Stars shy away from Grand Prix

Position No. 6000: White to play and win. From the game Christian Bauer-Olivier Poisson, French Team Championship, Noyon 2008.

Solution to Position No. 5999: White wins neatly with 1 Bxa7! Nxa7 (or 1 . . . Rxa7 2 Rxb5 Ra8 3 Rxg5) 2 Rxg5, intending 3 Rg8 mate.

The World Chess Federation (FIDE) has launched a series of tournaments called the Grand Prix. Plans call for three 14-player round robins annually, with bonus prizes for those who do best in three tournaments over a two-year period. The winner of the Grand Prix will also earn the right to a match that will choose the challenger for the world championship.

The plan seems sound, and FIDE has already announced the sites and dates of the first six tournaments. FIDE claims to have avoided conflicts with existing major tournaments, a pleasant change from its confrontational rhetoric of recent years. But success is far from certain. The prize fund of 162,000 euros (about $260,000) and first prize of 30,000 euros (about $48,000) for each round robin seem attractive. Yet the world's top four grandmasters declined their invitations. Without the participation of world champion Viswanathan Anand, former champion Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and Alexander Morozevich, the series will lose much of its appeal to spectators.

The first Grand Prix tournament began Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan. To watch live games, visit baku2008.fide.com.

Western States Scholastic

A record of 378 players competed in the sixth Western States Scholastic in Ventura two weekends ago. The tournament was run jointly by the California Youth Chess League and the AAA Chess Club two successful programs which that contributed 61 and 56 students. A third power in scholastic chess, Beyond Chess, added 55 entrants.

Winners by grade: Sona Baghdasaryan, high school; Daniel Giordani (who learned to play only 11 months ago), junior high; Brett Gonzalez, Grade 6; Adrian Chang and Omar Wiseman, Grade 5; Jonathan Gunn, Grade 4; Daniel Lin and Shyam Gandhi, Grade 3; Evan Anthopoulos, Daniel Hadawi, Andrew Negus, and Brett Wong, Grade 2; Winston Zeng, Grade 1; and Eli Minoofar, Annie Wang and Bryce Wong, kindergarten. In addition, Vincent Huang won an invitational section for high-rated students.

Local news

The Los Angeles County Open takes place next weekend at the Sierra Vista Recreation Center, 311 N. Rural Drive in Monterey Park. This is an old-fashioned five-round, one-section tournament with an entry fee of $30. Students play for only $10. Call Randy Hough at (626) 282-7412 for details.

The West Covina Chess Club will begin a rated six-round tournament Tuesday. The club meets at noon Tuesdays for tournaments and at noon Thursdays for casual play in the Senior Center, 2501 E. Cortez St. in West Covina. Call Richard Williams at (626) 966-6311 for more information.

The Exposition Park Chess Club, which meets at 1 p.m. every Sunday in the public library, 3665 S. Vermont Ave. in Los Angeles, will conduct its free monthly tournament Sunday. See chess.expoparkla.com for news and advance registration.

Today's games

WGM Maria LeConte (France)- WGM Silvia Collas (France), French Team Championship, Noyon 2008: 1 e4 c5 2 c3 The very popular Alapin system against the Sicilian Defense. Nf6 3 e5 Nd5 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nf3 e6 Or 5 . . . Nc6. 6 cxd4 d6 7 Nc3 Nxc3 8 bxc3 Qc7 Developing while exerting pressure on White's pawn chain. 9 Bd2 Nd7 Occasionally Black tries 9 . . . Bd7 10 Bd3 Bc6 11 0-0 Nd7. 10 Ng5!? Relatively uninvestigated. Many games have explored 10 exd6 Bxd6 11 Bd3 and the gambit 10 Bd3!? dxe5 11 0-0. dxe5? Immediately getting into trouble. The critical variation is 11 . . . h6 12 exd6 Bxd6 13 Ne4 Bf4, with no more than an insignificant edge to White. 11 Qh5 g6 Not 11 . . . Nf6? 12 Bb5+, but 11 . . . Nb8 12 Bb5+ Nc6 makes sense. Unfortunately for Black, White keeps the advantage with 13 Nxh7!, as Black cannot capitalize on the pinned Knight. 12 Qf3 f6 13 Nxe6 Qb6?! Now White's initiative is unstoppable. Black must try 13 . . . Qd6, as 14 Bc4 Nb6 15 Bb5+ Kf7 hangs on. If 14 Nxf8 Rxf8 15 Bh6 Rf7 16 Bb5, Black averts disaster by closing the center with 16 . . . Re7 17 0-0 e4. 14 Bc4 Bd6 15 0-0 Ke7 16 Rfe1 Qa5 Preparing 17 . . . Nb6. 17 Ng5! Bc7 The Knight remains immune after 17 . . . Nb6 18 Bb3. 18 Nf7 Rf8 19 Qh3! Nb6 20 Qxh7 Black's King is menaced horizontally and vertically. Nxc4 If 20 . . . Bf5, simply 21 Nxe5+ Kd8 22 Qg7! Qa3 (or 22 . . . Bd6 23 Qxb7) 23 Nf7+ Kc8 24 Bc1 wins plenty of material. 21 Nxe5+ Kd8 22 Nc6+!, Black resigns.

GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan)-GM Ian Nepomniatchtchi (Russia), 15th Russian Team Championship, Sochi 2008: 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 e6 The Semi-Slav Defense. 5 e3 Nbd7 6 Bd3 dxc4 7 Bxc4 b5 The Meran variation. 8 Bd3 Bb7 9 e4 b4 10 Na4 c5 11 e5 Nd5 12 0-0 cxd4 Now White usually continues 13 Re1. 13 Nxd4!? Speculative. White anticipates 13 . . . Nxe5 14 Bb5+ Nd7 15 Re1 Be7 16 Nc6 or 15 . . . Rc8 16 Qh5, with good compensation for the pawn. g6 14 f4 a6 Maybe Black rejected the natural 14 . . . Bg7 because 15 Bb5 0-0 16 Nxb4 Nxb4 17 Qxd7 gains a pawn. However, 17 . . . Qxd7 18 Bxd7 Rfd8 19 Bb5 Rac8 20 Nc3 f6 gives Black ample counterplay. 15 f5!? White wants to harass Black's uncastled King by 15 . . . exf5 16 e6 fxe6 17 Nxe6 Qf6 18 Re1, although 18 . . . Ne5 is far from clear. Qh4?! Plausible, but White reacts coolly. Not 15 . . . gxf5? because of 16 Nxe6!, but 15 . . . Nxe5 16 fxe6 f6 should survive. 16 fxe6!! Qxd4+ 17 Kh1 Suddenly Black is in great danger. 0-0-0 Worse is 17 . . . Qxe5 18 exd7+ Kxd7 19 Rxf7+. Then 19 . . . Kc8 loses spectacularly to 20 Bf4! Nxf4 21 Bf5+! Qxf5 22 Rc1+ Kb8 23 Qd8+. 18 exd7+ Kb8 After 18 . . . Rxd7, White can pick up the exchange by 19 Bf5 Qxd1 20 Bxd7+ or continue attacking with 19 Qe2. 19 Bxa6!? Again, 19 Qe2 is a worthy alternative. Qxe5?! Losing quickly. Black had to struggle on, a pawn behind, with 19 . . . Qxd1 20 Rxd1 Rxd7 21 Bc4 Bg7. 20 Re1 Qd6 21 Re8 Qxd7 If 21 . . . Bg7 22 Rxh8 Bxh8 23 Bxb7 Kxb7, White goes after the King by 24 Bf4! Be5 25 Bxe5 Qxe5 26 Nc5+ Kb6 27 Rc1, threatening 28 Qa4 or 28 Qf1. 22 Bf4+! Bd6 Losing a piece, but 22 . . . Ka7 would permit 23 Rxd8 Qxd8 24 Be3+! Kxa6 (or 24 . . . Kb8 25 Qd4) 25 Qd3+ Ka5 26 a3!, with lethal threats. 23 Rxh8, Black Resigns. Black cannot stand 23 . . . Rxh8 24 Nc5! Qc7 25 Bxd6 Qxd6 26 Nxb7, as 26 . . . Qxa6 27 Qxd5 Qxb7 28 Qe5+ snares his Rook.