Daily Archives: June 1, 2020

Our recent virus induced vacation from over-the-board (OTB) chess got me thinking. Online chess exploded onto the scene. US Chess even rates Blitz and Quick games. Club Swiss events are also possible using pairings (etc.) from offsite US Chess certified TDscheck it out here. It is much more common to participate in a match (even a one game match) or round robin at one of those on-line sites.

So, how do the two compare? Those chess playing sites use their programming to replace many traditional TD chores.

With my tongue firmly planted in my cheek lets go for a ride:

REQUESTED BYES

OTB:

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$$$

OTB:

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PAIRINGS

OTB:

Cyberspace:

RULES

OTB:

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CLAIMS:

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CLOCKS

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CHEATING

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Tim Just recently appeared on Chris Birds weekly the TD show. You can watch the entire thing here.

The free, updated as of 1-1-20, US Chess Rules (Chapters 1+2+11 from the 7th edition rulebook) are now downloadable and available on-line. Past Just the Rules columns can be viewed here.

Tim Just is a National Tournament Director, FIDE National Arbiter, and editor of the 5th, 6th, and 7th editions of the US Chess Rulebook. He is also the author of My Opponent is Eating a Doughnut & Just Law, which are both available from US Chess Sales and Amazon/Kindle. Additionally, Tim recently revised The Guide To Scholastic Chess, a guide created to help teachers and scholastic organizers who wish to begin, improve, or strengthen their school chess program. Tim is also a member of the US Chess Rules Committee. His new column, exclusive to US Chess, Just the Rules will help clarify potentially confusing regulations.

Follow this link:

Just the Rules: Tim Just on Online Chess - uschess.org

6/1/2020 Last week we asked you to help us solve a historical riddle. In November 2006 World Champion Vladimir Kramnik played a match against the computer program Deep Fritz. Kramnik lost the match 2:4 and did not win a single game. But in the very first game he had a favourable endgame. Could he have won? Until today that remains unclear. We asked you for help in solving this riddle. With some very energetic analytical work of our readers we have come to a firm conclusion.

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Mathias Feist, who operated Deep Fritz against Kramnik, and GM Yasser Seirawan, analyse the critical endgame after the match. On the right: Deep Fritz opening book author Alexander Kure.

GMs Helmut Pfleger and Artur Jussupow analysing the endgame of Kramnik-Deep Fritz (1)

This is where we sought your analytical help. In my opinion, in game one Kramnik reached a favorable endgame, and I believed that a winning proof could be found. It was, with the help of our readers. Before this, I was, let us say, 80% sure he was winning. Now I am 99% sure. Of the riddles presented so far only Petrosian vs Fischer resisted modern engines for real, and needed critical human input. There I received many wrong proofs a few weeks ago.

Older sources analysing Kramnik-Deep Fritz contain many mistakes, including one by myself in ChessBase Magazine which was found by Garry Kasparov and Mathias Feist. This time I did not find mistakes in the readers' analysis. This shows us that engines, and the latest analytical functions provided by ChessBase, have improved a lot

As usual, Zoran Petronijevic gave the most convincing winning proof. He established several points:

Charles Sullivan has checked Zoran Petronijevic's proof and found two minor, repairable errors, which I have added directly to Zoran's fantastic piece of work. Alberto Oggero, Michael Taktikos and Kurt Utzinger bascially came to the same conclusions independently, so it can safely be concluded that Kramnik indeed was winning.

Here is the analysis in full. Careful, it is very extensive.

