Naiditsch - Anand 0-1 in the final round allowed the World Champion to take clear first

World Champion Vishy Anand won the Baden-Baden GRENKE Chess Classic this Sunday with a +3 score of 6.5/10, defeating German GM Arkadij Naiditsch in the final round.

Round 7-10 Results:

7th round on 14 February 2013 at 15:00
Meier Georg	2640	1-0	Fridman Daniel	2667
Caruana Fabiano	2757	½-½	Anand Vishy	2780
Adams Michael	2725	½-½	Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
8th round on 15 February 2013 at 15:00
Fridman Daniel	2667	½-½	Adams Michael	2725
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716	0-1	Caruana Fabiano	2757
Anand Vishy	2780	½-½	Meier Georg	2640
9th round on 16 February 2013 at 15:00
Anand Vishy	2780	1-0	Fridman Daniel	2667
Meier Georg	2640	1-0	Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
Caruana Fabiano	2757	0-1	Adams Michael	2725
10th round on 17 February 2013 at 13:00
Fridman Daniel	2667	½-½	Caruana Fabiano	2757
Adams Michael	2725	½-½	Meier Georg	2640
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716	0-1	Anand Vishy	2780

Final Standings after Round 10:
1. Anand 6.5 (+3)
2. Caruana 6.0 (+2)
3-4. Adams, Meier 5.0 (=)
5. Naiditsch 4.0 (-2)
6. Fridman 3.5 (-3)

Number of Decisive Games (out of 10):
Naiditsch - 8
Caruana, Meier - 4
Anand, Fridman - 3
Adams - 2

Final Tournament Performance Ratings:
1. Anand 2808
2. Caruana 2776
3. Meier 2729
4. Adams 2712
5. Naiditsch 2644
6. Fridman 2617

Live Ratings (2700+ players only):
#6 Anand 2784.2
#11 Caruana 2760
#25 Adams 2724.4
#31 Naiditsch 2713.1

GRENKE Round 6

Round 6 Results:

Fridman - Naiditsch 0-1 in a brilliant game

Anand - Adams 1/2

Meier - Caruana

My Prediction Record from Rounds 4-6: 5/9 (55.6%)

Standings after Round 6:
1. Caruana 4.0/6 (+2)
2-3. Anand, Naiditsch 3.5/6 (+1)
4-5. Fridman, Adams 2.5/6 (-1)
6. Meier 2.0/6 (-2)

Current Decisive Games after 6 Rounds:
Naiditsch - 5
Caruana, Meier - 2
Anand, Adams, Fridman - 1

Tournament Draw Percentage: 12/18 (66.7%)

Live Ratings after Round 6 (2700+ players only):
#6 Anand 2778.8 (-1.2, no ranking change from yesterday)
#11 Caruana 2761.9 (+4.9, no ranking change from yesterday)
#23 Naiditsch 2727.5 (+4.2 from Baden-Baden, +1 ranking spot from yesterday (passes Dmitry Andreiken))
#28 Adams 2721.1 (-5.1 from Baden-Baden, +1 ranking spot from yesterday passes Alexander Areschenko))

Round 7 Pairings:
Meier - Fridman
Caruana - Anand
Adams - Naiditsch

Round 8-10 Pairings:

8th round on 15 February 2013 at 15:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Adams Michael	2725
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716		Caruana Fabiano	2757
Anand Vishy	2780		Meier Georg	2640
9th round on 16 February 2013 at 15:00
Anand Vishy	2780		Fridman Daniel	2667
Meier Georg	2640		Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
Caruana Fabiano	2757		Adams Michael	2725
10th round on 17 February 2013 at 13:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Caruana Fabiano	2757
Adams Michael	2725		Meier Georg	2640
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716		Anand Vishy	2780

Baden-Baden Round 5 Report

At the halfway point, Italian-American prodigy Fabiano Caruana leads the GRENKE Chess Classic in Germany with a +2 score.  Scoring his first win of the tournament, World Champion Vishy Anand is in clear second and is on +1.  Arkadij Naiditsch was the recipient of this loss, and has chalked up his fourth decisive game out of five to be on an even 2.5/5, where he is joined by his countryman Daniel Fridman.  Mickey Adams and Webster University student George Meier round out the tournament at 1.5 and 1.0 points, respectively.

