THE WEEK IN CHESS 722 8th September 2008 by Mark Crowther

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Contents

1) Introduction
2) Grand Slam in Bilbao
3) Women's World Championship
4) Russian Championship Higher League
5) European Union Championships, Liverpool
6) Montreal International
7) CECLUB Spanish Club Chess Championship
8) 7th Izmir International Open
9) Serbian Team Championship
10) US Chess League
11) Icelandic Championship
12) 10th Trieste International Festival
13) 5th Kalamaria Open
14) 7th Winter Open of Villa Ballester
15) National Chess League Argentina
16) AFOCS 12th Open chess tournament
17) Herzliya International Open
18) 3rd XtraCon EMT
19) 6th Amantea Open
20) 16th Nikea Open
21) XVI Albacete International Open
22) III Timisoara Cup
23) 3rd PGMA Cup
24) XV Feria del Orinoco
25) The 4th Annual Okie Chess Festival
26) Novin
27) Portuguese Championship
28) 23rd Teteven Open
29) Edami-CosmoCaixa Barcelona
30) Costa Rican Championships
31) 62nd Foire de Chalons-en-Champagne au Parc
32) 5th LGA Premium Schach Cup
33) First Saturday September
34) 23rd Parla International Open
35) UAE President's Cup
36) 2nd Urumia International Open
37) Akiba Rubinstein International Chess Festival
38) Ideal Max Euwe
39) Bratto Open
40) Zayed CaresChess Championship
41) Santa Catarina
42) Solvay Centenary Tournament
43) 68th New England Open
44) VIII Obert Internacional Vila de Poblenou
45) XXV Torneo Abierto de Collado Villalba
46) 1st Dragon Capital Vietnam Chess Open
47) Forthcoming Events and Links

Games Section
Grand Slam in Bilbao18 games
Women's World Championship55 games
Russian Championship Higher League168 games
Montreal International10 games
CECLUB Spanish Club Chess Championship179 games
7th Izmir International Open120 games
Serbian Team Championship292 games
US Chess League28 games
Icelandic Championship66 games
10th Trieste International Festival154 games
5th Kalamaria Open108 games
7th Winter Open of Villa Ballester158 games
3rd XtraCon EMT65 games
6th Amantea Open110 games
16th Nikea Open270 games
XVI Albacete International Open120 games
III Timisoara Cup45 games
4th Annual Okie Chess Festival56 games
Portuguese Championship45 games
Costa Rican Championships278 games
62nd Foire de Chalons-en-Champagne au Parc24 games
5th LGA Premium Schach Cup460 games
First Saturday September23 games
UAE President's Cup171 games
2nd Urumia International Open202 games
Akiba Rubinstein International Chess Festival40 games
Ideal Max Euwe1 game
Bratto Open50 games
3306 games

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1) Introduction

My thanks to Aard Daanen, Adolivio Capece, Axel Fritz, Corrado Astengo, Diego Redondo, Douglas Griffin, Efstratios Grivas, Frank Berry, Gary Suffield, Herman Claudius van Riemsdijk, John Saunders, Luiz Roberto Da Costa Jr., Marcelo Pagano, Marlon Bernardino, Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh, Michael J. Yeo, George Mirijanian, Nigel P B Freeman, Miklos Orso, Patricia Claros Aguillar, Sevan A. Muradian, Gerard Demuydt and everyone else who helped with the issue.

Things are supposed to quieten down at the start of September but there is still a huge amount of chess going on. There is no shortage of elite chess with the Grand Slam in Bilbao heading the list. The three points for a win (I am not a fan and doesn't seem to have made one whit of difference to the styles of the players and causes extra problems for coverage of the tournament) event is now led by Magnus Carlsen who scored his 3rd win today. He would be sharing the lead with Topalov and a tie-break of number of wins would place him top anyway. Much like Kramnik, World Champion Viswanathan Anand is in indifferent form. In the good old days players such as Tal (I have a really nice Russian bulletin of Tal's last event before he went on to beat Botvinnik, he didn't set the world on fire in a none-too-taxing tournament) would play tournaments prior to the world championship and not much care as to the result, just to play themselves in, its to be hoped that's true for Anand and Kramnik rather than a serious indication of form. There has been some high quality stuff and no doubt the final rounds will be exciting too. The women's world championship is in the semi-finals with favourite Humpy Koneru still in there. The first part of the Spanish Team Championship took place this week with many strong players competing. The Russian Championships 1st League is also taking place with many strong players also. One of my favourite players Ian Nepomniachtchi, shares the lead with Nikita Vitiugov and Artyom Timofeev after 6 rounds. The winners play in the super-final which is to be held in October this year. These are just the best of another busy and generally high quality week. The European Union Championships start on Tuesday just to add to the mix.

Hope you enjoy this issue.

Mark

2) Grand Slam in Bilbao

The Chess Grand Slam Final takes place in Bilbao 1st-13th September 2008. There are 6 players. The first qualifiers were the winners of Corus 2008, Morelia - Linares 2008, and Mtel Masters 2008 - GM Levon Aronian, GM Viswanathan Anand, and GM Vassily Ivanchuk. Then the 2nd place players also qualified GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Veselin Topalov and finally the best all-round player left Teimour Radjabov. Three points for a win and one for a draw rules are in effect.

Time control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves and another 60 minutes to finish the game.

Players are not allowed to agree draw without arbiter's permission. In case both players request it to him, the arbiter will make his decision after consulting with a technical assistant.

Official site for the event: http://www.bilbaofinalmasters.com. On the spot reports from http://www.chessvibes.com. Videos also from http://www.europe-echecs.com and http://www.chessclub.com/. Some commentary at: http://www.chessok.com/ (seems to have temporarily disappeared), Playchess.com and http://www.chessdom.com/

There is an unusual scoring system of three points for a win and one for a draw. Rightly or wrongly I'm going to stick with 1, ½ and 0 in the actual results part of the table.


Grand Slam Final Bilbao (ESP), 2-13 ix 2008 cat. XXI (2769)
1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2775 * * 0 . 1 1 ½ . 1 . ½ . 11 2887
2. Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2777 1 . * * ½ . ½ . ½ ½ 1 . 10 2888
3. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2737 0 0 ½ . * * 1 . ½ . ½ . 6 2718
4. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2781 ½ . ½ . 0 . * * ½ . ½ ½ 5 2714
5. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2744 0 . ½ ½ ½ . ½ . * * ½ . 5 2717
6. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2798 ½ . 0 . ½ . ½ ½ ½ . * * 5 2708

