing the Biggest Chess Open Tournament in Miami, Florida ever ! !

So far the following players are confirmed to participate in this event:

• Current US Champion Alexander Shabalov
• Former US Champion Hikaru Nakamura
• Colombian GM Gildardo Garcia
• Mexican GM Gilberto Hernandez
• GM Darmen Sadvakasov
• GM Izoria Zviad
• GM Julio Becerra
• WGM Irina Krush
• WIM Carolina Blanco
• GM Darmen Sadvakasov
• GM Victor Mikhalevski

Open section: 9 rounds, GM and IM norms possible!  Fide Rated. Other sections 7 rounds.

• $100,000 based on 650 entries
• $50,000 guaranteed

The Miami Chess Open Schedule: September 26-30, 27-30 or 28-30, 2007

Location: Sheraton Miami Mart Hotel
Note: Just five minutes away from the Miami International Airport, fifteen minutes away from Miami Sea-Aquarium and the world famous South Beach with its amazing nightlife ! Miamis biggest malls are nearby (Dolphin Mall, International Mall, Mall of the Americas).

The Sidney Samole Chess Hall of Fame also makes its home in Miami, Florida and welcomes you to visit !

For more information Click here Miami Chess Open .

WCC – GM Anand On The Road To Become a World Champion

Round 9 – Comments & Standings

GM Alexander Morozevich scored his first win in the World Championship, which was a very good development for GM Anand.

This was a significant victory since it was against current World Champion Vladimir Kramnik.

On the other hand, for Kramnik this was a great blow since he is now 1.5 points away from the leader GM Anand.

The WCC is approaching it final stage with only 5 Rounds to go!

In the past many games played during the decisive phase contain mistakes that are not expected of players of this caliber. Often, tension and fatigue influence the quality of their games, so , it will be interesting to see how these factors will impact the upcoming rounds.

Round 9 – Results

• Peter Leko ½ – ½  Peter Svidler
• Alexander Grischuk  1 – 0  Boris Gelfand
• Viswanathan Anand ½ – ½  Levon Aronian
• Alexander Morozevich 1 – 0  Vladimir Kramnik

Standings after Round 9

1.  Anand, Vishwanatan 6.0 points
2. Gelfand, Boris 5.0 points
3. Kramnik, Vladimir 4.5 points
4. Grischuk, Alexander  4.5 points
5. Leko, Peter 4.5 points
6. Morozevich, Alexander 4.0 points
7. Aronian, Levon 4.0 points
8.  Svidler, Peter 3.5 points

Check back for more updates !!

Garry Kasparov: The Match Of His Life

This evening on CBS News-60 Minutes Steve Kroft interviewed The Chess Legend about His Political Ambitions.

In the preview of the interview CBS posted the following:

“At the chessboard, he was a legend, becoming the worlds top-ranked player at 22 and remaining there almost continuously until his retirement. But now Garry Kasparov has his hand in Russian politics, where his opponent, Vladimir Putin, seems to have the upper hand. Steve Kroft reports. Andy Court and Keith Sharman are the producers”.

There is no question that Garry Kasparov has been one of the best chessplayers in history if not the best. However, many believe that he is not such as good politician since he seems to be fighting a losing battle.

In my opinion, Kasparov’s views are far more appealing to people outside of Russia than for Russian citizens.

After the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, Russia made a very good attempt at becoming a democratic nation by undergoing a deep and dramatic transformation. However, the events in the last five years are showing a tendency to return to the old modus operandi.

As long as Kasparov is not a threat to the current regime he will be safe.
Hopefully our former World Champion is making his moves in a calculating fashion while carefully managing his personal risks.
Kasparov is representing a minority view inside of Russia and he is playing this game in a very democratic style.

A copy of Kasparov’s interview can be found by clicking here CBS News 60 Minutes with Kasparov

Royal Knights in East Harlem

In light of our Charity of the Month – Chess for Youth Program, we would like to share the following article.

In looking back we can all gain inspiration from history and find many stories about how chess has changed the life of a growing child.

Thanks to all the teachers, who, like Bill Hall, use chess as a way to reach children that walk different paths in life!

Let us help you get started with a chess program today !

Click here for more info on the Chess for Youth Program.   If you have any questions you may also contact us at info@uschesstrust.org.

We hope that you too will be inspired to make a difference !

Below is an excerpt from the article, you may View the Full Article by clicking on the link below.

From Street Kids to Royal Knights – “How a Caring Teacher and the Game of Chess Changed Lives in the Ghetto” By Jo Coudert, Published in Readers Digest June 1989 Click Here for Full Article

“Recently transfered to J.H.S. 99 in New York City’s East Harlem, Hall taught English as a second language, but he was not having much success with these kids. They were all troublemakers, some guilty of chronic truancy, vandalism or thievery. Most had attention span measureable only in milliseconds.

Sze Wai’s interest in the chess set was the first flicker of curiosity from any of them.
Hoping to reach these kids any way he could, Hall, a veteran teacher of 24 years, opened the board and set out the pieces, “Chess is a war game,” he began, “a fight between two people, like boxing or wrestling.”

As he held up each piece, he wrote the English name on the blackboard. The class quieted. “If any of you guys want to learn how to play,” Hall said, “come around after school today.”

A year and a half after they first started playing, the Knights flew to California to compete in the 1987 National Junior High School Chess Tournament. Two of the Knights, Jose Lao and Sze Wei Chen, were later invited to the Manhattan Chess Club to play an exhibition against Maya Chiburdanidze, the women’s world chess champion from the Soviet Union.

The Knights grew into thoughtful young men willing to take responsibility and plan ahead.

One of the boys, Bashart Choudhry once said, “Life is not different than chess. If you don’t have a plan, you’ll get beaten.”

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