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Final standings
1. Wang Hao (2739), CHN - 19
2. Magnus Carlsen (2837), NOR - 18
3-4. Anish Giri (2696), NED; Hikaru Nakamura (2778), USA - 16
5. Etienne Bacrot (2713), FRA - 7
6. Viorel Bologan (2732), MDA - 4

The two most widely discussed topics at this year's Biel Grandmaster tournament were Magnus Carlsen's rating and the situation concerning Alexander Morozevich. Moro gets our "get well" wishes. Wang Hao is the winner of the supertournament, congrats!
And Magnus Carlsen was very close to beating Garry Kasparov's all-time rating record. A lot of websites started speculating on this, but we decided to modestly wait a bit and see what happens. Magnus, maybe next time!

P.S. The scores above are obtained using the dubious 3-1-0 scoring system. Here's how the table would have looked if the organizers had used the normal system:

1. Carlsen - 7
2. Wang Hao - 6.5
3-4. Giri, Nakamura - 6
5. Bacrot - 3
6. Bologan - 1.5

Official website

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Rank		Old	Name	Title	Country	Rating	Games
	1	1	Carlsen, Magnus	g	NOR	2837 (0)	0 (-9)
	2	2	Aronian, Levon	g	ARM	2816 (0)	0 (-15)
	3	3	Kramnik, Vladimir	g	RUS	2797 (-2)	9 (-6)
	4	4	Radjabov, Teimour	g	AZE	2788 (0)	0 (-9)
	5	6	Karjakin, Sergey	g	RUS	2785 (+6)	9 (+9)
	6	5	Anand, Viswanathan	g	IND	2780 (0)	0 (-12)
	7	7	Nakamura, Hikaru	g	USA	2778 (0)	0 (-23)
	8	8	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2773 (-2)	15 (-7)
	9	9	Morozevich, Alexander	g	RUS	2770 (0)	0 (-9)
	10	10	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2769 (0)	0 (-15)
	11	11	Grischuk, Alexander	g	RUS	2763 (0)	0 (-9)
	12	12	Topalov, Veselin	g	BUL	2752 (0)	0 (0)
	13	13	Svidler, Peter	g	RUS	2749 (0)	0 (-4)
	14	14	Kamsky, Gata	g	USA	2746 (+2)	9 (-2)
	15	16	Gelfand, Boris	g	ISR	2738 (0)	0 (-12)
	16	22	Leko, Peter	g	HUN	2737 (+7)	9 (+2)
	17	17	Gashimov, Vugar	g	AZE	2737 (0)	0 (0)
	18	20	Bologan, Viktor	g	MDA	2734 (+2)	10 (+1)
	19	24	Ponomariov, Ruslan	g	UKR	2734 (+8)	9 (+9)
	20	19	Tomashevsky, Evgeny	g	RUS	2730 (-3)	5 (-4)
	21	21	Jobava, Baadur	g	GEO	2730 (0)	0 (-10)
	22	23	Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	g	AZE	2729 (+3)	8 (+8)
	23	15	Wang, Hao	g	CHN	2726 (-13)	11 (+1)
	24	25	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	g	CUB	2725 (0)	0 (-10)
	25	18	Jakovenko, Dmitry	g	RUS	2722 (-14)	16 (+16)
	26	26	Adams, Michael	g	ENG	2722 (-1)	10 (-4)
	27	29	Wojtaszek, Radoslaw	g	POL	2717 (0)	0 (0)
	28	45	Andreikin, Dmitry	g	RUS	2715 (+15)	14 (+14)
	29	30	Fressinet, Laurent	g	FRA	2714 (0)	0 (-9)
	30	33	Almasi, Zoltan	g	HUN	2713 (0)	0 (0)
	31	31	Bacrot, Etienne	g	FRA	2713 (0)	0 (-14)
	32	32	McShane, Luke J	g	ENG	2713 (0)	0 (-10)
	33	44	Naiditsch, Arkadij	g	GER	2712 (+12)	9 (-6)
	34	27	Riazantsev, Alexander	g	RUS	2712 (-8)	6 (-7)
	35	49	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2711 (+15)	7 (-7)
	36	35	Bruzon Batista, Lazaro	g	CUB	2711 (0)	0 (0)
	37	42	Volokitin, Andrei	g	UKR	2709 (+5)	2 (+2)
	38	34	Malakhov, Vladimir	g	RUS	2708 (-4)	16 (+16)
	39	37	Sasikiran, Krishnan	g	IND	2707 (0)	0 (-8)
	40	40	Moiseenko, Alexander	g	UKR	2706 (0)	0 (-5)
	41	39	Shirov, Alexei	g	LAT	2706 (0)	0 (-10)
	42	43	Vitiugov, Nikita	g	RUS	2705 (+2)	16 (+16)
	43	28	Nepomniachtchi, Ian	g	RUS	2704 (-14)	16 (+6)
	44	47	Wang, Yue	g	CHN	2703 (+6)	5 (-3)

