Well well well. Fide would probably better change its own motto. I think “Gens una sumus” (“We are one people”) is too old now: “Mens una sumus” (“We’re one mind” – Ilyumzhinov’s) or “Mens summa sumus” (“We’re a great mind” – meaning “We are very smart”) would be more appropriate at the moment. I’m obviously joking. In the very recent past Fide took some questionable decisions, or didn’t even take any decision about the hottest matters. Fide president always speak about professionalising chess, but doesn’t behave as a professional in many ways. Let’s take as an example the 2007 European championship… I just quote IM Andrei Deviatkin from Chess Today (the one and only daily chess web-zine): “As "The Week In Chess" reports, initially there were 33 qualifiers announced but then the number was reduced to 29. The former world Champion Alexander Khalifman considered it unfair (as he would have qualified without any matches due to his better Buchholz) and refused to play his match against Markus. Khalifman has also entered a protest to the organizing committee, according to www.e3e5.com. Some other players didn't participate in the tie breaks either: S. Zhigalko probably didn't need it, as he has the right to participate in World Cup as the current U-18 World champion, and M. Gurevich and A. Najditsch had qualified from the European championship-2006. However, there is no complete clarity in this issue, as this information has been taken from different sources, but not from the championship's official website (where it's very difficult to find anything).
P.S. I can't help writing a little comment about the whole situation. If to be honest, what "clarity" are we speaking about?! We don't even know for sure if the World Cup will be taking place in Khanty-Mansiysk or somewhere else or for that matter if it will take place at all! If somebody wants to argue about this, I suggest they remember the example of the FIDE Contenders' Matches, which had to be played in October 2006...what's with it now? So, hundreds of strong Grandmasters were fighting in Dresden for something obscure – this is sad but true”.
Well, do you think this is professional? Not at all, in my opinion.
Now I can’t refrain from speaking about Fabiano Caruana. Again. He gained 35,5 Elo points in only one month, winning two First Saturday events, which means he has a 2548 (or 2549?) rating at the moment. He has already achieved two GM norms and he is only 14 years old (15 in a few months). I’m sure he will be the first Italian player to break the 2600 wall. If he still lived in the Usa he would probably regarded as the so long eagerly awaited “new Bobby Fischer” (as Josh Waitzkin two decades ago), but he lives in Europe now and he plays for Italy :-) You just have to give a look at his games to understand he is a fine tactitian and he loves sacrificing pieces to get the initiative (or crushing attacks). That’s what he did in his 8th round game in Budapest last Satruday. Facing the Hungarian Peter Prohaszka, he simply put up a strong pressure on him and finally destroyed his defence with the simple but brilliant 26.Rf5! and 28.Rxf7+!. Here is the game.
Caruana,F (2513) – Prohaszka,P (2443) [B17], Budapest 14.4.2007
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. N1f3 e6 7. Bd3 Bd6 8. Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 11. Qg4 Kf8 12. O-O b6 13. Re1 c5 14. c3 Bb7 15. Qh3 c4 16. Be4 Bxe4 17. Rxe4 Qc6 18. Rh4 Rg8 19. Bf4 Ke7 20. Rd1 Bxf4 21. Rxf4 Qd6 22. Qg3 Qd5?!
The ugly 22....Raf8 was probably better.
23. Re1 g5 24. Rfe4 Nf6?! 25. Re5 Qd7?!
After 25...Qd6, 26.Rf5 wouldn’t have been so strong.
26. Rf5! Qb7 27. Qe5 Nd7?
The decisive mistake, even if 27…Ng4 28.Qe2 (or 28.Rxf7+!? Kxf7 29.Qxe6+ Kg7 30.Qxg4 +/-) would have led to a very comfortable position for White.
28. Rxf7+! Kxf7 29. Qxe6+ Kg7 30. Qe7+ Kh8 31. Re6 Rg7 32. Rxh6+ Kg8 33. Qe6+ Rf7 34. Rg6+ Kf8 35. Nxg5 Nf6 36. Nxf7 Re8 37. Qd6+ Qe7 38. Rxf6 Kg7 39. Qe5 Qxf6 40. Qxe8 Qg6 41. h3 1-0
A perfect game by Fabiano.
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