[Event "Bonn Man-Machine"] [Site "Bonn"] [Date "2006.11.25"] [Round "1"] [White "Kramnik, Vladimir"] [Black "Deep Fritz 10"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E03"] [WhiteElo "2750"] [Annotator "Petronijevic,Zoran"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2006.11.25"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "6"] [EventCountry "GER"] [SourceVersionDate "2016.11.12"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qd3 c5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nf3 O-O 10. O-O Qe7 11. Nc3 b6 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Nf6 14. Qh4 Bb7 15. Bg5 Rfd8 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Qxf6 gxf6 18. Rfd1 Kf8 19. Ne1 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 f5 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Nd3 Bd4 23. Rc1 e5 24. Rc2 Rd5 25. Nb4 Rb5 26. Nxa6 Rxb2 27. Rxb2 Bxb2 28. Nb4 {I have started from here.} Kg7 $4 {[#]} ({This move loses. After} 28... Ke8 {The position is even. Seirawan didnt notice this moment in his comments.}) 29. Nd5 ({The game move wins. We should notice that also} 29. Kf3 {wins.} Bd4 (29... e4+ 30. Kf4 Kg6 31. Nd5 Ba3 32. Ke5 b5 33. Nc7 b4 34. Nd5 Bb2+ 35. Kf4 Bd4 36. e3 Bc5 37. Ke5 Bf8 38. Kd4 $18) (29... b5 30. Nd5 Bd4 31. e3 $18 {I analyze this position bellow.}) (29... Ba3 30. Nd5 Bc5 31. e3 $18 {See analyzes in 29.Nd5 Bd4 30.e3 Bc5 31,Kf3}) 30. e3 Bc5 31. Nd5 $18 {I analyze this position in 29.Nd5 Bd4 30.e3! line.}) 29... Bd4 (29... b5 { In his comments for CBM 116 Braun A. puts "?" to this move. However, in my opinion the position is lost anyway, so no need to evaluate this move as a mistake.} 30. Nc7 b4 31. Nd5 Ba3 (31... Bc3 32. a3 $18 {(Braun A.) Let's continue} bxa3 33. Nxc3 Kg6 34. Kf3 Kf6 35. h3 Kg5 36. h4+ Kg6 37. e4 h5 38. Ke3 Kf6 39. Kd3 Ke6 40. Kc2 fxe4 41. Nxe4 f5 42. Nc3 f4 (42... Kd6 43. Nb5+ $18 ) 43. gxf4 Kf5 44. fxe5 Kxe5 45. Ne2 Ke4 (45... Kf5 46. f3 $18) 46. Ng3+ Kf4 47. Nxh5+ $18 {and now win is too obvious.}) 32. Kf3 {(+/-Braun A.) In my opinion this position is winning for white. Lets see a proof:} Bb2 (32... Kg6 { loses after} 33. e4 fxe4+ 34. Kxe4 Kg5 35. f3 Kh5 36. Kxe5 Kg6 37. Kd4 Kf5 38. Kc4 Ke5 39. Nxb4 $18 {Black is deadly lost.}) 33. e4 (33. e3 {also wins although somewhat slower.} e4+ 34. Ke2 Kf8 35. Nxb4 Ke7 36. Nc6+ Kd6 37. Nd4 Ke5 38. a4 $18) 33... Kg6 (33... Bd4 34. exf5 Bc5 35. Ke4 $18) 34. Nxb4 Bc3 35. Nc6 Kf6 36. a4 Ke6 37. exf5+ Kd7 (37... Kxf5 38. a5 $18) 38. Na7 Be1 39. Nb5 Kc6 40. Ke4 f6 41. f3 $18 {[%cal Ye4d3,Rb5c3,Rc3e4]}) 30. a4 $2 {This move is throwing away all his advantage.} (30. e3 $1 {was wining move} Bc5 31. Kf3 { "The white king heads for b5." (Braun A.)} Kg6 (31... f6 32. Ke2 Kf7 (32... e4 33. Kd2 Kf7 34. Kc3 b5 35. Nc7 Bb6 36. Nxb5 Ba5+ 37. Kc4 Be1 38. a4 Bxf2 39. a5 Bxe3 40. Nd4 f4 41. gxf4 Bxf4 42. a6 Bb8 43. Nc6 $18) 33. Kd3 Ke6 34. Kc4 $18 { "Black is suddenly in zugzwang (and there is the additonal threat of a4-a5)." - Braun A. If we continue a bit} h6 35. a4 h5 36. a5 {we can see that Braun was right.}) (31... b5 32. Ke2 e4 33. Nc3 (33. Nc7 b4 34. Nd5 {Transposes to main line.}) 33... b4 34. Nd5 Kh6 (34... Kg6 35. Nf4+ Kg5 (35... Kf6 36. Kd2 h6 (36... b3 37. axb3 Bb4+ {Black is hoping to attack White's King side pawns.} 38. Kd1 Ke5 39. Ne2 Bc5 40. Nd4 Kf6 41. Nc6 Ke6 42. Kd2 Kd5 43. Nd4 Bd6 44. Nxf5 $18) 37. h3 Bd6 (37... Be7 {leads to the same positions as in main line.}) 38. Kc2 Kg5 39. Kb3 h5 40. Ng2 ({Charles Sullivan adds} 40. Kc4 $2 h4 $1 $11) 40... Bf8 41. Kc4 Bd6 42. Kb5 Bf8 43. Kc6 {King dominates!