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Chess Brochure 30/11.aw 30/11/09 16:12

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Viktor Korchnoi

Magnus Carlsen

Vladimir Kramnik

Hikaru Nakamura

Ni Hua

Grandmasters of tomorrow

Nigel Short

Michael Adams

David Howell

Luke McShane

Andrew Flintoff

Schedule – London Chess Classic

Tournament Director

Operations Director

Chief Arbiter

Deputy Arbiter

Public Relations

Festival Organiser

Chief Arbiter: FIDE Open

Chief Arbiter: Classic Weekender and Rapidplay

Press Room Chief

Webmaster

Live Game Transmission

Commentary Team

Chess Trainers

Best Game Prize Judges

Live Transmission Partners

Event Consultant

Concept, design, artwork and brochure

Communications and IT

Audio Visual

IM Malcolm Pein

Tao Bhokanandh

Albert Vasse (International Arbiter)

David Sedgwick (International Arbiter)

Pitch Media Ltd www.pitch.co.uk

Adam Raoof (International Organiser) [email protected]

Alex McFarlane (International Arbiter)

Lara Barnes (International Arbiter)

John Saunders [email protected]

Stephen Connor [email protected]

David Clayton, Andy Howie

GM Julian Hodgson, GM Stephen Gordon, IM Lawrence Trent,

GM Chris Ward, GM Daniel King

James Coleman, Charlie Storey, Steve James

GM John Nunn, GM Jonathan Rowson, GM Jon Speelman

ChessBase, ICC, Telegraph.co.uk

Andrew Finan

Create Services www.createservices.co.uk

E-Force www.eforce.co.uk

Blitz Communications Ltd www.blitzcomm.com

Organised by the London Chess Centre

369 Euston Road, London NW1 3AR

Tel: 0207 388 2404

www.chess.co.uk

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LONDON CHESS CLASSIC OLYMPIA

Contacts and Officials

Supporting

Images: Getty Images, Mark Huba, Philip Hollis

Contents

Page 8

Max Davidsonmeets some of theGrandmasters oftomorrow


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Guest of Honour


Korchnoi still plays high level chess at the age of 78and recently played on board one for Switzerland atthe European Team Championship.

Korchnoi fought two world title matches againstAnatoly Karpov in 1978 and 1981 which captured theimagination of the world. A man who had defectedfrom the USSR and made into a non-person took onthe might of the Soviet chess machine while his sonwas imprisoned by the Communist authorities.

Even in defeat Korchnoi has shaped the future ofchess. It should not be forgotten that he sportinglyagreed to play Garry Kasparov in a Candidates semifinal after the Soviets had refused to allow Kasparovto take part in the match originally scheduled to takeplace at Pasadena in 1984. Although he had alreadywon by default, Korchnoi agreed to play in Londonand Kasparov eventually won and went on to defeatAnatoly Karpov.

Korchnoi’s longevity at the top level, nearly 50 years,is unparalleled. Visitors to the London Chess Classicwill be able to hear him comment on the games ortake on the great man in simultaneous displays atOlympia on Sunday 13th and Monday 14th at 7pm.

A delightful endgame study composed by IM Yochanan Afek for the London Chess Classic.

ViktorKorchnoiOne of the all timegreats of worldchess is thetournament’s Guest of Honour.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you tothe London Chess Classic, an event thatpromises to live in the memories of the UKchess and wider communities for manyyears. What started as an opening gambit tostage a world class tournament in London

moved into a complex middle game and after some precision inthe endgame – hardly my forte over the board – we have atournament for UK chess lovers to savour.

In 46 years of playing, coaching and analysing our great game,the pleasure in bringing the best talent in the world to lockhorns with the top UK talent on home soil is unbeatable andthanks are due to our supporters in the business world and inthe political arena without whom the London Chess Centrewould have been unable to stage an event of this stature.

The Classic and raft of other events will engage over 1000players of all ages here at Olympia while online our websitelondonchessclassic.com is setting new standards in excellenceand breadth of coverage. I am delighted to have partnered withChessBase and ICC to ensure that the live transmission will besecond to none.

However, of equal importance is the chess charity that willemerge from the event. Chess in Schools and Communities willenable youngsters from all backgrounds to learn and develop apassion for the game. I am delighted that CSC’s first activity isbringing so many schoolchildren to Olympia.

We know the benefits of chess, how it can help nurtureyoungsters’ creativity, build their confidence and enable them to achieve so much through the joy of discovery in the greatestof all games.

And it is this passion for chess that CSC strives to harness andwith it the next Carlsen or Nakamura who will sit at futureclassics next to the flag of St George.

Enjoy the tournament!