Round 1 (September 2, 2008)
Aronian, Levon - Carlsen, Magnus 0-1 51 A32 English Symmetrical
Radjabov, Teimour - Topalov, Veselin ½-½ 49 C45 Scotch Game
Anand, Viswanathan - Ivanchuk, Vassily ½-½ 58 C89 Ruy Lopez Marshall
Round 2 (September 3, 2008)
Topalov, Veselin - Aronian, Levon ½-½ 37 D11 Slav Defence
Ivanchuk, Vassily - Carlsen, Magnus ½-½ 29 B78 Sicilian Modern Dragon
Anand, Viswanathan - Radjabov, Teimour ½-½ 34 B33 Sicilian Sveshnikov
Round 3 (September 4, 2008)
Carlsen, Magnus - Topalov, Veselin 0-1 56 D58 Queens Gambit Tartakover
Aronian, Levon - Anand, Viswanathan ½-½ 42 D16 Slav Lasker/Smyslov
Radjabov, Teimour - Ivanchuk, Vassily ½-½ 35 D20 QGA
Round 4 (September 5, 2008)
Topalov, Veselin - Anand, Viswanathan 1-0 25 E15 Queens Indian
Carlsen, Magnus - Radjabov, Teimour 1-0 37 B78 Sicilian Modern Dragon
Aronian, Levon - Ivanchuk, Vassily 1-0 70 D27 QGA
Round 5 (September 6, 2008)
Radjabov, Teimour - Aronian, Levon ½-½ 34 C45 Scotch Game
Ivanchuk, Vassily - Topalov, Veselin ½-½ 44 E34 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Anand, Viswanathan - Carlsen, Magnus ½-½ 36 C63 Ruy Lopez Schliemann
Round 6 (September 8, 2008)
Topalov, Veselin - Radjabov, Teimour ½-½ 73 E74 King's Indian Averbakh
Carlsen, Magnus - Aronian, Levon 1-0 36 D47 Queens Gambit Meran
Ivanchuk, Vassily - Anand, Viswanathan ½-½ 32 D19 Slav Defence

3) Women's World Championship

The World Women's Championship 2008 takes place in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria (Russian Federation), 28th August - 18th September 2008 with a prize fund of 450,000 USD. FIDE and the organisers have stressed that events in Ossetia shouldn't have any impact on the event but a number of players have chosen not to participate. These include all the Georgian players (Maia Chiburdanidze, Lela Javakhishvili, Sopio Gvetadze, Maia Lomineishvili, Sopiko Khukhashvili and Nino Khurtsidze), Tea Bosboom Lanchava, Karen Zapata, Marie Sebag, and Irina Krush all of whom lost by default in the first round and also it looks like Ekaterina Korbut didn't make it either. Two pairings seem to have no players in attendance so there will be byes in round 2.

Sudden Death Playoff regulations: White shall receive 6 minutes, Black shall receive 5 minutes, without any addition. The winner qualifies for the next round. In case of a draw the player with the black pieces qualifies for the next round.

Official site: http://nalchik2008.fide.com

http://www.chessdom.com/ has live blog coverage.

WCh-Women Nalchik (RUS), 28 viii - 18 ix 2008
Round 5 Results 11th-13th September 2008.
NAT Name Rtng G1 G2 Rp1 Rp2 Bz1 Bz2 SD Total
Round 5 Match 01
RUS Kosteniuk, Aleksandra 2510        
SWE Cramling, Pia 2544        
Round 5 Match 02
CHN Hou, Yifan 2557        
IND Koneru, Humpy 2622        

WCh-Women Nalchik (RUS), 28 viii - 18 ix 2008
Round 4 Results 8th-10th September 2008.
NAT Name Rtng G1 G2 Rp1 Rp2 Bz1 Bz2 SD Total
Round 4 Match 01
RUS Kosteniuk, Aleksandra 2510½1     1½
UKR Ushenina, Anna 2476½0     ½
Round 4 Match 02
IND Koneru, Humpy 262211     2
CHN Shen, Yang 244500     0
Round 4 Match 03
ARM Mkrtchian, Lilit 2436½0     ½
CHN Hou, Yifan 2557½1     1½
Round 4 Match 04
BUL Stefanova, Antoaneta 25500½     ½
SWE Cramling, Pia 25441½     1½

WCh-Women Nalchik (RUS), 28 viii - 18 ix 2008
Round 3 Results 4th-7th September 2008.
NAT Name Rtng G1 G2 Rp1 Rp2 Bz1 Bz2 SD Total
Round 3 Match 01
RUSMatveeva, Svetlana241200    0
UKRUshenina, Anna247611    2
Round 3 Match 02
HUNHoang Thanh Trang2487½0    ½
INDKoneru, Humpy2622½1    1½
Round 3 Match 03
CHNHou, Yifan25571011   3
ITASedina, Elena23440100   1
Round 3 Match 04
UKRGaponenko, Inna246800    0
BULStefanova, Antoaneta255011    2
Round 3 Match 05
SWECramling, Pia25441½    1½
CHNRuan, Lufei24990½    ½
Round 3 Match 06
INDHarika, Dronavalli2461½0    ½
ARMMkrtchian, Lilit2436½1    1½
Round 3 Match 07
CHNShen, Yang2445½½011½ 3½
RUSKosintseva, Nadezhda2460½½100½ 2½
Round 3 Match 08
RUSKosteniuk, Aleksandra2510½1    1½
RUSKosintseva, Tatjana2511½0    ½

WCh-Women Nalchik (RUS), 28 viii - 18 ix 2008
Round 2 Results 1st-3rd September 2008.
NAT Name Rtng G1 G2 Rp1 Rp2 Bz1 Bz2 SD Total
Round 2 Match 01
RUS Matveeva, Svetlana 2412 1  ½            1½
CHN Xu, Yuhua 2483 0 ½            ½ 
Round 2 Match 02
IND Koneru, Humpy 2622 + -           2
    - +           0
Round 2 Match 03
MGL Mongontuul, Bathuyang 2406 0  0            0 
CHN Hou, Yifan 2557 1  1            2 
Round 2 Match 04
BUL Stefanova, Antoaneta 2550 ½  ½  1  1        3 
CHN Ju, Wenjun 2389 ½  ½  0  0        1 
Round 2 Match 05
CHN Tan, Zongyi 2387 ½  0            ½ 
SWE Cramling, Pia 2544 ½ 1            1½
Round 2 Match 06
POL Gasik, Anna 2211 ½  0            ½
ARM Mkrtchian, Lilit 2436 ½ 1            1½
Round 2 Match 07
CHN Shen, Yang 2445 1  ½            1½ 
CHN Zhao, Xue 2522 0 ½            ½ 
Round 2 Match 08
RUS Kosintseva, Tatjana 2511 1  ½            1½ 
USA Zatonskih, Anna 2446 0 ½            ½ 
Round 2 Match 09
    - -           0
RUS Kosteniuk, Aleksandra 2510 + +           2
Round 2 Match 10
LTU Cmilyte, Viktorija 2508 ½  ½  0  ½        1½ 
RUS Kosintseva, Nadezhda 2460 ½  ½  1  ½        2½ 
Round 2 Match 11
IND Harika, Dronavalli 2461 ½  ½  ½  1        2½ 
SLO Muzychuk, Anna 2504 ½  ½  ½  0        1½ 
Round 2 Match 12
CHN Ruan, Lufei 2499 ½  1            1½ 
ARG Amura, Claudia 2345 ½  0            ½ 
Round 2 Match 13
UKR Gaponenko, Inna 2468 1  0  ½  1        2½ 
USA Rohonyan, Katerine 2321 0  1  ½  0        1½ 
Round 2 Match 14
VIE Nguyen, Thi Thanh An 2323 ½  ½  0  0        1 
ITA Sedina, Elena 2344 ½  ½  1  1        3 
Round 2 Match 15
POL Socko, Monika 2473 ½  0            ½ 
HUN Hoang Thanh Trang 2487 ½  1            1½ 
Round 2 Match 16
GER Paehtz, Elisabeth 2481 0  ½            ½ 
UKR Ushenina, Anna 2476 1  ½            1½ 

4) Russian Championship Higher League

The 61st Russian Championship Higher League takes place in Novokuznetsk 3rd-14th September 2008. The event is a qualifier for the superfinals held in October. The event is an 11 round swiss with some very strong players. Live coverage of all the games on the official site. Play starts at 3pm local time, but be aware its GMT+8 there at the moment.

