ChessBomb Blog: 2018-03

2018-03-31

Sveshnikov - Skvortsov 2018

The match between Evgey Sveshnikov and Oleg Skvortsov 2018 is held on March 31st and April 4 th in Riga.

Official site

Schedule: (UTC)

Round 1. 14.00 31.03.2018
Round 2. 15.00 31.03.2018
Round 3. 13.00 01.04.2018
Round 4. 13.00 01.04.2018

Watch the games of the Sveshnikov - Skvortsov 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

GRENKE Chess Classic 2018

The 2018 GRENKE Chess Classic is a 10-player round-robin held in Germany from 31 March to 9 April. The first 3 rounds are in Karlsruhe alongside the GRENKE Chess Open, then after a rest day the last 6 rounds are in the Kulturhaus LA8 in Baden-Baden.
The field features World Champion Magnus Carlsen and fellow Top 10 players Fabiano Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Vishy Anand and Levon Aronian, as well as women's no. 1 Hou Yifan.
The time control is 100 minutes for 40 moves, then 50 minutes for 20 moves and then 15 minutes to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1. If players are tied for first place a rapid play-off will take place.

Schedule: (UTC)
Round 1 Mar 31, 2018 13:00
Round 2 Apr 1, 2018 13:00
Round 3 Apr 2, 2018 13:00
Round 4 Apr 4, 2018 13:00
Round 5 Apr 5, 2018 13:00
Round 6 Apr 6, 2018 13:00
Round 7 Apr 7, 2018 13:00
Round 8 Apr 8, 2018 13:00
Round 9 Apr 9, 2018 13:00

Fabiano Caruana (USA) won GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 with 6.5 points. Congratulations!

Watch the games of the GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

You can see games from previous issues of the tournament with computer analysis at ChessBomb:
GRENKE Chess Classic 2017
GRENKE Chess Classic 2016
GRENKE Chess Classic 2015
GRENKE Chess Classic 2014

Official site

2018-03-30

Sao Paulo Open 2018

The Sao Paulo Open is a 6-round Swiss tournament taking place from 30 March to 1 April 2018 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is restricted to players with a rating under 2300. Players receive 90 minutes for the entire game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.

Official site

Schedule: (UTC)

Round 1 Mar 30, 2018 17:00
Round 2 Mar 30, 2018 22:00
Round 3 Mar 31, 2018 16:00
Round 4 Apr 31, 2018 21:30
Round 5 Apr 1, 2018 11:30
Round 6 Apr 1, 2018 16:30

Watch the games of the Sao Paulo Open 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

European ACP Women Rapid 2018

The European ACP Women Rapid is taking place in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 30th and 31st of March. The prize fund of the event is 14.500 EUR.The Championship is open to all players representing the Chess Federations, members of the European Chess Union regardless of their title or rating.

The championship is played according to the Swiss system in 11 rounds, with time control 15 minutes+10 seconds per move starting from the move one.

IM Paehtz Elisabeth(GER) won in European ACP Women Rapid 2018. IM Bodnaruk Anastasia (RUS) is second and GM Muzychuk Anna (UKR) - third. Congratulations!

Watch the games of the European ACP Women Rapid 2018 with computer analysis on ChessBomb.

You can see games from previous issues of the tournament with computer analysis at ChessBomb:
European ACP Women Rapid 2017

Official site

2018-03-29

Grenke Chess Open 2018

The GRENKE Chess Open will be held from March 29 to April 2, 2018 in the congress centre in Karlsruhe, Germany. Formerly known as the Deizisauer Neckar-Open, this nine rounds Swiss system tournament features top group grandmasters vying for a first prize of €15,000. The tournament includes over 100 titled players and over 900 participants in total! Players receive 2 hours for 40 moves and 30 minutes for the rest of the game. There is no increment.

Schedule: (UTC)

Round 1 Mar 29, 2018 17:30
Round 2 Mar 30, 2018 07:00
Round 3 Mar 30, 2018 13:00
Round 4 Mar 31, 2018 07:00
Round 5 Mar 31, 2018 13:00
Round 6 Apr 1, 2018 07:00
Round 7 Apr 1, 2018 13:00
Round 8 Apr 2, 2018 07:00
Round 9 Apr 2, 2018 13:00

Watch the games of the GRENKE Chess Open 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

You can see games from previous issues of the tournament with computer analysis at ChessBomb:
Grenke Chess Open 2017
Grenke Chess Open 2016

Official site

Doeberl Cup 2018

The Doeberl Cup is Australia's Premier Grand Prix tournament since 1963! The 2018 edition is held from 29 March to 2 April at the Canberra Southern Cross Club Woden. First prize is 4,000 AUD (~€2,500).
Time control: the players receive 90 minutes for the entire game, plus 30 seconds per move starting from move 1.
History: the tournament was named after its primary sponsor, Erich Doeberl. Sponsoring the tournament became family tradition. In 2007 O2C was the major sponsor of the tournament and from 2008 has attained the rights to run the tournament.