} Bg7 44. Kd6 Kg6 ( 44... Bf8+ 45. Kd7 Bc5 46. Nf4 Bf8 47. Ke8 $18) 45. Kc5 Bf8+ 46. Kc6 Bg7 (46... Be7 47. h4 Bf8 48. Nf4+ Kh6 49. Kb5 Kg7 50. Nd5 $18 {[%csl Rb4][%cal Rd5b4]}) 47. Kb5 Bf8 48. h4 f4 49. exf4 Bd6 50. Kc4 Kf6 51. Ne3 Ke6 52. Kd4 Bb8 53. Kxe4 $18) 36. h3 Bb6 (36... Kf6 37. Kd1 Ke5 (37... b3 38. axb3 Ke5 39. Ne2 Kf6 40. Nd4 Bb4 41. Nc6 Bc3 42. b4 Ke6 43. Nd4+ Kd5 44. b5 f4 45. gxf4 Kc5 46. Nf5 Bb4 47. Ng3 Kxb5 48. Ke2 Kc6 49. Nxe4 $18) (37... Bd6 38. Kc2 Kg5 39. Kb3 Bf8 40. Kc4 h5 41. Ng2 Be7 42. Kb5 Bf8 43. Kc6 Bg7 44. Kd6 Kg6 45. Kc5 Bf8+ 46. Kc6 Bg7 47. Kb5 Bc3 48. Kc4 Bd2 49. Kb3 Kf6 50. Kc2 Bc3 51. a3 Ke6 52. Kb3 Bd2 53. axb4 f4 54. gxf4 Kd5 55. f5 f6 56. Nf4+ Ke5 57. b5 Be1 58. b6 Ba5 59. b7 Bc7 60. Nxh5 Kxf5 61. Kc4 Ke6 62. Kc5 $18) 38. Kc2 Bb6 39. Kb3 Ba5 40. Ne2 Ke6 41. Nd4+ Kd5 42. Nxf5 Kc5 43. g4 Kd5 44. Ng3 Ke5 45. Kc4 b3 46. axb3 Be1 47. b4 Bxf2 48. Nf5 Ke6 49. b5 Be1 50. Kc5 Kd7 51. Kd5 Ba5 52. Nd6 Bb6 53. Nc4 Bd8 54. Ne5+ Ke8 55. Kxe4 $18) 37. Kd1 Ba5 38. Nd5 h5 39. h4+ Kg4 40. Ke2 f4 41. Nxf4 Bc7 42. Nd5 Bd6 43. Nf6+ Kf5 44. Nxh5 $18) 35. h3 Kg5 36. Nf4 b3 ({Charles Sullivan adds} 36... h5 37. Ng2 $1 $18) 37. axb3 Kf6 38. Kd1 Ke5 39. Ne2 Kf6 40. Nd4 Bb4 41. Nc6 Bf8 42. Ke2 Ke6 43. Kd2 Kd5 44. Nd4 Bb4+ 45. Ke2 Bf8 46. Nxf5 $18) ( 31... Kh6 32. a4 Kg5 33. Ke2 f4 34. gxf4+ exf4 35. Nxf4 Bb4 36. Kd3 Kg4 37. Nd5 Bc5 38. Kc4 h5 39. Kb5 h4 40. f4 $2 ({Charles Sullivan gives} 40. Nxb6 $18) 40... Kh3 41. Nxb6 Bd6 $2 ({Charles Sullivan adds} 41... Bxe3 $11) 42. a5 Bb8 43. a6 Kxh2 44. Kc6 Ba7 45. Kb7 h3 46. Kxa7 Kg3 47. Kb8 h2 48. a7 h1=Q 49. a8=Q $18) 32. a4 (32. Ke2 Kg5 33. h3 {(Braun A.) - also wins.}) 32... Kh6 (32... f4 33. gxf4 exf4 34. Kxf4 Kh5 (34... Bd6+ 35. Ke4 Bxh2 36. f4 Bg3 37. Nxb6 Be1 38. Nc4 $18 {[%cal Ya4a5]}) 35. Nf6+ Kg6 36. Ke5 Bb4 37. Nd7 Ba5 38. f4 Kh5 39. Nf6+ Kg6 40. Nd5 Kh5 41. Kf5 Bd2 42. e4 Kh6 43. Kf6 $18 {[%cal Rf6f7,Re4e8]}) 33. h3 e4+ 34. Ke2 Kg5 35. Kd2 h5 36. h4+ Kg4 37. Ke2 {[%csl Rf6][%cal Rd5f6, Rf6h5]} f4 38. Nxf4 Be7 39. Nd5 Bd8 40. Ke1 Kf5 (40... Kf3 41. Kf1 Kg4 42. Ke2 f6 43. Kd1 Kh3 44. Ke1 Kg4 45. Ke2 Kf5 46. f3 Ke5 47. Nf4 $18) 41. Kd2 Ke6 42. Nf4+ Kd6 43. Nxh5 Kc6 44. Ng7 b5 45. axb5+ Kxb5 46. h5 $18) (30. Kf3 $18 { also wins using the same plan as in our main line.}) (30. Kf1 $18 {wins with the same idea of playing e3, Ke2.}) 30... Bc5 $1 31. h3 ({If White tries} 31. e3 {Black has nice defence after} f6 $3 ({Braun suggestion from CBM 116} 31... e4 $2 {loses due to} 32. Kf1 ({Braun gives} 32. f3 $2 Kg6 (32... f6 $11 { is stronger!}) 33. Kf2 Kg5 $2 ({And this move again leads to losing position. Necessary is} 33... f6 34. Nc3 Bb4 35. Ne2 Bc5 36. Nd4 Bd6 $11) 34. h3 $2 { This position is even. Possible line is:} ({after this move position is again even. Winning line is} 34. f4+ Kg6 35. Ke1 f6 36. Kd2 Kf7 37. Kc3 Ke6 38. Kc4 Kd6 39. h3 Kc6 40. Nxf6 Bxe3 41. Nxh7 Kd6 42. Nf6 Ke6 43. Nh5 Kf7 44. g4 Kg6 45. Ng3 Bxf4 46. Nxf5 e3 47. Kd3 Kg5 48. Nxe3 $18) 34... Kg6 35. Ke2 f6 36. Nf4+ Kf7 37. Kf2 Bd6 38. Ne2 Bc5 39. Nd4 Kg6 40. Nc2 Bd6 41. Na1 Bc5 42. h4 Be7 43. Nb3 Bb4 44. Nd4 Bc5 45. Ne6 Bd6 46. Kg2 Kf7 47. Nd4 Kg6 48. Nb3 Bf8 49. Nd2 Bc5 50. Kf2 Bb4 51. Nc4 Bc5 52. fxe4 fxe4 53. g4 h6 54. Kg3 h5 55. gxh5+ Kxh5 56. Kf4 Kxh4 57. Kxe4 Kg4 58. Kd5 Kf3 59. e4 Kf4 60. Kc6 Kxe4 61. Nxb6 Bb4 $11) {possible line is:} 32... Kf8 33. Ke1 Ke8 34. Kd2 Kd7 35. Kc3 Kc6 36. Kc4 Bd6 37. Nf6 Be7 38. Nh5 {[%cal Rh5g7,Rg7f5]} Kd7 39. Ng7 f4 40. gxf4 Bh4 41. Nf5 Bxf2 42. Kd5 Bg1 43. h3 Bf2 44. Kxe4 Ke6 45. Kf3 Be1 46. e4 Bc3 47. Ne3 Bd4 48. Ke2 Bf6 49. Kd3 Bh4 50. e5 f6 51. exf6 Bxf6 52. Nc4 Bd8 53. Ke4 Kd7 54. Kd5 Kc7 55. Ke6 Kb7 56. f5 $18) {Let's see possible continuation:} 32. Kf1 Kf7 33. Ke2 Ke6 34. Nc7+ Kd7 35. Nb5 Ke6 36. Kd3 f4 $1 37. Nc7+ Kd7 38. Nd5 fxe3 39. fxe3 f5 40. e4 Ke6 41. h3 Bg1 42. Nb4 Bd4 43. Nd5 Bc5 44. Nc3 Bd4 45. exf5+ Kxf5 46. Ne4 h5 47. Nd6+ Ke6 48. Ne8 Kf7 49. Nc7 Bf2 50. Nd5 Ke6 51. Ke4 Bxg3 52. Nxb6 Kd6 53. Nc4+ Kc5 54. Nxe5 $11 {Lomonosov}) (31. Kf3 f6 (31... Kg6 $2 {is clear mistake which after} 32. e3 $1 {leads to already analyzed lines above.