Round 5 (halfway point) Results:

Anand - Naiditsch 1-0

Caruana - Fridman 1/2

Meier - Adams 1/2

My Prediction Record from Rounds 4-5: 4/6 (66.7%)

Standings after Round 5:
1. Caruana 3.5/5 (+2)
2. Anand 3.0/5 (+1)
3-4. Fridman, Naiditsch 2.5/5 (=)
5. Adams 2.0/5 (-1)
6. Meier 1.5/5 (-2)

Current Tournament Performance Ratings:
1. Caruana 2852
2. Anand 2772
3. Fridman 2723
4. Naiditsch 2714
5. Adams 2642
6. Meier 2582

Number of Decisive Games after 5 Rounds:
Naiditsch - 4
Caruana, Meier - 2
Anand, Adams - 1
Fridman - 0

Tournament Draw Percentage: 10/15 (66.7%)

Live Ratings after Round 5 (2700+ players only):
#6 Anand 2779.6 (-0.4, no ranking changes from yesterday)
#11 Caruana 2763.5 (+6.5, -1 ranking spot from yesterday (passed by Alexander Grischuk))
#24 Naiditsch 2723.2 (-0.1 from Baden-Baden, -1 ranking spot from yesterday (passed by Dmitry Andreiken))
#28 Adams 2720.3 (-5.9 from Baden-Baden, -1 ranking spot from yesterday (passed by Alexander Areschenko))

Round 6 (Wednesday, February 13) Pairings:
Fridman - Naiditsch
Anand - Adams
Meier - Caruana

My Round 6 (February 13) Predictions:
Fridman - Naiditsch 1/2
Anand - Adams 1/2
Meier - Caruana 0-1

Round 7-10 Pairings:

7th round on 14 February 2013 at 15:00
Meier Georg	2640		Fridman Daniel	2667
Caruana Fabiano	2757		Anand Vishy	2780
Adams Michael	2725		Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
8th round on 15 February 2013 at 15:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Adams Michael	2725
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716		Caruana Fabiano	2757
Anand Vishy	2780		Meier Georg	2640
9th round on 16 February 2013 at 15:00
Anand Vishy	2780		Fridman Daniel	2667
Meier Georg	2640		Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
Caruana Fabiano	2757		Adams Michael	2725
10th round on 17 February 2013 at 13:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Caruana Fabiano	2757
Adams Michael	2725		Meier Georg	2640
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716		Anand Vishy	2780

GRENKE Round 4 Results

Baden-Baden Round 4 Results:

Battle of the Germans: Naiditsch - Meier, 1-0

Fridman - Anand 1/2

Adams - Caruana 1/2

My Prediction Record from Round 4: 2/3 (66.7%)

Standings after Round 4:
1. Caruana 3.0/4 (+2)
2. Naiditsch 2.5/4 (+1)
3-4. Fridman, Anand 2.0/4 (=)
5. Adams 1.5/4 (-1)
6. Meier 1.0/4 (-2)

Live Ratings after Round 4 (2700+ players only):
#6 Anand 2775.5 (-4.5, no ranking changes from yesterday)
#10 Caruana 2764.7 (+7.7, no ranking changes from yesterday)
#23 Naiditsch 2727.3 (+4.0 from Baden-Baden, +1 ranking spot from yesterday (passes Andreiken))
#28 Adams 2721.5 (-4.7 from Baden-Baden, no ranking changes from yesterday)

Round 5 (tomorrow, February 11) Pairings:
Caruana - Fridman
Meier - Adams
Anand - Naiditsch

My Round 5 (February 11) Predictions:
Caruana - Fridman 1/2
Meier - Adams 1/2
Anand - Naiditsch 1/2

Rounds 6-10 Pairings:

6th round on 13 February 2013 at 15:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
Anand Vishy	2780		Adams Michael	2725
Meier Georg	2640		Caruana Fabiano	2757
7th round on 14 February 2013 at 15:00
Meier Georg	2640		Fridman Daniel	2667
Caruana Fabiano	2757		Anand Vishy	2780
Adams Michael	2725		Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
8th round on 15 February 2013 at 15:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Adams Michael	2725
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716		Caruana Fabiano	2757
Anand Vishy	2780		Meier Georg	2640
9th round on 16 February 2013 at 15:00
Anand Vishy	2780		Fridman Daniel	2667
Meier Georg	2640		Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
Caruana Fabiano	2757		Adams Michael	2725
10th round on 17 February 2013 at 13:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Caruana Fabiano	2757
Adams Michael	2725		Meier Georg	2640
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716		Anand Vishy	2780

This Week in Birthdays: Sveshnikov, Gus Hansen

This week in chess and poker birthdays.  Happy birthday to all!