Malcolm Pein

Yochanan Afek – OriginalWhite to play and win1.h6 Kh5 2.h7 And now the direct 2...Kh6 is easily refuted by 3.Nf8 Kg7 4.Nxf7+-; Any hope forBlack? He finds a startling defence: 2...Ne7!! The idea behind this amazing resource is: 3.Kxe7?Kh6 4.Nf8 Kg7 5.Nxf7 stalemate! while 3.Nf8? Nd5! followed by 3...Nf6 or 3. Nxf7? Nxg6 4.Ke8 Nh8!5.Kf8 Kg6 are both evident draws. How should White proceed? 3.Kd8!! Now threatening 4.Nf8!while the more natural-looking alternative would prove premature:3.Ke8? Kh6 4.Nf8 Kg7 5.Nxf7Ng6! and this is a reciprocal zugzwang position with White to play! Any of his moves will be followedby an immediate draw. 3...Kh6 4.Nf8 Kg7 5.Nxf7 Ng6! 6.Ke8!! And here again the same reciprocalzugzwang position has been reached, however this time it is Black to play! 6...Nh8 7.Ng5! 7.Nxh8?Kxh8 is a theoretical draw. Any other move of the knight on f7 would be a waste of time and Whitewill have to return to the same position and play Ng5 after all. Now it’s a rather easy win, forinstance: 7...Kf6 8.Nfe6 Ng6 9.Nf4 Nh8 10.Kf8 Kxg5 11.Kg7+- 1–0

Welcome from theTournament Organiser


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LONDON CHESS CLASSICNorwegian Magnus Carlsen is undoubtedly the hottest property inworld chess. The youngest player ever to reach the illustrious 2800 Elorating (and one of only five players in the history of chess to do so)Carlsen has set the chess world alight with a series of tournamentperformances making him the world’s number one player.

Marked out as a future world champion from the moment he played hisfirst international event, Carlsen became a Grandmaster at the age of 13 years, fourmonths, and 27 days. At the time he was the youngest ever and was dubbed the‘Mozart of Chess’.

Carlsen achieved one of the outstanding tournament results of all time at the NanjingPearl Tournament in China in September 2009, where he scored a superb 8/10,winning every game with the white pieces. This result drew ready comparisons withGarry Kasparov and in September Kasparov stunned the chess world by announcinghe was coming out of chess retirement to train the youngster. In particular Kasparov isgoing to share his database of opening ideas that he never had the chance to revealduring his 20 years as world number one.

At the beginning of his career Carlsen was trained by GM Simen Agdestein at theNorwegian College for top athletes NTG. Agdestein is the only GM to represent acountry at both chess and football.

Carlsen lives just outside Oslo with his mother, father and two sisters who regularlytravel the world with him to tournaments. He is a keen football fan and follows RealMadrid. He also enjoys playing football, skiing and showed some promise at skijumping before chess took over.

MAGNUS CARLSEN

Age 19

Peak rating 2805

Current rating 2805

Live World Ranking 1

World Number 1

Magnus Carlsen – Teimour RadjabovPearl Spring Nanjing (5), 02.10.2009[Malcolm Pein]1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.0–0 Nge7 5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 b5 7.Bc2Bb7 8.Qe2 d5 9.e5 d4 10.Be4 Qb6 [10...Nd5 Grischuk –Kasparov Moscow Rapid 2002 but Garry had surely givenMagnus an idea] 11.d3 Like so may perfectly sensible moves, anovelty at the top level 11...Rd8 [11...Ng6 12.h4 is rather annoyingas Ngxe5 loses a piece and ...h5 would be too weakening] 12.a4!Nd5 [12...b4 is met by Nd2-c4] 13.axb5 axb5 14.cxd4 cxd415.Nbd2 Nf4 [15...Be7 16.Nb3 h6 17.Bd2 is only slightly better forWhite] 16.Qd1 Nb4?! 17.Nb3! Bxe4 [After 17...Ng6 18.Bg5 Rd719.Qe2 d4 will be hard to hold] 18.dxe4 Nfd3 19.Bg5

19...Rc8 [19...Rd7 20.Ra8++-] 20.Nfxd4 Nxb2 21.Qe2 Nc422.Rfc1! Radjabov is three moves behind in development,something has to give 22...Bc5 [22...Qb8] 23.Nxb5 0–0?[23...Bxf2+ 24.Qxf2 Qxb5 25.Qe2 (25.Qd4 0–0 26.Be7 Nc627.Qc5 Qxc5+ 28.Bxc5 N4xe5 29.Bxf8 Rxf8 Black would havegood chances to save the game) 25...0–0 26.Nd4 Qxe5 27.Rxc4Rxc4 28.Qxc4 Qxg5 29.Qxb4 should win] 24.Nxc5

24...Nxe5 [Black loses material in all lines 24...Rxc5 25.Be7! Rxb526.Bxf8 Nxe5 27.Bc5 Qb8 28.Qxb5!; 24...Qxb5 25.Qxc4 Qxc426.Rxc4] 25.Be7 1–0


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Vladimir Kramnik, the 14th world champion is a product of theSoviet Chess School having studied under the ‘Patriarch ofSoviet Chess’ Mikhail Botvinnik. He was relatively unknownwhen, in 1992, at the behest of Garry Kasparov he was selectedas reserve for the Russian team that won gold at the ChessOlympiad in Manila. His selection was controversial as he had

not even secured the Grandmaster title but he took an individual gold with ascore of 8.5/9.

A meteoric rise followed and having remained unbeaten in a world record eighty six Classical Chess games Kramnik was clearly the man to challenge long-standing incumbent Garry Kasparov. The match took place in 2000 justdown the road from Olympia at the Hammersmith Studios and Kramnik wonwithout losing a game to become the only player to have defeated Kasparov in match play.

Kramnik successfully defended his world title twice, in matches against Peter Leko in 2004 at Brissago and against Veselin Topalov at Elista in 2006. His berth at the top of the game was to last another two years, until his defeat by Viswanathan Anand of India at Bonn in 2008. Since then, Kramnikhas shown some signs of returning to form, winning the powerful Dortmundtournament for the ninth(!) time, earlier in 2009 and most recently the TalMemorial in Moscow, one of the strongest events of all time.

