Gibtelecom Chess Festival 2008

The 6th edition of Gibraltar's Gibtelecom Chess Festival will be held from 22-31 January 2008 at the Caleta Hotel, one of Gibraltar's best hotels.

In previous years they have had players of the quality of Alexei Shirov, Michael Adams and Nigel Short playing in the Masters section. In 2008 the line-up includes 2007 world championship contender Alexander Grischuk, rated 2715 and top Chinese players Wang Yue, rated 2702 and Bu Xiangzhi, rated 2692. In fact, practically the full Chinese squad (which beat Russia and the UK in 2007) is playing in Gibraltar!

Gibtelecom Masters (Open to all) - 22-31 January 2008 (10 rounds Swiss, FIDE rated)

Challengers A (Under 2250) - 22-26 January 2008 (5 rounds Swiss, FIDE rated)

Challengers B (Under 2250) - 27-31 January 2008 (5 rounds Swiss, FIDE rated)

Amateur A (Under 1850) - 22-26 January 2008 (5 rounds Swiss)

Amateur B (Under 1850) - 27-31 January 2008 (5 rounds Swiss)

Evening events (as announced during the event)

Junior Congress - 2-3 February 2008.

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The Battle of Hastings 1066

From one battle to another, The greatest chess tournament ever held was in Hastings during 1885. The 2007-08 Congress will take place between 28th December 2007 through to 6th January 2008. Visit the home page to see who is participating this year.

The Hastings congress has seen the likes of Albin, Schlecter, Janowski, Marco, Blackburne, Maroczy, Svhiffers, Gunsberg, Burn, Tinsley. Vergani, Steinitz, Tchigorin, Lasker, Pillsbury, Tarrasch, Mieses, Teichmann.

Also over the years all the world champions except Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov have played at Hastings.

(Update)January 2 2008, Apologies made by the organizers of the LIVE coverage of the tournament because of unforeseen problems.

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Download Games in pgn Rd1-2

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Live Games

The Road to Victory

Congratulations Gata Kamsky

Round 1 Adly, Ahmed (EGY) 2494
Round 2 Avrukh, Boris (ISR) 2641
Round 3 Georgiev, Kiril (BUL) 2649
Round 4 Svidler, Peter (RUS) 2732
Round 5 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) 2705
Round 6 Carlsen, Magnus (NOR) 2714
Round 7 Shirov, Alexei (ESP) 2739

In round 7 game 4 Gata Kamsky a Russian American who lives in Brooklyn New York won the World Cup held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia, Russia 2007. Kamsky has qualified to play a match against Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, sometime next year. The winner of that match will play the winner of a match between Viswanathan Anand of India, the world champion, and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia. The winner of that match will be the world champion.

Gata Kamsky-Alexei Shirov 1-0

Replay the game with analysis

Alexei Shirov-Gata Kamsky 1/2-1/2

Replay the game with analysis

World Cup Final 07

This is a great final with two of the strongest GM's of the tournament
Alexie Shirov (Spain)Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov (Aleksejs born July 4, 1972 in Riga, Latvia) is a chess grandmaster. On the July 2007 FIDE rating list he was ranked number eleven in the world with an ELO rating of 2735. Shirov is also a well-regarded chess author. More on Shirov here. Games of Shirov here.
Gata Kamsky (USA) Gata Kamsky (Tatar: Ğataulla Kamski) (born June 2, 1974) is a Soviet-born American chess grandmaster. At one point he was the third highest-rated player in the world, but he played almost no FIDE-rated games between 1997 and late 2004. He is rated 2714 in the October 2007 FIDE list, ranking him seventeenth in the world and first among American players. More on Kamsky here. Games of Gata Kamsky here.

View Live Game 1
View Live Game 2
View Live Game 3
View Live Game 4
Watch Video of the First Game Shirov-Kamsky 1/2-1/2
Watch Video of the Second Game Kamsky-Shirov 1-0
Watch Video of the Third Game Shirov-Kamsky 1/2-1/2
Watch Video of the Fourth Game Kamsky-Shirov 1/2-1/2
With with GM Larry Christiansen
What do people say about Alexie Shirov:

I thought that Kramnik is the best endgame player since Karpov's decline , but after looking at some Shirov's games i kinda changed my mind.

Shirov displays great technique in the opening of the day. You cannot selectively choose the errors of your opponent as the ones you cannot see and your own errors as the ones that are blunders. In most games played by Shirov's opening is sound and solid. He does mighty fine after 14 moves.

What do people say about Gata Kamsky:

His games are something else. Sac, sac, sac, sac, mate. Actually, kamsky isn't so rusty. I admit, he did have a lot to dust off when he first came back to chess but now he's playing at the top level again. Kamsky was brilliant!!!

World Cup Semi-Finals

World Chess Cup 2007 - Carlsen, Kamsky, Shirov, and karjakin, are in the semifinals! Vote who is going to win in the Poll in a chess world message board! Some great chess has been played and we can expect some fighting chess masterpieces to come out of these four brilliant grandmasters.
Game one of round six was a draw for Carlsen-Kamsky, Shirov-karjakin. In the poll so far Karjakin is the favorite. We can only wait and see!

I was surprised that Magnus Carlsen opted for the Petrov defence, Kamsky stayed solid and never went for any early exchange variation that could possible end in a draw. Kamsky played the better game and well deserved the win.

Sergy Karjakin opened with the Ruy Lopez and followed familiar lines that had Shirov on the ropes. The game was an exchange variation and ended in a draw. Gata Kamsky is looking very good indeed!

