The JR Chess Chess Report (May 16): Gelfand and Grischuk to meet in Candidates' Final

[Jack Rabbit]

This week's report is a little late so that we can bring you the results of today's candidates' semifinal playoffs. The fact that we were a little slow getting the games ready may have had something to do with it, too.

The JR Chess Report theme music: Merrick, The Look Sharp, Be Sharp March (Arthur Fiedler, Boston Pops Orchestra)

Grischuk, Gelfand advance to Candidates' Finals

Luigi Versaggi, Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike)

Israeli grandmaster Boris Gelfand and former Russian national champion Alexander Grischuk will Final Candidates' Match beginning Thursday in Kazan, the capital of the Russian Republic of Tartarstan.

The pair advanced to the final earlier today by winning rapid and blitz playoffs to conclude the Semifinal matches. Gelfand defended reigning US national champion Gata Kamsky while Grischuk took down former world champion Vladimir Kramnik in a battle between two of the world's premiere speed chess players.

The winner of the six-game Final Match will earn the right to challenge reigning world champion Vishy Anand of India for the world title. That match is to be played later this year; given FIDE's track record of getting things organized, the title match will more likely take place about a year from now.

The final match can run through Thursday, May 26 with any necessary tiebreaks. Games are broadcast live on the FIDE website beginning at 3 pm local time (4 am PDT).

Editorial note: Grischuk is a particularly outspoken man, never to shrink at telling any one what he thinks. He ones told FIDE vice president Zurab Azmaiparashvili that many FIDE regulations were "bullshit." Gelfand, a much more restrained and polite man, once threatened FIDE with legal action after a mysterious delay in candidates' matches in 2007 after altering his schedule to train for the event.

The prospect of either one of these two men being the world chess champion should make the heads FIDE's most senior and incompetant officials explode.


Cmilyte leads European Women's Championship in Tbilisi

Painting by Mikhail Lermontov (1837) from Wikipedia (Public Domain)

Lithuanian grandmaster Viktorija Cmilyte (SHMIL tah) leads the European Women's Championship in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi with 7½ points in nine rounds.

Ms. Cmilyte won her first five games in a row before being defeated by former world women's champion Antoanetta Stefanova in Round 6. Today, Ms. Cmilyte defeated the defending European champion, Swedish grandmaster Pia Cramling.

Ms. Stefanova, Ukrainian GM Katya Lahno and grandmaster Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant of Scotland by way of Georgia are tied for second place with seven points.

Ms. Cmilyte will have Black tomorrow against Ms. Arakhamia-Grant in the tenth round. The game will be broadcast live at the official tournament website beginning at 3 pm local time (4 am PDT).


Trio leads Capablanca Memorial in Havana

Gildemax, Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike)

Grandmaster Dmitry Andreikin of Russia, two-time Aeroflot Open champion Le Quang Liem of Vietnam and Czech grandmaster David Navara are tied for first place with 3 points each in five rounds in the 46th Capablanca Memorial Tournament which started last Wednesday in Havana, Cuba.

Crowd favorite Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine is in fourth place with two and a half points, with the two Cuban GMs in the event, Leinier Domínguez and Lázaro Bruzón, bringing up the rear with 2 and 1½ points respectively.

Today is a rest day before the double round robin tournament begins its second half tomorrow. The games start at 3 pm Havana time (noon PDT) and can be viewed on ChessBomb.com.


COMING ATTRACTIONS

Biel Chess Festival 18-29 July.
Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund 21-31 July.