VLADIMIR KRAMNIK

Age 34

Peak rating 2809

Current rating 2772

World Ranking 5

Former World Champion

Vladimir Kramnik – Garry KasparovBGN World Chess Championship London (10), 24.10.2000[Malcolm Pein]1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0–0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.0–0cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b6 10.Bg5 Bb7 11.Re1 Nbd7 12.Rc1Rc8 13.Qb3 Be7? [13...Bxc3! 14.Rxc3 h6 15.Bh4 Qe8! is best,not 14...Rc7 15.Ne5 Kh8 16.Rh3 Qa8 17.Nxd7 Rxd7? 18.Bxf6gxf6 19.Rxh7+! Kxh7 20.Qh3+ Kg7 21.Qg4+ Kh7 22.Re3 wins]14.Bxf6! Nxf6

[14...Bxf6 15.Nb5 Ra8 16.Nd6 Bxf3 17.Qxf3 Bxd4 18.Nxf7 Ne519.Rxe5 Bxe5 20.Nxd8 Rxf3 21.Nxe6 Rff8 22.Nc7+ Kh823.Nxa8 wins a pawn] 15.Bxe6! fxe6 16.Qxe6+ Kh8 17.Qxe7Bxf3 18.gxf3 Qxd4 19.Nb5! Qxb2 [19...Qf4 20.Rxc8 Rxc821.Nd6 ] 20.Rxc8 Rxc8 21.Nd6 Rb8?! [21...Ra8 22.Nf7+ Kg823.Qe6 h6! 24.Nxh6+ Kh7] 22.Nf7+ Kg8 23.Qe6 Rf8 24.Nd8+Kh8 25.Qe7 1–0


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LONDON CHESS CLASSICThe reigning US champion and nicknamed ‘H Bomb’ for his explosive andtotally uncompromising style of play, Hikaru Nakamura is widelyrecognised as one of the world’s greatest players, particularly at BlitzChess where he is the number one player on ICC (Internet Chess Club).He is virtually unbeatable at ‘Bullet Chess’ where all the moves have to beplayed in one minute.

Nakamura always plays for a win either face to face or online and usually refuses drawoffers. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 15 and comparisons have already beendrawn with the late world champion Bobby Fischer as Nakamura has often enjoyedsuccess in tournaments where all the other players were Russian speakers. Like Fischerhe also likes to train largely on his own.

He spent the summer of 2009 playing a series of tournaments in Europe, and achievedseveral notable successes. This culminated in an outright victory at San Sebastian aheadof a very strong field. Nakamura then travelled to Mainz in Germany, where he won theunofficial world championship of “Fischerrandom chess”, a form of the game where thepieces are arranged at random on the back row and a form of chess which is a real test ofa player’s natural talent. Nakamura won the event in style, crushing world number 4 LevAronian in the final.

Nakamura was home schooled. He plays tennis and spends time studying the financialmarkets. He is interested in maths and history. He is the author of ‘Bullet Chess: OneMinute To Mate’. Nakamura’s stepfather is Sunil Weeramantry, one of the most successfuljunior chess coaches in the USA.

HIKARU NAKAMURA

Age 21

Peak rating 2735

Current rating 2715

World Ranking 24

‘H-Bomb’ – US Champion

Hikaru Nakamura – Josh FriedelUSA Championship, Saint Louis (9), 17.05.2009[Malcolm Pein]1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c67.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Be7 [8...Bc5 9.0–0 0–0 10.Nc3 Bb6Gunsberg-Chigorin Havana 1890 and Marusenko-HebdenHastings 1998 !] 9.Nc3 0–0 10.0–0 Rb8 [This does not work outwell 10...h6 11.Nf3 Bg4 12.h3 Bh5 Morozevich-Karjakin 2008]11.h3 c5 12.b3 Rb4 13.Re1 Bb7

14.Ba3! Rf4 15.g3 Rd4 16.Nf3 Winning a second pawn or theexchange 16...Rxd3 17.cxd3 Qxd3 18.Nxe5 Qf5 19.g4!Fearless, but Black has no threats 19...Qf4 20.d4 Rd8 21.Qe2Rxd4 22.Bc1! Trapping the queen 1–0


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Born in Shanghai in 1983, Ni Hua learnt to play chess at six. He first drewattention when he scored heavily against Dmitry Schneider and HikaruNakamura in the 2001 China-USA match. He became China’s 14thgrandmaster in 2003 and (jointly with Bu Xiangzhi) became the secondChinese player to reach the super-elite rating threshold of 2700 in April 2008.

He took an unexpected team silver (which was nearly gold) with China in the 2005 World Team Championship and won the first of his three Chinese national titles in2006 ahead of four other 2600+ players. He retained that title in 2007 and in Liverpool laterthat year scored 4/6 – the joint best score for his team – in the China-UK Summit match.

2008 saw significant progress when he was just half a point behind joint first-placed BuXiangzhi and Nakamura at the very strong Gibtelecom Masters in Gibraltar and then won his third Chinese title. Ni Hua is the only Chinese player ever to have won three successivenational titles. At the end of the year and starting 2009 he achieved a comfortable victory inthe Reggio Emilia tournament, scoring 7.5/9.