Official site

Schedule: (UTC)

Round 1 Mar 29, 2018 03:30
Round 2 Mar 29, 2018 09:30
Round 3 Mar 30, 2018 03:30
Round 4 Mar 30, 2018 09:30
Round 5 Mar 31, 2018 00:00
Round 6 Mar 31, 2018 05:30
Round 7 Apr 1, 2018 01:00
Round 8 Apr 1, 2018 06:30
Round 9 Apr 2, 2018 01:00

Watch the games of the Doeberl Cup 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

You can see games from previous issues of the tournament with computer analysis at ChessBomb:
Doeberl Cup 2017
Doeberl Cup 2016
Doeberl Cup 2015
Doeberl Cup 2014

Ivan Šarić won the European Individual Championship 2018

Saric Ivan won the European Individual Championship 2018.
The Croatian grand-master Ivan Šarić won the European Chess Championships in Batumi, Georgia on March 28, 2018. Congratulations!

(Photo: Croatian Chess Federation)

The European Individual Chess Championships was held between 16-29 March in 11 rounds according to the Swiss system, following the European Chess Union and World Chess Federation Tournament Rules. The time control was 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move. The competition featured 302 competitors from 34 countries.
This years edition of the prestigious race offered a lot of interesting battles. 2 rounds before the end of the European Individual Chess Championship 2018 there were four leading players - Wojtaszek Radoslav (POL), Jones Gawain CB (ENG), Korobov Anton (UKR) and Matlakov Maxim (RUS) each with 7 points. 15 other players with 6.5 points stood tight behind the leaders.
In the last round the 27-year-old Šarić defeated David Navara of the Czech Republic and took the title with 8.5 points from 11 games at the championship. With the golden title Ivan Šaric took 20,000 euros prize and was qualified for the upcoming chess World Cup. Wojtaszek Radoslaw (POL) took the second place and Sjugirov Sanan (RUS) is third.
The best women player of the European Individual Championship 2018 is Antoaneta Stefanova, who took 6.5 points. The second women player is Goryachkina Aleksandra (RUS) with 6 points. Congratulations!

Watch back at the the games of the European Individual Championship 2018 with computer analysis on ChessBomb

2018-03-28

Fabiano Caruana Wins The Candidates Tournament, Becomes First American to Challenge for World Chess Championship Title Since Bobby Fischer in 1972

Caruana to Face Reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen in November

SAINT LOUIS (March 27, 2018) — The Candidates Tournament held in Berlin, Germany, has come to a conclusion and, at the end of a grueling 18 days of chess, American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, has emerged victorious and will be the next Challenger for the World Championship title.

The Candidates brought together the best players in the World to determine the next Challenger, and it was an incredibly tight race. With two rounds left, the doors were still open for five of the eight players to come out on top. A crucial victory by Caruana against Armenia's Levon Aronian in the penultimate round put him half a point ahead of his closest rivals – he even increased his lead in the final round with a victory with the black pieces against Russia’s Alexander Grischuk.

This is a historic result for American chess. The last player to participate in a unified World Championship match was Bobby Fischer in 1972 in his triumph against Boris Spassky. Caruana's match against the reigning World Champion, Carlsen, has been scheduled by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, to be held in London from November 9-28 later this year. Carlsen took the title from India's Viswanathan Anand in 2013 and has since defended it twice; once against Anand in 2014 and again against Russia's Sergey Karjakin in 2016.

“It is a great honor to represent my home country,” said Caruana. “The Candidates Tournament win is the culmination of months of hard work, and I'm elated – simply without words. I look forward to going back to Saint Louis to prepare for dethroning Magnus.”

Born in Miami, Florida, Caruana relocated several times and ultimately made Saint Louis his home in 2015 due to the surge of chess in the city. Caruana is now the best chess player in the U.S. and leads the American team in the chess olympiads as the first board – in 2016, the team won gold for the first time since 1976 with the help of Caruana’s leadership. Shortly before the World Championship, Team USA will defend their gold medal earned in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2016, with the next potential World Champion on the first board yet again.

“This is one of the most significant and historical achievements for American chess in years,” said Rex Sinquefield, founder of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “To have an American play for the World Championship will help elevate chess to levels it has not seen since the early 1970s.”

The final standings were:

Caruana, Fabiano (USA)
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar (AZE)
Karjakin, Sergey (RUS)
Ding Liren (CHN)
Kramnik, Vladimir (RUS)
Grischuk, Alexander (RUS)
So, Wesley (USA)
Aronian, Levon (ARM)

About the Saint Louis Chess Club

The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.

Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit saintlouischessclub.org.

2018-03-26

TV 2 Fagernes Chess International 2018

The 2018 edition of the Fagernes Chess International tournament is played between 25th March and 4th April in Fagernes, 187 km north of Oslo, Norway. Main organizer is Hans Olav Lahlum in cooperation with the Norwegian Chess Federation.

Groups:
GM-group: A 9-round Swiss open for all players having the official titles GM, IM, FM, WGM, WIM or WFM from FIDE.
Rate of Play: Classical 2 hours in 40 moves, then 1 hour for the rest.

IM-group: Closed group with 10 players with FIDE-rating above 2300
Rate of Play:90 minutes/40 moves + 30 minutes/rest with 30 seconds increment.

Elo-group (The open Norwegian Championship): A 9-round FIDE-rated Swiss open for all tournament players regardless of Elo.
Rate of Play: Classical 2 hours in 40 moves, then 1 hour for the rest.

Fagernes Easter Blitz: A 9-round FIDE-ratet Swiss open to all players. Played in 2 groups over/under Elo 1500.
Rate of Play:3 minutes per game with 2 seconds increment.

Official site

Schedule: (CET)
Round 1 25 March 2018 17.30-23.30
Round 2 26 March 2018 14.00-20.00
Round 3 27 March 2018 10.00-16.00
Round 4 27 March 2018 17.30-23.30
Round 5 28 March 2018 14.00-20.00
Round 6 29 March 2018 14.00-20.00
Round 7 30 March 2018 14.00-20.00
Round 8 31 March 2018 13.00-19.00
Round 9 1 April 2018 09.00-15.00

Fagernes Easter Rapid:
day 1 29 March 2018 20.00
day 2 30 March 2018 20.00

Fagernes Easter Blitz:
31 March 2018 19.00

Watch the games of the Fagernes Chess International 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

You can see games from previous issues of the tournament with computer analysis at ChessBomb:
Fagernes Chess International 2017
Fagernes Chess International 2016
Fagernes Chess International 2015
Fagernes Chess International 2014

2018-03-24

Karpos Open 2018

The 2018 Karpos Open is a 9-round Swiss tournament taking place from 24-31 March in the Aleksandar Palace Hotel, Skopje, Macedonia. The total prize fund is 10,200 EUR, with 2,000 EUR for first place.

Time contrrol: the players receive 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.

Official site

Schedule: UTC

Round 1 Mar 24, 2018 16:00
Round 2 Mar 25, 2018 08:30
Round 3 Mar 25, 2018 16:00
Round 4 Mar 26, 2018 16:00
Round 5 Mar 27, 2018 16:00
Round 6 Mar 28, 2018 16:00
Round 7 Mar 29, 2018 16:00
Round 8 Mar 30, 2018 16:00
Round 9 Mar 31, 2018 08:30

Watch the games of the Karpos Open 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

You can see games from previous issues of the tournament with computer analysis at ChessBomb:
Karpos Open 2017 (Winner Ter-Sahakyan Samvel)
Karpos Open 2016 (Winner Kiril Georgiev)
Karpos Open 2015 (Winner Ivanisevic Ivan)
Karpos Open 2014 (Winner Kiril Georgiev)

Final of the Women’s Bundesliga 2018

The Women’s Bundesliga* takes place from October 1, 2017 to March 25, 2018 at various venues.
On February 24th and 25th, the last rounds of the women's league season 2017/18 will take place.

Time control: the players receive 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.

Official site

Schedule: (UTC)

Round 1 Oct 1, 2017 09:00
Round 2 Nov 18, 2017 13:00
Round 3 Nov 19, 2017 08:00
Round 4 Dec 16, 2017 13:00
Round 5 Dec 17, 2017 08:00
Round 6 Jan 27, 2018 13:00
Round 7 Jan 28, 2018 08:00
Round 8 Feb 17, 2018 13:00
Round 9 Feb 18, 2018 08:00
Round 10 Mar 24, 2018 13:00
Round 11 Mar 25, 2018 09:00

Watch the games of the Women’s Bundesliga 2018* with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

*Broadcasting the games is not mandatory as in the Open Bundesliga. If a club decides to broadcast the games they will be shown. All games of the final three rounds played in Berlin will be broadcasted.

Pedro Lezcano Montalvo Memorial 2018

The 11th Pedro Lezcano Montalvo Memorial is a 9-round Swiss open taking place from 24-31 March in Gran Canaria. Players receive 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.

Official site

Schedule: (UTC)

Round 1 Mar 24, 2018 17:00
Round 2 Mar 25, 2018 10:00
Round 3 Mar 25, 2018 17:00
Round 4 Mar 26, 2018 17:00
Round 5 Mar 27, 2018 17:00
Round 6 Mar 28, 2018 17:00
Round 7 Mar 29, 2018 17:00
Round 8 Mar 30, 2018 17:00
Round 9 Mar 31, 2018 10:00

Watch the games of the Pedro Lezcano Montalvo Memorial 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

Semana Santa Isla Bonita 2018

The Semana Santa Isla Bonita is a 7-round Swiss tournament taking place between 24th - 28th March 2018 in Los Llanos de Aridane, Isla de la Palma, Canarias.

Time control: the players receive 90 minutes for the entire game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.

Official site

Schedule: (UTC)
Round 1 Mar 24, 2018 18:00
Round 2 Mar 25, 2018 11:00
Round 3 Mar 25, 2018 19:00
Round 4 Mar 26, 2018 18:00
Round 5 Mar 27, 2018 10:00
Round 6 Mar 27, 2018 18:00
Round 7 Mar 28, 2018 09:00

Watch the games of the Semana Santa Isla Bonita 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

2018-03-22

Catalan Championship 2018

The Individual Championship of Catalonia is a 16-player knockout tournament taking place in Vila-seca from 22-29 March. Each round consists of two games at a time control of 90 minutes for all moves, plus a 30-second increment from move one. In case of a draw rapid, blitz and ultimately an Armageddon game will be played.

Official site

Schedule: (UTC)
Round 1 Mar 22, 2018 15:15
Round 2 Mar 23, 2018 15:15
Round 3 Mar 24, 2018 15:15
Round 4 Mar 25, 2018 15:15
Round 5 Mar 26, 2018 15:15
Round 6 Mar 27, 2018 15:15
Round 7 Mar 28, 2018 15:15
Round 8 Mar 29, 2018 08:30

Watch the games of the Catalan Championship 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

Open Internacional de Ajedrez Ciudad de San Sebastián 2018

The XLI Open International Championship San Sebastian is held between March 24 and 31, 2018. The games will be held at the headquarters of Gros Xake Taldea, Paseo de Anoeta 20, 3rd floor, of Donostia-San Sebastián. The tournament is plaed by the Swiss system in 9 rounds.

Time control: 90 minutes per player with an increase of 30 seconds per play.

The first players in the start ranking are GM Vazquez Igarza Renier (ESP), GM Del Rio De Angelis Salvador G.(ESP), GM Martinez Duany Lelys Stanley (CUB), GM Venkatesh M.R. (IND), IM Aguero Jimenez Luis Lazaro (CUB).

Official site

The schedule of the game sessions:
Round 1 March 24 (Saturday) 5:00 pm
Round 2 March 25 (Sunday) 9:30
Round 3 March 25 (Sunday) 5:00 pm
Round 4 March 26 ( Monday) 5:00 pm
Round 5 March 27 (Tuesday) 5:00 pm
Round 6 March 28 (Wednesday) 5:00 pm
Round 7 March 29 (Thursday) 5:00 pm
Round 8 March 30 (Friday) 5:00 pm
Round 9 March 31 (Saturday) 9:30

Watch the games of the Ciudad de San Sebastian Open 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

March Lviv Tradition 2018

The International Chess Festival “Lviv Tradition 2018” is held from 22nd till 27th of March 2018 in Lviv, Ukraine, as a part of the Ukraine Tour Chess Tournament Series 2018.

Time control: 90 minutes with 30 second increment from move 1

Schedule: (UTC)
Round 1 2018/03/22 14-00
Round 2 2018/03/23 09-00
Round 3 2018/03/23 14-00
Round 4 2018/03/24 09-00
Round 5 2018/03/24 14-00
Round 6 2018/03/25 09-00
Round 7 2018/03/25 14-00
Round 8 2018/03/26 09-00
Round 9 2018/03/27 09-00

Watch the games of the March Lviv Tradition 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

Watch back at the games of the:
January Lviv Tradition 2018
September Lviv Tradition 2017
November Lviv Tradition 2017

Official site

30th IRAQI Clubs Championship 2018

The 30th IRAQI Clubs Championship 2018 is held from 22nd till 25th of March 2018 in Baghdad.

Time control: 70 minutes for the game with 30 seconds increment from move 1

First players in the start ranking: GM Malakhatko Vadim (BEL), GM Karpatchev Aleksandr (RUS), IM Gholami Aryan (IRI), IM Khodashenas Mersad (IRI), IM Obada Ahmad Azeezjawad (IRQ).

Official site

Schedule ( UTC)

Round 9 2018/03/22 15:45
Round 10 2018/03/23 08:45
Round 11 2018/03/23 15:45
Round 12 2018/03/24 08:45
Round 13 2018/03/24 08:45

Watch the games of the 30th IRAQI Clubs Championship 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

You can see games from previous issues of the tournament with computer analysis at ChessBomb:
29th IRAQI Clubs Championship 2017 (Winner: Etisalat Sport Club)

2018-03-21

Saint Louis Chess Club to Broadcast “Today in Chess” Highlighting Candidates Tournament

Three Hour Show begins March 22nd, through March 28th

SAINT LOUIS (March 20, 2018) — The Saint Louis Chess Club will be broadcasting its “Today in Chess” highlight show featuring the 2018 Candidates Tournament, which is currently taking place in Berlin, Germany. The broadcast team of Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, Woman Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade and Grandmaster Maurice Ashley will provide detailed analysis of the day’s matches. The show will run from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (CT) March 22–24 and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 26–28, 2018.

Who: Broadcast team of Yasser Seirawan, Jennifer Shahade and Maurice Ashley.

The Field
Player	Country
Fabiano Caruana	United States
Wesley So	United States
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov	Azerbaijan
Vladimir Kramnik	Russia
Ding Liren	China
Alexander Grischuk	Russia
Sergey Karjakin	Russia
Levon Aronian	Armenia

What: Three hour broadcast with detailed match analysis and breakdown of the following day match-ups.

When: 12–3 p.m. (CT) March 22–March 24, 2018 and 11 a.m.–2 p.m. March 26-28, 2018

Where: The show will be live on uschesschamps.com.

About the Saint Louis Chess Club

Saint Louis Chess Club | Building Champions

4657 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108 | (314) 361-CHESS (2437)

The Saint Louis Chess Club acknowledges Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield, whose generous support makes our tournaments possible.

The STLCC and WCHOF admit students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational & admissions policies, scholarship & loan programs, and athletic & other school-administered programs.

2018-03-19

Sarajevo Championship 2018

The Sarajevo Championship is a 12-player round-robin tournament taking place from 19-27 March 2018. Players receive 90 minutes for the entire game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.

Official site

Schedule: UTC

Round 1 Mar 19, 2018 15:30
Round 2 Mar 20, 2018 15:30
Round 3 Mar 21, 2018 15:30
Round 4 Mar 22, 2018 15:30
Round 5 Mar 23, 2018 15:30
Round 6 Mar 24, 2018 09:00
Round 7 Mar 24, 2018 15:30
Round 8 Mar 25, 2018 09:00
Round 9 Mar 25, 2018 15:30
Round 10 Mar 26, 2018 15:30
Round 11 Mar 27, 2018 15:30

Watch the games of the Sarajevo Championship 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

2018-03-18

12th Serbian Women's Championship 2018

The 12th Serbian Women's Championship is a 10-player round-robin tournament taking place from 17th to 24th March 2018 in Kragujevac.
Time control: the players receive 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.

The first players in the starting rank are: WGM Benderac Ana, WIM Blagojevic Tijana, WGM Chelushkina Irina, WIM Djukic Sandra and WIM Eric Jovana.

Official site

Schedule (UTC)
Round 01 17. 03.2018 14:30
Round 02 18. 03.2018 14:30
Round 03 19. 03.2018 14:30
Round 04 20. 03.2018 14:30
Round 05 21. 03.2018 14:30
Round 06 22. 03.2018 14:30
Round 07 23. 03.2018 14:30
Round 08 24. 03.2018 14:30
Round 09 25. 03.2018 09:00

Watch the games of the Serbian Women Championship 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

You can see games from previous issues of the tournament with computer analysis at ChessBomb:
11th Serbian Women Championship 2017
10th Serbian Women Championship 2016

2018-03-16

Paz de Ziganda 2018

The 28th edition of the Paz de Ziganda International Open ("José Luis Gorostidi Oroigarria Memorial") is held in Villava (Navarre, Spain), on March 17th and 18th.

Official site

Schedule: (UTC)

17/03 10:00 to 19:00
18/03 9:00 to 12:30

Watch the games of the Paz de Ziganda 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

You can see games from previous issues of the tournament with computer analysis at ChessBomb:
27th Paz de Ziganda 2017
26th Paz de Ziganda 2016
25th Paz de Ziganda 2015

2018-03-15

European Individual Championship 2018

The 19th European Individual Championship takes place from 16-29 March in Batumi, Georgia, organized by the government of Georgia together with the government of Adjara Autonomous Republic, Tbilisi City Hall and the Georgian Chess Federation under the auspices of the European Chess Union. The European Individual Chess Championship is open to all players representing the chess federation members of the European Chess Union regardless of their title or rating.
The tournament is an 11-round Swiss open with a prize fund of €100,000 and first prize of €20,000.

Time control: the players receive 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from move one. The first 22 players will qualify for next World Cup.

The first players in the start list are: GM Jakovenko Dmitry (RUS), GM Wojtaszek Radoslaw (POL), GM Navara David (CZE), GM Vallejo Pons Francisco (ESP), GM Ivanchuk Vassily (UKR)

Schedule: (UTC)
Round 1 Mar 17, 2018 11:00
Round 2 Mar 18, 2018 11:00
Round 3 Mar 19, 2018 11:00
Round 4 Mar 20, 2018 11:00
Round 5 Mar 21, 2018 11:00
Round 6 Mar 23, 2018 11:00
Round 7 Mar 24, 2018 11:00
Round 8 Mar 25, 2018 12:00
Round 9 Mar 26, 2018 12:00
Round 10 Mar 27, 2018 12:00
Round 11 Mar 28, 2018 08:00

Watch the games of the European Individual Championship 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

You can see games from previous issues of the tournament with computer analysis at ChessBomb:
18th European Individual Championship 2017 (Winner Matlakov, Maxim)
17th European Individual Championship 2016 (Winner Ernesto Inarkiev)
16th European Individual Championship 2015 (Winner Evgeniy Najer )
15th European Individual Championship 2014 (Winner Alexander Motylev)

Official site

Happy Birthday to Bulgarian Grandmaster Veselin Topalov!

GM Veselin Topalov's games on ChessBomb: Games

Happy birthday to the Bulgarian Grandmaster and World Champion (2005-2006) Veselin Topalov! We wish him many more chess achievements in the future!

Photo: Wikipedia

2018-03-14

Iraq Open Championship 2018

The 6th Iraq International championship 2018 (OPEN) is held in Baghdad, Iraq from 3rd till 19th of March 2018.

Time control: 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment from move 1

Official site

Schedule: (UTC)

Round 1 2018/03/14 16:00
Round 2 2018/03/15 09:00
Round 3 2018/03/15 16:00
Round 4 2018/03/16 09:00
Round 5 2018/03/16 16:00
Round 6 2018/03/17 09:00
Round 7 2018/03/17 16:00
Round 8 2018/03/18 16:00
Round 9 2018/03/19 09:00

Watch the games of the Iraq Open Championship 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

2018-03-12

Boardwalk Pearson - IM Norm 2018

The Boardwalk Pearson - IM Norm is a 10-player round-robin tournament taking place from 12-18 March 2018 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Players receive 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 15 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.

Official site

Schedule: UTC

Round 1 Mar 12, 2018 14:30
Round 2 Mar 13, 2018 08:00
Round 3 Mar 13, 2018 14:30
Round 4 Mar 14, 2018 14:30
Round 5 Mar 15, 2018 08:00
Round 6 Mar 15, 2018 14:30
Round 7 Mar 16, 2018 14:30
Round 8 Mar 17, 2018 14:30
Round 9 Mar 18, 2018 08:00

GM Grover Sahaj (IND) won the Boardwalk Pearson - IM Norm 2018, IM Cawdery Daniel (RSA) took the 2nd place and FM Van Zyl-Rudd Jack is third. Congratulations!