Official site: http://www.rcc2008.org/eng/index.htm


61st ch-RUS HL Novokuznetsk (RUS), 3-14 ix 2008
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1. Nepomniachtchi, Ian g RUS 2602 +46 +17 =4 +10 =8 =2 . . . . . 4½ 2806
2. Vitiugov, Nikita g RUS 2616 +49 +24 =6 =5 +9 =1 . . . . . 4½ 2770
3. Timofeev, Artyom g RUS 2650 =37 +39 =22 =12 +30 +14 . . . . . 4½ 2758
4. Motylev, Alexander g RUS 2674 +19 +36 =1 =9 =6 =10 . . . . . 4 2732
5. Riazantsev, Alexander g RUS 2617 +45 =22 +23 =2 =14 =8 . . . . . 4 2729
6. Lastin, Alexander g RUS 2639 +54 +21 =2 =14 =4 =11 . . . . . 4 2743
7. Kobalia, Mikhail g RUS 2618 +12 =53 =35 =33 =27 +25 . . . . . 4 2697
8. Grachev, Boris g RUS 2640 =52 =25 +41 +35 =1 =5 . . . . . 4 2694
9. Smirnov, Pavel g RUS 2592 =43 +31 +38 =4 -2 +32 . . . . . 4 2720
10. Volkov, Sergey1 g RUS 2636 =25 +52 +20 -1 +24 =4 . . . . . 4 2703
11. Inarkiev, Ernesto g RUS 2675 =29 =28 +53 =18 +33 =6 . . . . . 4 2706
12. Maslak, Konstantin g RUS 2521 -7 +56 +34 =3 =15 +27 . . . . . 4 2724
13. Galkin, Alexander g RUS 2615 -24 =49 =31 +44 +22 +23 . . . . . 4 2669
14. Landa, Konstantin g RUS 2615 +50 =23 +32 =6 =5 -3 . . . . . 3½ 2684
15. Sakaev, Konstantin g RUS 2635 -22 +45 =37 +39 =12 =20 . . . . . 3½ 2604
16. Khalifman, Alexander g RUS 2634 =41 =26 =25 =40 +45 =19 . . . . . 3½ 2590
17. Zvjaginsev, Vadim g RUS 2663 +42 -1 =40 =19 +41 =18 . . . . . 3½ 2622
18. Kokarev, Dmitry g RUS 2582 =55 =47 +43 =11 =23 =17 . . . . . 3½ 2606
19. Kryakvin, Dmitry m RUS 2565 -4 =44 +49 =17 +43 =16 . . . . . 3½ 2626
20. Lysyj, Igor g RUS 2596 +51 =38 -10 =26 +40 =15 . . . . . 3½ 2625
21. Bocharov, Dmitry g RUS 2582 +48 -6 =26 -23 +54 +37 . . . . . 3½ 2615
22. Sjugirov, Sanan m RUS 2545 +15 =5 =3 =27 -13 =35 . . . . . 3 2623
23. Malakhov, Vladimir g RUS 2689 +33 =14 -5 +21 =18 -13 . . . . . 3 2596
24. Lintchevski, Daniil m RUS 2506 +13 -2 +36 =30 -10 =42 . . . . . 3 2607
25. Maletin, Pavel g RUS 2545 =10 =8 =16 +38 =32 -7 . . . . . 3 2641
26. Matlakov, Maxim m RUS 2484 =30 =16 =21 =20 =38 =29 . . . . . 3 2606
27. Tregubov, Pavel V g RUS 2658 =39 =37 +28 =22 =7 -12 . . . . . 3 2557
28. Ovetchkin, Roman g RUS 2558 =32 =11 -27 =48 +50 =30 . . . . . 3 2591
29. Yakovich, Yuri g RUS 2566 =11 -32 =52 =50 +46 =26 . . . . . 3 2554
30. Korotylev, Alexey g RUS 2609 =26 =41 +48 =24 -3 =28 . . . . . 3 2528
31. Kornev, Alexei g RUS 2523 =34 -9 =13 =42 +53 =33 . . . . . 3 2589
32. Najer, Evgeniy g RUS 2670 =28 +29 -14 +53 =25 -9 . . . . . 3 2575
33. Shomoev, Anton g RUS 2566 -23 +50 +47 =7 -11 =31 . . . . . 3 2568
34. Potkin, Vladimir g RUS 2629 =31 =43 -12 =37 =39 +48 . . . . . 3 2504
35. Deviatkin, Andrei g RUS 2567 =47 +55 =7 -8 =37 =22 . . . . . 3 2530
36. Khismatullin, Denis g RUS 2613 +44 -4 -24 -45 +55 +51 . . . . . 3 2511
37. Vorobiov, Evgeny E g RUS 2550 =3 =27 =15 =34 =35 -21 . . . . . 2½ 2563
38. Amonatov, Farrukh g TJK 2650 +40 =20 -9 -25 =26 =41 . . . . . 2½ 2493
39. Smikovski, Ivan m RUS 2554 =27 -3 +46 -15 =34 =45 . . . . . 2½ 2533
40. Kiriakov, Petr g RUS 2553 -38 +51 =17 =16 -20 =43 . . . . . 2½ 2515
41. Chadaev, Nikolai m RUS 2535 =16 =30 -8 +47 -17 =38 . . . . . 2½ 2543
42. Shaposhnikov, Evgeny g RUS 2558 -17 =46 =44 =31 =48 =24 . . . . . 2½ 2456
43. Pokazanjev, Nikolai m RUS 2442 =9 =34 -18 +52 -19 =40 . . . . . 2½ 2521
44. Kalegin, Evgenij m RUS 2495 -36 =19 =42 -13 =49 +53 . . . . . 2½ 2516
45. Kabanov, Nikolai m RUS 2521 -5 -15 +56 +36 -16 =39 . . . . . 2½ 2519
46. Smirnov, Artem m RUS 2452 -1 =42 -39 +56 -29 +54 . . . . . 2½ 2481
47. Kravtsov, Sergey m RUS 2404 =35 =18 -33 -41 -56 +55 . . . . . 2 2388
48. Garakov, Mikhael m RUS 2439 -21 +54 -30 =28 =42 -34 . . . . . 2 2455
49. Skorchenko, Dmitriy g RUS 2511 -2 =13 -19 -54 =44 +56 . . . . . 2 2415
50. Iskusnyh, Sergei g RUS 2499 -14 -33 +55 =29 -28 =52 . . . . . 2 2421
51. Chuprikov, Dmitry RUS 2450 -20 -40 =54 =55 +52 -36 . . . . . 2 2421
52. Rychagov, Andrey g RUS 2549 =8 -10 =29 -43 -51 =50 . . . . . 1½ 2345
53. Chuprov, Dmitry g RUS 2577 +56 =7 -11 -32 -31 -44 . . . . . 1½ 2371
54. Rustemov, Alexander g RUS 2547 -6 -48 =51 +49 -21 -46 . . . . . 1½ 2319
55. Klimov, Anton f RUS 2423 =18 -35 -50 =51 -36 -47 . . . . . 1 2246
56. Kosov, Ivan f RUS 2405 -53 -12 -45 -46 +47 -49 . . . . . 1 2224

5) European Union Championships, Liverpool

This years European Union Championships takes place in Liverpool, England 9th - 18th September 2008. The prize fund is 30,000 pounds with 6000 pounds first prize.