Ni Hua has proved himself to be a fine team player. He has represented China in fourOlympiads winning the team silver medal in 2006 on board five for his team. He has played in six China-Russia matches (from 2001 to 2008), finishing on the winning side on the firstfive occasions. His best team performance was at the 2007 Asian ‘Indoor Games’Championship when he scored 5.5/6 for a tournament performance rating of 2908.

He has a pretty good record against his fellow competitors at the 2009 London ChessClassic, though he has yet to play either Vladimir Kramnik or Magnus Carlsen. AgainstNakamura he has 2/2; against Short 2/3 against McShane, one win and one draw; againstHowell, one draw; against Adams, one loss.

NI HUA

Age 26

Peak rating 2724

Current rating 2665

World Ranking 61

China

The first move in a far from obvious sequence. White gains somespace in the centre and sacrifices a piece 7...Nc6 8.e5 Bb49.0–0!? Bxc3 10.bxc3 Ne4 11.Qg4 g6 12.d5 So what is White’scompensation? Big Centre! Two Bishops! Black’s weakened darksquares! My Rybka is trying to bring me back down to earth,indicating with a little care, Black should be doing very well here12...Qe7 13.Be3 Nxc3 14.Bc4 Qb4 15.Bb3 Ne7 16.a3 h5 17.Qh4Qe4 18.Bc5 Ne2+ [18...Nexd5 19.Rae1 g5 may be another way totry and reduce the pressure, planning to answer 20.Qxg5 with20...Qg6] 19.Kh1 d6 [19...Nf5 20.Qf6 Rh7 is the computer’ssuggestion] 20.exd6 Nf5 21.Qf6 0–0 22.dxc7 The strong Whitebishops and the far advanced c and d pawns, add up to a decisiveadvantage 22...Bd7 23.Rae1 b6 24.Bxf8 Rxf8 25.d6

Black is now materialdown with a very looseposition. With Qxg6threatened the end isclose.. 25...Kh7 26.Bxf7Nxd6 27.Bxg6+ Qxg628.Qxf8 1–0 (seediagram). Let’s hope wesee a lot of unbalanced,uncompromising gameslike this one at the Classic

Ni Hua – Liang ChongChinese Championship, Xinghua Jiangsu (7), 02.06.2009[Stephen Gordon]Ni Hua is the least known of the participants. The Chinese SuperGM’s rating has dropped a bit during recent months, but in April2009 he was boasting a rating of 2724! Here he finds a veryaggressive novelty on move 9 and even if not fully sound it is veryhard to deal with over the board. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf64.Bb5 The Four Knights is becoming quite popular again as manyplayers are seeking decent alternatives to heavily theoretical RuyLopez lines. Luke McShane is the only one out of the English bigfour who hasn’t given this a punt with White over the last 12months, so there’s a possibility we’ll see a few Four Knights

games in the Classic4...Bc5 5.Nxe5 One ofthe first tricks you aretaught as a junior...But NiHua follows up thisseemingly temporarypiece sacrifice in a verycreative fashion 5...Nxe56.d4 Bd6 7.f4!?



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Half-past three, and at the Trafalgar Junior School in Twickenhamthe school chess club is in full swing. “Check!” says Sam Knott,10, the school’s star player. He has just scooped the under-11 titleat the Richmond Junior Chess Congress. Rhiannon Tanner, nine,moves her king. “Check!” says Sam, taking the bishop with hisrook. “It’s not fair,” Rhiannon mutters. “He’s a year older than me.”

In another part of the room, Marie Gallagher, who runs theafter-school club, is giving a demonstration on castling. “Whoknows the difference between an open file and a closed file?”Eager young hands shoot up in the air.

In state primary schools generally, such chess clubs tend tobe the exception rather than the rule. But the popularity of thisone – there are 30 regular members and the club isoversubscribed – hints at untapped potential.

Offer young minds brain-food and, on this showing, they willdevour it as voraciously as they would a Big Mac and fries.“Children should only play chess if they want to,” says Gallagher,the sister of chess grandmaster Joe Gallagher. “If they are onlycoming to the club because their parents think it will be good for

A future classic

them, they won’t get much benefit. But there is a growingrecognition that chess has an invaluable role to play in education.It is a brain-accelerator, like music.”

Beyond the school gates, the game is attracting renewedinterest in Britain, and not before time. The London Chess Classicat Olympia will be the most high-profile tournament in the countryfor a quarter of a century.

You would not recognise any chess stars if you saw them in thestreet: it is not that sort of sport. But in an era when other sportsare under the microscope as never before, their integrity calledinto question, chess is one of the last bastions of honesty and faircompetition. You can’t win a chess game by diving or buying afake blood capsule. You have to rely on your wits. At present,there is a sense that corporate sponsors underestimate the reachof chess. Malcolm Pein, organiser of the London Chess Classic(and the Telegraph’s chess columnist), says: “Corporations can’tsee much beyond the TV screen but chess is played by morepeople than cricket or tennis.”

If the London Chess Classic goes well, there is a good chance

London is about to host its biggest chess tournament in 25 years. As thegame enjoys an internet-inspired renaissance, Max Davidson meets some of the Grandmasters of tomorrow.

Moving up: Chess is enjoying a resurgence in primary schools



that the world championship itself – the run-off between the toptwo players in the world – will be held in London in 2012, Olympicyear. What a glorious prospect: the finest minds of chess, theUsain Bolts of their sport, jousting for the world crown, their everymove followed online, on iPods and mobile phones, and on hugeviewing screens.

