By Jay Sekulow
The left's outrage over the IRS turns to a plea to 'move on'
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
After a long weekend, let's go with a couple of really short games. In an age of vast game databases, computer-aided study and 25 move-deep opening theory, it's remarkable how even the world's very best players can get themselves into trouble before the game has barely begun.
Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen's moonwalking gambit getting ahead while moving backward inspires some thoughts on some of the game's most famous losses over the years.
He stumbled across the finish line, but Norway's young superstar Magnus Carlsen has earned a date against reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand of India in a title match later this year.
World No. 1 GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway is the leader at the half-post in the FIDE Candidates Tournament now under way in London. Co-leader Levon Aronian suffered his first loss of the event in Monday's Round 9 against Israel GM Boris Gelfand, leaving Carlsen alone in first by a half-point in the double round-robin event.
With wins over Israeli Boris Gelfand and Ukraine’s Vassily Ivanchuk in successive rounds, world No. 3 Levon Aronian is the early leader in the FIDE candidates’ tournament that kicked off Friday in London. Aronian held a half-point lead over top-seeded Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Russian GM Peter Svidler, both at 2-1, going into Monday’s first rest day.
With so many hired guns in the competition, it's little wonder the annual European Club Cup team championship features some of the strongest firepower of any club tournament in the world.
Champions may be most vulnerable right before they defend their titles. Deep into the preparation for his 12-game match against challenger GM Boris Gelfand of Israel starting May 11 in Moscow, titleholder Viswanathan Anand of India took a little timeout this month to hold down first board for the Baden-Baden team in final rounds of the powerful German chess Bundesliga.
Chess is offering up a holiday banquet this week in both the men's and women's game.
In what likely will prove a crowd-pleasing triumph, Russian GM Peter Svidler edged compatriot GM Alexander Grischuk 2 1/2-1 1/2 to win the FIDE World Cup knockout tournament Monday in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.
The concept of the "deflection sacrifice" is relatively easy to grasp: If a piece or a pawn is carrying out a key defensive chore, whether it's preventing mate or blocking a key pawn advance, it often is worthwhile sacrificing material to draw (or deflect) the defender from his post.
The University of Maryland at Baltimore County chess powerhouse has another strong recruit in the pipeline. New Jersey junior master Arthur Shen is the new U.S. cadet champion, edging New York master Michael Bodek on tiebreaks last week at the invitational tournament in Crossville, Tenn., for the top American players younger than 16 last week. Shen, whose elder brother Victor participated in the event two years ago, wins a full ride to UMBC for his victory.
The last American in is out now as Brooklyn GM Gata Kamsky lost his candidates' finals match this week to veteran Israeli GM Boris Gelfand in Elista, Germany.
