Tag Archives: Junior Chess

CM Henry Slater-Jones

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Representing your country at an International Chess Tournament is a big deal. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication.
Today we shine the spotlight on Brisbane based 14 years old Candidate Master Henry Slater-Jones. He has been appearing frequently on the most improved and most active player lists when the ACF ratings come out and is ranked 13th in Australia for the U14 category.
So lets have a chat to Henry and see what motivates and inspires him

What is your name?

Hello my name is Henry Slater-Jones

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What is your current rating?

My international rating (FIDE rating) is 1825

What is your age?

I am 14 years old and 3 months

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How old were you when you started playing chess?

I started playing chess when I was 4 years and a half years old

How many hours per week/day do you study/practise chess?

I do fourteen hours of practicing and study chess every single week

Henry being interviewed by Russian press
Henry being interviewed by Russian press

What is your favourite chess book/resource?

It would be the step chess books that my coach has given me to practice my tactics

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Oh and my very first chess book was Chess 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games

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How old were you when you became a titled player? 

I became a candidate master (CM) when I was 13 years old at the 2015 Oceania Zonal in Sydney

Is this your first International Tournament? 

Yes this is my first International tournament.

Who is your favourite player (past and present) and why?

My favourite player of the past is Paul Morphy, this is because he was a great tactician which made his game great to watch! Currently my favourite player is Magnus Carlsen as he can play any chess opening and play it well. I also like him because he shows all juniors if you work hard as a junior you can go far in chess

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What do you think of the size of the Australian Junior Chess League?

I think the size of AUSJCL (Australian Junior Chess League) is continuing to grow which is very pleasing. With the expansion it also gives us more chance to make our own Carlsen

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What has chess taught you?

Chess has taught me to be gracious when you lose and to be humble when you win; it has taught me the difference in behaviour between a boy and a man and has helped me to become one

How do you think chess has helped you socially, mentally and at school?

Chess has allowed me to get more friends, it has helped me with concentration on something for a long time and playing chess helped me get better marks at school

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How would you describe your style of play

I would think I am more of a player who really likes to get avoid complications and to get a good position

What are your goals for the future?

To get a national chess title next year

What advice would you give Australian Junior Chess players

To never give up on your goals; with hard work and dedication you will always get there.

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Is chess too slow?

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Is chess too slow? ‘Not for those with a quick mind’, says Campbelltown Junior Yi Yang

A lot of people think chess is for those that are able to sit still for hours. We hear it all the time: ‘My son could not sit down for a chess game that goes for over an hour! He would get bored and distracted.’ But that could not be further from the truth. It is sometimes exactly what they need to focus and concentrate. We see participation in chess increasing every school term, so we think the game is not too slow!

YiYang and his friends during the school holiday activity at the Campbelltown Library
YiYang and his friends during the school holiday activity at the Campbelltown Library

All people, especially kids, get restless and distracted from time to time. It’s normal for children of all ages to have lots of energy. Preschoolers, for instance, can be very active — they often move quickly from one activity to another. Older kids and teenangers are also energetic and don’t have the same attention span as adults.

But we are not talking here about children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), that is when the hyperactivity is unusually high and come to a point where it can interfere with their schooling, friendships and family life. Chess can also have great benefits for these students, but in this blog we are looking at the normal hyperactivity of children.

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So back to normal, hyper, enthusiastic children: Yi Yang is one of Chesslife’s brightest students. He is always full of energy and engaging with everyone and everything around him. Nevertheless Yi Yang finds the ability to focus in front of the chess board and play long, complicated games with skill and accuracy.

Yi Yang not only plays at the chess club, but has also been participating in the Interschool Chess Championship, representing the community team run by the Campbelltown Council. 

We chatted to him at the Campbelltown after-school chess club to see how chess had helped him develop in other areas of his life.

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YiYang and his Campbelltown team mates at the Interschool State Finals

Chesslife: How long have you been playing chess?

Yi Yang: Two years. I started when I was in year two and I’m in year four now.

Do you play at school and at home?

I play at home, not at school. I play with online players on the weekend.

What do you like about chess?

There’s different pieces and different types of moves, and there are tournaments to get to verse different players. David can analyse my games and I learn something so I don’t make another mistake.

I like it at the chess club because they teach you new stuff and there’s a lot of tactics.

What’s your favourite piece and why?

The king because it’s the boss and once it gets checkmated the game’s over.

 

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Have you been to any tournaments, and what have your results been like?

I always come fourth. Last year I started playing in tournaments: the July Junior, the Adelaide Hills Open, the October U11 State Championships. [This is not always true, we have been seeing YiYang getting better every tournament and even going home with some prizes!]