}) 32. e4 (32. e3 Kf7 33. Ke2 Ke6 $11) 32... Kg6 33. Ne3 fxe4+ (33... Bxe3 $2 34. Kxe3 $18 {"should be a win for White." (Braun A.)}) 34. Kxe4 {Braun evaluates this position as a clearly better for White. In my opinion, this position is even.} Bd4 35. h3 Bc5 36. Kd5 Bd4 37. Ke6 h6 38. h4 h5 39. g4 hxg4 40. Nxg4 e4 41. Kd5 Bc3 42. Ne3 f5 43. h5+ Kg5 44. h6 Kg6 45. h7 Bg7 46. Kc4 Be5 47. Nd5 Kxh7 48. Nxb6 Bb8 49. a5 Ba7 50. Kd4 Kg6 51. Ke3 Kf6 52. Ke2 f4 53. Nc8 f3+ 54. Kf1 Bd4 55. a6 e3 $11) (31. f3 {is another interesting attempt which, however, leads to an even play:} Kg6 32. e3 f6 33. h3 e4 34. Nf4+ Kf7 35. Kf2 Bd6 36. Ne2 Ba3 37. Nd4 Kg6 38. Ne2 Kf7 39. g4 exf3 40. Nf4 fxg4 41. hxg4 Bc5 42. Kxf3 Ke7 $11) 31... f6 {The best move after which the position is even.} 32. f3 ({In case of } 32. g4 {black has only move} Kg6 $1 {Which saves the day.} (32... fxg4 $2 { is a mistake which loses game.} 33. hxg4 Kg6 34. e4 Kg5 35. f3 h5 36. gxh5 Kxh5 37. Nxf6+ Kg5 38. Nd5 Bd4 39. Kf1 Kh4 40. Ke1 Kh3 41. Kd2 Kg3 42. Ke2 Bc5 43. Nf6 Bg1 44. Nd7 Kf4 45. Nf8 {[%cal Rf8g6,Rg6e5,Rg6f4]} Kg5 46. Kf1 Be3 47. Nd7 Kf4 48. Kg2 Bd4 49. Nf8 $22 Ba1 50. Kf2 Kg5 51. Ke2 Kf4 52. Ng6+ Kg5 53. Ne7 Kf6 54. Nd5+ Ke6 55. Nxb6 Kd6 56. Nc4+ Kc6 57. Ke3 $18) 33. f3 (33. Kg3 fxg4 34. hxg4 f5 $11) 33... fxg4 34. hxg4 f5 $1 $11) ({After} 32. e3 {Black has, for instance} Kf7 $11) 32... Kg6 {[#]} 33. e4 {This move is estimated as a mistake in CBM 116. However, the position is a draw.} ({Interesting} 33. e3 { in fact leads to the draw after} e4 (33... h5 $6 {Suggested by Braun, in fact is a mistake and gives to Black hard position after} 34. Kf1 $1 Kf7 35. Ke2 Ke6 36. Nc7+ $1 ({Braun suggestion here is} 36. e4 fxe4 37. fxe4 f5 38. Kf3 Bd4 39. Ne3 fxe4+ 40. Kxe4 {"and White still has a clear advantage". (Braun A.) The same opinion has Seirawan. This position is deadly even.} Kf6 41. g4 Kg5 42. gxh5 Kxh5 43. Nd5 Kh4 44. Ne3 Kxh3 $11) 36... Kd7 {Interesting is that although White has clear edge, Black can save position (at least i didnt find win for White).} 37. Nb5 Bb4 38. e4 fxe4 39. fxe4 Kc6 40. Kf3 Be1 41. Na3 {[#]} f5 $3 (41... Bd2 $2 42. Nc4 Bc1 43. Ne3 Kc5 (43... Bxe3 44. Kxe3 Kd6 45. Kf3 Ke6 46. g4 h4 47. g5 f5 48. exf5+ Kxf5 49. g6 e4+ 50. Ke3 Kxg6 51. Kxe4 $18) 44. Ke2 Kd4 45. Nd5 Kxe4 46. Nxf6+ Kf5 47. Nd5 Ba3 48. Nxb6 Bb4 49. Nc4 e4 50. a5 Ke6 51. a6 Bc5 52. Nb2 Kd5 53. Na4 Bd4 54. Nc3+ Kc6 55. Nxe4 Kb6 56. Kf3 Be5 57. Nc5 Bd4 58. Ne6 Bg1 59. Nf4 Kxa6 60. Nxh5 $18) 42. exf5 Kd5 43. f6 e4+ 44. Kf4 Ke6 45. Nc4 Bf2 46. f7 (46. Kxe4 Kxf6 (46... Bxg3 $2 47. Nxb6 Kxf6 48. a5 $18 {Lomonosov}) 47. Kf3 Bd4 48. Kf4 Bc5 {White cannot win.}) (46. g4 hxg4 47. hxg4 Kxf6 48. g5+ Ke6 49. Kxe4 $11 {Lomonosov}) 46... Kxf7 47. Nd6+ Ke6 (47... Kg6 $2 48. Nxe4 Bd4 49. Nd6 Bc5 50. Ke5 Bf2 51. Ne4 Be1 52. Ke6 Bb4 53. Kd5 Be1 54. Ke5 Bb4 55. Kf4 Ba3 56. Nc3 Be7 57. Ke4 Bc5 58. Nd5 Kg5 59. Nf4 Bf2 60. Kf3 Bg1 61. Kg2 Be3 62. Nd3 Kg6 63. Kf3 Bd4 64. Nf4+ Kh6 65. g4 hxg4+ 66. Kxg4 $18 {Lomonosov} (66. hxg4 $2 $11 {Lomonosov})) 48. Nxe4 Bd4 49. Kg5 Kd5 50. Kf5 Kc4 51. Kg6 Kb4 52. Kxh5 Kxa4 $11 {Lomonosov}) 34. Kf2 Kf7 35. Nf4 Bd6 $11) 33... h5 34. g4 (34. Nc7 Bb4 35. Kf2 Bc5+ 36. Ke2 fxe4 37. fxe4 f5 38. Kf3 fxe4+ 39. Kxe4 Bf2 $11 {Braun A.}) (34. Kf1 fxe4 35. fxe4 f5 $11) 34... hxg4 35. hxg4 fxe4 36. fxe4 Kg5 37. Kf3 Kg6 38. Ke2 Kg5 39. Kd3 Bg1 (39... Kxg4 40. Nxf6+ Kf3 41. Kc4 Be7 42. Nd5 Bc5 {"also leads to a draw." Braun A.}) 40. Kc4 Bf2 41. Kb5 Kxg4 42. Nxf6+ Kf3 43. Kc6 Bh4 44. Nd7 Kxe4 45. Kxb6 Bf2+ 46. Kc6 Kf5 47. Nxe5 Kxe5 1/2-1/2