February 10 - 16

Sunday, February 10:

• Giorgi Kacheishvili (Age 37, Georgian GM)
• Manuel Leon Hoyos (Age 24, Mexican GM, Webster University Chess Team, 2582)

Monday, February 11:

Evgeny Sveshnikov, of Sicilian Sveshnikov fame, turns 63 tomorrow

• Evgeny Sveshnikov (Age 63, Latvian GM, Namesake of the Sicilian Sveshnikov, 2530)

Gus Hansen, the Great Dane, turns 39 on Wednesday

Wednesday, February 13:

• Artur Yusupov (Age 53, German GM, 2002 & 2008 World Open =1st, 2611)
• Gus Hansen (Age 39, Danish Poker Pro, #13 on the All Time Money List, #1 on Denmark All Time Money List)

Thursday, February 14:

• Sergei Tiviakov (Age 40, Dutch GM, 2-time Dutch Champion, 2650)

Friday, February 15:

• Daniel Fridman (Age 37, German GM, Currently playing in the GRENKE Chess Classic, 2667)
• Tuan Le (Age 35, Vietnamese-American Poker Pro, #4 on the 2005 All Time Money List)

Blog Return; Baden-Baden Predictions

The GRENKE Chess Classic is taking place in Baden-Baden, Germany.  It is a Double-Round Robin, Category XIX tournament with an average rating of 2714.2.

World Champ Anand headlines the GRENKE Chess Classic

The 6 Participants:
World #6 Vishy Anand, India, 2780 (World Champion)
World #13 Fabiano Caruana, Italy, 2757 (#1 World Junior)
World #23 Michael Adams, England, 2725 (#1 England)
World #37 Arkadij Naiditsch, Germany, 2716 (2013 Wijk aan Zee Group B Champion)
World #78 Daniel Fridman, Germany, 2667 (Husband of 4-time US Woman's Champion Anna Zatonskih)
World #108 Georg Meier, Germany, 2640 (Co-captain of Webster University chess team)

Round 1-3 Results:

Round 1, February 7
Naiditsch - Fridman 1/2
Adams - Anand 1/2
Caruana - Meier 1-0

Naiditsch, the sole winner in Round 2 in Baden-Baden

Round 2, February 8
Fridman - Meier 1/2
Anand - Caruana 1/2
Naiditsch - Adams 1-0

Caruana - Naiditsch, 1-0, the sole decisive game of Round 3

Round 3, February 9
Adams - Fridman 1/2
Caruana - Naiditsch 1-0
Meier - Anand 1/2

Caruana leads GRENKE by a full point after 3 rounds

Standings after Round 3:
1. Caruana 2.5/3
2-4. Naiditsch, Fridman, Anand 1.5/3
5-6. Adams, Meier 1.0/3

Live Ratings after Round 3 (2700+ players only):
#6 Anand 2777 (-3 points, no ranking changes)
#10 Caruana 2765.1 (+8.1 points, +3 ranking spots, passes Ivanchuk, Morozevich, Grischuk)
#24 Naiditsch (no change from Baden-Baden, +5 ranking spots (from Bundesliga), passes Dominguez, Giri, Tomashevsky, Adams, Areschenko)
#28 Adams 2721.1 (-5.1 points from Baden-Baden, -5 rankings spots, passed by Vachier-Lagrave, Dominguez, Giri, Tomashevsky, Naiditsch)

My Round 4 (February 10) Predictions:
Fridman - Anand 1/2
Naiditsch - Meier 0-1
Adams - Caruana 1/2

Round 4-10 Pairings:

4th round on 10 February 2013 at 15:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Anand Vishy	2780
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716		Meier Georg	2640
Adams Michael	2725		Caruana Fabiano	2757
5th round on 11 February 2013 at 15:00
Caruana Fabiano	2757		Fridman Daniel	2667
Meier Georg	2640		Adams Michael	2725
Anand Vishy	2780		Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
6th round on 13 February 2013 at 15:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
Anand Vishy	2780		Adams Michael	2725
Meier Georg	2640		Caruana Fabiano	2757
7th round on 14 February 2013 at 15:00
Meier Georg	2640		Fridman Daniel	2667
Caruana Fabiano	2757		Anand Vishy	2780
Adams Michael	2725		Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
8th round on 15 February 2013 at 15:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Adams Michael	2725
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716		Caruana Fabiano	2757
Anand Vishy	2780		Meier Georg	2640
9th round on 16 February 2013 at 15:00
Anand Vishy	2780		Fridman Daniel	2667
Meier Georg	2640		Naiditsch Arkadij	2716
Caruana Fabiano	2757		Adams Michael	2725
10th round on 17 February 2013 at 13:00
Fridman Daniel	2667		Caruana Fabiano	2757
Adams Michael	2725		Meier Georg	2640
Naiditsch Arkadij	2716		Anand Vishy	2780

Taking a break...

Unfortunately, because of my busy schedule / holiday vacation, I will not be able to contribute to this blog until approximately mid-January.  Thank you and see you then.

Magnus Carlsen wins the London Chess Classic!