What would you say to young people thinking about learning chess?

Learn now, when you grow up you might become a very good chess player. There are lots of fun activities in chess.

How has chess helped you at school or with things like concentration?

Sometimes I look at other players’ boards and sometimes I just focus on mine. It has gotten easier to focus. When I first started I just kept looking at other people’s boards.

You don’t lose if you concentrate. Sometimes when I’m waiting for the person to move I just wait because I already know what I’m going to move. The concentration level will go up by focusing. You don’t talk much during chess and then at school when the teacher’s talking, you don’t talk because at chess you’ve learnt.

 

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There are lots of other examples where students are loving the game and loving the challenge of focusing for long periods of time. Even noticing themselves that they are becoming better at this over time is fantastic.

So is chess too slow? We don’t think so!

Have you got a story to tell on how chess has helped you? Let us know and you could be featured in our next blog!

 

How did they go? Wrap up of our juniors at the Olympiad

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It has been an incredible event, well organised with extremely helpful volunteers who were ready to assist us where ever we needed.

Received amazing gift from Baku Olympiad organisers
Received amazing gift from Baku Olympiad organisers

And the level of chess played was amazing! Not only by the Superstars like Magnus Carlsen, Wesley So and many many others, but also by the juniors.

Over the last 14 days we have been giving you an insight into the young minds of players from around the world. Some with very high goals for the futures and others that were enjoying the opportunity to represent their country.

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At a tournament there are always opportunities to win, to score high and to go home with a trophy or title. And the juniors that we featured have certainly exceeded expectations!

So for our final wrap up – How did they go? If you want to read their interview, just click on their image!

Candidate Master Haridify Milento Ralison
Candidate Master Haridify Milento Ralison

 

 

CM Haridify Ralison from Madagascar hoped to get his FM title this tournament and it came to the very last round! But he succeeded; with 6.5/10 he obtained his FIDE Master title!

 

 

 

 

FIDE Master Fy Antenaine Rakotomaharo
FIDE Master Fy Antenaine Rakotomaharo

 

Unfortunately 5/9 was not enough for FM Fy Rakotomaharo to get his IM norm this tournament. But playing on board 1 for your country certainly adds the extra pressure! He is off to the World Youth in Khanty-Mansiysk next week and we hope to see him there achieve his goals!

 

 

 

 

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Maung Maung from Myanmar

 

With two rounds to spare Maung Maung from Myanmar obtained his FIDE Master title with a score of 6/9! Congratulations Maung Maung, we look forward to follow your journey in chess!

 

 

 

 

15 year old Segan and 17 year old Gabriela from Barbados
15 year old Segan and 17 year old Gabriela from Barbados

 

Competition was strong for Gabriela and Segan from Barbados, but these cheerful girls enjoyed their first Olympiad and we are sure we will see them again on the world stage!

 

 

 

 

 

IM Anton Smirnov from Australia
IM Anton Smirnov from Australia

 

Our very own Australian Superstar obtained his double GM norm with a round to spare! With a total score of 8.5/10 he remains undefeated at the two Olympiad’s he has played. Anton also came fifth in the list of top board 4 players. Anton is without doubt going to be featured in the Australian Open team for many more years to come!

 

 

 

 

Ieong Seok Hin from Macau
Ieong Seok Hin from Macau

 

Ieong Seak Hin from Macau played like a legend and with a final score of 4.5/9 he can be extremely proud of his efforts!

 

 

 

 

 

Kathie Liberalto from Brazil
Kathie Librelato from Brazil

 

18 year old Kathie from Brazil got her Candidate Master title with a final score of 4.5/8! Great effort as she has faced some very strong opponents!

 

 

 

GM Murali Karthikeyan
GM Murali Karthikeyan

 

 

17 year old Grandmaster Murali from India scored 2/2 at this Olympiad, contributing wonderfully to his team, allowing them top win Gold in Category A! [Teams are divided into 5 categories based on their combined rating, India was in the top category]

 

 

 

 

Nadia Braganza from New Zealand
Nadia Braganza from New Zealand

 

10 year old Nadia Braganza from New Zealand ended her Olympiad journey with 4/9, which for such a young player is an incredible feat! Certainly something she can be extremely proud of! We hope to see Nadia play in Australia soon and give our aussies a run for their money!

 

 

Tagir Taalbeikov from Kyrgyzstan
Tagir Taalaibekov from Kyrgyzstan

 

It was a delight to catch up regularly during the Olympiad with Tagir from Kyrgyzstan. Having played a GM, two IM’s and a CM he had some strong competition this Olympiad and a final score of 3/7 is nothing to be ashamed of! Well done Tagir!