Official site:  http://www.liverpoolchessinternational.co.uk            

European Union Championships Liverpool
(ENG), 9-18 ix 2008
Top 10 players:
NameTRating
1Adams, Michaelg2735
2Bacrot, Etienneg2691
3Vachier-Lagrave, Maximeg2681
4Short, Nigel Dg2655
5Tiviakov, Sergeig2645
6Fridman, Danielg2637
7L'Ami, Erwing2610
8Beliavsky, Alexander Gg2606
9Laznicka, Viktorg2601
10Baramidze, Davidg2593
138 players

6) Montreal International

The Tournoi international de Montreal took place 24th August - 2nd September 2008. The main sponsor was the EMPRESA Group. Yuri Shulman took clear first place with 6½/9.

Official site: http://perso.b2b2c.ca/lesechecauquebec/tim2008.htm

9th TIM Montreal (CAN), 24 viii-2 ix 2008 cat. XIII (2556)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1. Shulman, Yuri g USA 2623 * ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 6½ 2714
2. Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2697 ½ * 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 5½ 2619
3. Akobian, Varuzhan g USA 2610 ½ 0 * 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 5½ 2629
4. Bluvshtein, Mark g CAN 2548 ½ ½ 0 * ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 5½ 2636
5. Nataf, Igor-Alexandre g FRA 2534 0 ½ 1 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 4½ 2557
6. Maze, Sebastien g FRA 2553 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ 1 4½ 2555
7. Zugic, Igor m CAN 2457 ½ 1 0 0 ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ 3½ 2486
8. Charbonneau, Pascal g CAN 2499 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 1 * 0 1 3½ 2481
9. Kovalyov, Anton m ARG 2548 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 * ½ 3½ 2476
10. Roussel-Roozmon, Thomas m CAN 2486 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ * 2½ 2397

Round 8 (September 1, 2008)
Shulman, Yuri - Charbonneau, Pascal 1-0 36 E92 King's Indian Classical
Akobian, Varuzhan - Roussel-Roozmon, Thomas ½-½ 49 E12 Queens Indian Petrosian
Nataf, Igor-Alexandre - Bluvshtein, Mark ½-½ 32 C43 Petroff's Defence
Maze, Sebastien - Zugic, Igor ½-½ 32 C18 French Winawer
Kovalyov, Anton - Nakamura, Hikaru 0-1 33 A10 Dutch, QI and KID Systems
Round 9 (September 2, 2008)
Nakamura, Hikaru - Maze, Sebastien ½-½ 38 D91 Gruenfeld 5.Bg5
Bluvshtein, Mark - Kovalyov, Anton ½-½ 49 E20 Nimzo Indian
Zugic, Igor - Shulman, Yuri ½-½ 12 C10 French Rubinstein
Charbonneau, Pascal - Akobian, Varuzhan 0-1 42 C10 French Rubinstein
Roussel-Roozmon, Thomas - Nataf, Igor-Alexandre ½-½ 22 A26 English Sicilian Attack

7) CECLUB Spanish Club Chess Championship

The CECLUB Spanish Club Chess Championship took place 3rd-7th September 2008. A large number of very strong players competed. The top finishers from each group will play off on 1st-2nd November 2008 for the title.

Official site: http://www.feda.org/ with details of the event.

CECLUB Division de Honor grupo I Binissalem, Mallorca
(ESP), 3-7 ix 2008
Rk. No Equipo Partidas + = - Des 1 Des 2 Des 3
1 4 CAJACANARIAS 5 3 2 0 18,5 8 1
2 2 LINEX MAGIC 5 3 2 0 18,5 8 1
3 5 ESCUELA INT. KASPAROV-MARCOTE 5 3 2 0 17,5 8 0
4 1 IRETZA GROS 5 2 0 3 14,5 4 0
5 3 SESTAO NATURGAS ENERGIA 5 1 0 4 13,5 2 0
6 6 BINISSALEM 5 0 0 5 7,5 0 0
CECLUB Division de Honor grupo II Sabadell, Barcelona
(ESP), 3-7 ix 2008
Rk.Equipo 1 2 3 4 5 6 Des 1 Des 2 Des 3
1 Merida Patrimonio - Ajoblanco * 2½ 2½ 3½ 5 5 18,5 6 0
2 CA Solvay 3½ * 3½ 3½ 3½ 4 18,0 10 0
3 Reverte Albox - UAL 3½ 2½ * 4 3 4½ 17,5 7 0
4 SCC Sabadell 2½ 2½ 2 * 5 4½ 16,5 4 0
5 CE Barberà 1 2½ 3 1 * 3 10,5 2 0
6 Foment Martinenc 1 2 1½ 1½ 3 * 9,0 1 0

8) 7th Izmir International Open

The 7th Izmir International Open Chess Tournament took place 29th August - 8th September 2008. Tornike Sanikidze won the event with 8.5/10.

Official site: http://izmiropen2008.tsf.org.tr/

7th Open Izmir
(TUR), 30 viii-7 ix 2008
Final Round 10 Standings:
RankSNo.NameNRtgIRtgFEDPtsBH.BH.SB.vict
15IMSanikidze, Tornike02486GEO8½596456,757
26IMMagalashvili, Davit02480GEO8596453,756
31GMGurevich, Mikhail26352631TUR85864½55,506
413FMYilmaz, Mustafa22422362TUR85863½52,257
522FMBakr, Jwan Mohamed02269SYR856½61½51,007
614WIMBatsiashvili, Nino02349GEO853½58½48,507
74IMJojua, Davit02488GEO7½60½66½52,255
87IMEsen, Baris25102448TUR7½586348,505
92GMAtalik, Suat26242585TUR7½56½6246,757
103IMSulashvili, Malkhaz02499GEO7½54½6045,756
1116FMSecer, Ata23772320TUR7½53½59½45,256
1212Abasov, Nijat Azad02369AZE7½5256½45,256
138IMAnnaberdiev, Meilis02444TKM757½6345,005
1415WGMMamedjarova, Zeinab02326AZE75660½42,005
1521FMHamad, Ahmad Mahmoud02276SYR755½60½41,007
1629FMSoozankar, Amir Mohammad02225IRI75459½41,006
1719IMKlinova, Masha02290ISR753½5942,006
1832FMMohannad, Farhan02214JOR75358½42,505
1944Sirin, Atakan21142107TUR75358½40,006
2040Sengul, Cengiz21932146TUR75357½39,505
2111GMOdeev, Handszar02422TKM752½5842,505
2230Firat, Burak22132219TUR7525738,756
2324Reyhan, Dogan Heval22882248TUR75256½40,755
2435Gurbanzade, Erkin02193AZE751½5638,006
2525Dogantug, Ahmet Ismail22352246TUR750½5539,506
2631WIMUmudova, Nargiz02219AZE75054½38,756
2761CMYuksel, Atilla Koksal20221936TUR7505435,507
2837Akcan, Umit22002153TUR749½54½39,755
2947Nalbantoglu, Hasan Hulki20732029TUR7495336,256
3010IMMorchiashvili, Bachana02427GEO747½52½38,756
31247Bassel, Charaf00LIB746½5239,756
271 players

9) Serbian Team Championship

The 1st Serbian League for men and women takes place in Subotica 1st-13th September 2008.

