INTERNATIONAL NEWS

World champion Garry Kasparov earned $45,000 for defeating Bulgarian star Veselin Topalov in an exhibition match last weekend in Sofia, Bulgaria. Kasparov won all four games, an outstanding result against the world’s sixth-ranked grandmaster. Topalov admitted that he had little experience with the fast time limit (25 minutes per player per game), which caused oversights by both players. However, he gave Kasparov credit for the victory, saying, “Kasparov no doubt is the best player of our time.”

Only the second game of the match was blunder-free. Kasparov called the third game a “comedy of errors” and graciously said that Topalov should have won it. In truth, Topalov held a winning position for just one move, after Kasparov missed a fairly simple winning line and instead blundered a Bishop. With only 40 seconds left on his clock, Topalov did not spot the danger and allowed a two-move mating combination.

Kasparov and Topalov will play a six-game match in June in Spain. Each player will have a computer and his choice of chess software available to consult during the one-hour games. Kasparov claims that this form of chess, which he terms “advanced chess,” will produce games of much higher quality.

LOCAL NEWS

Labate’s Chess International, 1016 N. Tustin Ave. in Orange, will host a simultaneous exhibition by IM John Donaldson on May 11, starting at 7:30 p.m. Donaldson, the perennial captain of the U.S. Olympiad team, will give a lecture and autograph many of his books. The fee to play him is $15. To reserve a board, call Edward Labate at (714) 744-1141.