WCC R7: An-Out-of-Book-at-All-Costs Draw

November 18, 2018

The seventh game of the World Championship Match ended in a draw after a 40-move Queen's Gambit Declined. This game marked the seventh straight draw of the Match--one game shy of the most consecutive draws to open a World Championship Match which happened during Anand-Kasparov 1995. Another bellwether from this game is the realization that, at the top level, getting one's opponent out of their preparation is more important than playing the most principled lines. The Match score is locked at 3.5 points apiece.

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MECA Coaches' Communique

November 18, 2018

Maine Chess Association President Michael Dudley shares his Coaches' Communique with details of the upcoming 2018-2019 scholastic chess season.

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MECA President's Letter

November 18, 2018

MECA President Michael Dudley has penned an update sharing what has been going on and what is planned to come related to the Maine Chess Association and chess in Maine in general. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

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Women's World Chess Championship Enters Final Match

November 17, 2018

Running concurrent with the World Chess Championship Match in London is the Women's World Chess Championship being played in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. The WWCC is a sixty-four player knockout tournament with each round consisting of two mini-matches and tiebreaks if necessary. The tournament's final match will begin on Monday, November 19th between current Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun of China and Challenger Kateryna Lagno of Russia.

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Carlsen Gets Back-to-Back Whites in Games 6 & 7

November 17, 2018

The World Chess Championship Match currently underway in London between Champion Magnus Carlsen and Challenger Fabiano Caruana will consist of twelve classical time control games and tiebreaks if the score is tied at the completion of the twelfth game. Each player will play six games with the white pieces and six games with the black pieces. If this is so, why is it that the Champion will play two consecutive games with the white pieces? We take a look at the rules and regulations for the FIDE World Championship Match.

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November 2018 Houlton Open Tournament Report

November 17, 2018

The snows came early this year in Maine. A nor'easter blew into eastern Maine and prevented quite a few players from getting to the Houlton Open on Saturday, November 17th. Four hearty locals had to take up the slack and play a three-round quad. When the smoke (and snow) had cleared, Roger Morin and Ray Haines shared first with 2.0 points and Lance Beloungie and Roger Hardison finished in equal third with a point apiece.

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WCC R6: Caruana Presses Carlsen to the Brink--Game 6 Drawn

November 16, 2018

Game 6 was the most exciting and fascinating game of the Match. From a sterile middlegame position, Caruana created some imbalances with 21...c5. At that point, both players and fans were in for a wild ride. A forced sequence later resulted in Carlsen giving up a piece for three pawns and opposite colored bishops. The position was very good for Caruana but Carlsen managed a fortress to hang on to a draw on move 80.

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WCC R5: A Tricky Wing Gambit Ends in a Draw

November 15, 2018

Two great players are battling it out at the World Chess Championship in London. In Game 5, the Challenger Fabiano Caruana, playing the white pieces, went for the unconventional Wing Gambit out of a Sicilian Rossolimo opening. Magnus Carlsen met this surprise with cool-headed sure play and the players entered a very interesting middlegame. After pawn sacrifices in both directions the position lost most of its dynamism and the players agreed to a draw after white's thirty-first move. The Match is now tied at 2.5 points apiece.

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WCC R4: A Easy, Comfortable Draw for Caruana With Black

November 13, 2018

So far in this World Chess Championship Match the player with the white pieces has had a very difficult time whipping up any kind of advantage. In today's game, Game 4 of the Match, Fabiano Caruana held the positions with black comfortably and with relative ease. The players shook hands after thirty-four moves had been made. This, incidentally, was only four moves more than the rule that stipulates no draw offer are to be made before move thirty.

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WCC R3: Draw!

November 12, 2018

The third game of the World Chess Championship Match in London ended in a draw. Both players now have 1.5 points going into Game 4. Interesting points to consider after this game are opening preparation, pressing with the black pieces, and the Challenger not, as yet, hitting his best form.

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