Carlsen won the tournament with a +5 score and a 2994 Performance

Magnus Carlsen won the London Chess Classic with a 18 points from 8 rounds (6.5/8).  Carlsen is currently the highest rated player ever at 2861.4.  Vladimir Kramnik, who came in clear 2nd, became the World #2 in this tournament.

Round 8 Results:

Anand - Nakamura 1/2 (GOTD)

McShane - Polgar 0-1 (Polgar's first win of the LCC)

Aronian - Adams 1/2

Kramnik - Jones 1-0

Bye - Carlsen, analyzing with IM Lawrence Trent and GM Nigel Short

Round 9 Results:

Polgar - Aronian 1/2

Adams - Kramnik 1/2

Nakamura - McShane 1-0 (GOTD)

Carlsen - Anand 1/2

Final standings after 9 rounds (remember that each player played 8 games and had 1 bye):
3-1-0 Scoring:
1. Magnus Carlsen 18
2. Vladimir Kramnik 16
3-4. Mickey Adams, Hikaru Nakamura 13
5. Anand 9
6. Aronian 8
7. Judit Polgar 6
8. Luke McShane 5
9. Gawain Jones 3

Traditional Scoring:
1. Carlsen 6.5/8 (+5)
2. Kramnik 6.0 (+4)
3-4. Nakamura, Adams 5.0 (+2)
5. Anand 4.0 (=)
6. Aronian 3.5 (-1)
7. Polgar 2.5 (-3)
8. McShane 2.0 (-4)
9. Jones 1.5 (-5)

Final Performance Ratings:
1. Magnus Carlsen 2994
2. Vladimir Kramnik 2937
3. Mickey Adams 2845
4. Hikaru Nakamura 2839
5. Vishy Anand 2749
6. Levon Aronian 2701
7. Judit Polgar 2621
8. Luke McShane 2566
9. Gawain Jones 2511

Live FIDE Ratings:
World #1 Magnus Carlsen 2861.4
World #2 Vladimir Kramnik 2809.7
World #3 Levon Aronian 2802.2
World #7 Vishy Anand 2772.1
World #9 Hikaru Nakamura 2768.9
World #25 Mickey Adams 2722.7
Luke McShane ~2696.9
Judit Polgar ~2696
Gawain Jones ~2632

The London Chess Classic was a great tournament, and incredibly strong.  It is not often where you see the current World Champion at an even score and the (pre-tournament) World #2 at a minus score.  Congratulations to Magnus Carlsen, who won the event at an incredible +5, establishing him as the highest rated player in history, passing none other that Garry Kasparov.

This Week in Birthdays: Nakamura, Anand, Antonius

US #1 Hikaru Nakamura, currently playing the London Chess Classic, turns 25 today

This week in chess and poker birthdays.  Happy birthday to all!

December 9 - December 15

Sunday, December 9:

• Hikaru Nakamura (Age 25, US GM, Current US Chess Champion, 2760)
• Ernesto Inarkiev (Age 27, Russian GM, 2693)
• Neil Channing (Age 45, English Poker Pro, 2008 Irish Poker Open Champion, #6 on England All Time Money List)

Monday, December 10:

• none

Jones & Anand, who played each other last Tuesday, share their birthday this Tuesday

Tuesday, December 11:

• Viswanathan Anand (Age 43, Indian GM, Current World Chess Champion, 2775)
• Gawain Jones (Age 25, English GM, Current British Chess Champion, 2644)

Wednesday, December 12:

• Brandon Adams (Age 34, US Poker Pro, 24th on the Stud All Time Money List)

Peter Eastgate, '08 World Champion, turns 27 on Thursday

Thursday, December 13:

• Peter Eastgate (Age 27, Danish Poker Pro, 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion)
• Patrik Antonius (Age 31, Finnish Poker Pro, widely regarded as one of the best cash game poker players in the world)

Friday, December 14:

• Victor Bologan (Age 41, Moldovan GM, Chess Author and Chessbase DVD contributor, 2681)
• Jan Timman (Age 61, Dutch GM, 1993 World Championship Candidate, 2570)

4 Draws in London

4 draws at the London Chess Classic today in Round 7

In LCC Round 7, there were 4 draws, increasing the draw rate to 43% (12/28).  Mickey Adams held a distinct advantage against Luke McShane, but missed a win and McShane held the draw.

