Mexico 2007: Round One Pairings

Vladimir Kramnik	1/2	Peter Svidler
Alexander Morozevich	1/2	Levon Aronian
Viswanathan Anand	1/2	Boris Gelfand
Alexander Grischuk	1/2	Peter Leko

That's how they will fight in the first round, that will start in a couple of hours.
What's your prediction about today's results?
Will Kramnik try to crash his long-time friend Peter Svidler or he'll go for a short draw?
I think he'll go for the blood!! He's very motivated to win this tournament and he'll not throw away his first White. Go Volodya!

Here are some pictures of the opening ceremony:

Some Pictures from Bratto: Updated!

That's the playing hall, more than 250 participants!

GM Burmakin, winner of the event with 7/9.


GM Godena, Italian and European Union Champion 2007.


Top GM Sergei Tiviakov, 5th place.


Chess legend GM Oleg Romanishin.


IM Fabio Bruno, first italian in the field.


IM Rolly Martinez who beat Tiviakov in round 8, 4th place.

Mexico 2007: Kramnik wins the poll, Anand close second.

These are the results of the poll the day before the start of the strongest World Chess Championship of all time:

Kramnik: 42% (11)
Anand: 38% (10)
Aronian: 7% (2)
Leko, Svider, Gelfand: 3%(3)
Morozevich, Grischuk: 0% (0)
Total Votes: 26

Reigning World Champion Vladimir Kramnik won also the poll in the Chessvibes.com Webisite:
Kramnik: 33%
Anand: 31%
Aronian: 20%
Morozevich: 7%
Leko: 6%
Gelfand: 2%
Grischuk: 1%
Svidler: 0%
Total Votes: 990

Botvinnik rocks, Kramnik too!

Finally I found my favourite player of the past and of the present and eventually I FOUND MY CHESS STYLE!! It has been too long time that I moved from an attacking style to a positional one, with great problems finding a durature repertoire. Now I can say it's all over! I founf my real style: it's a rock solid repertoire, with strategic unbalances to grind down my opponent in a long ending.
Such a Kramnik's style, but more fighting!
Iron Strategist!

On the road to Bratto

Here we go! Today I start my journey to Bratto!! So, on the 23 of August I'll start my tournament, and I'll post my results!!! Bye guys!

Blitz Power

This is someone who really knows how to play blitz: Hikaru Nakamura!
He's almost impossible to emulate, but we can learn from him what playing blitz well really means..
Look how he crashes GM Maxim Dlugy in a 1-minute game:

#3 John Nunn's Favourite Puzzles

Here we are! The third problem:
White to Play and Mate in Two.