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Ellsworth Chess Club member and Maine Maritime Academy Engineering Professor Paul Wlodkowski will be heading to Russia this spring to conduct research and teach engineering courses at Admiral Mararov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping in St. Petersburg, Russia. Reporter Charles Eichacker caught up with Professor Wlodkowski and filed this report with the Ellsworth American. |
Continue reading "Paul Wlodkowski Heads Back to Russia" »
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Twenty-eight players played in six sections at the Fall Chess 2014 @ UMA Tournament on Saturday, November 15th at the University of Maine at Augusta. Players were grouped by rating in four quads and two six-player sections. Here's the illustrated tournament report with USCF crosstables. |
Continue reading "Fall Chess 2014 @ UMA Tournament Report" »
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International Master Lawrence Trent reviews Game 11 of the World Chess Championship Match. |
Continue reading "IM Lawrence Trent Reviews WCC Game 11" »
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In a dramatic finale, the World Chess Championship Match has ended with a win for the current champion Magnus Carlsen. Anand, playing the black pieces, did what he had to do in this game; he saw chances and tried to take advantage of them. He was better at move 23 then, perhaps overestimating his position or pressing too hard, he sacrificed the exchange for insufficient compensation. After that turn of events Carlsen, with a few deft touches, secured the point, match and title. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G11: Carlsen Wins Game and Retains Title" »
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International Master Lawrence Trent takes us through Game 10 of the World Chess Championship Match. |
Continue reading "IM Lawrence Trent Reviews WCC Game 10" »
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Carlsen chose to defend the challenger's Queen's Gambit with the Grunfeld. As is often true with the Grunfeld, it was a very sharp game with chances for both sides. GM Daniel King commented that Carlsen's opening choice today was very brave. Anand pressed and definitely had the better of the position but Carlsen defended splendidly. The result was an even rook and pawn endgame. The players agreed to split the point after white's 32nd move. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G10: Anand Nearly Cracks the Code; Game 10 Drawn" »
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International Master Lawrence Trent considers Game 9 of the World Chess Championship Match. |
Continue reading "IM Lawrence Trent Reviews WCC Game 9" »
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A quick twenty-move draw today. Depending on how you look at it, it was a good result for Anand with the black pieces, however, as Carlsen said in the press conference he is a half point closer to the title. There are three games remaining of which Anand has two whites. The time for him to make a move is dwindling. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G9: A Draw Inches Carlsen Closer to Retaining the Title" »
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International Master Lawrence Trent considers Game 8 of the World Chess Championship Match. |
Continue reading "IM Lawrence Trent Reviews WCC Game 8" »
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Both players seemed a bit fatigued coming into today's game, understandably so, having just played a 6.5 hour marathon game yesterday. In fact Magnus was nearly dozing off at the board on more than one occasion. He stated at the press conference that he was not in the best form at the start of the game but that his energy level increased as the game proceeded. Analysts agreed that this game was an important one for the theory of the Queen's Gambit Declined. A draw was agreed after move 41. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G8: A QGD With a Few Twists Leads to a Draw" »
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International Master Lawrence Trent shares his insights on Game 7 of the World Chess Championship Match. |
Continue reading "IM Lawrence Trent Reviews WCC Game 7" »
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Everyone knew that Game 7 had the potential to put Carlsen in a nearly insurmountable match position. Carlsen threw everything he had at his opponent who held on like grim death and defended the second-longest World Chess Championship game in history. (The longest was the game between Korchnoi and Karpov in Baguio 1978. It was drawn in 124 moves.) There are five games remaining in the match in which Anand has three whites. Thanks to his incredible performance today, the challenger remains very much in the hunt. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G7: Anand Holds Grueling 122-Move Draw" »
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Eight players turned out to compete in the Houlton Open played on Saturday, November 16 at the Art Studio in Houlton, Maine. Topping the single-section event was Roger Morin with 3.0 points. He was followed by three players scoring 2.0 points: Ray Haines, Roger Peterson and Lance Beloungie. Roger Harison, Dan DeLuca and Caleb Hunter each put up a point and David Hunter rounded out the crosstable. Here's the tournament report and a selected game. |
Continue reading "Houlton Open Tournament Report" »
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International Master Lawrence Trent and Grandmaster Jan Gustafsson analyze Game 6 of the World Chess Championship Match. |
Continue reading "IM Lawrence Trent Reviews WCC Game 6" »
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Club players can take heart; even the best of the best make mistakes. A notorious double blunder occurred in today's game that could have sent the game and the entire match on a different trajectory. Carlsen's 26. Kd2 allowed Anand to win at least two pawns with a winning game but both missed the tactic until (as so often happens in chess) they made their respective moves and looked at the board with fresh eyes. After dodging this bullet Carlsen, perhaps buoyed by his stroke of luck, went on to win. After six games he now leads 3.5-2.5. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G6: Carlsen Blunders but Still Wins" »