But the superstars of chess are only a tiny part of this heart-warming story. It is the resurgence in interest in the game at thegrassroots level, after years when it suffered, unfairly, from arather geeky image, that makes the heart dance. Witness thesechess-mad pupils at Trafalgar Junior School, some of them asyoung as seven.

There was a time when it looked as if chess might be squeezedout by computer gaming and other attractions of the internet age.To outsiders, chess must have seemed outmoded, musty, a relicof the Cold War, the kind of pastime that would only appeal tojowly Russians called Boris and Vladimir. They underestimatedthe durability of a game of beauty and subtlety whose roots canbe traced back to the 15th century and beyond.

Far from killing chess, the internet has given it a shot in the arm.As a spectator sport, chess has never made great television: thetime taken between moves is too long. But on the internet, withchess fans around the world able to follow a match through onlineforums, a slow sport has suddenly become lightning-fast, with themerits of different moves sparking feverish debate.

Fears that chess-playing computers would spoil the game bymastering every possible permutation of moves have also provedunfounded. “Computers enable young players to learn so muchfaster,” Pein argues. “Twenty years ago I carried as many booksas I could manage to tournaments all over the world. Nowadaysvirtually every game of tournament chess played since 1851 is onmy laptop and the accumulated knowledge of the great playerscan be indexed and studied at the touch of a key.”

If anything, computers have enhanced the sophistication oftop-flight chess, showing new variations and new winning lines.To take a simple example, it used to be drummed into youngchess players that one should castle at the first opportunity, toprotect one’s king from attack. Now top players are quiteprepared not to castle at all, developing their pieces in different,more dynamic ways. Endgames, in particular, have beentransformed by computers, which have unearthed new ways towin or draw matches.

The final, crowning advantage of modern chess over the pre-internet age is globalisation. Russia used to dominate the sportbecause they took chess more seriously, plucking promisingyoungsters out of school and putting them through rigoroustraining regimes, much as they did with their ballerinas. Now,thanks to the break up of the old Soviet Union, and the end oflarge-scale state funding of Grandmasters, that near-monopolyhas been smashed beyond repair.

But, for a game which is such a palpable force for good, withthe potential to challenge and stimulate children from an earlyage, chess rarely seems to get a look-in when Whitehalldepartments draw up their budgets, or when other funding bodiesare looking for good causes to promote.

The people who make a difference tend to be chess enthusiaststaking initiatives at local level – people like David Bentley from

Chesterfield, father of a child chess prodigy, who has launched aprogramme for distributing free chess sets to schools inDerbyshire. “We’ve had great support from local companies,” hesays proudly. But would that support have been forthcoming if hehad not gone knocking on doors?

In government circles, the game is probably regarded as elitist:the cleverer player wins. But isn’t it the kind of elitism we shouldbe encouraging? And shouldn’t we, as a society, place greatervalue on a mind-stretching activity which brings together peopleof all ages in friendly competition?

At William Patten school in Hackney – a state primary, likeTrafalgar Junior – there is a very active chess club, some ofwhose ex-members compete in the Hackney League and havegone on to become outstanding players. But as the youngsters

find their feet in the game and go from strength to strength, theyenjoy nothing like the same logistical and financial support theywould get if they were, say, swimmers with the potential to winOlympic medals. Most Hackney League matches are held inpubs, not the ideal environment for school-age children.

The William Patten chess club is run by Steve Stanley, a parentat the school. “We’re very lucky here. The club has been going formore than 10 years thanks to a series of dedicated parents. It isat secondary school, rather than primary school, that theproblems start.”

Most pupils at William Patten go on to Stoke Newington School,the local comprehensive, where there is an embryonic chess club,which has only been going for a few months. “Older kids tend tofeel more ambivalent about chess,” Stanley says. “They worry if itis cool or not.” There is an English Primary Schools ChessAssociation, but no equivalent at secondary school level. It is apostcode lottery, to an extent, whether a British child with aninterest in chess gets the chance to develop their skills.

Thanks to the internet, and to showpiece events such as theLondon Chess Classic, the grand old game is in no danger ofdying out. In fact, it could be on the verge of a glorious, andoverdue, renaissance.

This is an edited version of the piece which first appeared on theDaily Telegraph website on 20.11.09 and is reproduced with kindpermission of Telegraph Media Group.

“It is the resurgence in

interest in the game at the

grassroots level, after years

when it suffered, unfairly,

from a rather geeky image,

that makes the heart dance”


10

A Grandmaster from the age of 19, Nigel Short was a child prodigy and isBritain’s most recognisable name in the chess world. He has had adistinguished career which includes standing on the edge of the chesssummit when he played Garry Kasparov for the world title in 1993 atLondon’s Savoy Theatre.

More recently Short has reclaimed the British number one spot after somefine performances for the national team and a stunning victory in August over the best ofthe UK and Holland at Simpson’s in the Strand, the 19 century home of English chess.

As a junior, Short hit the headlines by sensationally defeating renowned GrandmasterViktor Korchnoi in a simultaneous display at the age of 10. Korchnoi, guest of honour atthe London Chess Classic, was later to defect from the USSR and twice challenged forthe world title himself. At 14 Short tied for first place in the British Championships andshortly after became Britain’s youngest International Master.