Round 7 Results:

Jones - Aronian 1/2

Adams - McShane 1/2

Polgar - Anand 1/2

Nakamura - Carlsen 1/2 (GOTD)

Standings after Round 7 of 9:
3-1-0 Scoring:
1. Magnus Carlsen 17.0/7
2. Vladimir Kramnik 12.0/6
3. Mickey Adams 11.0/6
4. Hikaru Nakamura 9.0/6
5. Vishy Anand 7.0/6
6. Levon Aronian 6.0/6
7. Luke McShane 5.0/6
8. Gawain Jones 3.0/7
9. Judit Polgar 2.0/6

Traditional Scoring:
1. Carlsen 6.0/7 (+5)
2. Kramnik 4.5/6 (+3)
3. Adams 4.0/6 (+2)
4. Nakamura 3.5/6 (+1)
5. Anand 3.0/6 (=)
6. Aronian 2.5/6 (-1)
7. McShane 2.0/6 (-2)
8. Jones 1.5/7 (-4)
9. Polgar 1.0/6 (-4)

Performance Ratings:
1. Carlsen 3045
2. Kramnik 2960
3. Adams 2861
4. Nakamura 2811
5. Anand 2731
6. Aronian 2698
7. McShane 2645
8. Jones 2536
9. Polgar 2476

Live FIDE Ratings:
World #1 Magnus Carlsen 2862.4
World #2 Vladimir Kramnik 2807.9
World #3 Levon Aronian 2805.1
World #7 Vishy Anand 2771.3
World #11 Hikaru Nakamura 2764.4
World #26 Mickey Adams 2720.1
World #39 Luke McShane 2706.3
Judit Polgar ~2689
Gawain Jones ~2635

Round 8 Pairings:
Anand - Nakamura
McShane - Polgar
Aronian - Adams
Kramnik - Jones
Bye - Carlsen

Final Round 9 Pairings:
Adams - Kramnik
Polgar - Aronian
Nakamura - McShane
Carlsen - Anand
Bye - Jones

Carlsen is the highest rated player ever

Carlsen, once Kasparov's student, passes him as the highest rated player of all time

In Round 6 of the London Chess Classic, there were 3 decisive results.  The current draw rate is only 33% (8/24). Magnus Carlsen, who defeated Judit Polgar in Round 6, has a current live rating of 2863.6.  With this Round 6 victory, he is guaranteed an official post-tournament rating over 2851, even if he loses Round 7 and 9 (Carlsen has a bye in Round 8).  This rating will eclipse Garry Kasparov's all-time rating record from July 1999-January 2000.  Carlsen becomes the highest rated player in history.  By drawing against Aronian, Kramnik passes Aronian on the live ratings to become World #2.

Vishy Anand lost to Michael Adams when he blundered horribly in a drawn position.  Luke McShane defeated Gawain Jones, and Aronian and Kramnik drew.  Hikaru Nakamura had a bye.

Round 6 Results:
Carlsen - Polgar 1-0
Anand - Adams 0-1 (GOTD)
McShane - Jones 1-0
Aronian - Kramnik 1/2
Bye - Nakamura

Standings after Round 6 of 9:
3-1-0 Scoring:
1. Carlsen 16.0/6
2. Kramnik 12.0/6
3. Adams 10.0/5
4. Nakamura 8.0/5
5. Anand 6.0/5
6. Aronian 5.0/5
7. McShane 4.0/5
8. Jones 2.0/6
9. Polgar 1.0/6

Traditional Scoring:
1. Carlsen 5.5/6 (+5)
2. Kramnik 4.5/6 (+3)
3. Adams 3.5/5 (+2)
4. Nakamura 3.0/5 (+1)
5. Anand 2.5/5 (=)
6. Aronian 2.0/5 (-1)
7. McShane 1.5/5 (-2)
8. Jones 1.0/6 (-4)
9. Polgar 0.5/5 (-4)

Performance Ratings:
1. Carlsen 3146
2. Kramnik 2960
3. Adams 2893
4. Nakamura 2804
5. Anand 2736
6. Aronian 2708
7. McShane 2629
8. Jones 2473
9. Polgar 2370

Live FIDE Ratings:
World #1 Magnus Carlsen 2863.6
World #2 Vladimir Kramnik 2807.9
World #3 Levon Aronian 2807.4
World #7 Vishy Anand 2772.3
World #12 Hikaru Nakamura 2763.2
World #27 Mickey Adams 2720.1
World #39 Luke McShane 2706.3
Judit Polgar ~ 2688
Gawain Jones ~2633

Round 7 Pairings:
Jones - Aronian
Adams - McShane
Polgar - Anand
Nakamura - Carlsen
Bye - Kramnik

4 decisive results in London Round 5

Among 4 decisive games in Round 5, Kramnik beat McShane nicely and approaches World #2

In Round 5 of the London Chess Classic, we had the second round where all four games were decisive (Round 1 had 4/4 as well).  The draw rate an amazingly only 35% (7/20). This shows the fighting spirit that the 3-1-0 scoring system produces.

