ChessBase Magazine Online

Legenda u kandzama kriminala – Gligoric mugged
21.01.2003 – Legendary GM Svetozar Gligoric, who will turn 80 in less than two weeks, was attacked in his sleep by masked burglars who tied him up and took money, jewelry (from his late wife) and chess trophies, including a silver chess set. Details of the despicable act, which took place in Gligoric's home in Belgrade, can be found in Serbian language in this Sinisa Joksic report.
 

Kasparov going with the Times
21.01.2003 – Paul Hoffman is a regular writer for the New York Times. He is also a chess enthusiast who manages to get stories on computers and grandmasters it the pages of the broadsheet. Once again Paul has struck and produced a long and very readable article on the upcoming Kasparov vs Deep Junior match in the science section. You will need to register (free) to read it. For those who can't here is a short synopsis.
 

Anand all alone at the top
20.01.2003 – After three wins in a row Loek van Wely went down fighting against veteran Anatoly Karpov, Alexei Shirov found himself a piece down after tactical complications against Alexander Grischuk. Ruslan Ponomariov had an even more traumatic encounter with the youngest player, 15-year-old Teimour Radjabov. Which left Anand to tenaciously hold a draw against the other world champion Vladimir Kramnik and take the sole lead in Wijk. Full report.
 

Looking for a place to play?
20.01.2003 – Do you know our Tournament Chess Calendar? If you are interested in actually playing chess – as opposed to looking at pictures of new US women's champions – then you certainly should. Tournament players will find everything they need on this remarkable page. The Calendar, which is regularly updated, has its own link on the left of our main page.
 

A new face: Anna Hahn, US Champion
20.01.2003 – Three players were tied for first in the 2003 US Women's Champion. Underdog Anna Hahn, 26, born in Latvia and currently a resident of Jersey City, caused a major chess upset in the playoff by beating former champions Jennifer Shahade and Irina Krush. The win brought her a record first prize of $12,500. Besides chess Anna is fond of music, dancing, tennis and, would you believe it, kickboxing. Here is John Henderson's report.
 

Anand and Van Wely on winning streak
19.01.2003 – After the Dutch player Loek van Wely stormed his way into the joint lead with Anand and Polgar, he continued his incredible winning streak by beating compatriot Jan Timman today. Only Vishy Anand was able to keep up with a fine victory over FIDE champion Ruslan Ponomariov. Meanwhile Shirov continued his roller coaster ride with a win over Bareev, while Judit Polgar squeaked out a draw against Vladimir Kramnik. Read our full report.
 

Shaba takes Seattle
19.01.2003 – Some have problems with a good night's sleep there, but Alexander Shabalov, 35, came, saw and took the $25,000 prize fund as US Champion 2003. The 1992 émigré from Riga, Latvia, was tied with seven other players for a Showdown in Seattle. In a nerve-wracking final the "street fighter" overcame a bad position to win and take the title. Here is John Henderson's final report.
 

Loek who's leading in Wijk!
18.01.2003 – The Dutch players traditionally occupy the back ranks in the Super-GM tournament in Wijk aan Zee. They are normally outclassed by the -ovs, -chucks and the odd -and. But this time one player came to the Corus tournament ferociously well prepared and raring for a fight. Today Loek van Wely ground down Evgeny Bareev, after beating Topalov yesterday, both times with the black pieces. Here's Mig Greengard's round six report.
 

Mayor Bloomberg invites us to New York
18.01.2003 – The Kasparov-Deep Junior match is just a week away. Today we received an official announcement from New York Mayor Michael R Bloomberg, who writes: "It is my pleasure to welcome the 'Man vs. Machine' tournament to New York City. People from around the world will enjoy the fierce competition between one of the world's most strategic and intuitive minds and the latest advances in artificial intelligence." Here is the full message from Mayor Bloomberg.
 

Showdown in Seattle
18.01.2003 – The US Championship in Seattle, Washington, is getting set for either stunning breakaway or one of the most even, boring tournaments ever. The ninth and final round is on Saturday the 18th. There is a lot of money (prize fund $253,000, first prize $25,000) at stake, and eight players are tied in first place: Kaidanov, Shabalov, Akobian, Stripunsky, Gulko, Ivanov, Benjamin and Fedorowicz, all at 5.5/8. Prepare for the showdown tonight.
 

Saving the reunification championship
18.01.2003 – Negotiations between FIDE and Ruslan Ponomariov seem to have reached an impasse. In this dire situation GM Mikhail Golubev, editor of Ukrainian Chess Online, has come up with a proposal to save the reunification process. Essentially he wants the Ponomariov-Kasparov match to be clearly definied as a semi-final match for the reunification process and for its result to lose valitidy if the process is not completed. More.
 

Time to concentrate
18.01.2003 – As Garry Kasparov prepares for his high-profile match against a computer in New York, the last thing he needs is distraction. "Your mind has to be totally clean," Kasparov said in a phone interview from his home in Moscow. That state is proving difficult to achieve, however. Aside from trying to avenge his 1997 loss to a computer called Deep Blue, Kasparov is involved in a nasty dispute over a failed Internet company. Read about it in this Yahoo report.