World Cup 2007 Quaterfinals

Land of the Midnight Sun.


Quarterfinals Are Set! We are in for some good fighting chess, will anyone break away from book? If not why not? Post your comments.

Game of the day for me was Jakovenko, Dmitry-Alexei Shirov 0-1 English, four Knights variation.

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nc3 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. b3 O-O 9. Bb2 Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. d3 Re8 12. Rc1 Bf8 13. Ne4 Nd7 14. g4 Bg6 15. Ng3 a5 16. d4 e4 17. Ne5 Ndxe5 18. dxe5 Qh4 19. e3 Rad8 20. Qc2 Nb4 21. Qe2 c6 22. Nxe4 Nd3 23. Rc4 Nxe5 24. Bxe5 Rxe5 25. Rd1 Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 b5 27. Rd4 c5 28. Rd5 Rxe4 29. Bxe4 Bxe4 30. Rd8 Qe7 31. Rb8 b4 32. Qe2 Qd6 0-1

A marathon of a game with Cheparinov,Ivan-Magnus Carlsen Carlsen lost a pawn at move 27 but managed to get it back towards the end game. Cheparinov held out with great finesse to obtain a well deserved draw! Kamsky had a convincing win over Ponomariov. There is still a ways to go and great chess for the viewing.

1 Cheparinov, Ivan (BUL) ½-½ Carlsen, Magnus (NOR)
2 Alekseev, Evgeny (RUS) ½-½ Karjakin, Sergey (UKR)
3 Kamsky, Gata (USA) 1-0 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR)
4 Jakovenko, Dmitry (RUS) 0-1 Shirov, Alexei (ESP)

Alekseev, Evgeny (RUS)
Kamsky, Gata (USA)
Shirov, Alexei (ESP)
Aronian, Levon (ARM)
Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR)
Cheparinov, Ivan (BUL)
Karjakin, Sergey (UKR)
Carlsen, Magnus (NOR)

Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu-Sergey Karjakin 1-0
Replay the game with analysis

Vladimir Akopian-Alexei Shirov 0-1
Replay the game with analysis

Host Web Site

Game of the Century

The Game of the Century - Chess game between Donald Byrne and Bobby Fischer, which took place at the Rosenwald Memorial Tournament in New York City, New York on October 17, 1956. Bobby Fischer was only 13 years old in this photo as he was contemplating his famous Queen Sacrifice. For those of you that have not seen it please make your way to the Game of the Week. There is some great analysishere

Little did Bobby know what was in store for him as he was a young man, did you know what he had to endure? In case you did not know I am going to lead you to a few places that might surprise you.

BOBBY FISCHER WINS U.S. JUNIOR TITLE

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Fourteen-year-old Bobby Fischer of Brooklyn won the 1957 U.S. junior championship by the convincing score of 8.5-.5. The nation's youngest master gave up only one draw, to runner-up Gil Ramirez of San Francisco. Ramirez, who is simultaneously State Champion and State Open Champion, also lost no games to post a 7.5-1.5 score. Stephen Sholomson of Los Angeles, who lost to Fischer and Ramirez and drew one game, was third, 6.5-2.5. Ronnie Thacker of Richmond was fourth, 6-3, ahead of six players tied for fifth, 5.5-3.5.

I WAS TORTURED IN THE PASADENA JAIL HOUSE Tuesday afternoon, May 26, 1981!

by BOBBY FISCHER THE WORLD CHESS CHAMPION
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I know just the kind a world Mr Robert James Fischer would want to live in! I feel mighty proud to have lived in his time and be part of the chess world he help create.
Thank you Bobby, from someone deeply appreciative of what you accomplished in your chess career.

Twenty-one year-old Bobby Fischer of Brooklyn, six times U.S. champion, will play several simultaneous exhibitions in California during April. Fischer's first nation-wide tour is in the grand style and few previous appearances by grandmasters have been awaited as eagerly as Fischer's.

Read Here

Fischer - Spassky Rematch
Sveti Stefan/Belgrade, Yugoslavia
September - November 1992 $5 Million Prize Money. I say keep sport out of politics! To view these game go here

The World Cup 2007

126 participants of the World Cup have arrived in Khanty Mansiysk on November 23rd. The competition will be carried out as planned, starting November 24 to December 18. The winner of the World Cup receives the right to challenge the former world champion Veselin Topalov in a match.

Piercing the skyline and rising above the Russian city of Khanty Mansyisk, this mixed-use scheme will create an elegant and crystalline landmark, providing crucial new amenities for its citizens - a place for living, working and leisure, sheltered from the harsh Siberian climate. This place I assure you is really worth looking at. Where is Khanty Mansyisk click here


Below are some games for your enjoyment in analysis's mode: Teimour Radjabov of Azerbiajan, No. 8 is out by playing badly, I know we all have bad days but I wonder why he played such an ordinary game to start with! Results so far.

The pairings for the 4th Round are Karjakin-Nisipeanu, Bareev-Alekseev, Jakovenko-Aronian, Shirov-Akopian, Ponomariov-Sasikiran, Kamsky-Svidler, Adams-Carlsen, and Wang Yue-Cheparinov. Each player is already guaranteed $25,000.

Bartomiej Macieja-Teimour Radjabov 1-0

Alexei Shirov-Yuri Shulam 1-0

Alexander Onischuk-Predrag Nikolic 1-0

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Updated Games

Video of the Event

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Live Web CamQuestionable!