Pentala Harikrishna succeeds on Isle of Man by Alina L'Ami 10/15/2015 – Pentala Harikrishna is the winner of the PokerStars Isle Of Man tournament 2015. In the last round Nigel Short tried hard to beat the Indian Grandmaster but finally had to content himself with a draw. The tournament had a strong field and a superb organisation. And the island itself made Alina l'Ami ask some fundamental questions. Report, pictures, analyses... C hessB ase 13 D ownload ChessBase 13 is a personal, stand-alone chess database that has become the standard throughout the world. Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy your chess even more. More... I have always wondered what final aim chess players are pursuing in their errant lives? Is it the best move, the most fantastic game or the highest rating ever? But while reading "El paraiso en la otra esquina" (which appeared under the title The Way to Paradise in English but translates roughly as “The happiness in the other corner”), a book of my favourite author Mario Vargas Llosa, I started to think that maybe this “happiness in the other corner” is precisely what we chess players, are looking for! Not an easy quest: there are many corners to check and they always change. A coincidence of the kind I like and welcome had it that I finished the last chapters of Vargas Llosa’s book while traveling to the Isle of Man, a small island which never looks the same; the shades of its light change from one minute to another and it would take a lifetime to capture its whole beauty and greatness... So I wondered if the Isle of Man, where I wanted to play the famous PokerStars international chess tournament, was one of those corners? The Isle of Man is a paradise for nature lovers, photographers, and chess players. Today on playchess.com 10/15/2015 – Did you ever play against a Grandmaster? GM Dejan Bojkov plays a simul at 8 pm GMT+1 in the Simultaneous room versus Premium members. The early bird catches the worm. Become Premium Member! News ChessBase 13 is a personal, stand-alone chess database program that has become the standard throughout the world. Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. New functions: ChessBase-Cloud, improved repertoire function etc. A must-have for every chess lover: More than 6.4 million games from 1560 to 2015, more than 68,500 high-class games analysed by masters and experts, update service for 2016 (for CB 13 users): 5,000 new games every week, classified by openings, players etc A must-have for every chess lover: More than 6.4 million games from 1560 to 2015, more than 68,500 high-class games analysed by masters and experts, update service for 2016 (for CB 13 users): 5,000 new games every week, classified by openings, players etc ChessBase playchess.com www.playchess.com We are sorry, your browser needs an update. Please install the latest version. We recommend using Chrome or Firefox on Windows/Android/Linux, Safari on iOS. Enjoy your chess! PLAYCHESS.COM No registration! No download! » Close x converted by Web2PDFConvert.com
Transcript
Pentala Harikrishna succeeds on Isle of Manby Alina L'Ami
10/15/2015 – Pentala Harikrishna is the w inner of the PokerStars Isle Of Man tournament 2015. In thelast round Nigel Short tried hard to beat the Indian Grandmaster but finally had to content himself w ith adraw. The tournament had a strong field and a superb organisation. And the island itself made Alina l'Amiask some fundamental questions. Report, pictures, analyses...
C h e s s B a s e 1 3 D o w n l o a d
ChessBase 13 is a personal, stand-alone chess database that has become the standardthroughout the world. Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateurnext door. It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to knowmore about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy your chesseven more.
More...
I have always wondered what final aim chess players are pursuing in their errant lives? Is it the bestmove, the most fantastic game or the highest rating ever? But while reading "El paraiso en la otraesquina" (which appeared under the title The Way to Paradise in English but translates roughly as “Thehappiness in the other corner”), a book of my favourite author Mario Vargas Llosa, I started to think thatmaybe this “happiness in the other corner” is precisely what we chess players, are looking for!
Not an easy quest: there are many corners to check and they always change. A coincidence of the kind Ilike and welcome had it that I finished the last chapters of Vargas Llosa’s book while traveling to the Isleof Man, a small island which never looks the same; the shades of its light change from one minute toanother and it would take a lifetime to capture its whole beauty and greatness...
So I wondered if the Isle of Man, where I wanted to play the famous PokerStars international chesstournament, was one of those corners?
The Isle of Man is a paradise for nature lovers, photographers, and chess players.
Today on playchess.com
10/15/2015 – Did youever play against aGrandmaster? GM DejanBojkov plays a simul at8 pm GMT+1 in theSimultaneous room
versus Premium members. The early birdcatches the worm. Become PremiumMember!
News
ChessBase 13 is apersonal, stand-alonechess databaseprogram that hasbecome the standardthroughout the world.Everyone usesChessBase, from theWorld Champion to the amateur nextdoor. New functions: ChessBase-Cloud,improved repertoire function etc.
A must-have for everychess lover: More than6.4 m illion games from1560 to 2015, morethan 68,500 high-classgames analysed bymasters and experts,update service for 2016
(for CB 13 users): 5,000 new gamesevery week, classified by openings,players etc
A must-have for everychess lover: More than6.4 m illion games from1560 to 2015, morethan 68,500 high-classgames analysed bymasters and experts,
update service for 2016 (for CB 13users): 5,000 new games every week,classified by openings, players etc
ChessBase
playchess.com
www.playchess.comWe are sorry, your browserneeds an update. Please installthe latest version. Werecommend using Chrome orFirefox onWindows/Android/Linux, Safarion iOS. Enjoy your chess!
Objective analysis shows that this could be true. The field in this year’s tournament was extremelystrong. At the top, in the middle, and even at the end of the seeding list. You had to show good form oryou were at risk to go badly astray. But the time control was most generous and one game could last up
Victor Bologan showsfrom blacks point ofview all Anti-Berlinsetups as well as howto gain advantage inthe Berlin Defence.
Saint Louis and Bie l -classical analyses +videos by King, Vachier-Lagrave,Kasimdzhanov,Williams. Tactics,Strategy and Endgame+ 14 Opening articles
with new ideas for your repertoire - lookforward to a rich training programme!
