Saturday updates
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
Judit is in great form in this tournament. However, tomorrow she will play Black against Karjakin. According to my database, she has lost all 4 games she played the Black pieces against the Ukranian. So perhaps it is a bit early to celebrate…however, I am certain that the majority of my readers would not mind seeing her get a draw tomorrow!
The big news today in the third round of the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk was Judit Polgar’s demolition of Karjakin’s Berlin Defence in the Spanish Opening.
Things seemed to be going quite normally for the Ukranian GM, but then Polgar chucked a pawn to let her Bishop into the Black Queenside and was soon a pawn up. She converted the pawn into a touch down with relative ease.
GM Karjakin
GM J.Polgar
Polgar played the surprising 20.e6 (!) and after 20…Bxe6 21.Bxc7 Black had difficulties dealing with the simple plan of Bc7-b8-a7. Infact, Black lost a pawn!
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Judit is in great form in this tournament. However, tomorrow she will play Black against Karjakin. According to my database, she has lost all 4 games she played the Black pieces against the Ukranian. So perhaps it is a bit early to celebrate…however, I am certain that the majority of my readers would not mind seeing her get a draw tomorrow!
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CLOSER TO HOME…
Tony Ficzere, Western Canada’s most active chess organizer and editor of the CFC’s e-magazine for the past 2 years, has stepped down as editor. Tony claims that he simply has become swamped with work..however, considering how little the federation was paying him for his efforts,it seems likely that Tony will come out on top! IM Porper will take his place.
GM Anton Kovalyov has been living in Montreal since the summer of 2007 but has refused to change his federation to the CFC, preferring to remain associated with the Argentine federation (FADA). However, this relationship has recently soured, and Anton told me this week that he will now change his federation to the CFC. This does not mean, however, that he will play on the National Team anytime soon….
Anton, the highest rated player resident in Canada for some time now, is one of the top juniors in the world. Inside Canada he has been largely ignored. But of course, world class players are always ignored in Canada!
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS