Standings after 15 rounds
| Place | S.No. | Title | Name | Fed. | FIDE | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | GM | Grischuk, Alexander | RUS | 2763 | 10.5 | |
| 2 | 7 | GM | Andreikin, Dmitry | RUS | 2700 | 9.5 | |
| 3 | 11 | GM | Ivanchuk, Vassily | UKR | 2769 | 9.5 | |
| 4 | 5 | GM | Karjakin, Sergey | RUS | 2779 | 9.5 | |
| 5 | 10 | GM | Carlsen, Magnus | NOR | 2837 | 8.5 | |
| 6 | 3 | GM | Radjabov, Teimour | AZE | 2788 | 8.0 | |
| 7 | 16 | GM | Morozevich, Alexander | RUS | 2770 | 8.0 | |
| 8 | 14 | GM | Chadaev, Nikolai | RUS | 2580 | 8.0 | |
| 9 | 12 | GM | Svidler, Peter | RUS | 2749 | 7.5 | |
| 10 | 1 | GM | Le, Quang Liem | VIE | 2693 | 7.0 | |
| 11 | 8 | GM | Jumabayev, Rinat | KAZ | 2561 | 7.0 | |
| 12 | 6 | GM | Gelfand, Boris | ISR | 2738 | 7.0 | |
| 13 | 9 | GM | Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar | AZE | 2726 | 5.5 | |
| 14 | 15 | GM | Topalov, Veselin | BUL | 2752 | 5.5 | |
| 15 | 13 | GM | Bologan, Viktor | MDA | 2732 | 5.0 | |
| 16 | 4 | GM | Kotsur, Pavel | KAZ | 2571 | 4.0 |
Official website: http://www.worldchess.kz/en/online/blitz_standings
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Sorry, nothing to do with this, but sometimes on online play, after 1. e4 e6 2.Nf3, instead of going to the predictable exchange French, and I think the long queenside struggle where I’d gain the uphand, I have gone for 2. … c5. Usually I find useful to play then soon a6 or Nc6, or Nf6 immediately to immediately provoke e5, then I can plat Nd5, I think. Anyway, I know there I know I don’t know the stuff, but if white strives to decline the french, I have a good chance of winning them even in the e6 sicilian. A whiff that they know what they are doing, I stick with the probable exchange french with my early g6. They often still play d3.
Well I think as black 1.e4 e6 2. Nf3 c5 and 3. d4 a6 is my favourite, with Nc6 shortly to come. If I did not do Nf6 yet, I’ll be thinking of french structures. The early 3…Nf6 I’ve done, but reminding me of Alekhine structures, or rather dynamics. I’m on that sort happy with alekhine, since that is closer to perhaps an openm french than nevertheless or derivative (perhaps my white openings)then an an open sicialian.
I guess I could play the paulsen sicilian, I don’t know the theory, or is the e6 a6 system Kan or Rossolimo. Can’t remember. With the pawn for purpose on e6, shouldn’t be too difficult. Only, tactics come much earlier. Sometimes that would be good. Instead of perhcance waiting till the early endgame in the exchange french.
I can immediately go for a dutch kind of structure, after 1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 f5, because white lost a relevant tempo. have never done this so, but perhaps the white play can be punished so. So close to 1. e4 f5 though, where white can simply take the pawn, surely.
Thanks,
oh, white playing 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d3 I consider black, myself, having the white pieces. Just has to be.
I am however become intrigued by the possibility of 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 f5. Black has eternal control over e4, the pawn isn’t such a weakness with the light squared bishop. It can even advance, the pawn, unless white weakens the kingside. A lone pawn there does little, but then perhaps white would have wished to play the knight to e2 or h3. Perhaps I am missing some tactics here. All my efforts at searching these positions yielded nothing, perhaps because the move is weak, or perhaps because 2. Nf3 is fairly rare.
If this should become a new defence system, don’t know that it would, it should be call the Rudanko defence!
Ah, enough with this, but there’s also steinitz move, after 1.e4 e6 2.e5, d6 giving the advantage to consider. Another thing is the dutch like king’s side hassle, where black is fine in the dutch, but after 1. e4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.e5 can black find the right moves; I don’t think there’s time for the immediate 3. …d6 there. Might have to play Nh6 or g6. (Initially inspected the exchange on f5)