Watch the games of the Boardwalk Pearson - IM Norm 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

Final 2018 GCT Participants and Playing Schedules (for Paris and Leuven)

The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) is pleased to release the names of the nine (9) players that have signed full GCT Tour contracts for the 2018 GCT Tour.

GM Viswanathan Anand (IND)
GM Levon Aronian (ARM)
GM Fabiano Caruana (USA)
GM Alexander Grischuk (RUS)
GM Sergey Karjakin (RUS)
GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE)
GM Hikaru Nakamura (USA)
GM Wesley So (USA)
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA)

World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Ex-World Champion Vladimir Kramnik declined their full tour invitations and the GCT Advisory Board decided to extend a full tour invitation to GM Sergey Karjakin who was next in line based on the URS™ rating list.

The last place in each tournament will be filled by event level wildcards and two wildcard invitations have been extended and accepted to date:

GM Vladimir Kramnik accepted a wildcard invitation for the 2018 Paris GCT Rapid & Blitz; and
GM Anish Giri accepted a wildcard invitation for the 2018 YNM Leuven Rapid & Blitz.

The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) is pleased to release the names of the nine (9) players that have signed full GCT Tour contracts for the 2018 GCT Tour.

GM Viswanathan Anand (IND)
GM Levon Aronian (ARM)
GM Fabiano Caruana (USA)
GM Alexander Grischuk (RUS)
GM Sergey Karjakin (RUS)
GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE)
GM Hikaru Nakamura (USA)
GM Wesley So (USA)
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA)

GM Vladimir Kramnik accepted a wildcard invitation for the 2018 Paris GCT Rapid & Blitz; and
GM Anish Giri accepted a wildcard invitation for the 2018 YNM Leuven Rapid & Blitz.

The playing dates for the 2018 Grand Chess Tour events in Paris and Leuven have also been finalised and will be as follows:

Activities	YNM Leuven	Paris GCT
Rapid Games 1 - 3	Tuesday June 12	Wednesday June 20
Rapid Games 4 - 6	Wednesday June 13	Thursday June 21
Rapid Games 7 - 9	Thursday June 14	Friday June 22
Blitz Games 1 - 9	Friday June 15	Saturday June 23
Blitz Games 10 - 18	Saturday June 16	Sunday June 24

An expanded children’s chess day will be held as part of the YNM Leuven tournament on Monday June 11 while the traditional corporate day in Paris will take place on Monday June 25.

The YNM Leuven tournament will be held at the traditional City Hall of Leuven which has hosted the event from its inception. The players and tournament officials will be accommodated at The Fourth Hotel which is an ultimate luxury hotel located within the historic Grote Markt square. The official tournament hotel also provides the players with access to the Tafelrond restaurant which is ranked amongst the very best restaurants in Belgium.

The Paris GCT tournament will also utilise the same venue and all tournament games will be played at the same CANAL+ Espace Lumière studio which provided the spectacular setting for the 2017 edition. The Paris tournament will again be broadcast on CANAL+ television with daily highlights aired for their French language audience.

The wild-cards for the 2018 St Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament and for the 2018 Sinquefield Cup have yet to be selected and will be announced later in the year.

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About the URS™ (http://universalrating.com)
The Universal Rating System (URS™), is a revolutionary new sport’s rating system designed to assess the relative strength of participants across a wide variety of competitor vs competitor sports or games. The URS™ was developed as the result of a collaborative research project funded by the Grand Chess Tour, the Kasparov Chess Foundation and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The system is the product of detailed research conducted over more than two years by some of the world’s leading experts in methods of rating chess players.

About the Grand Chess Tour (http:/grandchesstour.org)
The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The Tour was created in partnership between the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (Sinquefield Cup) and Chess Promotions, Ltd. (London Chess Classic). The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers.

2018-03-10

FIDE Berlin Candidates 2018

The 2018 Candidates Tournament is an 8-player event to decide the challenger who will play a World Championship match against Magnus Carlsen in November 2018 in London. The tournament is organised by FIDE and its commercial partner Agon. The 14-round double round-robin runs from 10-27 March in the Kühlhaus Berlin and features a prize fund in excess of €420,000.
Players have 100 minutes for 40 moves, 50 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1.

