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MAGNUS CARLSEN WINS

TATA STEEL CHESS 2015

WEI YI WINNER OF TATA STEEL CHALLENGERS

EUROPEAN

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP JERUSALEM 2015

MOSCOW OPEN

RUSSIAN CHESS

CUP

MOSCOW 2015

LIECHTENSTEIN

OPEN

TRIESEN 2015

ECU CALENDAR

FOR 2015

E U R O P E A N C H E S S U N I O N

NEWSLETTER

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The 77th edition of Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2015 ended

with a very exciting final round. After a strange draw with GM

Ivan Saric, Carlsen won the tournament alone with 9 points

out of 13. GMs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA), Anish Giri

(NED), Wesley So (USA) and Ding Liren (CHN) tied for the

second place with 8.5 points.

Final standings of Tata Steel Masters

A 15-year old Chinese Grandmaster Wei Yi became the winner

of the Tata Steel Challengers group and will play the Tata Steel

Masters 2016. He drew with GM Salem Saleh in the last round

and triumphed with 10.5 out of 13, with rating performance

2801! Second place went to Czech No. 1 GM David Navara with

only half a point behind Wei, and Sam Shankland became

clear third with 9 points.

Tata Steel Challengers Final Ranking

Final Conference

Both events were played as Round Robin tournaments in 13

rounds. The time control was 100 minutes for 40 moves,

followed by 50 minutes for 20 moves, then 15 minutes for the

remaining moves + 30 seconds increment per move starting

from move one.

The 77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament took place from 9 - 25

January, 2015 in its traditional location of Wijk aan

Zee/Netherlands.

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament is one of the most important

events in the chess calendar. The tournament brings together

the world's leading chess players and the most passionate

amateurs with its grandmaster groups and amateur events.

Official Website

Photos by Alina l’Ami

Below we present a nice victory of the World Champion

against Fabiano Caruana.

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Caruana, Fabiano (2820) vs. Carlsen, Magnus (2862)

Tata Steel Masters | Round 6 | 16 Jan 2015 | 0-1

Diagram 1 Diagram 2

Caruana is a pawn up in this position, but Carlsen has initiative on the King’s side.

White’s last move was the imprecise 21. Nh2, which the World Champion used to push

the f-pawn and make chances for win.

21… f3! 22. Nxg4 Qg6 23. Qe7 (the only move) fxg2! 24. Rfb1 Qxg4 25. Qg5! So far

Caruana is defending very well and finding the only moves to hold the position.

25… Qe2 26. Qe3 Qg4 27. Qg5 Qxg5! Carlsen decides to change the Queens but this

doesn’t mean Black’s attacking potential is gone!

28. Bxg5 Nf4 29. Bxf4 exf4 30. Kxg2 f3+ 31. Kf1

(Diagram 2)

31... Rf4!! Brilliant move by Carlsen. He decides not to take the exchange, but to save the

strong Bishop and continue with the attack and the pressure on the White’s King.

32. c3 Rd8 33. d4 Bh6 34. Ke1 Rxe4+ 35. Kd1 c5 36. Kc2 cxd4 37. Kd3 Re2 38. c4 Rxf2 39.

Rd1 Re2 0-1

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Traditional European Chess Tournaments Moscow Open 2015

The 2015 Moscow Open – 11th International RSSU Chess Cup, one of the biggest chess

tournaments started. The festival takes place in Moscow, Russia from 29th January to 9th

February, 2015.

The tournament consists of 8 events, including Amateur, Veteran, Students, School and Chess

Composition tournaments. The main events are Men's and Women's Cup of Russia Stage,

gathering some of the top chess players.

The 11th edition is marked by a new record in number of participants - 1735 players from 25

countries in total!

The top seeds in the Open tournament are GM Nepomniachtchi, Ian 2714, GM Lysyj, Igor 2700,

GM Alekseev, Evgeny 2679, GM Sjugirov, Sanan 2678, GM Inarkiev, Ernesto 2675, GM Grachev,

Boris 2670, GM Fedoseev, Vladimir 2668, GM Artemiev, Vladislav 2659, etc, and in Women

WGM Goryachkina, Aleksandra 2451, IM Batsiashvili, Nino 2450, WGM Kovanova, Baira 2405,

IM Bodnaruk, Anastasia 2402, WGM Guseva, Marina 2375, WGM Charochkina, Daria 2370, etc.

The Children’s Tournament was officially opened on 30th January, on the same day of the 78th

birthday of the legendary Grandmaster Boris Spassky, the 10th World Chess Champion.

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RSSU Rector, Doctor of Economics, Mrs. Natalia Pochinok, Prefect of the North-Eastern

Administrative District of Moscow, Mr. Valeri Vinogradov, ECU Secretary General Mr. Theodoros

Tsorbatzoglou and the Tournament Director Mr. Alexander Kostyev were present at the opening

ceremony and welcomed the participants.