Vishy Anand won his first classical game since Game 8 of the 2012 World Championship match against Gelfand in May over British Champion Gawain Jones.

Hikaru Nakamura, who recently regained his title of the #1 FIDE-rated US Player on the live ratings, since Gata Kamsky lost over 10 points in Tashkent, defeated the World's #1 Woman Judit Polgar, who is now below 2700, at only 1/2 point from 4 games.  Nakamura, currently World #12, will jump to #8 if he gains just 3.2 more rating points.

Magnus Carlsen continued his wonderful tournament by defeating Mickey Adams, who was doing well in the tournament until this point.

Vladimir Kramnik is also having a great tournament, defeating Luke McShane.  He is now only 0.1 live rating points behind World #2 Aronian, who had his bye today.

Amazingly, all 3 British players lost their games today (Jones, McShane, Adams).

Round 5 Results:
Jones - Anand 0-1
Polgar - Nakamura 0-1
Adams - Carlsen 0-1
Kramnik - McShane 1-0 (GOTD)
Bye - Aronian

Standings after Round 5 of 9:
3-1-0 Scoring:
1. Carlsen 13.0/5
2. Kramnik 11.0/5
3. Nakamura 8.0/5
4. Adams 7.0/4
5. Anand 6.0/4
6. Aronian 4.0/4
7. Jones 2.0/5
8-9. McShane, Polgar 1.0/4

Traditional Scoring:
1. Carlsen 4.5/5 (+4)
2. Kramnik 4.0/5 (+3)
3. Nakamura 3.0/5 (+2)
4-5. Anand, Adams 2.5/4 (+1)
6. Aronian 1.5/4 (-1)
7. Jones 1.0/5 (-2)
8-9. McShane, Polgar 0.5/4 (-3)

Performance Ratings:
1. Carlsen 3117
2. Kramnik 3001
3. Anand 2830
4. Adams 2827
5. Nakamura 2804
6. Aronian 2686
7. Jones 2519
8. McShane 2471
9. Polgar 2390


Live FIDE Ratings:
World #1 Carlsen 2860.5
World #2 Aronian 2807.7
World #3 Kramnik 2807.6
World #7 Anand 2778.2
World #12 Nakamura 2763.2
World #30 Adams 2714.2
World #45 McShane 2702.3
Judit Polgar ~2691
Gawain Jones ~2637

The Round 6 pairings are interesting, with tournament leader Magnus Carlsen playing against (tied) last place Judit Polgar with White.  World Champion Vishy Anand, who scored his first win in this event in Round 5, will face current England #1 Mickey Adams, who is coming off his first loss in the LCC.  The two young Brits Luke McShane and Gawain Jones, neither of which are having a good tournament will play each other.  Finally, World #2 Levon Aronian and World #3 Kramnik will face each other.  They are separated by just 0.1 Live Rating point, and the winner will be World #2, but still 50+ points behind World #1 Carlsen.  US #1 Hikaru Nakamura will have a bye.

Round 6 Pairings:
Carlsen - Polgar
Anand - Adams
McShane - Jones
Aronian - Kramnik
Bye - Nakamura

Expect many decisive results in Round 6.  Stay posted.

Carlsen leads London Chess Classic

Carlsen defeated 2012 British Champion Gawain Jones and is in clear first in the LCC

In Round 4 of the London Chess Classic, World #1 Carlsen and World #2 Aronian defeated their respective opponents, reigning British Champion Gawain Jones (2644) and English #1 Luke McShane (2713), the world's highest rated chess amateur (McShane is a financial trader).  Carlsen's current live rating of 2857.4 is the highest in chess history.  He is 50 points ahead of World #2 (Aronian) and 100 points ahead of World #13 (Morozevich). Today was a rest day, and Round 5 (of 9) will be tomorrow.  Here are the Round 4 results:

Nakamura - Adams 1/2
Carlsen - Jones 1-0
Anand - Kramnik 1/2
McShane - Aronian 0-1
Bye - Polgar

Standings after Round 4 (note that Adams, Anand, McShane and Polgar have already received their byes).
3-1-0 Scoring:
1. Carlsen 10.0/4
2. Kramnik 8.0/4
3. Adams 7.0/3
4. Nakamura 5.0/4
5. Aronian 4.0/4
6. Anand 3.0/3
7. Jones 2.0/4
8-9. McShane, Polgar 1.0/3

Traditional Scoring:
1. Carlsen 3.5/4
2. Kramnik 3.0/4
3. Adams 2.5/3
4. Nakamura 2.0/4
5. Anand 1.5/3
6. Aronian 1.5/4
7. Jones 1.0/4
8-9. McShane, Polgar 0.5/3

