The day Karpov tried Fischer Random

While some say chess is an art (as well as a science), we tend not to treat it that way. Most players don't just look at a position and think to themselves "that's nice", but instead immediately launch into a "if white plays here" kind of analysis. But sometimes there are games where you just have to appreciate how the pieces are arranged on the board.
An example of this is the Karpov - Kasparov game from the 1993 Linares tournament. If you play through the game below, make sure you stop at move 22 (22. Nc1) to appreciate what Kasparov did to Karpov. It looks like Karpov had started with his back rank shuffled, and I assume Kasparov took great delight in his position. But once you have enjoyed the static nature of the position, keep clicking to see the dynamic finish that Kasparov found.


Karpov,Anatoly (2725) - Kasparov,Garry (2805) [E86]
Linares 11th Linares (10), 1993

Zig then zag

Here is a cute study I found in 'Secrets of Spectacular Chess' by Levitt and Friedgood. Although I already have a second hand copy of this highly regarded book, I managed to pick up a new copy for $10 today. I figured a second copy at that price wouldn't hurt, as I may lend it to one of my enthusiastic students, to introduce them to the beauty of chess studies.
As for this study (by Rinck) it is White to play and win. Clearly there are some clues in the initial position about what the ensuing play is likely to be, but if you need a further clue, then look to the headline.

Two events to watch

Two important events began today, providing some much needed late night chess watching for the next two weeks.
The 2016 Asian Individual Championship is being held in Tashkent, with the first round starting earlier this evening. There are 91 players playing, although with 28 GM's and 13 IM's it is hardly the tournament for chess 'tourists'. There are no Australian players in this event, but Rebecca Stones is playing in the Women's tournament, and Stephen Lukey (NZ) is flying the Oceania flag.
Also kicking off is the 3rd Gashimov Memorial event in Shamkir. Top seeds are Caruana, Giri and Karjakin. Of major interest is how Karjakin performs in the lead up to his World Championship Match, while Hou Yifan has a chance to put the issues of the Women's World Championship behind her.
Results can be found on the links provided, while live coverage can be found at chess24.com

You only have to be right once

The great thing about being a kibitzer is that you only have to be right once. While the two players in front of you have to make sure every move is accurate, you can toss around bizarre suggestions like election promises, knowing that if your wrong no one will remember, but if you are right, then you are a genius.  This is especially common in tactical games, where the old adage about sacrificing other peoples pieces is doubly true.
As my point needs an example, I've dug up an old CC game I played. Ignoring the fact that there weren't any spectators in a real sense, I could just imagine the virtual spectators calling for the sacrifice on f2. It turns out that if my opponent has just moved the king to f1 then more work was needed, but once he took on f2 I, and any potential kibitzer, was on the fast road to victory.


Chessnut - Press,Shaun [C63]
Chessworld, 03.11.2009

Shake a set?

A few days ago I saw a kick starter campaign for a chess set that did not need setting up. Or at least that's what the claim seemed to be. Now normally I'm a fan of interesting and/or inventive sets but this idea did not quite make sense to me.
Based on the video at the link you simply tipped the box upside down onto the table, lifting it up to reveal a ready to play set. Simple and effective. But looking behind the curtain it seemed at the end of the game you needed to replace all the pieces in storage holes inside the box, in the correct order, and then place the board over the top.
So my first (and possibly only thought) is: Isn't this just the same amount of effort that you need to set up a board normally (if not more)?
I saw at least one other person discuss this product, suggesting it might be useful for film directors to make sure the board is set up correctly (yes Captain America). However as the board seems to be a perfect square, I'm sure the odds of the bottom right hand corner being a dark square will remain above 50% in film, television and print, and may even push that number hight, rather than lower..

2016 NSW Open - 11/13 June

The 2016 NSW Open is being held on the weekend of the 11,12,13 of June. Once again it will be held at the Chatswood Club, which is just a short walk from the Chatswood Railway Station. The evtn will be split into 2 sections, with an Open section, plus an Under 1600 (ACF) section. The Open section will be FIDE rated and has a first prize of $1400 (and a prize pool of $5000). The Under 1600 event is offering a first prize of $1000 and has a generous minor prizes.
Full details and an online entry form can be found at http://www.nswopen.nswca.org.au/

** I am a paid official for this event **

Not a perfect puzzle

Here is a somewhat strange chess puzzle. It is White to play but Black to win. The question is why? And as an additional challenge, can you name some of the pieces?