Schedule: (UTC)

Round 1 Mar 10, 2018 14:00
Round 2 Mar 11, 2018 14:00
Round 3 Mar 12, 2018 14:00
Round 4 Mar 14, 2018 14:00
Round 5 Mar 15, 2018 14:00
Round 6 Mar 16, 2018 14:00
Round 7 Mar 18, 2018 14:00
Round 8 Mar 19, 2018 14:00
Round 9 Mar 20, 2018 14:00
Round 10 Mar 22, 2018 14:00
Round 11 Mar 23, 2018 14:00
Round 12 Mar 24, 2018 14:00
Round 13 Mar 26, 2018 14:00
Round 14 Mar 27, 2018 14:00

Watch the games of the FIDE Berlin Candidates 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

Official site

HDBank Masters 2018

The 8th HDBank Masters is a 9-round Swiss open taking place in Hanoi, Vietnam from 10-15 March 2018. The total prize fund is $55,000, with $15,000 for first place in the Masters. Players receive 90 minutes for the entire game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.

Official site

Schedule: UTC

Round 1 Mar 10, 2018 03:00
Round 2 Mar 10, 2018 09:00
Round 3 Mar 11, 2018 02:30
Round 4 Mar 12, 2018 02:30
Round 5 Mar 12, 2018 08:30
Round 6 Mar 13, 2018 02:30
Round 7 Mar 14, 2018 02:30
Round 8 Mar 14, 2018 08:30
Round 9 Mar 15, 2018 02:30

GM Sandro Mareco (ARG) won the 8th HDBank Masters! GM Karthikeyan Murali (IND) took the second place and GM Pichot Alan (ARG) is third. Congratulations!

Watch the games of the HDBank Masters 2018 with computer analysis on ChessBomb.

2018-03-09

51st Iranian Men Chess Championship-Final, 2018

The 51st Iranian Men Chess Championship-Final is held from 9th to 18th of March in Bushehr, Iran.

Time control: 40moves in 90 min. then 30 min. till the end plus 30 sec. increments from move 1

the first players in the start list are: Maghsoodloo Parham (Golestan), Tabatabaei M. Amin (Tehran) and Firouzja Alireza (Mazandaran).

Official site

Schedule: (UTC)
Round 1 2018/03/09 13:30
Round 2 2018/03/10 13:30
Round 3 2018/03/11 13:30
Round 4 2018/03/12 13:30
Round 5 2018/03/13 06:00
Round 6 2018/03/13 13:30
Round 7 2018/03/14 13:30
Round 8 2018/03/15 13:30
Round 9 2018/03/16 13:30
Round 10 2018/03/17 13:30
Round 11 2018/03/18 06:00

Watch the games of the Iranian Championship Final 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

2018-03-07

Ukrainian Championships u16 2018

The U16 Ukrainian Championships - open and Girls are a 12-player round-robin tournaments taking place from 7-16 March 2018 in Vinnytsia.
Time control: the players receive 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one

Schedule: UTC
Round 1 Mar 7, 2018 13:30
Round 2 Mar 8, 2018 13:00
Round 3 Mar 9, 2018 08:00
Round 4 Mar 9, 2018 14:00
Round 5 Mar 10, 2018 13:00
Round 6 Mar 11, 2018 13:00
Round 7 Mar 12, 2018 13:00
Round 8 Mar 13, 2018 13:00
Round 9 Mar 14, 2018 13:00
Round 10 Mar 15, 2018 13:00
Round 11 Mar 16, 2018 08:00

Watch the games of the Ukrainian Championship u16 2018 and Ukrainian Championship Girls u16 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.

Official website

2018-03-06

Serbian Individual Championship 2018

The 12th Serbian Men Individual championship is held from 6th to 14th of March in Novi Sad, Serbia.

The first players in the start ranking are: GM Indjic Aleksandar, GM Markus Robert, GM Sedlak Nikola, GM Perunovic Milos, M Savic Miodrag R.

Scheedule:
Round 1 06.03.2018 14:30
Round 2 07.03.2018 14:30
Round 3 08.03.2018 14:30
Round 4 09.03.2018 14:30
Round 5 10.03.2018 14:30
Round 6 11.03.2018 14:30
Round 7 12.03.2018 14:30
Round 8 13.03.2018 14:30
Round 9 14.03.2018 10:00

Aleksandar Indjic is the winner in Serbian Championship 2018. Congratulations!

Watch the games of the Serbian Individual Championship 2018 with computer analysis LIVE on ChessBomb.