You probably know that in our replay boards there are a large number of functions you can use to really appreciate the games. Recently we published a comprehensive tutorial plus video instructions which tells you about all the powerful features and buttons that make the ChessBase's replay one of the best watching experiences around.

One big advantage is that you can start an engine (fan icon) that will help you to analyse. You can get multiple lines of analysis by clicking the + button to the right of the engine analysis window. The "!" key, incidentally, shows you the threat in any position, which is incredibly useful in the case of unclear moves.

There is one more thing you can do. It is a lot of fun, but also a serious challenge: Click on the rook icon below the notation window. This will allow you the play the above position against Fritz, at your level of playing strength (e.g. "Club Player"), right here on the news page. Note that your analysis, in which you can delete, move or promote lines, is stored in the notation as new variations. In the end you will find the game with your analysis in the cloud. So nothing is ever lost.

Here is the original post:

Solution to the historical riddle: Kramnik could have defeated Fritz! - Chessbase News

5/25/2020 The 1962 Chess Olympiad took place in in Varna, Bulgaria. In round ten the 19-year-old American grandmaster Bobby Fischer faced World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik with the black pieces. At adjournment Fischer had a clear advantage, but he had simplified too quickly and fell into a "Botvinnik trap." The game was a draw, and experts have puzzled over it ever since: could Black have won? Now we know the answer, thanks to our very diligent readers. Two of them won a prize.