His meteoric rise continued through his teenage years and he took the decision to playprofessionally. In 1992 Short defeated the legendary Anatoly Karpov to claim the right tochallenge for the world crown. Facing Garry Kasparov, the greatest player in the history ofthe game, Short demonstrated some moments of brilliance but was well beaten.

Despite this setback, Short has an enviable list of international tournament victories andhas been a regular fixture for the England Team.

Married with two children, in 1999 he was awarded an MBE for Services to Chess, andhas written columns and book reviews for a number of Britain’s leading newspapers.Currently ranked well inside the world’s top 50, Short has also found time to coach anumber of chess prodigies including David Howell whom he faces in the London Chess Classic.

NIGEL SHORT

Age 44

Peak rating 2712

Current rating 2707

World Ranking 29

LONDON CHESS CLASSICEngland Number 1

Nigel Short – Erwin L’AmiCorus B Wijk aan Zee (3), 19.01.2009[Malcolm Pein]1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Nxe5 A very old rareline which catches Black totally by surprise. White usually retreatsthe bishop 5...Nxb5 6.Nxb5 c6 7.Nc3 Qe7 Necessary to regainthe pawn 8.Nf3 Nxe4 9.0–0! Black is terribly exposed on the e file9...Nxc3 10.dxc3 d5 [10...Qd8 11.Re1+ Be7 12.Qe2] 11.Bg5 Qd6

12.Re1+ Be6 13.Nd4 [Black cannot develop, if 13...Be7 14.Nf5Bxf5 15.Rxe7+] 13...c5 14.Nxe6 fxe6 15.Qh5+ g6 16.Qg4 Kf7[16...Kd7 17.c4; 16...e5 17.Rad1 with Qf3 to come] 17.c4! d418.Qf3+ Kg8 19.Bf6 1–0 After 19.Bf6 Bg7 20.Qxb7 Bxf621.Qxa8+ Kg7 22.Qxa7+ wins


Born in 1971 in Truro, Michael Adams, known as Mickey, has a strongclaim to being Britain’s best ever chess player. He broke all significantnational age records to become a grandmaster and win the BritishChampionship at the age of 17 in 1989.

In the mid 1990s he advanced quickly up the world rankings entering thetop 20 in 1994 and the top 10 in 1996. In the new century he joined the

absolute elite group of players at the top, demonstrating his remarkable consistency byremaining at fourth spot behind Kasparov, Kramnik and Anand. He also proved highlysuccessful in FIDE’s (and PCA’s) world knock-out championship events, reaching threesemi-finals.

His best knock-out world championship performance was in 2004 when he came withinhalf a point of becoming the first British player to win a full world championship title, losingout narrowly to Uzbek grandmaster Rustam Kasimjanov on a tie-break in the final in Libya.

Adams’ list of tournament successes makes proud reading; his best was clear first at DosHermanas in 1999 and in recent years he has twice won the Staunton Memorialtournament at London’s Simpson’s in the Strand.

He has long been an automatic choice for the England Olympiad team (10 appearances,six as Board One). His performances for England have been consistently high and he haswon 10 team/individual medals in major team events including team gold at the 1997European Team Championship and an individual gold in the same competition in 2001.

A mild-mannered, unassuming man who prefers to let his pieces do the talking, Mickeyalso has a way with words in his Saturday column in the Daily Telegraph. He is hugelyrespected by fellow professionals and chess fans for his impeccable sportsmanship aswell as his supreme skills on the board.

MICHAEL ADAMS

11

Age 37

Peak rating 2755

Current rating 2698

World Ranking 36


England Number 2

Michael Adams – Mikhail GurevichFIDE World Cup (2) Khanty-Mansiysk[Malcolm Pein]1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.Bc4 Qd8[6...Qd6 is the normal move. This was presumably an attempt totake Adams out of his detailed preparation. ] 7.0–0 Nc6 8.Nb3 a69.Qe2 b5 10.Bd3 Nf6 11.Rd1 Black cannot hang on to his extrapawn for long 11...Be7 12.Nbxd4 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Qc7 [Of coursenot 13...Qxd4 14.Bxb5+] 14.c3 Bc5!? Very risky [14...Bb7 wouldbe a normal move] 15.Bg5 Bb7 16.Bxf6! gxf6 17.Be4 TypicalAdams, a simple exchange that gives White a clear edge withsafer king and better development

17...Bxe4 18.Qxe4 0–0 19.Qh4 Rfd8 [19...f5 20.Rd3 Bxd421.cxd4 forces Black to play 21...f6 22.Re1 Qf7 when he has adifficult defence] 20.Qxf6 Bf8 21.Rd3 Bg7 22.Qg5 Qe5 23.Qg4Black’s pawn sacrifice has not eased his plight 23...Rd6 24.Rg3Rc8 25.Qh4 Kh8 26.Qe7 Qc5 Black sets a couple of traps but heis lost here 27.Re1 [27.Qxf7?? Bxd4 28.cxd4 Qc1+ 29.Rxc1Rxc1#] 27...Rf8 28.Nxe6! Qe5 [28...fxe6 29.Qxg7#] 29.Rge3! 1–0White has emerged the exchange and two pawns ahead


12

The youngest Grandmaster in the UK, Howell qualified for thehighest status in chess at the age of 16. He was the youngestplayer in the world to beat a Grandmaster when he defeatedEngland international John Nunn in a blitz game in 1999.