Performance Ratings:
1. Carlsen 3079
2. Adams 2982
3. Kramnik 2962
4. Anand 2775
5. Nakamura 2741
6. Aronian 2686
7. Jones 2565
8. McShane 2534
9. Polgar 2437

Live Ratings:
Carlsen 2857.4 (#1, broke Kasparov's World FIDE Rating Record after Round 2)
Aronian 2807.7 (#2)
Kramnik 2803.7 (#3)
Anand 2775 (#6)
Nakamura 2759 (#12)
Adams 2727.3 (#28)
McShane 2706.2 (#39)
Polgar 2695
Jones 2640

Tomorrow's Round 5 pairings:
Kramnik - McShane
Jones - Anand
Adams - Carlsen
Polgar - Nakamura
Bye - Aronian

Stay posted for future reports.

The Final Table of the DeepStacks Mohegan Sun National Championship has arrived

The $500,000 Guarantee 2012 $2500 DeepStacks Poker Tour Mohegan Sun National Championship (with re-entries) is currently in Day 3.  The DeepStacks Poker Tour is a poker tournament circuit that specializes in increasing player fields and prize pools though pro poker player participation and education.  DeepStacks has pro sponsors including Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and Justin "Boosted J" Smith.

There was a total field of 242 players, with exactly 50% (121) making it through Day 1, where David Stefanski was the overwhelming chip leader (T348,100, 81.3% ahead of 2nd place).  Players started with 40,000 in chips.  Team DeepStacks Pros Mike Matusow, Chip Jett, Darrel Dier and Tristan Wade each survived the day, but Michael Mizrachi, after firing through 3 re-entries, did not survive.

Notable Day 1 Survivors:
Mike Matusow (T140,200)
Vanessa Selbst (T162,600, 7th in chips)
Chip Jett (T56,600)
Matt Glantz (T83,300, 1 re-entry)
Matt Affleck (T133,300)
Darrel Dier (T39,900)
Tristan Wade (T25,800)
Jared Jaffee (T157,000)
David Paredes (T133,700)
Aaron Massey (T100,300)
Allen Kessler (T38,200, 1 re-entry)

Notable Day 1 Bustouts:
Michael Mizrachi

On Day 2, Matt Kuba emerged the slight chip leader with T777,000.  36 players survived the day, with the "min-cash" being at #25 = $5,600.

Notable Day 2 Bustouts:
Mike Matusow
Vanessa Selbst
Allen Kessler
Kurt Jewell

After Day 3, the final 6-handed table was established.  First Place is $162,390.

1. David Stefanski (T3,715,000)
2. Artyem Perlov (T2,650,000)
3. Adam Bitker (T1,310,000)
4. Patrick Chan (T970,000)
5. Nicholas Palma (T945,000)
6. Andrew Sherman-Ash (T605,000)

Chess Update: London Classic, GP, WWCC

Anna Ushenina (R) won on tiebreaks in the Finals to become Women's World Champion

Ukrainian IM Anna Ushenina won the Women's World Chess Championship by defeating GM Antoaneta Stefanova, an ex-Women's World Champion (2004-6),  in the rapid chess tiebreaks of the final match.  With this title, Ushenina also receives the GM Title.  She is the 16th Women's World Champion.

GMs Mamedyarov and Dominguez, in =1st and Last Place, respectively

In the FIDE Grand Prix, Alexander Morozevich and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov lead with 6.0/10.

In Round 7, there were 2 decisive results:

Mamedyarov 2764 - Kamsky 2762 1/2

Ponomariov 2741 - Gelfand 2751 1/2

Dominguez 2726 - Caruana 2786 0-1

Karjakin 2775 - Morozevich 2748 1-0

Wang Hao 2737 - Svidler 2747 1/2

Kasimdzhanov 2696 - Leko 2732 1/2

In Round 8, there was 1 decisive result:

Kamsky - Leko 0-1

Svidler - Kasimdzhanov 1/2

Morozeivhc - Wang Hao 1/2

Caruana - Karjain 1/2

Gelfand - Dominguez 1/2

Mamedyarov - Ponomariov 1/2

In Round 9, there was 1 decisive result:

Ponomariov - Kamsky 1/2

Dominguez - Mamedyarov 1/2

Karjakin - Gelfand 1/2

Wang Hao - Caruana 1-0

Kasimdzhanov - Morozevich 1/2

Leko - Svidler 1/2

In Round 10 (today), there were 3 decisive results:

Kamsky - Svidler 1/2

Morozevich - Leko 1-0

Caruana - Kasimdzhanov 1/2

Gelfand - Wang Hao 1/2

Mamedyarov - Karjakin 1-0

Ponomariov - Dominguez 1-0

Standings after 10 rounds (out of 11):