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International Master Lawrence Trent's excellent analysis of Game 5 of the World Chess Championship Match. |
Continue reading "IM Lawrence Trent Reviews WCC Game 5" »
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Game 5 saw yet another opening twist. This time it was a Queen's Indian Defense to the Queen's Gambit Declined. We've had five openings in five games! Tomorrow's Game 6 marks the midpoint of the Match. In the second half of the match players switch colors (like American football teams switching end zones at the half) and this means Carlsen will have two consecutive whites. His comment on the situation was, "I'm quite optimistic. It's not going to be easy. Since I have two whites in a row this is the moment to pull ahead." Time will tell if that assessment comes to fruition. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G5: It's a Draw" »
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It's a rest day in Sochi. After four games the match is all knotted up at 2.0 points. Our question to you is: Who will win the World Chess Championship Match 2014? Take our SurveyMonkey survey! |
Continue reading "Who Will Win? Take the Survey!" »
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Grandmaster Jan Gustafsson joins International Master Lawrence Trent as he takes look at Game 4. The match is now tied at 2.0. The first player to 6.5 points will be decared World Champion. |
Continue reading "IM Lawrence Trent Reviews WCC Game 4" »
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The opening of a chess game is, in many ways, like a superbly choreographed dance. One player offers a particular genre to which the other player may accept or decline and offer another possibility. Carlsen offered his, Shall we tango? with 1.e4. Anand replied, How about a mosh? (1...c5) and after Carlsen played 3. g3 the players decided on a particular offshoot of the waltz known as a non-main line Paulsen Sicilian in which White sidesteps the razor-sharp theoretical discussions of the Kan, Scheveningen or Open Sicilian. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G4: Shall We Dance? Game 4 Ends in a Forty-Seven Move Draw" »
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International Master Lawrence Trent takes an insightful look at Vishy Anand's win in Game 3. Sound preparation, skillful handling and an innovation of the game Aronian-Adams Bilbao Masters 2013 were the key ingredients to Anand's match-equalizing win. |
Continue reading "IM Lawrence Trent Reviews WCC Game 3" »
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After a devastating loss in Game 2, the Tiger from Madras came back with a vengeance in Game 3 and tied the match at 1.5 points apiece. Anand played a super sharp line in the Queen's Gambit Declined and established a passed pawn on c7 on move 14. He was clearly still in his preparation after his 23rd move and beyond. When Carlsen spent 30+ minutes thinking on move 17 it was evident that the challenger had prepared a particularly venomous line that was hitting its mark and the hunter had become the hunted. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G3: Anand to Carlsen--Game On!" »
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Thanks to our friends over at chess24 we are now able to bring you daily reviews of the World Championship games. Here, International Master and chess commentator Lawrence Trent recaps the highlights of the first two games of the match. |
Continue reading "IM Lawrence Trent Reviews WCC Games 1 and 2" »
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Magnus Carlsen did not wait long to get on the board with his first win. In this the second game of the match, Carlsen essayed a Ruy Lopez to which Anand responded with one of Carlsen's own favorites--The Berlin Defense. Carlsen, playing confidently, built up a nice advantage and after 26. Kh2 GM John Fedorowicz, commenting on the game for the Internet Chess Club, said, "White can't go wrong." He didn't and forced Anand to resign after White's 35th move. Tomorrow is a rest day. Action resumes on Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. eastern time. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G2: Carlsen Scores with White and Takes Lead 1.5-0.5" »
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Traditionally. the first game of a world championship match has the dubious honor of being somewhat dull and drawish as the players feel each other out. This game broke the mold. Peter Svidler's comments during the game summed it up nicely, "I'm having a lot of fun covering this. This is exactly the kind of game we were hoping for." Nevertheless, after White's 48th move, the players shook hands and agreed to a draw in a triple-repeat position. |
Continue reading "WCC 2014 G1: Game 1 Ends in an Exciting Draw" »
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ChessMaine.net has partnered with Macauley Peterson and his outstanding website www.chess24.com to bring you live move-by-move coverage with English video commentary of every game in the 2014 World Chess Championship Match. Grandmaster Peter Svidler and International Master Sopiko Guramishvili will provide the live commentary. It's sure to be a fascinating match. Click on the World Chess Championship Live! link in the left-hand column of ChessMaine.net. |
Continue reading "Watch World Chess Championship Games Live on ChessMaine.net!" »
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With just three more Maine Chess Player of the Year Events remaining in the 2014 schedule, Lance Beloungie holds a 4.0 point lead over second placed Roger Morin. Trailing the leaders are Matthew Fishbein and Curt Brock. Here's the latest updated standings. |
Continue reading "Maine Chess Player of the Year Update" »
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