Howell achieved further media attention when he drew withVladimir Kramnik in an exhibition game in 2002 to become the youngestplayer in the world to score against a reigning World Champion. This was the last time the pair met and they will do battle again at the London Chess Classic.

Three-time English Chess Federation Player of the Year, a good performanceagainst the odds at the London Chess Classic will surely earn Howell arecord-breaking fourth award. In 2008 Howell came within one game ofwinning the World Junior Championship and is one of the highest ratedjuniors in the world. He is also the reigning British champion, havingoutclassed the field in August.

David enjoys playing football, along with rugby, squash, and table tennis.Reading and Indie bands make up his interests off the board.

DAVID HOWELL

Age 18

Peak rating 2622

Current rating 2597

World Ranking 202

LONDON CHESS CLASSICEngland Number 3

David Howell – Ivan Sokolov7th Staunton Memorial (7) London, 14.08.2009[Malcolm Pein]1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bb4+ 5.c3 Bc5 6.Be3 Bb67.Qg4 g6 [7...Qf6 8.Qg3 Qg6 is safer] 8.Nd2 Nge7 9.Qh4 Nxd410.cxd4 d5 11.Bg5! [11.Qf6 Rg8 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bb5+ c614.Bxc6+ bxc6 15.Qxc6++-; 11.Qf6 Rf8 12.0–0–0 also looksgood] 11...Bxd4 12.0–0–0 h6 13.exd5! hxg5 [13...Bg7 14.Bb5+!]14.Qxd4

14...Rh4 15.Ne4 Bf5 16.f3 Bxe4 17.fxe4 Kf8 18.g3 Rh7 19.Bc4Intending e4-e5 with a huge advantage 19...Qd6 20.Rhf1 b5[20...Rxh2 21.Rf6! Qxg3 22.Rdf1 Rh7 23.Rxf7+! Rxf7 24.Qh8+Ng8 25.Rxf7+ Kxf7 26.d6+ Ke8 27.Qxg8+ Kd7 28.Qf7+ Kxd629.Qe6+ Kc5 30.Qd5+ Kb6 31.Qb5#] 21.Bxb5 Rxh2 [21...Qb622.Bc4 Qxd4 23.Rxd4±] 22.Rf6 Qxg3 23.Rdf1 Rh7 24.Bc4 Ke825.Bb5+ [25.d6 wins on the spot 25...cxd6 26.Bxf7+ Kd7 27.Be6+Kc7 28.Kb1] 25...Kf8 26.Bd7 Nc8 [26...Kg8 27.Rxf7 Rxf7 28.Be6Raf8 29.Rh1 wins] 27.R6f3 Qh2 28.Qh8+!!

28...Ke7 [28...Rxh8 29.Rxf7+ Kg8 30.Rf8+ Kg7 31.R1f7+ Kh632.Rxh8#] 29.Rxf7+ 1–0 [29.Rxf7+ Rxf7 30.Rxf7+ Kxf7 31.Qxh2]


13

Born in 1984, it wasn’t long before Luke McShane established himselfas Britain’s leading chess prodigy. Aged only eight, he won the WorldUnder-10 Championship on a tie-break.

In 1997 he became an IM at 13 and came close to a GM norm in thesame year. In 1998 he shared first place with John Nunn at the BunrattyMasters in Ireland ahead of his coach Jonathan Speelman. He became

a grandmaster at 16, surpassing Michael Adams’ age record for a British player.

Continuing to mix top-level chess with his school studies, he represented England in the2002 Bled Olympiad, scoring 6.5/11. In that year he came close to winning the BritishChampionship and won the silver medal at the World Junior Championship in Goa. In2003 Luke finished a fifth in a strong tournament in Reykjavík, ahead ofMichael Adams. Luke excels at blitz and amongst his successes was the 2003 BritishBlitz Championship, where he scored 14.5/16.

Luke opted to go up to University College, Oxford to study Philosophy and Mathematicswhich inevitably slowed his development as a player, but he has continued to play intournaments and meet strong opposition in the German and UK team leagues, as wellas representing his university in the annual Varsity chess match. He met worldchampion Viswanathan Anand three times in the Bundesliga in 2006 and 2007, scoringtwo draws and one loss.

In 2007 he joined Goldman Sachs, since then his chess has taken second place to hisprofessional career, but inspired by his invitation to the London Chess Classic he hasstaged something of a comeback in 2009. He scored 3/3 in the 4NCL in May and thentook part in the UK versus Netherlands match in August, scoring 4.5/10. In October2009 he represented England in the European Team Championship in Novi Sad, Serbia,scoring 4.5/8 on board two. He is the UK’s third highest rated player.

