There are many huge upsets so far at the Kristiansund Grand Prix 2010 in Norway, including a number of players 1700 – 2200 drawing and beating IMs and GMs, including women’s world champion Kosteniuk.
This just shows that chess is not an easy game and anything can happen in any given game.
Here are the full results: http://tournamentservice.com/standings.aspx?TID=KristiansundGrandPrix2010-KristiansundSjakklubb2
KRISTIANSUND GRAND PRIX
26-29 August (Thursday to Sunday)
ARCTIC SECURITIES CHESS STARS
28-30 August (Saturday to Monday)
CARLSEN – ANAND – POLGAR – HAMMER
A fantastic chess weekend:
Play in the Grand Prix tournament, and see the world elite in action!
• 6 round Norwegian monrad. 1,5 hour for 40 moves and 30 minutes to finish the game.
• Two groups, over/under 1500. Players under 1500 can play in group A.
SCHEDULE
You have to register at the venue Folkets hus on Thursday 26 August no later than 19.30.
Games start: Thursday 8 pm, Friday 10 am and 4 pm, Saturday 9.30 am and 4 pm, Sunday 9.30 am.
Prize giving no later than 1.50 pm.
So Kosteniuk the self proclaimed chess queen is playing in the opening section losing to weak players? And she is demanding to play board 1 for Russia in the upcoming chess olympiad while the two Kosintseva are 100 points higher than her? What an ego maniac.
Hi Susan UM back,oh, well they been askin me for the past 2 years whats happening to the higher rated players in the world and why are they losing to the lower guys. I just look at them and say nothing.
I can offer some reasons for some of the results of lower players winning or drawing more. I have played chess for 44 yrs and I have seen a lot of changes in chess in that time. Technology has really improved for lower rated players like chess engines and databases. I myself have used them to improve my game. I have been rated as high as 2161 about 10 yrs ago but my health issues keep my rating lower now. I have played Kosteniuk (and Susan Polgar when she was 16). They are incredibly strong and dangerous players. For example, Kosteniuk can mate with knight and bishop vs king with one minute on her clock! But there are many factors involved that can cause an upset result in an open tournament. It is difficult to train for an open tournament vs a match or invited tournament when you know who the participants are ahead of time. Jet lag could factor in. Who knows. Korchnoi once lost his queen in 16 moves in a game. What does that mean ? Nothing. The human element is a factor for sure but I would not put too much into a loss by a GM in an open tournment. Remember, GM’s don’t have the Soviet training system like they used to. As far as Kosteniuk and the olympiad, chess politics is another whole issue. She is wanting the challenge of a top board, I can’t critizice anyone who is competitive and wants that. I understand the Polgars are very deserving of top spots. It is up to FIDE to have a fair system to seat everyone.
Message to Kiev:
Can you name one chess player at the top ranks of competitive chess that isn’t to some extent an egomaniac?
If you ever win the world championship of chess, you will be perfectly entitled to call yourself anything you like, even “chess queen”.
Lucy
Lucy