CHESS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Viswanathan Anand has won the right to challenge Garry Kasparov in the 1995 Professional Chess Assn. world championship, scheduled for September in Cologne, Germany. The 25-year-old grandmaster from India defeated 20-year-old Gata Kamsky of New York, 6 1/2-4 1/2, last week in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. Anand broke open a close match by winning Games 9 and 11.

Anand summed up the match by saying, “I gave him very few chances when I played Black and hit him hard when playing White. He had real problems defending with the Black pieces in every game.”

Kamsky’s three losses came with Black, the first two when he tried to defend against the Ruy Lopez, and the third when, in desperate need of a match-tying win, he shifted to the Sicilian Defense. As White, Kamsky obtained a tangible advantage only twice and never came close to winning. He collected his only full point when Anand overstepped the time limit in the first game.

Intel Inc., the sponsor of the PCA world championship cycle, has guaranteed $1.5 million in prize money for the Anand vs. Kasparov match. The winner will receive $1 million.

The most successful tournament player of the past year, 26-year-old Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, won the annual grandmaster tournament in Linares, Spain, without losing a single game. Ivanchuk’s impressive 10-3 score in what has been dubbed “the world championship of tournaments” enhances his status as another future rival to Kasparov. Anatoly Karpov of Russia, the only other undefeated player, finished second at 9-4.

LOCAL NEWS

The Southern California Chess Federation (SCCF) conducted its State Elementary Championship March 18 in Bell Gardens, and 147 students in grades K-6 competed. The 1995 state elementary champion is David de la Torre, who scored 5-1 in the 25-player Open section. Next at 4 1/2-1 1/2 were David Collins, Casey McCracken and Alex Schloss.

There was an outstanding turnout of 83 players in the under-1000 section. Kyle Sellers scored a perfect 5-0. Matthew Garza took second prize at 4 1/2- 1/2 on tiebreak over Rick Subia and Darren Marks.

In the 39-player Primary (grades K-3) section, Cory Evans finished first on tiebreak over Elizabeth de la Torre. They drew each other after winning their first four games. Arno Akopyan, Derek Schloss, Ernest Ramirez and kindergarten champion E. J. Schloss scored 4-1.

St. Paul the Apostle School in Westwood took the best team prize in both the Open and Primary sections. In the under-1000 section, El Tejon School of Frazier Park was best team.

For the eighth year, the City of Gardena will host a youth tournament for students in grades K-12. The informal event, which begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, is an excellent introduction to tournament play for anyone who knows how the pieces move. Players must register in advance and pay a $1 fee at the site, the Nakaoka Community Center at 1670 W. 162nd St. in Gardena. For more information, call the Gardena Recreation Division Office at (310) 217-9537.