 

 

Michaelides Konstantinos from Cyprus
Michaelides Konstantinos from Cyprus

Michaelides from Cyprus, may not have had the tournament he had hoped for, but playing against two GM’s, and IM and three FM’s is always a great opportunity for learning! We are certain Michaelides will have a very bright future in chess and will most certainly feature on the world stage more often!

 

 

14 year old FM Abdulla and 16 year old FM Nail from Azerbaijan
14 year old FM Abdulla and 16 year old FM Nail from Azerbaijan

 

And finally we finish with the boys from Azerbaijan. Nail finished with 5.5/9 and Abdulla 6/10. Abdulla also now has a running rating of 2317, which is enough to grant him his IM title! But most incredibly, the entire Azerbaijan team finished first in their rating category, securing Gold and an incredible opportunity to stand on the podium at the Closing ceremony!

Azerbaijani team scoring Gold in Category C. Photo courtesy of Baku Olympiad FB page
Azerbaijani team scoring Gold in Category C. Photo courtesy of Baku Olympiad FB page
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Catching up with the boys outside after the closing ceremony

We hope you have enjoyed our blogs and we are looking forward to continuing our stories as we travel to tournaments, both within South Australia, Nationally and Internationally!

Keep up the good work everyone! We love seeing you all play chess!
David and Sabrina Koetsier

Australian and Indian press reporting on the Olympiad. Chess Truly Connects Us!
Australian and Indian press reporting on the Olympiad. Chess Truly Connects Us!

16 year old FM Nail Bashirli and 14 year old FM Abdulla Gadimbayli from Azerbaijan

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As organiser of the Olympiad, Azerbaijan was granted 3 teams in the Open division and 3 teams in the Women’s division. And instead of putting three adult teams in the mix, they are showing what a fantastic supportive chess nation they are by providing the opportunity to their juniors to play. Both their women’s and open third teams are comprised of young players!

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So it was only logical that we have been trying to get an interview with the ‘Small Tigers’, the 3rd Azerbaijani Open team that consists of 15 year old Vugar Asadli with a rating of 2406, 16 year old Nail Bashirli with a rating of 2387, 14 year old Abdulla Gadimbayli with a rating of 2294, 13 year old Muradli Mahammad with a rating of 2331 and 16 year old Parviz Gasimov with a rating of 2323. They are a true inspiration to junior chess to be representing their country at this Olympiad.

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Today, after speaking to their captain GM Azer Mirzoev, we were given the go-ahead and with the assistance from the volunteer Azerbaijani translators that are available, we sat down with 16 year old Nail and 14 year old Abdulla.

Nail is the 2nd ranked player U16 in Azerbaijan and Abdulla is the 2nd ranked player U14. Both have played in the U16 Olympiad this year in Slovakia, but did not cross paths with the Australians behind the boards.

16 year old FM Nail Bashirli
16 year old FM Nail Bashirli

Chesslife: How old were you when you started playing chess?
Nail: I started when I was 10 years old and was taught by my aunty.
Abdulla: I started at the age of 5 and was taught by my father and brother, over time I have continued using a chess coach and going regurlarly to the chess club.

Chesslife: How much chess do you study per day?
Nail: I practise chess every day around 4-5 hours
Abdulla: I study chess every day around 5-6 hours

FM Abdulla Gadimbayli
FM Abdulla Gadimbayli

Chesslife: What kind of material do you use to study?
Nail: Aagard’s books or Dvoretsky’s end game book
Abdulla: …and material of course that our teacher gives us.
Chesslife: What is your favourite book?
Nail: I don’t know what my favourite book is, but my first book was Karpovs Best games
Abdulla: Easy! 100 games by Bobby Fischer

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Chesslife: How old were you when you obtained your first norm and where are you at with obtaining your IM norm?
Nail: I have obtained all 3 norms for my IM so I will be an International Master soon. I obtained my FIDE Master title in February 2015 in Prague.
Abdulla: I have obtained my 3 norms for IM, but my rating is just a little too low. Hopefully this tournament will bring it up and allow me to obtain my International Master title. I got my FIDE Master title in 2010 at the World Youth Chess Championships in 2010 when I played in the U8 category.

Click on the board below for an analysis of Abdulla against Vladimir Klasan from Serbia

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Chesslife: Is this your first Olympiad and what was your first International Tournament?
Nail: This is my first open Olympiad, but I have just finished in the U16 Olympiad in Slovakia. My first international tournament was in 2010 in Bulgaria.
Abdullla: This is also my first Open Olympiad and played overseas for the first time at the World Youth Chess Championships in 2008 in Vietnam.

Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer

Chesslife: Who is your favourite chess player?
Abdulla immediately pipes up – that is easy! Bobby Fischer! I love his playing style.
Nail: My favourite chess player is Lasker. His amazing tactical work is to be admired

Lasker
Lasker

Chesslife: How would you describe the junior chess league in Azerbaijan?
Nail: Very good, there are rapid tournaments every week. There are around 6-7 chess schools in Baku.
Abdulla: It is also getting bigger and many good players are coming along.

Chesslife: We have been told your team is called ‘The Small Tigers’ Who came up with that?
Nail: That was our team captain!
Abdulla: And the 3rd Azerbaijani girls teams is called the angels!

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Chesslife: What is your most memorable game?
Nail: I like the one I played in round 9 against Daniel Colindras from Honduras.
Abdulla: When I won with Black in 21 moves in Vietnam against Nguyen Anh Khoi.

Click on the board below for a review of Abdulla’s most memorable game at the World Youth Championships in 2010

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Chesslife: What has chess taught you?
Nail: To be patient and not to go too fast.
Abdulla: Yes all of that and that it has increased my concentration.

Chesslife: What are your goals for the future?
Nail: To become a Grandmaster in the next 1-2 years. I will need to be playing in every possible Open I can find.
Abdulla: Yes I would like that too, but will need to work on my rating first and maybe try and find a new coach and work very hard.

Click on the board below for an analysis of the game between Nail against Daniel Colindres from Honduras.

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Chesslife: What is your advice to Australian Junior Chess players?
Nail: In order to be succcesful in chess you need to work very hard and every day.
Abdulla: Agreed! And work on material with weight to ensure you improve.

15 year old Anton Smirnov from Australia!

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Our blog about juniors at the Olympiad would just not be complete without our very own Australian Superstar 15 year old Anton Smirnov! After round 10 he is still undefeated and has obtained 2 GM norms.  With a rating of 2482 he is currently the top U16 player in Australia and also the 3rd ranked U16 player across Asia! He is also currently the 8th U16 player in the world! (source FIDE website).

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Once he completed his analysis with his oponent Bogdan Bocinovic from Croatia and playing for the International Chess Committee for the Deaf (ICCD) he took the time to sit down with us so we could ask him some questions.

Chesslife: For those that may not be aware – How old are you?
Anton: I am 15 years old.

Chesslife: What age did you start playing chess?
Anton: My father started teaching me when I was 4 years old, but that did not work. I just wanted to move the pieces and did not understand the rules. When I was four and a half he tried again, but this time using the Chessbase program ‘Fritz and Chesster’. This programs uses fairytales and stories to teach very young people the rules of chess.

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Chesslife: How many hours per day or per week do you study?
Anton: I don’t know. I study every day, but don’t keep track of how much time I spend. I meet with my coach via Skype twice a week for 2 hours.

Chesslife: What was your first chess book?
Anton: I used to have a small tactics manual wiith around 1000 problems that I enjoyed very much.

Click in the board below for a review of the game between Anton and Aryan Tari from Norway

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Chesslife: How old were you when you obtained your first title?
Anton: When I was 12 years old in 2013 I obtained my FM title. This was at a zonal in Fiji and in fact my live rating reached the required level at the same time as I reached my norm. It all came together at the same time.

Chesslife: What was your first international tournament?
Anton: That was the World Youth Chess Championship in 2007 in Turkey. I played in the U8 category.

In this tournament Anton did not have a FIDE rating yet and played among 16 (!) other Australian comrades, among which are Emma Guo (U12 girls) and Alexandra Jule (U18 girls), who are currently playing in the Womens Olympiad team.

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Chesslife: How have you socially or mentally benefitted from chess?

Anton: I’m not so sure if it helped me socially, I guess it gave me many friends around the world. But my memory power has certainly increased as  well as my problem solving and concentration.

Click on the board below for a review of the game between Anton and Evandro Barbosa from Brazil in Round 6

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Chesslife: How do you describe you style of play?
Anton: I like to think I play pretty universal. I like tactical more, but also play a little positionally. I prefer more tactical games.

Chesslife: What has been your most memorable game this Olympiad?
Anton: I thought the game I won against GM Ante Brkic, rated 2584, pretty nice.

Click on the board below for an analysis of the game between Anton and Mateusz Bartel from Poland.

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Chesslife: What are you goals for the future?
Anton: To get my GM norm of course! I don’t know what I would like to do after that.

