Let's start at the start

 There is an interesting chess event running across the weekend in Morocco. The Morocco Chess Week is featuring Casablanca Chess which is a fixed opening variant. At the start of each round the players are given a famous game, and the move on which they can vary from the given move. They have a couple of minutes to study the game/position and then they play a 15 minute game. 

At the end of Day 1 Carlsen leads with 2.5/3, ahead of Nakamura on 1.5, with Anand and Amin on 1. Of most interest from this event is that the Evan's Gambit was chosen in Round 1, and White (Carlsen and Nakamura) both won. Carlsen then defeated Nakamura in round 3, in a g4 Sicilian.

Someone on the internet did ask if such games could be rated, and I said no. If people are confused as to why (as a lot of people seemed to be), rated games must be played according to the FIDE Laws of Chess. And in 2.3, the initial position of the chessboard is given. These games do not start in the defined position.

Nakamura, Hikaru v Amin, Basem
Casablanca Chess 2024

Milan Ninchich (1957 - 2024)

 It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Milan Ninchich. Milan was an active player on the Canberra chess scene for over 30 years, having moved here from Perth after taking a government job in the nation's capital. On arrival he became an active member of the Belconnen Chess Club, participating in numerous club and weekend events. A player who enjoyed attacking chess, he proved to be a challenging opponent, and the games he produce (win or lose) were always enjoyable to play through. 

I played him at least 20 times (not counting offhand games) going back to the early 1990's. It was one of our early games that was the most memorable, as it was a game that I still consider my best ever. But without Milan's attempt to refute my opening as early as move 7 (an idea prepared in advance) the game would never have existed. As a result I have always considered him the 'co-author' of this brilliancy.

In later years his involvement in the chess scene was curtailed by health issues, but we would stay in touch, discussing computer chess (of which he had an avid interest) and other chess topics. He was also a prolific contributor to this blog, either in the comments section, or via emailed links to articles he found interesting. To me, Milan was the type of player any chess club or community needed, always cheerful and always welcoming to new players.

For local chess players who wish to remember Milan, his funeral will be at Serbian Orthodox Church of St Sava, Lambrigg Street Farrar at 1:30pm 23rd May 2024. He is survived by his wide Biljana and children Doug and  Nada. I'm sure I speak for the Canberra chess community in offering our sympathies at this difficult time.

A Recreational Player

 While reading through the regulations for the 2024 FIDE Rapid Teams Championship, I cam across a new chess term. In the document, there is a reference to a "Recreational Player". This is defined as a player whose rating has never been above 2000 on any of the FDIE Rating Lists (Standard, Raid or Blitz). 

The reason for defining such a players is that each team playing in the 2024 FIDE Rapid Teams Championship is required to field at least 1 Recreational Player per match (which in this case is over 6 boards). Given that 1st prize in the event is 100K (US) now might be the time to recruit your friends uncle who was apparently "a chess grandmaster, but before they had ratings"

 

I've had better days

 I was looking through a few games by Vassily Smyslov, as I had just picked up a copy of his book on his early career (up until 1957). I was planning to show an early win against Gerasimov, but I realised I had posted it 14 years ago, So instead, I found a very short game, where a quick tactical blow brought about resignation. However in this case I suspect Spraggett resigned more out of disgust than anything else, as the position isn't lost, just "losing".

Spraggett,Kevin (2550) - Smyslov,Vassily (2595) [E11]
Candidates Tournament Montpellier (6), 1985

2024 ACT Teams Rapidplay

 A field of 19 teams turned out for the 2024 ACT Teams Rapidplay Championship. In previous years the field would be 10 to 12 teams, but this year saw a big jump in numbers. The ACT chess clubs were well represented by official teams, and there were school teams, junior teams, and teams that were just formed on the day.

In fact the winning team was just such a team, with Harry's Pushers (Harry Press, Milles Patterson, Jerry Cheng, and Padma Gyalpo) winning with a score of 21.5/28. They score heavily on the top 2 boards (13/14), but also had solid results on the bottom 2 boards to emerge as clear winners. In 2nd place were Underscore on 18.5, a junior team who scored a big 3.5-0.5 win in the final round to overtake some more fancied teams. In 3rd pace were Gungahlin A on 18, who also collected the Larko Cup for the best score by an official club team. 

The turnout was a bit of surprise for me as the organiser, and when I arrived at the venue was somewhat shocked to see around 25 players already waiting. After the process of registration (and team formation) was completed, the event got off to a quick start. By the end the 7 round tournament was even running ahead of time, which was also a pleasant surprised. And although we don't usually do a lot of teams chess in the ACT, this may change in the future, given the success of this tournament.

2024 ACT Chess Championship - 24th - 27th May 2024

2024 ACT Chess Championship

24-27 May 2023 (Friday evening through Monday Reconciliation Day)

7-rounds FIDE/ACF Rated Swiss Format

Venue: Campbell High School

Trealor Cres, Campbell (next to War Memorial)

Schedule: Friday 24 May 7:00pm

Saturday 25 May – Monday 27 May 10:00am and 2:30pm on each day

90 minutes per game with 30 second per move increment from move one (Fischer)

Director of Play:

FIDE International Arbiter Shaun Press

Friday 24 May 2023 7:00 PM - Monday 27 May 2023 6:00 PM (UTC+10)

Entries: https://www.trybooking.com/CRNMU 

First prize $500

Prize Pool: $1500+

The Chess Player

 The movie "The Chess Player" popped up on SVS World Movies recently. A Spanish film, it tells the story of a chess champion who is imprisoned during the Second World War. It is a fairly simple film with a somewhat familiar plot (which I won't spoil) , but the chess scenes are quite well done. If you do want to have a look, the link to online streaming is https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/the-chess-player/2243769411934 (NB You may have to create a free account to view)