1-2. Morozevich, Mamedyarov (6.0/10) (+2)

3-7. Caruana, Ponomariov, Karjakin, Wang Hao, Kasimdzhanov (5.5/10) (+1)

8-9. Svidler, Leko (5.0/10) (=)

10. Gelfand (4.0/10) (-2)

11. Kamsky (3.5/10) (-3)

12. Dominguez (3.0/10) (-4)

Tomorrow's Round 11 Pairings (Final):

Dominguez - Kamsky

Karjakin - Ponomariov

Wang Hao - Mamedyarov

Kasimdzhanov - Gelfand

Leko - Caruana

Svidler - Morozevich

Performance Ratings:

1. Morozevich 2817

2. Mamedyarov 2816

3. Kasimzhanov 2786
4-5. Ponomariov, Karjakin 2779
6. Wang Hao 2781
7. Caruana 2780
8. Svidler 2747
9. Leko 2744
10. Gelfand 2682
11. Kamsky 2641
12. Dominguez 2601

FIDE Live Ratings after Round 10:

Caruana: 2781.4 (#5)

Karjakin: 2775.8 (#6)

Mamedyarov: 2771.8 (#8)

Morozevich: 2757.8 (#13)

Svidler: 2747 (#14)

Kamsky: 2745 (#15)

Wang Hao: 2743.2 (#16)

Gelfand: 2741.2 (#17)

Ponomariov: 2737.5 (#20)

Leko: 2733.7 (#22)

Dominguez: 2717 (#27)

Kasimdzhanov: 2697.5 (#49)

Kramnik and Carlsen, after winning rounds 1 & 2, drew their Round 3 encounter

The 4th London Chess Classic is taking place at the Olympia Conference Center in London.  There are 9 elite players, constituting a 2752 average rating.

The 9 players:

World #1 Magnus Carlsen (2848)

World #2 Levon Aronian (2815)

World #3 and ex-World Champion Vladimir Kramnik (2795)

World #6 and current World Champion Viswanathan Anand (2775)

World #13 and US #1 Hikaru Nakamura (2760)

World #29 and England #1 Luke McShane (2713)

World #33 and England #2 Michael Adams (2710)

World #41 and #1 Female ever Judit Polgar (2705)

World #112 and England #4 Gawain Jones (2644)

The London Chess Classic uses the 3-1-0 scoring system (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 for a loss), which will promote less draws in this elite event, as evident by the results of Round 1.  Since there is an odd number of players, only 8 will play each day, with the ninth receiving a bye providing live commentary during the round. This unique system will also keep the results less predictable until the very end of the tournament.

Round 1 Results (4 decisive results!):

McShane - Carlsen 0-1

Aronian - Nakamura 0-1 GOTD

Kramnik - Polgar 1-0

Jones - Adams 0-1

Bye - Anand

Round 2 Results:

Polgar - Jones 1/2 GOTD

Nakamura - Kramnik 0-1

Carlsen - Aronian 1-0

Anand - McShane 1/2

Bye - Adams

Round 3 (today) Results:

Aronian - Anand 1/2

Kramnik - Carlsen 1/2

Jones - Nakamura 1/2

Adams - Polgar 1-0 GOTD

Bye - McShane

3-1-0 Results after Round 3 (remember that Adams, Anand, McShane have only played 2 rounds):

1-2. Kramnik, Carlsen 7.0/3

3. Adams 6.0/2

4. Nakamura 4.0/3

5. Anand 2.0/2

6. Jones 2.0/3

7. McShane 1.0/2

8-9. Aronian, Polgar 1.0/3

Traditional Results after Round 3:

1-2. Kramnik, Carlsen 2.5/3

3. Adams 2.0/2

4. Nakamura 1.5/3

5. Anand 1.0/2

6. Jones 1.0/3

7. McShane 0.5/2

8-9. Aronian, Polgar 0.5/3

Tomorrow's Round 4 Pairings:

Nakamura - Adams

Carlsen - Jones

Anand - Kramnik

McShane - Aronian

Bye - Polgar

Performance Ratings after Round 3:

1. Adams 3474

2. Carlsen 3053

3. Kramnik 3050

4. Anand 2764

5. Nakamura 2752

6. McShane 2621

7. Jones 2605

8. Aronian 2515

9. Polgar 2437

Live Ratings after Round 3:

Carlsen 2855 (#1)

Aronian 2804.1 (#2)

Kramnik 2804 (#3)

Anand 2774.7 (#7)

Nakamura 2759.7 (#12)

Adams 2716.6 (#28)

McShane 2709.8 (#36)

Polgar 2695 (#52)

Jones 2642 (#114)