Chesslife: What advice would you give to Australian Junior Chess players?
Anton: Play lots of tournaments and study a lot. Oh and have a coach, that is important too.

Click on the board below for a game between Anton and Bogdan Bozinovic from Croatia

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13 year old chess journalist Aydan Huseynova from Azerbaijan

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This Olympiad we have been reporting about the many juniors playing and representing their country. But it is not only behind the boards that we see junior players, in the press room we can find 13 year old Aydan Huseynova from Azerbaijan behind a laptop.

Aydan Huseynova behind her laptop
Aydan Huseynova behind her laptop

Her father, chess journalist Rasim Huseynov, taught her chess at the very young age of 3 years old!  Eventhough she does not play chess at school, she has been fortunate to travel around the world and play chess in tournaments in Montenegro, Turkey and Greece. And with a rating of 1542 she can certainly hold her own behind the board.

Chesslife: We have been seeing you work very hard, what kind of things have you been doing?

Aydan: I have been helping my dad with the cropping and editing of photo’s. They have then been published on the Baku Olympiad website.

Photo of Azerbaijani Team 3. Taken by Rasinn, cropped and edited by Aydan
Photo of Azerbaijani Team 3. Taken by her father Rasim, cropped and edited by Aydan

Chesslife: We have been seeing you here, but should you not have gone to school during the week?

Aydan: We are in the middle of our school holidays, so plenty of time for me to help out dad.  Next week school returns, I go to a public school here in Baku.

Chesslife: So what makes you want to come out here and work and not stay at home and spend time with your friends?

Aydan: I would like to learn and grow as a person. Sitting at home would just be boring. Here I can meet interesting people.

David and Aydan
David and Aydan

 

Chesslife: Returning to your own chess. What is your favourite chess book?

Aydan: My favourite book is one of tactics by Leonid Kubbel. He was a Russian composer of chess endgame studies and problems.

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Chesslife: Who is your favourite player?

Aydan: That would be the late Vugar Gashimov.

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For those that may not  be aware – Vugar Gashimov was an Azerbaijani Grandmaster and played in the Olympiads in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. At his peak in 2009, he was the number 6 player in the world. Unfortunately in February 2000 he was diagnosed with epilepsy and doctors found a brain tumour shortly after that. While receiving treatment for the brain tumour, he died in Germany in January 2014. He is buried in Baku at the Alley of Honour, a cemetery for famed Azerbaijani’s.

Chesslife: What is your most memorable game from this Olympiad?

Aydan: The game that is currently in play in the third Azerbaijan team. If Abdulla Gadimbayli wins, the team wins, if he draws the team draws, if he loses, the team loses.

The third Open team from Azerbaijan is nicknamed ‘The Small Tigers’  and with the players aged from 13  to 16, they are showing how strong Azerbaijan will remain for many years to come.

Click on the board below for the game of Abdulla Gadimbayli against Jose Manuel Dominguez.

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Chesslife: What would you like to do in the future?

Aydan: I would like to become a criminologist, a lawyer specialising in crime. Chess is just a hobby, but I may hopefully one day become a WCM (Womens Candidate Master)

Chesslife: Don’t you want to become a Women’s Grandmaster?

Aydan: That is impossible!

Chesslife: Your level of English is amazing, where did you learn?

Aydan: I have a tutor to teach me English.

Aydan in the pressroom
Aydan in the pressroom

Chesslife: So besides chess, journalism and criminology, do you have any other hobbies?

Aydan: I like to listen to music and play footbal and volleybal.

 

Chesslife: What advice would you give to Australian Juniors?

Aydan:

Do something you love, not what your parents want you to do!

Great advice Aydan and we love the work you have been doin! You are an inspiration to many young people out there!

The next Aydan and Rasim took us to the grave of late GM Vugar Gashimov. An amazing place that is a worthy resting place for such a chess legend.

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We were then taken to the famous Baku Chess Club, where you can feel the decades of chess history

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Most memorable game from GM Murali Karthikeyan

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Just a couple of days ago we released our interview with 17 year old Grandmaster Murali Karthikeyan from India.

GM Murali Karthikeyan
GM Murali Karthikeyan

Since this interview Murali has been generous enough to make some time in his busy schedule to provide us with his most memorable game. And not only did he provide us with the PGN, he also took the time to annotate this for you. David has provided some further additional comments to the game.

This was played against Jason Cao at the World Youth Championships in 2014.

So enjoy a review of Murali and David about the game that provided this young Grandmaster with his title!

Click on the board below for the review

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