The children’s tournament started one day earlier, while the Grand opening of the main

tournament of the International Chess Cup RSSU Moscow Open 2015 was held on January 31st at

3.00 pm.

After a very rich cultural and music program, the organizers and the honoured guests – the first

deputy head of the Department of Physical Education and Sport in Moscow, Mr. Nikolai Gulyaev,

the 12th World Chess Champion, Grandmaster Anatoly Karpov, Secretary General of the

European Chess Union, Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou, the first vice-president of the Moscow

Chess Federation Mr. Nikita Kim and RSSU Rector, Mrs. Natalia Pochinok, greeted the players.

The ECU Secretary General Mr. Tsorbatzoglou addressed to the participants and expressed his

pleasure to be a part of this great event.

“I am honored to be here today in this wonderful university, in a great city, a country known for

its chess and cultural traditions. Already, this tournament is one of the largest in the world. I

know that RSSU Rector Mrs. Natalia Pochinok has plans to expand its scale, and therefore we are

discussing the possibility of holding and European Championships next years during the festival",

said Mr. Tsorbadzloglou.

After the opening ceremony the press conference took place, and then the friendly blitz match

between the organizers and the guests of honor was held. The multiple European and Russian

Champion and three-time Olympic Champion with the national team, RSSU graduate GM

Valentina Gunina played an interesting game against the former World Champion Karpov which

she eventually won, while the game between Mrs. Pochinok and the ECU Secretary General Mr.

Tsorbadzloglou ended with the peaceful outcome.

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More information at the Official Website

Photo source: official website

Liechtenstein Open 2015 – 33rd edition!

The 33rd International Chess Tournament Liechtenstein Open 2015 will take place from 8th to

16th May 2015 in Triesen/Liechtenstein, with the official venue Gemeindesaal Triesen.

The tournament is held under the Honory Patronage of H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois of

Liechtenstein.

It consists of two tournaments: the main one and one for seniors. Both events will be played

according to the Swiss System in 9 rounds, with time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves,

followed by 30 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move, starting from move one.

The Chief Arbiter will be FA Dipl.-Ing. Daniel Wanzek.

The organizers have prepared a rich prize fund – 11 000 CHF, along with the special prizes for the

best woman, junior and senior, as well as for the best result by a player rated below ELO 2000,

1900, 1800 and 1700.

In Senior Open, the prize fund is 2800 CHF, with special prizes for the best lady and for the best

75-year-old player, as well as under ELO 2000, 1800 and 1600.

Regulations in English

Official Website

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ECU Calendar 2015

The European Chess Union completed the calendar for 2015, with 16 ECU competitions.

European Individual Chess Championship 2015 Jerusalem,

Israel 23-Feb-15 9-Mar-15

European Small Nations Team Chess Championship 2015

Guerseney 18-Apr-15 26-Apr-15

European Senior Chess Championship 2015 Eretria, Greece

28-Apr-15 8-May-

2015

European Individual Women's Chess Championship 2015

Chakvi, Georgia

18-May-15 31-May-

15

European Individual Women's Rapid Chess Championship 2015

Kutaisi, Georgia

31-May-15 3-Jun-15

European Schools Championship 2015 Konya, Turkey

24-Jun-15 3-Jul-15

European Senior Team Championship 2015 Vienna, Austria

12-Jul-15 20-Jul-15

European Youth Team Chess Championship 2015 Karpacz, Poland

13-Jul-15 19-Jul-15

European Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships Novi Sad,

Serbia 31-Jul-15 6-Aug-15

European Amateur Championship 2015 Kaunas,

Lithuania 8-Aug-15 16-Aug-15

European Youth U8 – U18 Championship 2015 Porec, Croatia 20-Sep-15 1-Oct-15

European Universities Chess Championship 2015 Yerevan, Armenia

06-Oct-15 10-Oct-15

European Club Cup 2015 Skopje, FYROM

17-Oct-15 25-Oct-15

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European Club Cup for Women 2015 Skopje, FYROM

17-Oct-15 25-Oct-15

European Team Chess Championship 2015 Reykjavik,

Iceland 12-Nov-15

22-Nov-15

European Rapid and Blitz Championships 2015 Minsk, Belarus

17-Dec-15 20-Dec-15

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FUN ZONE During January, various national Championships took place, and for this edition of the Fun Zone, we present you 3 games from Azerbaijan, Armenian and Belarus Championships for Men, and one game from Georgian Women’s Chess Championship 2015.

The first position shows a nice victory of the new Azerbaijan Champion GM Rauf Mamedov against Nijat Abasov. White has the upper hand in this position, but after Black’s mistake 22... Rad8 can you find the right move for White?

Very interesting game from the 5th round of the 75th Armenian Championship for Men between Karen Grigoryan and Tigran Kotanijan is shown on the second diagram. It was played Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, a very sharp line with tactical opportunities for both sides. After 25 moves Black makes a blunder by playing 25…f5? Try to find a correct continuation for White.