Rank		Old	Name	Title	Country	Rating	Games
	1	1	Polgar, Judit	g	HUN	2698 (-11)	12 (+12)
	2	3	Muzychuk, Anna	g	SLO	2606 (0)	0 (-14)
	3	2	Hou, Yifan	g	CHN	2603 (-14)	22 (+7)
	4	4	Koneru, Humpy	g	IND	2593 (-5)	11 (0)
	5	5	Zhao, Xue	g	CHN	2549 (-7)	22 (+3)
	6	6	Dzagnidze, Nana	g	GEO	2547 (0)	0 (0)
	7	7	Lahno, Kateryna	g	UKR	2542 (+5)	11 (-4)
	8	9	Kosintseva, Tatiana	g	RUS	2530 (0)	0 (-11)
	9	12	Ju, Wenjun	wg	CHN	2528 (+10)	22 (+1)
	10	13	Kosintseva, Nadezhda	g	RUS	2524 (+8)	11 (0)
	11	11	Sebag, Marie	g	FRA	2521 (0)	0 (0)
	12	10	Cmilyte, Viktorija	g	LTU	2520 (-5)	13 (+2)
	13	14	Zatonskih, Anna	m	USA	2512 (0)	0 (-9)
	14	16	Khotenashvili, Bela	m	GEO	2509 (+4)	16 (+5)
	15	8	Gunina, Valentina	m	RUS	2507 (-26)	18 (+15)
	16	20	Cramling, Pia	g	SWE	2503 (+17)	16 (+13)
	17	17	Harika, Dronavalli	g	IND	2503 (+4)	13 (+5)
	18	15	Stefanova, Antoaneta	g	BUL	2502 (-3)	18 (+2)
	19	21	Ruan, Lufei	wg	CHN	2492 (+9)	11 (+11)
	20	19	Zhu, Chen	g	QAT	2491 (0)	0 (0)
	21	24	Kosteniuk, Alexandra	g	RUS	2489 (+17)	14 (+3)
	22	18	Paehtz, Elisabeth	m	GER	2483 (-10)	8 (+3)
	23	23	Danielian, Elina	g	ARM	2476 (-4)	14 (-1)
	24	22	Socko, Monika	g	POL	2467 (-14)	10 (+7)
	25	29	Krush, Irina	m	USA	2467 (+3)	9 (0)
	26	32	Muzychuk, Mariya	m	UKR	2466 (+10)	12 (+12)
	27	26	Galliamova, Alisa	m	RUS	2465 (0)	0 (-11)
	28	27	Xu, Yuhua	g	CHN	2465 (0)	0 (0)
	29	28	Hoang, Thanh Trang	g	HUN	2464 (0)	0 (-30)
	30	25	Moser, Eva	m	AUT	2459 (-12)	7 (-13)
	31	37	Javakhishvili, Lela	m	GEO	2458 (+9)	10 (+10)
	32	30	Dembo, Yelena	m	GRE	2457 (0)	0 (0)
	33	39	Tan, Zhongyi	wg	CHN	2456 (+9)	6 (-34)
	34	34	Mkrtchian, Lilit	m	ARM	2454 (+4)	11 (+2)
	35	38	Atalik, Ekaterina	m	TUR	2453 (+5)	13 (-4)
	36	35	Hunt, Harriet V	m	ENG	2450 (0)	0 (-7)
	37	42	Huang, Qian	wg	CHN	2449 (+6)	11 (-18)
	38	41	Pogonina, Natalija	wg	RUS	2448 (+1)	16 (+16)
	39	31	Khurtsidze, Nino	m	GEO	2444 (-12)	11 (+11)
	40	43	Skripchenko, Almira	m	FRA	2442 (0)	0 (-10)
	41	44	Zhukova, Natalia	g	UKR	2442 (0)	0 (0)
	42	40	Munguntuul, Batkhuyag	m	MGL	2434 (-13)	14 (-7)
	43	55	Girya, Olga	wg	RUS	2433 (+19)	25 (+25)
	44	33	Ushenina, Anna	m	UKR	2433 (-19)	10 (+1)

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From July 1-9 St. Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia, hosted the 8^th unofficial match between Russia and China. The format of the event has usually been different each year. This time the participants had to play 5 classical games and 10 rapid ones. Each team was composed of 5 male and 5 female players. For the Russian grandmasters the match was especially important since it normally plays a large role in determining the Olympic Team.
 