This DVD offers Black acomplete repertoireagainst all weaponsWhite may employ onmove six. Therecommendedrepertoire is not asrisky as other Sicilians
but still offers Black plenty of counter-play.
The odd-looking move5….Qe7 is an idealsurprise weaponagainst the ExchangeVariation of the RuyLopez. Robert Ris takes
The people on the Isle of Man drive on the left and the clocks also work...the other way around! It took me some time to find out what time it is exactly.
My games frequently were the last to finish last but despite the inevitable exhaustion caused by that Ididn't mind at all, not only because I am a "long thinker", but mainly because I believe that the qualityand beauty of chess benefit from a slow rhythm of play.
Always an elegant presence: Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant
...GM Francesco Rambaldi who collected 6.0/10 points in the tournament and gained 10 Elo-points.
The playing hall and general conditions are simply superb, as the main sponsors PokerStars and theScheinberg family, together w ith Alan Ormsby's organizing team, which tend to grow into a true family, donot spare any effort to make the players' life as good as possible. On top, all the invited players of 2015are on the list for next year, and Alan promised in his closing speech to adjust the dates in such a waythat the tournament won't clash w ith the 2016 Olympiad.
Clash of titans: Tarjan (with White) vs Timman. The last game they played against each other was in 1983!
But it still takes a minor miracle for a "happy other corner". In our case this could be the effort to combinetwo completely different games: chess and poker! To my shame, I must admit that I don't even know therules of poker, but I believe to grasp a bit of its spirit and understand why it is similar to the ancient royalgame – despite all differences. In chess and in poker we all tend to consider ourselves geniuses,believing that we can have sensational performances if not for bad luck... But even more important,despite its scientific character chess still retains aspects of gambling. It doesn't really matter which cardsyou get, but the way you are playing them! The more you practice and the smarter you are, the luckieryou become.
Harika Dronavalli (playing with black against Michael Adams)deserved more from her event but continues to smile and promises to work even harder next time!
Yochanan Afek, who is a grandmaster in study composition,created a special study for the IoM tournament. He also had a great tournament.
Once in a while in interviews the question comes up why on earth are we not giving up the spiny chesscarrier? I usually give vague answers, such as that chess is addictive, that it allows me to travel a lot, andI also like to quote Aronian who once said that all chess players are masochists, except those at the topwho are sadists... But now I believe that chess is a bit like poker: you cannot retire when you are losingbut even less so when w inning!
Returning to the concrete world, I find it is a good idea to have the poker tournament the day before thechess event starts. This way chess players can clear their minds and get rid of the pressure, and somemight even have hit the big pot already!
The flag of the Isle of Man with its famous triskelion symbol.
Yuri Garrett does a quick scan for electronic devices before the last round - both players came out clean!
When not busy with anti-cheating duties Yuri Garrett is a passionate photographer.
They say that history repeats itself and this could have been the case in the 2015 Isle of Mantournament. Last year Nigel Short won the tournament w ith a last round w in against David Howell. Thistime, his love for the game transpired again and again, particularly in his game against Alon Greenfeld, inwhich he played an unusual self-fork. This game was published in a previous CB-report, so I am sure youare all aware of its beauty.
And just like last year, in the final round Nigel was pressing in the endgame against the leaderHarikrishna, but the Indian grandmaster defended well and hold tight to his 1st place; and even thoughSargissian and Fressinet caught up w ith him by w inning against Rambaldi and Naiditsch respectively, theIndian had the best tie-break and won the tournament.
History did not repeat itself this time: Nigel had pressure but Harikrishna hold the draw.
Laurent Fressinet finished the tournament on a good note:he won against Arkadij Naiditsch which made him first place
The winners in great spirits. The tournament organizer Alan Ormsby congratulates.Between Ormsby and Harikrishna is Mr. Scheinberg, who will generously sponsor next
Pentala Harikrishna and Harika Dronavalli are very good friends; to me it seems fair that Harika has the biggercup!
I read that w inners are not those who never fail but rather those who never quit! Since I cannot besatisfied w ith my final result, I feel like coming back to the Isle of Man corner forever in a permanentsearch for happiness and better moves...
The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and onthe chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you candownload a free Playchess client there and get immediate access.You can also use ChessBase 13 or any of our Fritz compatiblechess programs.
Alina L'AmiAlina is an International Master and a very enthusiastic person in everything she does. Sheloves travelling to the world's most remote places in order to play chess tournaments andreport about them here on ChessBase! As chance would have it Alina is also an excellentphotographer.
Feedback and mail to our news servicePlease use this account if you want to contribute to or comment on our news page service
Topics
Pentala Harikrishna, Isle of Man, Alina l'Ami
See also
Isle of Man: rain and sunshine (part 2/2)10/17/2014 – In this second part of her chronicle, Alina L'Ami shares herimpressions of a place that mixes the deeply traditional w ith the modern atevery step of the way, and that remains both part of the neighboring world,and apart in its own ways, such as a currency that can only be used there. Itcertainly helped that it had a friendly people and beautiful landscape. [Discuss]
Isle of Man: rain and sunshine (part 1/2)10/16/2014 – The combination of poker and chess at the Isle of Man was a funchange of pace, but in spite of this, for most players, it was the open that wasthe biggest draw, attracting top British and foreign players. The star waseventual English legend Nigel Short who beat Howell in the last round to takefirst, but there was so much more to it as told by Alina L'Ami in her wonderfulreport. [Discuss]
DiscussRules for reader comments
User: Password: Not registered yet? RegisterComment:
Leave comment
Submit Reset
great result for Harikrishna, very best w ishes to him, it is very inspiring and lookingforward to more such successes...