LUKE McSHANE

Age 25

Peak rating 2656

Current rating 2615

World Ranking 158


England Number 4

Luke McShane – Ivan Cheparinov17th European Team Championships, Novi Sad (3) 24.10.2009[Malcolm Pein]1.e4 c5 2.d3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be2 d6 6.0–0 Nf6 7.Qe10–0 8.Qh4 c4 9.Kh1 cxd3 10.cxd3 Bg4 11.Nc3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3Qb6 13.Bd1! The bishop will reappear on b3 to attack theblack king

13...Qa6 14.Rf3 Rfc8 15.Rh3 h5 [15...h6 16.f5 g5 17.Bxg5 hxg518.Qxg5 Nh7 19.Qh4 (19.Qh5 forces a draw as 19...Nf8 20.Bb3!Ne5 21.Rg3 wins) 19...Nf6 20.g4!] 16.f5! Ne5 17.Bg5 Kf8Anticipating Bb3 and fxg6 18.fxg6 fxg6 [18...Nxg6 19.Qg3 Rc520.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.Bxh5] 19.Bb3! Rf1 or d3-d4 follows 19...Nxd320.Rf3! 1–0

The threat is Bxf6 Bxf6 Rxf6+ and Raf1 or Nc3-d5 are coming aswell if required.


14

England cricket legend Andrew Flintoff isbest known for his heroics as an all-rounderfor Lancashire and England. Hard tobelieve then that the two-times Ashes herohas more medals for chess than cricket.

Everyone is always surprised when I tell them I used to play a lot of

chess as a kid. They always see me as this big lad from Preston

without any brains, so it’s good to surprise them every so often.

My brother Chris and I went to Greenlands Primary School, which

was near a rough estate but for some reason had a very strong

chess club. If you looked at some of the pupils who went to the

school, you’d never guess they could play chess but in fact some of

them went on to play for Lancashire and a couple of them even

played for England.

When I look back now, I can see that I played chess in a very

similar style to the way I play my cricket. I was a bit of a maverick in

the way I played and did things off the cuff rather than plan ahead.

I would come unstuck from time to time with that strategy, but every

so often I would surprise my opponent with a move they didn’t

expect! That’s very much the way I approach my cricket even now –

I’m an instinctive player rather than someone who thinks hard about

what they are going to do.

I suppose my crowning glory as a chess player was my appearance

at the Preston Schools championships. I wasn’t expected to even

qualify but I had one of those days where everything I tried paid off

and I had to attend the chess presentation night. I probably have

more medals and trophies for my chess than I do for my cricket,

believe it or not!

Although my success at the school championships was one of the

highlights, the most satisfying moment of my chess career was a

game I had against Michael Atherton on a Lancashire pre-season

trip to Jamaica. Athers fancied himself as a chess player and got out

his board while we were on this coach journey and asked if I wanted

a game. I was only about 17, but I hammered him – it was

a big victory for the lad from the comprehensive school!

Andrew Flintoff has set up the AF Foundation with his wife Rachael. This is a children’s

charity raising funds to build, develop and improve Child Rehabilitation and

Physiotherapy Units throughout the UK.

www.affoundation.co.uk

“When I look back

now, I can see that I

played chess in a very

similar style to the way

I play my cricket – a

bit of a maverick”

Bowled over by chess

Andrew Flintoff: A sporting icon across the board Getty Images


Schedule

Press Conference

Opening Ceremony

Evening events

Chess Metaphors

Korchnoi Simultaneous

Foyer Blitz Prix

The Classic

FIDE rated Open

Womens Invitational

Weekend Classic

Schools coaching

English Junior Rapid

Chess Championship

Classic Rapidplay

7th

Mon

8th

Tue

1

1

1

9th

Wed

2

2

2

10th

Thu

3

3

3

11th

Fri

4

5

4

5

12th

Sat

4

6

6

1

2

3

13th

Sun

5

7

7

4

5

14th

Mon

6

8

8

15th

Tue

7

9

9

Time

13.30am

13.30

20.00

19.00 - 22.00

19.00 - 21.30

14.00 - 21.00

12.00 - 19.00

14.30 - 19.30

10.00 - 15.00

16.00 - 21.00

14.30 - 19.30

11.00 - 16.00

14.30 - 19.30

10.00 - 15.00

16.00 - 21.00

14.30 - 19.30

11.00 - 16.00

10.30 - 13.30

14.30 - 17.30

18.00 - 21.00

11.00 - 14.00

15.00 - 18.00

10.30 - 12.30

11.00 - 19.00

10.30 - 17.45

Venue

Auditorium

Auditorium

Conf. Room

East Hall

Foyer

Auditorium

East Hall

East Hall

East Hall

East Hall

East Hall

East Hall

The events below will run in conjunction with the London Classic.



Olympia Conference Centre, Kensington W14 8UX


Magnus Carlsen

Vladimir Kramnik

Hikaru Nakamura

Ni Hua

Nigel Short

Michael Adams

David Howell

Luke McShane

Magnus Carls

en

Vladimir

Kramnik

Hikaru N

akamura

Ni Hua

Nigel Short

Michael Adams

David Howell

Luke McShane

London Chess Classic Prize Fund

€100,000

SIX MAIN PRIZES

London Chess Classic Winner €25,000, 2nd €15,000, 3rd €10,000, 4th €6,000, 5th €5,000, 6th €3,000

Total: €64,000

Best Game Prize of €10,000

6 x daily Best Game Prizes of €1,000 each

A winners’ pool of €20,000 for each game won. Each win will be of equal value. For example if there are 20 decisive games then the prize will be €1,000 per win.

PRIZE FUND BREAKDOWN

€64,000 Main Prizes + €10,000 Best Game + €6,000 Daily Best Game + €20,000 Winners’ Pool = €100,000

Rules: Classical time control; 40 moves in 2 hours, 20 moves in one hour and then all moves in 15 minutes with a 30 second increment per move.

Players score three points for a win and one for a draw.


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