Of course, the confrontation between the women’s teams is more important in the sense that Russia is the reigning Olympic Champion, while China is the current World Team Champion. The Russian men’s team is obviously stronger than the Chinese, but the best GMs of the latter team (Wang Hao, Wang Yue) are of world class and can also lead their comrades to victory over anyone else.
 

From the Russian side there were mainly candidates for the Olympic team and some juniors. Our women’s team was: Valentina Gunina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Natalia Pogonina, Olga Girya, Baira Kovanova (average rating – 2451.4). The Russian men’s team: Dmitry Jakovenko, Evgeny Tomashevsky, Ian Nepomniatchi, Nikita Vitiugov, Maxim Matlakov (average rating – 2711.6). The Chinese team was more or less at its optimal composition. Men: Wang Hao, Wang Yue, Li Chao, Ding Liren, Yu Yangyi (average rating – 2691.8). Chinese women’s team: Zhao Xue, Ju Wenjun, Huang Qiang, Shen Yang, Ding Yixin (average rating - 2472.8). At the Olympid Yu Yangyi will be replaced by Bu Xiangzhi and Shen Yang by Hou Yifan.
 

A separate score is kept for men and women; both for classical chess and for rapid. However, the final result of the match is the sum of the points of each of the national teams. Up to this point Russia was losing to China 4-3. Hence, we were hoping to equalize the score after this match. This article will be dedicated to the classical part of the women’s confrontation, while the second part will be about rapid chess. Also, you can find more details about the members of the team, ratings, etc., in this preview post.

Your Chess.com columnist near one of the most beautiful churches in St. Petersburg

Five rounds is a very short distance, so the teams have to be extremely careful. On Day 1 our team missed two great chances to score:

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Thank you Natalia for taking the time and granting us this interview to answer
questions from your fans at ChessRex.com.
 

Natalia says, “the more original and uncommon they are, the better.”
 

kingsnehashis:
 

1) When our opponent castles, should we use all our strength in attacking the castled king, or concentrate more on controlling the center?
 

Natalia:
 

Chess is a very complicated game, so there are no universal rules of this scale. The devil is in the details, so sometimes you have to play for a direct king attack; sometimes in the center; sometimes even on the other side of the board, etc.
 

2) While playing, what things should grandmasters always keep in mind?
 

Natalia:

Try not to fall asleep, I guess.
 

3) Which offers more chances to win — an attacking approach or defensive playing?
 

Natalia:
 

Being a universal player. Also, it’s more about playing well than having a certain style. For example, while being universal, Kasparov is more of a tactical player. Carlsen is more positional. But I bet you wouldn’t be unhappy about having either of their ratings.
 

4) In blitz, when both the sides are in equal position and any wrong move can
invite a blunder and you don’t have much time left, how do you find a suitable move quickly?
 

Natalia:
 

You have to develop your intuition and practice a lot in order to get used to playing quickly and well. Also, when both partners are short on time in blitz, many mistakes go unpunished. So you should try to avoid making obvious blunders and confuse the opponent if possible.
 

AVIJIT DAS:
 

1) Suppose you are playing with another GM and the foremost rule is that you
have to draw the game, what opening would you start with that will help you to force the draw?
 

Natalia:
 

I will just play my standard openings and try to win, but keep in mind that if there is a way to draw (e.g., perpetual check), then I can go for it. Choosing “dead drawn” openings is bad from the psychological point of view. A player starts simplifying the position and talking himself into believing that he will be able to hold it. Gradually, the position is becoming worse and worse, and then he loses. Therefore, you should remember that when you need a draw you are happy with either drawing or winning. Basically, two outcomes out of three suit you.
 

2) If in chess… all pawns become bishop…then what would be the problem in
playing the game? Or who will get the advantage…White or Black? If you are playing such game as white, then what would be your first move and why?
 

Natalia:
 

This “game” is a mate in 4: 1. Bf7 Kf7 2.Bc4 (or 2.Bh5) Ke8 3.Qh5 Bg6 4.Qg6X
There are a few sub-variations (exercise: find them), but it’s still a mate in 4.
 

