BOTW: 2015.04.02

John Upper's picture
Submitted by John Upper on Thu, 04/02/2015 - 20:52

Best of The Web

The 2015 US Chess Championship starts this week at the St.Louis Chess Club. Favourites are Hikaru Nakamura, Gata Kamsky, and Wesley So, who is competing in his first event as a member of the US Chess Federation. GM Irina Krush is the odds-on favourite in the women's event, though there are two U14 girls who guarantee to make it interesting. Both sections are 12-player RRs. Games start at 1pm CST (2pm EST).

There is live video commentary with GMs Yasser Seriawan, Maurice Ashley and others, and (for the first time) Spanish commentary with IM Lawrence Trent and others.

You can find it here: http://www.uschesschamps.com/

 

Gelfand Documentary

The Russian website ChessPro has an English translation of an interview with Boris Gelfand. The interview isn't very interesting, but it contains a link to an excellent 70+ minute documentary on Gelfand: Album 61. The documentary focuses on Gelfand's 2012 World Championship match with Anand, but covers Gelfand's childhood, his preparation, interviews with his seconds (and his physical therapist), his family life, chess in schools in Russia and the United States, and much more.

Narration is in Russian and Hebrew, with some English, but there are English subtitles throughout.

Highlights include: 

  • watching Boris's mother and family as they nervously watch while hoping he'll find the winning moves in game 7
  • phone conversations with his children after wins and losses,
  • the well-chosen music, including the long slow bluesy number as Boris goes through the airport home after the match.
  • Boris's face, a definite contender with Kasparov for "most expressive".

Cameos: Vishy Anand, Garry Kasparov, Andre Filiatov, GM Maxim Rodshtein, and Canada's IA Hal Bond.

You can watch the documentary from the ChessPro website:

http://www.chesspro.ru/interview/gelfand_tv_interview_english

Or download it for later viewing here: (340MB)

http://www.chesspro.ru/_images/gal/content/video/Album%2061-SD.mp4

 

photo: Gelfand and his GM seconds look for missing pages of missing opening analysis in his Moscow hotel...

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