Official site: http://www.serbiachess.net/

10) US Chess League

The 2008 season of the US Chess League started 25th August 2008. The second round took place on 3rd September 2008.

Official site: http://www.uschessleague.com/

US Chess League ICC (INT), 27 viii-31 x 2008
Round 2 (of 10) Results:
9th September 2008
New JerseyvsQueens
1GMJoel BenjaminNJvsIMDmitry SchneiderQNS1-0
2IMEli VovshaQNSvsNMMackenzie MolnerNJ1-0
3NMEvan JuNJvsIMAlex LendermanQNS0-1
4 Benjamin KatzQNSvsNMVictor ShenNJ1-0
PhiladelphiavsBaltimore
1GMSergey KudrinPHIvsGMSergey ErenburgBAL1/2
2IMLarry KaufmanBALvsFMThomas BartellPHI0-1
3NMDaniel YeagerPHIvsFMRay KaufmanBAL1-0
4FMRalph ZimmerBALvsNMElvin WilsonPHI1-0
BostonvsCarolina
1GMLarry ChristiansenBOSvsIMLev MilmanCAR1/2
2FMOleg ZaikovCARvsSMDenys ShmelovBOS1/2
3NMCharles RiordanBOSvsFMRonald SimpsonCAR1-0
4NMCraig JonesCARvsNMMarc EssermanBOS0-1
MiamivsNew York
1GMJulio BecerraMIAvsGMPascal CharbonneauNY1-0
2IMIrina KrushNYvsFMOsmany PereaMIA0-1
3FMCharles GalofreMIAvsSMGregory BraylovskyNY1/2
4NMMatthew HermanNYvsNMEric RodriguezMIA0-1
ChicagovsSan Francisco
1FMFlorin FelecanCHCvsIMJosh FriedelSF0-1
2IMVinay BhatSFvsIMEmory TateCHC1-0
3FMMehmed PasalicCHCvsFMSam ShanklandSF1-0
4FMDaniel NaroditskySFvsIMAngelo YoungCHC0-1
TennesseevsSeattle
1FMTodd AndrewsTENvsGMGregory SerperSEA0-1
2FMSlava MikhailukSEAvsFMPeter BereolosTEN0-1
3FMJohn BickTENvsFMJohn ReadeySEA1-0
4NMMichael LeeSEAvsFMJerry WheelerTEN1-0
DallasvsArizona
1IMDrasko BoskovicDALvsIMLevon AltounianARZ1/2
2FMDaniel RenschARZvsIMJohn BartholomewDAL0-1
3FMIgor SchneiderDALvsFMRobby AdamsonARZ1/2
4NMWarren HarperARZvsWFMBayaraa ZorigtDAL0-1

US Chess League ICC (INT), 27 viii-31 x 2008
Round 2 (of 10) Standings :
EASTERN DIVISION WLGame PointsOpp Avg
Rating		Opps
Record
Boston 206.0/8 (75%)24011-1 (50%)
Queens 205.5/8 (69%)23972.0-0.0 (100%)
New Jersey 114.0/8 (50%)24211.0-1.0 (50%)
Philadelphia 114.0/8 (50%)24211.0-1.0 (50%)
Carolina 114.0/8 (50%)23781.5-0.5 (75%)
Baltimore  022.5/8 (31%)24230.0-2.0 (0%)
New York 021.5/8 (19%)24092.0-0.0 (100%)
WESTERN DIVISION WLGame PointsOpp Avg
Rating		Opps
Record
Miami207.0/8 (88%) 24130.5-1.5 (25%)
San Francisco1.50.54.5/8 (56%)24081.0-1.0 (50%)
Dallas 114.5/8 (56%)24480.5-1.5 (25%)
Arizona 113.5/8 (44%)23541.5-0.5 (75%)
Chicago0.51.53.5/8 (44%)24290.5-1.5 (25%)
Tennessee0.51.53.0/8 (38%)23980.0-2.0 (0%)
Seattle0.51.52.5/8 (31%) 23381.0-1.0 (50%)

11) Icelandic Championship

Icelandic Chess Championship 2008 took place in Reykjavik 27th August - 4th September 2008. Hannes Stefansson won with 9/11.

Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr15339.aspx?lan=1

Official site: http://www.skaksamband.is/ - Direct Link

ch-ISL Reykjavik ISL (ISL), 27 viii-6 ix 2008 cat. VI (2391)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
1. Stefansson, Hannes g ISL 2566 * ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 9 2637
2. Danielsen, Henrik g ISL 2526 ½ * 1 1 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 7½ 2511
3. Thorhallsson, Throstur g ISL 2449 0 0 * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 7 2487
4. Kristjansson, Stefan m ISL 2477 ½ 0 ½ * 0 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 6½ 2448
5. Ulfarsson, Magnus Orn f ISL 2403 0 0 ½ 1 * 1 1 ½ 0 0 1 1 6 2425
6. Gunnarsson, Jon Viktor m ISL 2437 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 * ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 5½ 2386
7. Kjartansson, Gudmundur f ISL 2328 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ * 1 1 0 ½ 0 5 2360
8. Lagerman, Robert f ISL 2354 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 * ½ ½ ½ 1 5 2358
9. Thorfinnsson, Bragi m ISL 2387 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ 5 2355
10. Thorfinnsson, Bjorn f ISL 2422 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ * 0 1 5 2352
11. Olafsson, Thorvardur ISL 2177 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ 2½ 2199
12. Halldorsson, Jon Arni ISL 2165 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 ½ * 2 2149

12) 10th Trieste International Festival

The 10th Trieste International Festival took place 31st August - 7th September 2008. Sergei Tiviakov edged out Marin Bosiocic on tie-break after both finished on 7/9. Final round games are missing.

Official site: http://www.sst1904.com/pagine/index.html - Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr15025.aspx?lan=2

Masters Trieste (ITA), 31 viii-7 ix 2008
Final Round 9 Standings:
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1 TB2 TB3
1Tiviakov SergeiGMNED26457,039,551,02483
2Bosiocic MarinIMCRO25407,038,049,02436
3Lenic LukaGMSLO25846,039,550,52387
4Erdos ViktorGMHUN25766,038,549,52420
5Palac MladenGMCRO25876,035,547,02385
6Fercec NenadGMCRO24866,033,543,52296
7Narayanan SrinathFMIND22205,539,050,52456
8Drazic SinisaGMSRB25055,538,549,52439
9Lalic BogdanGMCRO25335,538,049,02394
10Banusz TamasIMHUN24815,536,546,02391
11Simutowe AmonIMZAM24595,535,546,52372
12Rukavina JosipIMCRO24145,533,043,52287
13Degtiarev EvgenyFMGER23675,532,039,52292
14Srebrnic MarkoFMSLO23135,035,546,02353
15Scalcione MichelangeloFMITA23985,034,043,52336
16Basagic ZlatkoIMSLO23375,034,043,02301
17Mogranzini RobertoIMITA24235,033,543,52333
18Cherin DiegoFMITA22875,030,539,52214
42 players

13) 5th Kalamaria Open

5th Kalamaria Open Chess Tournament (Thessaloniki) Greece took place 27th August - 3rd September 2008. Tamaz Gelashvili took first place on tie-break from Eduardas Rozentalis after both finished on 7/9.

Results and games: http://chess-results.com/tnr15356.aspx?lan=2

5th Open Kalamaria (GRE), 27 viii-3 ix 2008
Final Round 9 Standings:
Rk.NameTiFEDEloPts. Des 1 Des 3
1Gelashvili TamazGMGEO26127,038,053,0
2Rozentalis EduardasGMLTU25997,037,553,5
3Berg EmanuelGMSWE25926,534,553,0
4Haznedaroglu KivancIMTUR24446,533,550,0
5Milanovic DaniloIMSRB25296,533,550,5
6Andriasian ZavenGMARM25336,532,548,5
7Salem A R SalehIMUAE24436,532,548,0
8Stocek JiriGMCZE25596,532,047,0
9Jankovic AlojzijeGMCRO25326,529,542,5
10Timoshenko GeorgyGMUKR25726,034,050,0
11Paulet IozefinaWIMROU22756,033,048,5
12Carlsson PontusGMSWE25146,033,047,5
13Iotov ValentinGMBUL25196,033,048,5
14Mastrovasilis AthanasiosGMGRE25186,032,050,5
15Dimitrov PavelIMBUL24156,030,544,5
16Saravanan VIMIND24055,533,549,0
17Erdogdu MertIMTUR24405,532,550,0
18Manik MikulasGMSVK24535,532,044,5
19Tissir MohamedIMMAR24405,531,551,0
20Shavtvaladze NikolozIMGEO24355,531,048,0
21Saric AnteGMCRO25135,530,547,0
22Bojkov DejanIMBUL24985,530,042,0
23Aginian NellyWGMARM23015,528,544,0
24Oreopoulos KonstantinosGRE22845,527,544,0
25Kiratzopoulos EfthimiosGRE21255,525,039,0
26Hidzos GeorgiosGRE20265,523,539,0
27Pavlidis AntoniosGRE22665,028,548,0
28Dimitrov RadoslavIMBUL24005,028,046,0
29Zakarian DavidARM23465,027,045,5
30Pambalos PanayiotisGRE21185,026,543,0
94 players

14) 7th Winter Open of Villa Ballester

The 7th Winter Open of Villa Ballester ChessClub, Buenos Aires ARG took place 16th-24th August 2008. Facundo Pierrot won with 6/7.

Official site: Official site

8th Abierto Invierno Villa Ballester (ARG), 16-24 viii 2008
Final Round 9 Standings:
NrJugador Tit. Elo Pts. Prog Buch BuchM
1Pierrot, Facundo IM 2421 6 25,50 33,5 24,5
2Barrionuevo, Pablo FM 2363 5,5 24,00 34 24,5
3Gibson, Tomas 2237 5,5 23,50 32 23
4Bronstein, Luis Marcos IM 2383 5 21,00 32,5 23,5
5Scarella, Enrique Alejandr IM 2365 5 23,00 32 23
6Calderon Fernandez, Gervas 2303 5 20,00 29,5 21
7Fulgenzi, Ernesto FM 2358 5 21,00 28,5 20
8Della Morte, German FM 2387 5 18,00 26 18,5
9Quiroga, Facundo IM 2339 4,5 20,00 30,5 21,5
10Yakisich, Marcelo 1868 4,5 17,00 26,5 19,5
11Bulcourf, Carlos FM 2146 4,5 19,00 26,5 19
12Conde, Adrian 2039 4,5 17,00 26,5 19
13Lopez Rebert, Pablo 2058 4,5 17,00 26 18
14Lalanne, Pablo 2193 4,5 18,00 25 17
50 players

15) National Chess League Argentina

The National Chess League started in Villa Martelli on the 9th August. Coverage below. I will round up the games at the conclusion of the event.

Official site: http://www.lna.org.ar/liga08/lna2008.htm

National Chess League Argentina (ARG), 16-24 viii 2008
Leading Round 5 Standings:
Rk Equipo Part. + = - Pts. BUC
1 MUNICIPALIDAD DE MORENO 5 4 0 1 11 44½
2 MARTELLI - VICENTE LOPEZ 5 3 1 1 11 43
3 GIMNASIA Y ESGRIMA BS AS 5 4 1 0 10 39
4 CALICE - LIGURIA 5 2 3 0 9½ 41
5 ASOCIADOS CREDICOOP 5 3 0 2 9 39½
6 TORRE BLANCA - CHESSHOP 5 2 2 1 8½ 42
7 VENTAJEDREZ - PLASTIGAL 5 2 0 3 8½ 39
8 ART/CHESS 5 4 0 1 8½ 25
9 CAM 3 -. TRES DE FEBRERO 5 3 1 1 8 43½
10 T & E - SAN MARTÍN 5 1 2 2 8 41
11 MIGUEL TAL - MALVINAS 5 3 0 2 8 36½
12 M. PARRINELLO 5 2 2 1 7½ 36½
13 CIRCULO PATAGONICO 5 1 2 2 7 40½
14 SAN ISIDRO PERFIL JAQUE 5 2 0 3 7 37½
15 FERRO 5 1 2 2 6½ 39½
16 RONDI - MUPAS 5 2 0 3 6½ 28½
17 NAJDORF - POLVORINES 5 1 0 4 5½ 36
18 PERGAMINO 5 2 0 3 5½ 28½
19 LOS RANQUELES 5 2 0 3 4½ 27
20 EDIFIKO - AAAC 5 1 0 4 4 24½
21 MAR DEL PLATA - LOS LOBOS 5 2 0 3 3½ 28

16) AFOCS 12th Open chess tournament

The AFOCS 12th Open chess tournament 2008 (Men) takes place in Abu Dhabi 6th-11th September 2008. I couldn't find any games or web coverage. Results below.

Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr15697.aspx?lan=2

12th AFOCS Open Abu Dhabi (UAE), 6-16 ix 2008
Round 3 (of 9) Standings:
Rk.NameTiFEDEloPts. Des 1  Des 2 
1Chernin,AlexanderGMHUN25933,06,016,0
2Gagunashvili,MerabGMGEO25663,06,014,0
Sturua,ZurabGMGEO25143,06,014,0
4Kenges,EdvinsGMLAT25433,06,011,5
5Ibrahimov,RasulGMAZE25373,05,015,5
Raetsky,AlexanderGMRUS24213,05,015,5
7Suhail.SukariSYR03,05,012,5
8Kotsur,PavelGMKAZ25663,04,517,5
9Gaprindashvili, ValerianeGMGEO24523,04,515,5
10Antonio,MolinaPHI21563,04,017,5
11Bajarani,UlviFMAZE22013,04,016,0
12Sale,SrdjanIMCRO23803,04,015,5
13Adly,AhmedGMEGY25933,03,516,5
14Safarli,EltajGMAZE25273,03,516,0
15Dargan,Paul.GENG22073,03,016,5
16Al-Kaabi,AbdullaUAE17903,02,517,0
17Faisal,AbdullaUAE21512,55,515,5
18Amin,BassemGMEGY25612,54,014,5
19Kayumov,SergeyIMUZB24792,53,516,5
20Issa,MohamedUAE20072,06,511,5
Zayed,Ali Al-HamedUAE17502,06,511,5
131 players

17) Herzliya International Open

The Herzliya (Israel) International Open Chess Tournament takes place 2th-12th September 2008. Konstantin Lerner is the top seed. Games available in a viewer but not in PGN so far.