3) What are the differences between normal chess and jumping chess in terms of tactics?

http://www.chessvariants.org/crossover.dir/jumpingchess.html

Why is jumping chess is not so popular?
Do you think Online Chess sites need to include this type of chess?
 

Natalia:
 

Personally I prefer classical chess over all the variants. Also, I believe that in terms of marketing it’s better to have one official format and promote it. If we have a hundred versions of the game, each of which is played by a few thousand fans, we won’t ever get anywhere in terms of establishing chess as one of the world’s leading sports. However, don’t get me wrong, I mean no offence to people who enjoy other types of chess. I myself used to play bughouse and other variations when I was a teen.
 

4) What is best way, resign early when we see the coming defeat or see till the end? What do you prefer?
 

Natalia:
 

My formula for this is “resign when the weaker of the two players realizes that it’s all over”. You can find a detailed answer in my article “When should one resign?”.
 

5) If God gives you the power to turn your family in to chess set then which chess piece (other than Queen) would you like to be and why?
 

Natalia:
 

I love all my pieces equally; otherwise one of them might become insulted and start avenging me. Besides, don’t you think that being a human is somewhat more advantageous than being a chess piece?
 

6) If all the chess pieces become alive and they are in a battle field then which chess piece would be less tensed and why?
 

Natalia:
 

Maybe the bishops, because they will set their hopes upon God’s mercy?
 

7) I have weakness in playing fast games, in a hurry I make more blunders than my opponent, but I can play days game well where I can take time and give my moves.  Can you give me some tips that would help me to play blitz games better?
 

Natalia:
 

Hope this article will help (“Playing Blitz”).
 

8.) Can chess make a child an introvert or unsocial?  I’m asking this because I have seen such kids and elder people who are such type.  Obviously it doesn’t apply for all, but is it true to some extent?
 

Natalia:
 

I am afraid you are mixing up the cause and the effect here. I’ve read stories about kids who, for example, had an injured leg, so they had to stay at home and read books/play chess. Then they grew up relatively unsocial. Or someone who doesn’t like to communicate a lot with other people might decide to choose chess as a career, because of its “silent” nature. However, many of the people who like chess are very amicable and communicable. To sum it all up, chess does attract a lot of nerds and nuts, but it doesn’t mean that everyone who plays it must be one.
 

Last but not least, introvert and unsocial are not synonyms. While being unsocial is typically regarded to be a negative trait, being an introvert is quite ok.
 

chesspro:
 

1) I recently played in a high school dual meet.  I was beating my opponent and during my turn I knocked over my king by mistake.  We stopped the clocks and the game and asked our teacher if this means I resigned because he would accept the resignation.  Teacher said to keep playing as if it never happened.  I eventually beat him, although he said that I accept his mistake resignation.  My question is did I or he win the game?
 

Natalia:
 

Knocking the king off the board doesn’t mean resignation. We all know this symbolic action from movies/history, but in the modern world it doesn’t have a legal status. There is another example: capturing the king. Kids are often taught that the goal of the game is to capture the opponent’s king (some coaches think that this concept is easier to understand than checkmating). So, imagine a situation when one of the players makes an illegal move and exposes his king to a capture. The other one happily grabs it and says he won. This happens all the time. Instead, of course, the illegal move should be annulled, and the game should continue in a normal way.
 

2) Is the Fried Liver attack for black?  Can black also play this attack?  It is one of my favorite attacks.
 

Natalia:
 

Did you mean to ask if there is an equivalent of the Fried Liver attack for Black? Guess not, because Black doesn’t have the time for it. Also, against die-hard Fried Liver fans one can simply play 3…Bc5 instead of 3…Nf6.
 

3) I have a question, should I read to become stronger at chess, or is playing enough?
 

Natalia:
 

I’d say that the stronger you are, the more you have to study. For novices the ratio is maybe 80% practice, 20% theory. For mid-level (Expert to FM) it is closer to 50%-50%. The very top GMs can spend 90% of the time or more preparing for the games.
 

Also, by practice I mean playing classical and rapid time control games and carefully analyzing one’s mistakes afterwards. If one, for example, just keeps mindlessly playing blitz day after day on the Internet, his skills will improve somewhat, but not much. Theory and practice always go hand in hand.
 

4) I have come across many books by grandmasters, should I purchase one?
 

Natalia:
 

Of course. Since your question implies that you have never bought chess books before, I suggest you start with something about the history of the game and/or a chess manual of some sort. Just don’t buy one of those voluminous boring opening encyclopedias.
 

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