Christmas Quiz answers

The wait is over – here are the answers to this year’s fiendishly difficult Christmas Quiz:

  1. Where was the 1972 World Chess Championship between Fischer and Spassky played? Reykjavik
  2. Who comes next in this sequence: Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca…….? Alekhine
  3. Which journalist is the current President of the English Chess Federation? Dominic Lawson 
  4. The musical ‘Chess’ was the result of an unlikely but successful partnership between which three men? Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice
  5. The recently-completed London Chess Classic was the third and final stage in the Chess Grand Tour. Where were the first two events held? Stavanger and St Louis 
  6. Which former British chess champion has more recently been seen offering his views on television programmes in Gogglebox? Bill Hartston
  7. Who was the FIDE President who famously stopped the Karpov-Kasparov World Championship in 1984?  Florencio Campomanes
  8. What German word is used to describe a situation where whatever move a player makes will by force weaken his position? zugzwang
  9. The Erasmus High School, Brooklyn included among its pupils at one point in the 1950s a future World Chess Champion and a future Oscar-winning actress and singer. Name them. Bobby Fischer and Barbra Streisand 
  10. Which former world chess champion played 86 games unbeaten between July 15 1972 and April 26 1973? Mikhail Tal

What do you mean, you got them all right but forgot to send in your answers?

Happy New Year to all our visitors from Taiwan to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.  For those closer to home, the club re-opens on Monday January 4th.  

Christmas Quiz 2015

Following a distinct shortage of correct answers to last year’s quiz, it has been decided to make this year’s a little easier.  In fact, it is so easy that if you feel too embarrassed to have a go yourself, pass it on to the nearest two year old and if it’s too easy for him or her, give it to the dog. The questions are designed so that everyone with the most basic knowledge of the game can score eight or nine out of ten but can you get all ten correct?

  1. Where was the 1972 World Chess Championship between Fischer and Spassky played?
  2. Who comes next in this sequence: Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca…….?
  3. Which journalist is the current President of the English Chess Federation?
  4. The musical ‘Chess’ was the result of an unlikely but successful partnership between which three men?
  5. The recently-completed London Chess Classic was the third and final stage in the Chess Grand Tour. Where were the first two events held?
  6. Which former British chess champion has more recently been seen offering his views on television programmes in Gogglebox?
  7. Who was the FIDE President who famously stopped the Karpov-Kasparov World Championship in 1984?
  8. What German word is used to describe a situation where whatever move a player makes will by force weaken his position?
  9. Here are a couple of tantalising questions to finish off with….The Erasmus High School, Brooklyn included among its pupils at one point in the 1950s a future World Chess Champion and a future Oscar-winning actress and singer. Name them.
  10. Which former world chess champion played 86 games unbeaten between July 15 1972 and April 26 1973?

Good luck and Happy Christmas to all our visitors.  Answers in the New Year.

 

Game of the Week 4

Here is an exciting miniature from last week’s victory over Ramsgate. As David pointed out in his match report, it is unusual for him to be the first to finish but Brian’s uncompromising approach meant that a quick win was always likely and the only question was who would be the winner.  It did not take long to find out…

White: David Faldon (175)            Black: Brian Westover (153)

Millar Cup: Broadstairs v Ramsgate

 

London Chess Classic

The London Chess Classic, the third and final leg of the Chess Grand Tour 2015, began on Friday 4th December and continues until Sunday 13th and what a stellar line-up there is:

 Carlsen                   Caruana           Nakamura           Topalov              Grischuk
          Anand                  Giri                Aronian                Adams           Vachier-Lagrave

Each tournament in the Grand Chess Tour has a prize fund of $300,000 and there is a bonus pool of $150,000 for the top three finishers in the Grand Tour based on their overall performance to make a total prize fund of over 1 million dollars. Round 3 begins this afternoon (Sunday) and after two rounds there has only been one victory.  Here it is.

White: Veselin Topalov (2803)                                 Black: Anish Giri (2784)

London Chess Classic 2015      Rd 1

41.Kd3 Qd2+ 42.Kc4 Rc8+ and mate next move.

 

 

 

Swindle of the Century (part 2)

White: Larry Evans                                 Black: Sammy Reshevsky

US Championships 1964

Spoil alert! If you have not read the previous article, the ‘Swindle of the Century (part 1)’, it is recommended that you do so before reading this one which gives the game away. The challenge was to work out the result of the game which did not – contrary to all all appearances – end in a win for Black. If you read the article and resisted the urge to Google the answer, here it is.

The game ended in a draw! 1….Qxg3 may have seemed the obvious move but how often has the obvious move proved to be the wrong one? The correct move was 1….Qf6! If 2. gxf4 then 2….Qxh4 wins. Instead, this is what happened:

1….Qxg3?  2. Qg8!!

Larry Evans describes what happened next:

“Reshevsky still had no inkling of the plot.  He actually thought I was reaching out to shake his hand, which is a customary gesture when resigning.”

    2…..Kxg8

3. Rxg7+!!    Draw agreed

Black must either capture the rook (stalemate) or face perpetual check. Larry Evans describes his opponent’s reaction:

“Reshevsky’s face turned a delicate shade of scarlet.  He laughed wryly at his own stupidity….”  It wasn’t long afterwards that the the result was dubbed ‘The Swindle of the Century’.