Official site: http://www.herzliyachessclub.com/

18) 3rd XtraCon EMT

The 3rd XtraCon EMT takes place in the Skovbo Chess Club in Borup 5th-16th September 2008 over two weekends.

Official site: http://www.skovboskakklub.dk/

3rd XtraCon EMT Borup (DEN), 5-16 ix 2008
Round 3 (of 9) Standings:
PlPlayerTiLandEloPtsBuchhSoBerg
1Kulaots, KaidoGMEST2531355
2Haznedaroglu, KivIMTUR244434.54.5
3Hammer, Jon LudviIMNOR2494344
4Grabarczyk, MirosGMPOL25102.55.54.5
5Jakobsen, OleIMDEN23582.54.53.5
6Ivanov, MikhailGMRUS24892.543.25
6Lund, EsbenIMDEN24312.543.25
8Schmidt, Horst Hu DEN1925274
9Schandorff, LarsGMDEN253726.54.25
10Tikkanen, HansIMSWE2417263
11Humphrey, JonathaFMAUS2289252.75
12Bekker-Jensen, SiIMDEN2396252
12Jacobsen, Bo DEN2323252
12Christensen, Bo G DEN2247252
15Pitl, GregoryIMGER2410242
15Semcesen, DanielFMSWE2387242
15Gajic, Mladen SWE2135242
18Madsen, Poul Henr DEN2111241.5
19Nielsen, Henning DEN217123.51.5
131 players

19) 6th Amantea Open

The 6th Amantea Open took place 31st August - 7th Sepember 2008. Nikita Maiorov took clear first with 8/9.

Official site: http://www.altirchess.com/amantea/Open%20A/Torneo%20Open%20A.htm

6th Amantea Open (ITA), 31 viii-7 ix 2008
Final Round 9 Standings:
PlNameTiNatELOPts
1Maiorov, NikitaGMBLR25358
2Bentivegna, FrancescoFMITA23296
3Naumkin, IgorGMRUS25026
4Shytaj, LucaIMITA24676
5Marholev, DimitarIMBUL23665.5
6Damia, AngeloFMITA22475.5
7 Spassov, LiubenGMBUL24285.5
8Isonzo, DavidFMITA23625
9Calzetta Ruiz, MonicaWGMESP22645
10 Estremera Panos, SergioIMESP23945
11Fascetti, Angelo De Leon BRA20895
12Savage, Ben D.M.-MENG23095
13Ljubisavljevic, Zivojin Z.IMSRB 22614.5
14 Shaw, David A.-MENG22694.5
15Procacci, SergioCMITA20064.5
16Duggan, Christopher ENG20504.5
17Ambrosanio, RaffaeleCMITA19424.5
18Gad, Ahmad1NITA19573.5
19Stoja, Rocco1NITA18993.5
20Garofalo, MassimoCMITA18293.5
21Sabia, Corrado -MITA22053
22Lombardi, Mariano CMITA19282
23 Grimaldi, Fabio1NITA18142
24Rigo, Gianfrancesco CMITA20161
25Valotta, Massimiliano 1NITA18910
26De Rasis, Giovanni 1NITA19120

20) 16th Nikea Open

The 16th Nikea Open took place 25th August - 1st September 2008. Ionnis Nikolaidis took first place on tie-break from Nikoloz Managadze after both scored 7.5/9.

Official site: http://www.fysiolatris.net/open08/en/indexen.html

16th Nikea Open Athens 25 viii-1 ix 2008
Final Round 9 Standings:
Rank Name IRtg FEDPts BH. BH. SB.
1 Nikolaidis Ioannis GM 2516 GRE7½ 51 44 44,00
2 Managadze Nikoloz IM 2444 GEO7½ 50½ 43½ 46,00
3 Dobrev Nanko IM 2423 BUL 7 53½ 46 45,25
4 Dochev Dimitar IM 2428 BUL 7 52½ 45½ 42,50
5 Rusev Krasimir IM 2508 BUL 7 51½ 44½ 43,75
6 Sergeev A FM 2354 KAZ 7 50½ 43½ 43,00
7 Ronchetti Niccolo' FM 2434 ITA 7 50½ 43½ 42,50
8 Aggelis Nikolaos 2271 GRE 7 49½ 42 41,00
9 Sigalas Frangiskos 2242 GRE 7 48 40½ 38,25
10 Skaperdas Kostantinos 2180 GRE 7 48 40½ 36,00
11 Westerinen Heikki M J GM 2376 FIN 7 47 40 38,50
12 Kordis Konstantinos 2216 GRE 7 46 39 37,00
13 Goumas Georgios 2276 GRE 7 44½ 38½ 38,25
14 Skalkotas Nikolaos IM 2273 GRE6½ 50½ 43½ 37,50
15 Atanasov Radislav 2232 BUL6½ 50 42½ 38,25
16 Arnaudov G Petar FM 2311 BUL6½ 47½ 40½ 36,25
17 Stergiou Evangelos 2188 GRE6½ 47 39½ 35,25
18 Goumas Ioannis 2219 GRE6½ 47 39½ 33,00
19 Kostopoulos Evangellos 2150 GRE6½ 46½ 39½ 34,75
20 Dounis Alexandros 2162 GRE6½ 46½ 39½ 33,00
21 Enchev Ivajlo 2367 BUL6½ 46½ 39 34,00
22 Nikolaidis Konstantinos FM 2279 GRE6½ 46 39 34,25
23 Kokolias Konstantinos 2197 GRE6½ 45 38 33,75
24 Kouvatsos Filippos 2108 GRE6½ 40 33½ 25,25
25 Draci Robert 2180 ALB6½ 39 33 29,25
26 Nikolova Adriana WFM2242 BUL 6 50½ 43½ 33,75
27 Stoumbos Konstantinos 2161 GRE 6 49 41½ 32,00
28 Filippas Sebastian 2240 GRE 6 47½ 40½ 32,75
29 Malikentzos Sotirios 2063 GRE 6 47½ 40½ 32,50
30 Videnova Iva WFM2211 BUL 6 47½ 40½ 32,00
363 players

21) XVI Albacete International Open

The XVI Albacete (Spain) International Open took place 1st-6th September 2008. Julian Radulski took first place on tie-break from Yuri Solodovnichenko after both scored 7.5/9. Games from the first 6 rounds only are available.