ChessBase 15 - Mega package

Find the right combination! ChessBase 15 program + new Mega Database 2020 with 8 million games and more than 80,000 master analyses. Plus ChessBase Magazine (DVD + magazine) and CB Premium membership for 1 year!

More...

Bobby Fischer's encounter with Mikhail Botvinnik made the cover of Chess Life (October 1962). In Fischer's My 60 Memorable Games it is number 39 and gets 14 pages of notes and analysis.

The game almost did not take place, since the Soviets considered "resting" Botvinnik in the round against the US. But then he did turn up and the world was treated to a truly exciting game. In Fischer's My 60 Memorable Games, p.240, GM Larry Evans writes:

"Walking into a prepared variation, Fischer promptly refutes it. But, instead of nursing his winning advantage, he simplifies too quickly and reaches an adjournment where victory is problematical. After a sleepless night of analysis, Botvinnik finds a stunning defense. Fischer engages in a seemingly harmless transposition of moves (51 . . . P - QN4), and falls into a pitthrowing away the win he maintains was still there. Evans, in In Fischer's , p.240.

The deep endgame has been discussed in many sources since then. But it seemed that it had not given away all its secrets yet. The most difficult question, was if 44...Kh6 wins. For this there had been no convincing winning proof. This has changed with the help of our readers we now know the answer.

Basically all analysts had agreed early on the following points:

Here are the incredibly deep analyses of all three main contenders for our prize:

You probably know that in our replay boards there are a large number of functions you can use to really appreciate the games. Recently we published a comprehensive tutorial on how to get the most out of the live broadcast game viewer. Learn about all the powerful features and buttons that make the ChessBase's replay one of the best watching experiences around.

One big advantage is that you can start an engine (fan icon) that will help you to analyse. You can get multiple lines of analysis by clicking the + button to the right of the engine analysis window. The "!" key, incidentally, shows you the threat in any position, which is incredibly useful in the case of unclear moves.

There is one more thing you can do. It is a lot of fun, but also a serious challenge: Click on the rook icon below the notation window. This will allow you the play the above position against Fritz, at your level of playing strength (e.g. "Club Player"), right here on the news page. Note that your analysis, in which you can delete, move or promote lines, is stored in the notation as new variations. In the end you will find the game with your analysis in the cloud. So nothing is ever lost.

My congratulations to Charles Sullivan for winning the competition! Charles, who is 71, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. While at the University of California, Berkeley, he was captain of the golf team, marched with the Cal Band for one year, played trumpet in the concert band, and was tear-gassed by helicopter during the People's Park demonstrations in 1969 (it was a weird time). He taught elementary school for three years (his hardest job ever) before switching to computer programming until retirement. A favorite memory is playing chess while sitting on the steps (which was allowed in those days) of the Parthenon in Athens in 1973. Today he lives with his wife in Davis (near Sacramento).

As Alberto Oggero gave the first deeper analysis with the right conclusions, I have decided to make him co-winner. Alberto is from Turin, Italy, a chess player (Elo 1800) passionate about the chess engine world in particular. A few years ago he wrote a Montecarlo analysis tool program downloadable here (the program works only on old Win XP). He also participated in the online freestyle tournament with Rybka under the nickname Albitex. Carlos often publishes articles and reviews on the Italian forum for chess engines (Albitex nickname).

Zoran Petronijevic also supplied convincing proof. But as he has won the first competition I suggest to give him an honorary mention. Many thanks to the analysts! If you have further comments please send them to my email address.

Link:

Riddle solved: Fischer could have won! - Chessbase News

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An Alastair Clarkson-coached side is never out of the race and the Hawks made sure to hit the ground running in Round 1 with a commanding win over the Lions.

They made last years second-place side look second-rate after the first quarter, powering away to a 28-point win.

Its an interesting time to be a Hawthorn fan. The triple-premiership era is slowly fading away, but they look like theyre building for another serious crack.

Here are four burning questions for Hawthorn as season 2020 gets back underway.

In 2018, Hawthorn went 15-7 including a record of 10-2 to finish the home-and-away season and finished inside the top four. Tom Mitchell averaged 35 disposals and six tackles per game and won the Brownlow medal.

In 2019, Mitchell broke his leg at training and missed the year. The Hawks fell to 5-9 and while they recovered to finish 11-11, they missed the eight.

Was that drop off entirely due to the absence of Titch? Not entirely, but it was a huge factor hes that bloody good.

He barely missed a beat in his return to the big stage back in March, collecting 25 disposals and nine clearances; a pivotal effort in that win over Brisbane.

The Lions will be a hard team to read this season, and they play terribly at the MCG. Hawthorn also crushed the Crows in Adelaide in Round 1 last season before the wheels came off, so this isnt definitive proof of a 2020 resurgence.

But adding a Brownlow medalist to your engine room over the off-season tends to work wonders and it wont be a surprise if this leads to another finals appearance this year.

Tom Mitchell (R) returned with bang in Round 1. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

The second-biggest chunk of the 2019 Hawthorn drop-off pie chart would undoubtedly be poor returns from the forward line.

Only three players kicked more than 20 goals. Luke Breust continued to star as a small forward with 34 and Mitchell Lewis broke out late with 20 goals in 12 games, but Jack Gunstons return of 26 was disappointing his second down year from the previous three. Paul Puopolos ten goals was also the lowest tally of his career since his debut season in 2011.