The third position is from the game Harshkou vs Stupak from Belarus Championship. Black is winning here but can find the most attractive way to finish the game? The 4th position is from the game Salome Melia against Nino Batsiashvili, in which the new

Georgian Champion showed great strategic understanding and with accurate play scored a very

important point.

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The last White’s move was 22. Nb4 with the idea Nc6. Can you guess which plan was chosen by

IM Batsiashvili?

Solutions from the NL December 2014:

Karjakin, Sergey (2770) vs. Lysyj, Igor (2686)

67th ch-RUS 2014 | Kazan RUS | Round 5.3 | 2 Dec 2014 | ECO: A30 | 0-1

38… Bxc6 39. dxc6 d5! 40. Rxc3 (40. Rf4 Qa7 41. Qf2 Qc7 42. Qg3 g5) bxc3 41. Qxc3

Qa7+ 42. Kg2 Qxa2+ 43. Kg1 Qa7+ 44. Kg2 d4 45. Qc2 Qa5 46. Bc4 Qc3 47. Qf2 d3 48. c7

d2 0-1

Galliamova, Alisa (2471) vs. Gunina, Valentina (2522)

ch-RUS Superfinal w 2014 | Kazan RUS | Round 9 | 7 Dec 2014 | ECO: D10 | 0-1

34... Bxh2+! 35. Kh1 Bg3 36. Kg1Qh6 37. Rxf6! Qe3+ 38. Kh1 gxf6 39. Nxf6? (39. Bxf6+!

Kg8 40. Bg5! Qxg5 41. Qxd3 Qh4+ 42. Kg1 Qh2+ 43. Kf1 Qh1+ 44. Ke2 Qxg2+ 45. Kd1

Be5 46. c6) 39... Qh6+ 40. Nh5+ d4 41. Qxd3 Qxh5+ 42. Kg1 Qh2+ 43. Kf1 Qh1+ 44. Ke2

Qxg2+ 45. Kd1 Qxb2 46. Rc1 Bf4 47. Rc4 Be3 48. Rc2 Qb1+ 49. Ke2 Ne6 50. Qf5 Nf4+ 51.

Kf3 Qf1+ 52. Ke4 Qh1+ 53. Ke5 Qd5+ 54. Kf6 Nh5+ 0-1

Zvjaginsev, Vadim (2655) vs. Lysyj, Igor (2686)

67th ch-RUS 2014 | Kazan RUS | Round 7 | 5 Dec 2014 | ECO: A08 | 1-0

33. Ra6 Bc7 34. Rb1 Be5 35. Ra3 Bc4 36. Rxb8+ Bxb8 37. Ra8 1-0

Problem No. 1

1. Bb5!

They told about chess…

“You sit at the board and suddenly your heart leaps. Your hand

trembles to pick up the piece and move it. But what Chess teaches

you is that you must sit there calmly and think about whether it’s

really a good idea and whether there are other better ideas”

Stanley Kubrick, American film director, screenwriter and producer.

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UPCOMING EVENTS IN FEBRUARY

ECU EVENTS

EUROPEAN INDIVIDUAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP JERUSALEM 2015

European Individual Chess Championship will be held in Jerusalem – the capital of Israel, from

February 23 (day of arrival) until March 9 (day of departure) 2015. The tournament will be held at

the Jerusalem Ramada Hotel, which will also be its official accommodating hotel.

The 2015 European Championship is open to all players representing 54 chess federations in the

European Chess Union. By the conclusion of this edition, 249 players from 31 countries

confirmed their participation, among whom 113 GMs and 166 International title holders in total.

The first seed is Russian GM Nikita Vitiugov (ELO 2735). GM Alexander Motylev (ELO 2665), the

last year’s Champion will also compete in this event, as well as the former European Champions

Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (ROU), Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS), Vladimir Potkin (RUS) and Alexander

Moiseenko (UKR).

List of participants

The top 23 finishers will qualify to the prestigious world cup which is a higher qualifier in the

world championship cycle.

The Championship will be played according to the Swiss System in 11 rounds, and the prize fund

is EUR 120 000.

The organizing committee of the European individual championship welcomes the senior players

and announces a special and unprecedented prize fund for the 50+ participants, who may

compete for generous prizes of 10.000 Euros in total.

All chess fans be able to follow the tournament online with the live broadcast and commentary by

GM Alon Greenfeld and GM Ronen Har-Zvi during all 11 rounds!

Official Website

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EUROPEAN EVENTS

G.TRINGOV MEMORIAL 2015

1 - 8 February

Plovdiv, Bulgaria Chess-Results

GRENKE CHESS CLASSIC 2015

2 - 9 February

Baden-Baden, Germany

Official Website

LIENZ OPEN 2015 7 - 14

February Lienz, Austria Official Website

GRAZ OPEN 2015 13 - 20

February Graz, Austria Official Website

ROCHEFORT FESTIVAL 2015

21 - 27 February

Rochefort/France Official Website

CAPPELLE OPEN 2015 28 February -

7 March Cappelle la

Grande/France Official Website