Official site: http://www.faclm.org/ - Results http://chess-results.com/tnr15393.aspx - http://www.tabladeflandes.com/cmancha/albacete_2008/albacete_2008.php

XVI Open Albacete (ESP), 1-6 ix 2008
Final Round 9 Standings:
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1  TB2  TB3
1Radulski JulianGMBUL25167,550,054,540,5
2Solodovnichenko YuriGMUKR25427,548,553,039,5
3Guliev LogmanIMAZE24377,049,052,539,0
4Castellanos Rodriguez RenierIMESP24387,042,546,533,0
5Suba MihaiGMROU25076,548,052,034,5
6Sanchez Jerez Emilio MiguelESP21436,543,047,030,5
7Babaev RashadGMAZE24846,048,551,533,0
8Ivanov JordanIMBUL24216,047,551,534,0
9Epishin VladimirGMRUS25746,046,550,532,0
10Espinosa Aranda AngelFMESP23136,044,548,030,5
11Valmana Canto JaimeFMESP23766,044,048,532,5
12Fenollar Jorda ManuelFMESP22986,044,047,531,0
13Vega Gutierrez SabrinaWGMESP22816,044,046,030,5
14Cabrera AlexisGMCOL25136,043,545,528,5
15Kovacevic SlobodanIMSRB24176,041,545,530,5
16Pardo Simon DavidESP22046,040,543,528,0
17Sriram JhaIMIND24295,548,552,534,0
18Pogorelov RuslanGMUKR24595,547,551,033,5
19Cueto JonnyIMBOL23215,545,049,030,5
20Garcia Moreno CarlosESP21765,544,048,028,5
21Serna Lara SergioESP22475,542,546,531,0
22Campayo Hernandez JuanESP21235,542,045,028,0
23Vega Gomez Francisco BESP21705,542,044,528,5
24Draghici Flutur Gravril *ESP21115,542,044,028,0
25Peric SlavisaIMSRB22535,541,545,029,0
26Buendia Pinar AlvaroESP17435,540,043,525,0
27Alcaraz Ortega JavierESP21055,539,542,529,0
28Camacho Calle PedroESP21405,539,042,027,5
29Perez Garcia RobertoESP21545,539,042,026,5
30Llavador Moron Juan JoseESP21955,043,046,527,0
97 players

22) III Timisoara Cup

The III Timisoara Cup took place 1st-8th August 2008. Zoltan Varga won the GM tournament with 6/9 half a point clear of the field. I give the games from the IM event again as I confused IM Dan Bogdan with a much weaker player. My thanks to Nigel Freeman.

Official site: http://www.ajsahtimis.ro/cupa08/index.php

Timisoara Cup IM Timisoara (ROM), 2-8 viii 2008 cat. I (2262)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1. Ogleznev, Alexandr f MDA 2285 * 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 6½ 2478
2. To, Nhat Minh HUN 2322 0 * 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 5½ 2388
3. Nemes, Silviu-Virgil ROU 2273 ½ 1 * 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 5 2356
4. Bogdan, Dan m ROU 2401 ½ 0 1 * ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 5 2342
5. Mrkonjic, Nenad m CRO 2394 ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 4½ 2300
6. Foisor, Cristina Adela m ROU 2344 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ * ½ ½ 1 1 4½ 2305
7. Agafii, Victor f MDA 2306 ½ 0 1 0 ½ ½ * ½ 1 0 4 2267
8. Sfarlog, Tudor-Vlad ROU 2288 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ 3½ 2232
9. Dragomirescu, Robin-Alexandru ROU 2232 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 * 1 3½ 2238
10. Voiteanu, Gabriel f ROU 2251 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 0 * 3 2191

23) 3rd PGMA Cup

The 3rd President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PGMA) Cup takes place in Manila, Philippines 6th-13th September 2008. Among the top seeds and favourites are GM Murtas Kazgaleyev (KAZ), GM Zhang Zong (SIN) GM Mikheil Mchedlishvili (GEO), GM Li Chao (CHN), GM Ghaem Maghami Ehsan (IRI), and GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (VIE). Local player Wesley So also competes.Official site: http://chessasia.net/ - Results: http://www.chess-results.com/tnr15726.aspx?lan=1 - FIDE report

24) XV Feria del Orinoco

The XV Feria del Orinoco 9 round Swiss Open took place in Ciudad Bolivar (Venezuela) 25th-31st August 2008. 281 players. GM Julio Granda Zuniga took clear first with 8.5/9. Still no PGN file available. I may look into extracting the games from the bulletin.

GM Judit Polgar gave a simultaneous at Plaza Bolivar in Ciudad Bolivar (Venezuela) against 30 players (+25=4-1) on 23rd August and also a lecture about "Chess and Woman Today" on 27th August.

Official site: http://www.ajedrezferiadelorinoco.com/ and additional information at http://www.ajedrezguayana.blogspot.com/

XV Feria del Orinoco Open Bolivar
(VEN), 25-31 viii 2008
Final Round 9:
Place Name NAT Rtg Score Progr. M-Buch. Berg.
1Granda, Julio PER 25998.5414754.25
2Macieja, Bartlomiej POL 26068404549
3-5Mitkov, Nicola MKD 25567.54146.540.25
Rodriguez, Andres URU 25317.53843.543
Iturrizaga, Eduardo VEN 25617.536.54237.5
6-15Bachman, Axel PAR 2511739.546.538.5
Felgaer, Ruben ARG 2566739.54642.25
leitao, Rafael BRA 2590738.54540.25
Ortega, Mariano CUB 2410738.54540.25
Ostos, Julio VEN 231673845.541.5
Bruzon, Lazaro CUB 2592737.542.538
Ravelo, Eddy CUB 2371735.541.532.5
Alvarez, Johann VEN 243073437.533.75
Cori, Jorge PER 238173336.529.5
Cordoba, Emilio PER 25197303634.5
16-25 Soppe, Guillermo ARG 24236.538.54637.75
Prasca, Rafael VEN 24086.536.54537.5
Ferragut, Arnaldo CUB 22846.5364132.5
Cori, Deysi PER 22806.534.542.529.75
Quesada, Yuniesky CUB 25736.534.541.532.5
Hernandez, Alexander VEN 22616.5344333.5
Marichal, Ariel CUB 22176.53342.534.25
Rios, Celisbeth (114) VEN 6.532.53830.5
Aristimuno, Juan Jose VEN 6.5293427.75
Uran, Oliver (138) VEN 6.527.537.524
26-52 Zapata, Alonso COl 250063644.531
154 players

25) The 4th Annual Okie Chess Festival

The 4th Annual Okie Chess Festival By Tom Braunlich

In a summer when turnouts have been down, presumably due to high gas prices, attendance at the 4th Annual Okie Chess Festival (Labor Day Weekend in Tulsa) was up. Featuring the "laddered" events it is known for - two 8-player master rounds-robins an Open Swiss - plus a Fischer-Random speed chess pizza bash - the event this year totaled 68 players.

The 2008 Okie Masters RR featured $3,100 in prizes, and was sponsored by IA Frank K. Berry. With a minimum prize of $250 (to cover player expenses), the event aims at giving mid-level masters the rare chance at professional-style round robin play, complete with opening ceremony and traditional pea soup for good luck!

This year’s Okie Masters was dominated by IM Bryan Smith of Philadelphia. He was a