Jarryd Roughead has obviously moved on, with ex-Giant and former number one draft pick Jonathon Patton the replacement. He put through his first as a Hawk in Round 1, but had very little influence beyond that and is coming off extensive injury history.

Gunston played a lot on the wing and in defence in Round 1, but hell need to make a return to the forward 50 and a return to the 50-goal output hes regularly produced if the Hawks are interested in playing finals.

This one could almost get its own article.

The Hawks were the oldest and most experienced team in the AFL by some margin in Round 1. Their average age of 28 years and one month and average experience of 144.2 games was a full 13 months and 14 games higher than anyone else.

Theyve also very much traded like a side looking to win now. Over the last two seasons weve seen Tom Scully (28 at time of trade), Jon Patton (27), Sam Frost (26) and Chad Wingard (25) brought in, with Taylor Duryea (27), Marc Pittonet (23) and Ryan Burton (21) and several draft picks shipped out.

In fact, 2019 was the first time Hawthorn have made a first-round selection since 2015, when they picked the since-traded Burton.

It seems like a very heavy investment in a side that wont have that much staying power.

Shaun Burgoyne, Paul Puopolo, Ricky Henderson, James Frawley, Isaac Smith, Ben Stratton and Ben McEvoy are all on the wrong side of 30. While the Hawks have done enough to ensure they dont bottom out when that cohort retires, Id be stunned if they were still flag contenders when they do especially given theres nothing exciting coming out of the under-24 bracket now beyond Blake Hardwick and James Worpel.

A lot of people also dont realise they havent won a final since the 2015 decider. Their two subsequent top-four finishes have both resulted in straight-sets exits.

Clarko could, of course, be playing 4D Chess and be well ahead of everyone elses thinking, but is there a possibility were witnessing a rare misstep in his reign?

Whats Clarko playing at? (Image: AAP Image/Joe Castro)

That group of over-30s has a fair few members without a contract beyond this season and given the interesting manner in which Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Jordan Lewis and Grant Birchall have been managed, itll be interesting to see who gets re-signed and who gets shipped elsewhere or cut loose.

Youd think Strattons in line for a new deal as the skipper, while Burgoynes flagrant disregard for the withers of age make his situation impossible to predict. It would also be a bit surprising to see pending unrestricted free agent Smith sign elsewhere.

Its not as clear on the others. Henderson has only received one-year extensions after the season for a while now and could be on the outer, while Frosts arrival would make Frawley nervous after he too could only secure a one-year extension last year.

See the original post:

Four burning questions for Hawthorn ahead of the AFL restart - The Roar

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has officially announced The Future Of Gaming, a digital event that will give fans a first look at upcoming PlayStation 5 games.

Jim Ryan, President and CEO of SIE, took to the official PlayStation blog over the weekend to announce the news. The digital event will last over an hour and kicks off on June 4 at 9pm BST on PlayStations TwitchandYouTubechannels.

The Future Of Gaming wont be a reveal of the console itself, but will instead focus on the games coming to the next-gen system. Weve shared technical specifications and shown you the new DualSense wireless controller. But what is a launch without games? Ryan said in the blog post.

The games coming to PS5 represent the best in the industry from innovative studios that span the globe. Studios, both larger and smaller, those newer and those more established, all have been hard at work developing games that will showcase the potential of the hardware.

A 15-second trailer for the event was also released on YouTube, which seemingly shows off a black variant of the consoles DualSense controller. Check out the trailer below.

Ryan also confirmed that the event will be the first in a series of showcases leading up to the consoles launch. This is part of our series of PS5 updates and, rest assured, after next weeks showcase, we will still have much to share with you, he added.

The Future Of Gaming was first rumoured to be in the works last week, according to sources from Bloomberg and VentureBeat. The reports also noted that a State Of Play episode focused on next-gen games is also tentatively scheduled for August.

Although Sony has yet to officially announce launch titles for the PS5, a number of games have already been announced for the console. They include Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One,FortniteandAssassins Creed: Valhalla.

The rest is here:

Sony announces The Future Of Gaming event for PlayStation 5 games - NME

Online gaming companies have seen a 24% spurt in traffic, as working professionals and students turned to online games for entertainment and social connect amid the nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19, according to a recent report by Maple Capital Advisors.

The report Gaming India Story forecasts a compounded annual growth rate of 32% for the gaming industry in India to $3.7 billion by 2024 due to the growth of digital infrastructure and substantial rise in quality and engaging gaming content. Currently, the sector is valued at $930 million, up from $360 million in 2015.

In India, with over 570 million people on the Internet, of whom over 85% are on mobile, gaming and streaming has been a popular form of engagement. In these lockdown times, we see this consumption has grown at least 20-30% despite significant impact on live sports, a big driver of fantasy sports gaming, Pankaj Karna, founder and MD, Maple Capital Advisors, said.

As per the report, between the weeks of February 10 and 16, 2020 and March 16 and 22, 2020, visits to online gaming websites or apps increased by 24%, while engagement as measured by time spent on gaming sites or apps increased by 21% during the same time period.

