INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Viswanathan Anand of India won the “Giants” tournament, the centerpiece of a chess festival in Frankfurt, Germany. The two-stage event, billed as the strongest ever, featured 25-minute games among the world’s four highest-rated stars.
Third-ranked Vladimir Kramnik of Russia led the first stage, a double round robin, with a 4-2 score. Next were second-ranked Anand, 3 1/2-2 1/2; top-ranked Garry Kasparov of Russia, 2 1/2-3 1/2; and fourth-ranked Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, 2-4. Kasparov lost in the first two rounds to Kramnik and Anand.
The second stage pitted the two top scorers against each other in a four-game match. Anand managed to draw all four games, although Kramnik had him in serious trouble three times. The players broke the tie with a series of five-minute games. After two draws, Anand won the third game to take first prize.
Kasparov, who lamented his poor play, defeated Ivanchuk, 2 1/2-1 1/2, in a match for third place.
At the same site, the chess program Fritz 5 won an open Game/25 tournament with a terrific score of 9 1/2-1 1/2. The field included 38 grandmasters.
Anand restored a bit of human dignity by easily defeating Fritz, 1 1/2- 1/2, in a Game/25 match. Anand won the first game by quickly entering an endgame and then gradually making progress against the clueless machine. He had the advantage in the second game, too, but agreed to a draw to clinch the match.
LOCAL NEWS
State champion Cyrus Lakdawala earned a national title in the U.S. Game/60 Championship, held last weekend in Commerce. Lakdawala scored 6 1/2- 1/2, yielding a draw only to IM Anthony Saidy in the national championship for one-hour games. Saidy, who also drew GM Eduard Gufeld (after five straight losses in their personal series!) and defeated defending champion Mark Duckworth, took second with 6-1. Gufeld and Levon Altounian shared third with scores of 5 1/2-1 1/2.
Supachai Leeisaranukul and Matvey Shatz scored 5-2 to share top expert honors. Jesus Fernandez, rated only 1759, scored an impressive 4 1/2-2 1/2 to take the under-2000 prize. Other class prizes went to Mel Madsen and Austin Ong, each 4-3 for best under-1800; Arsenio Caccam, 4-3 for best under-1600; and Brian Orfalla, Chris Pasqual and Harmanto (who uses only one name), each 3 1/2-3 1/2 for best under-1400.
The slump in attendance at adult tournaments continues, as only 69 players competed. The sponsoring Southern California Chess Federation (SCCF) lost an estimated $1,500.
In contrast, the Emperors of Chess scholastic tournament at St. Anthony of Padua School in Gardena on June 20 boasted a good turnout of 104 players. Max Landaw scored a perfect 4-0 to win the Varsity section, a half-point ahead of Steven Villacorta. Aleksandr Kavutskiy and Julian Lean achieved perfect 5-0 scores in the Junior Varsity (under-800) section.
The 38th annual Pacific Southwest Open takes place July 3-5 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 5985 W. Century Blvd. in Los Angeles. Entrants may choose the two-day option, skipping Friday’s rounds and instead playing four games on Saturday. For all of the details, call Randy Hough at (626) 282-7412.
The July Championship, a five-round tournament on Wednesday evenings, begins July 1 at Chess Palace, 4336 Katella Ave. in Los Alamitos. Call Charles Rostedt at (562) 598-5099 for full information on the club’s busy schedule.
Gufeld will give a simultaneous exhibition today at Chess Academy, 1335 N. La Brea Ave. in Los Angeles. The club will conduct its usual Sunday tournament, starting at 11 a.m., and the simul will follow about 3 p.m. Gufeld, whose 64 books have sold a total of 3 1/2 million copies, will award a book to anyone who manages to defeat him. For more information, call (213) 883-0164.
ChessHeat of Running Springs won the 1998 Mountain Team Chess Challenge, notching its fourth title in nine seasons of league play for the Rim of the World communities. Team members Tom Palmer, captain Donald La Suer, Dwight Shaulis and Dave Wiltse totalled 30 1/2-17 1/2. The Knights of Crestline, champions for the previous three seasons, took second place by defeating ChessLads of Running Springs in a playoff after both teams finished with 24 1/2-23 1/2 scores. Woodpushers of Lake Arrowhead had 16 1/2-31 1/2. Shaulis (11-1) and Eion Faelten (9-1 for ChessLads) went undefeated, Palmer earned the “Most Improved Player” award, and Jerry Schlig took the upset prize.
Spectators are invited to watch the SCCF Candidates tournament this weekend at the Lakeview Senior Center, 20 Lake Rd. in Irvine. Some of the best local players will compete for one of five spots in the SCCF Southern California Championship, the invitational state championship scheduled July 11-19.