Various gaming platforms in India include Games2Win, WinZO Games, Hitwicket, Gamerji and Rummy. The report added that fantasy sports gaming players such as Dream11 and MPL have seen a major hit due to postponement of IPL and other live sporting events.

Mr. Karna noted that the investments from venture capital firms in gaming in India was gaining traction, with over $350 million of investments between 2014 and 2020, growing at a CAGR of 22%.

With growing internet penetration, compelling economics, usage statistics and increasing ecosystem of entrepreneurs and developers focusing on this space, we expect good growth in investments which are likely to at least double in this space in the next 1-2 years, he said.

As per the report, there are about 400 gaming start-ups in India. Some of the big investments in the sector till now, as listed in the report, include $100 million investment in Dream11 by Tencent and Steadview Capital (2016), $75 investment in Ace2Three by Matrix and Clairvest (2018), $41 million investment in Mobile Premier League by Sequoia and Times Internet (2019), and $20 million in Paytm Games by One97 and AG Tech holdings (2020).

Mr Karna said that overall gaming was at an inflection stage in India, with rapid rise in consumption expected and investments likely to accelerate. We have seen this play out in China and India too is likely to show similar trends, he added.

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Online gaming companies see 24% spurt in traffic - The Hindu

Sony has announced two huge free games for PS Plus subscribers in June.

Well, it turns out the leaks were partly right and partly wrong.

I wrote about two games that had been leaked as possible PS Plus games for the month of June: Marvels Spider-Man (which seemed very unlikely) and Star Wars: Battlefront II (which seemed more likely).

Turns out, the second leak was correct. Star Wars: Battlefront II joins Call Of Duty: WWII as the two free games for PS+ subscribers this June.

Thats quite a haultwo major, AAA shooters. One historical, the other space opera. Both quite different in terms of gameplay, map size and so forth, but also both first-person competitive shooters.

Its almost like something got mixed up at Sony over the past two months. Mays two games were both simsa city-building sim and a farming sim, which you can see herenow Junes games are both FPSs.

Thats . . . odd, to say the least. Normally wed get one shooter and one sim or something along those lines.

Whatever the case, I cant recommend Call Of Duty: WWII highly enough. The new War Mode alone is worth the price of admission (or, since its free, the download file and your precious time).

This game was already announced and released on PS Plus a few days ago, making it a sort of May/June hybrid. I assumed Sony would release two more games but I guess its just these two.

Im less enthusiastic about Star Wars: Battlefront II but that may be partly because of the games disastrous launch. I should play it again now that some time has passed and EA and DICE have fixed some of its more glaring issues. Its certainly a gorgeously designed game and fun if youre into Star Wars.

Call Of Duty: WWII

'Call Of Duty: WWII' War Mode

War Mode

Call Of Duty: WWII released in 2017. Developed by Sledgehammer Games, this is one of my favorite entries in the franchise this console generation. Only 2019s Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare is better, as far as Im concerned. Even Modern Warfare is missing one of the best modes that made WWII so great.

Thats War Mode, and its simply terrific. Unlike normal Call Of Duty multiplayer, War Mode maps are set up in multiple stages. Each Operation involves an offensive and defensive side.

For instance, in Operation Breakout, one side has to capture a base (by standing in a building with no enemies present); then proceed to build a bridge for a tank to cross a wide ditch (by interacting with a two-stage bridge while under heavy fire); then destroy an ammo depot (by planting a bomb and then guarding it until it explodes); then guide a tank to the enemys anti-aircraft guns (similar to guiding a Payload in Overwatch).

The opposing team tries to stop them, and this can be achieved at any of the four points in the Operation. If you prevent the opposing team from building before the timer runs out at the bridge, for instance, the match is over. The timer resets at each stage.

Other Operations have completely different objectives. In Operation Neptune, the attacking team has to storm the beaches at Normandy, while the defenders fire down from bunkers perched above the beach. Then the attackers must destroy all the radio equipment at another bunker further inland. Following that, the attackers have to plant and detonate three bombs each on two enemy cannons, while the defenders do their best to stop them and diffuse any bombs.

Its an absolutely terrific game mode and some of the most fun Ive ever had with any Call Of Duty game.

The game also has a strong historical campaign that takes place beginning with the storming of the beaches of Normandy that follows a squad of American soldiers as the push across Europe. Its a story weve all heard before, but it has a really fascinating twist and a surprising ending thats really stuck with me.

Traditional multiplayer is also very good, with plenty of maps and modeslike Domination and Team Death Matchto keep you busy.

Star Wars: Battlefront II

Star Wars Battlefront II

Im looking forward to picking this game back up after so long, as everyone I talk to says its improved massively since launch.

While the game does have a campaignunlike the previous Battlefrontits nothing to write home about. The real meat of this game is in its multiplayer modes.

Multiplayer modes include:

As you can see, theres plenty in both these games to keep you occupied which is why this really is one of the most exciting PlayStation Plus months in a very long time.

Call of Duty: WWII is available now on PS Plus. Star Wars: Battlefront II will be available on June 2nd.

You can check out the free Xbox Game With Gold for June here.

Original post:

Here Are The Excellent Free PlayStation Plus Games For June 2020 - Forbes