1999 in chess

Events in chess in 1999:

Top players

FIDE top 10 players by Elo rating - January 1999;

#Garry Kasparov RUS 2812
#Viswanathan Anand IND 2781
#Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2751
#Alexei Shirov ESP 2726
#Alexander Morozevich RUS 2723
#Michael Adams ENG 2716
#Vasily Ivanchuk UKR 2714
#Peter Svidler RUS 2713
#Anatoly Karpov RUS 2710
#Veselin Topalov BUL 2700

Chess news in brief

*The FIDE World Chess Championship is won by Alexander Khalifman in Las Vegas. Many leading players (including Garry Kasparov, Viswanathan Anand, Alexander Morozevich, Anatoly Karpov) boycott the event and there is talk of legal action against FIDE by Karpov.
*The proposed 'Ultimate Championship' between Kasparov and Anand is postponed when the sponsorship deal is withdrawn.
*FIDE's Women's World Chess Championship is won by Xie Jun, as she defeats Alisa Galliamova in the final. The proceedings are described as chaotic and unsatisfactory by the world press following Zsuzsa Polgar being stripped of her title and Galliamova defaulting in the Candidates Final.
*The Linares chess tournament is dominated by a rampant Kasparov (10½/14), 2½ clear points ahead of Kramnik and Anand (both 8/14).citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic227.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 227|date=15 March 1999|accessdate=2008-06-08]
*Kasparov wins at Sarajevo with 7/9, ahead of Evgeny Bareev and Alexei Shirov (both 6/9).
*Michael Adams (6/9) achieves a career-best tournament result, winning at Dos Hermanas ahead of Vladimir Kramnik (5½). Surprisingly, Anand is in joint last place (3½).
*Peter Leko (5/7) wins the Dortmund super-tournament, ahead of Kramnik (4½/7).citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic245.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 245|date=19 July 1999|accessdate=2008-06-15]
*At the annual Hoogovens tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Kasparov runs out the winner from Anand and Kramnik.citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic221.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 221|date=01 February 1999|accessdate=2008-06-08]
*The Frankfurt Giants takes the form of a 4-player, 4-round, all-play-all rapid event and is won by Kasparov, 1½ points ahead of Anand, Kramnik and Karpov.citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic243.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 243|date=05 July 1999|accessdate=2008-06-15]
*The European Team Chess Championship is held in Batumi, Georgia. Armenia take gold, Hungary silver and Germany bronze.
*An Advanced Chess Match between Vishwanathan Anand and Anatoly Karpov results in a crushing 5-1 victory for the Indian Grandmaster.
*Kasparov plays and wins an internet game against The World. The game is followed closely by the world media. Irina Krush wins much respect for her analysis and steering of the World side. Daniel King commentates on MSN.
*At the Melody Amber tournament in Monte Carlo, Kramnik is the overall winner, while Anand wins the 'rapid' section and Shirov the 'blindfold'.citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic228.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 228|date=22 March 1999|accessdate=2008-06-08]
*Pamplona is won by Alexander Morozevich, ahead of Michal Krasenkow and Loek Van Wely.citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic218.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 218|date=11 January 1999|accessdate=2008-06-08]
*Konstantin Sakaev wins the Russian Chess Championship held in Moscow.
*Julian Hodgson wins his third British Chess Championship title in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Harriet Hunt makes it her fourth victory in the Ladies event.
*Boris Gulko wins the Salt Lake City U. S. Chess Championship after a playoff. Anjelina Belakovskaia takes the Women's title.
*Joel Benjamin wins the Manhattan Chess Club Championship for the sixth time.
*The World Junior Chess Championship (Under 20) is won by Alexander Galkin in Yerevan, Armenia.
*The annual Groningen tournament contains a strong field of grandmasters. Sergei Tiviakov wins, ahead of Vadim Milov and Zoltan Almasi. The women's event is headed by Natalia Zhukova, closely followed by Antoaneta Stefanova and Peng Zhaoqin. Armenia's Sergei Movsesian takes first place in the Open.citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic217.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 217|date=04 January 1999|accessdate=2008-06-08]
*Tony Miles (8½/13) wins the Capablanca Memorial in Havana, ahead of Suat Atalik and Lazaro Bruzon (both 8/13).citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic237.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 237|date=24 May 1999|accessdate=2008-06-08]
*Prominent Chess publisher Batsford (formerly B. T. Batsford) ceases business activities.
*Bobby Fischer gives a series of radio interviews in Baguio City, Philippines. Much of the material is branded distasteful and offensive. Chess journalist Bobby Ang asks that listeners make some allowance for Fischer's state of mind following his recent losses; both his mother and sister had recently died and the U.S. authorities had auctioned all of his personal belongings and memorabilia.citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic220.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 220|date=25 January 1999|accessdate=2008-06-08]
*Tonu Oim wins the 14th Correspondence Chess World Championship (1994-99).
*In Hungary, Judit Polgar loses a (30 minute) rapid match to Fritz 5.32 by a 2½-5½ score.citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic234.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 234|date=03 May 1999|accessdate=2008-06-08]
*Shredder wins the 9th World Chess Computer Championship in Paderborn, Germany.
*Eight-year-old David Howell defeats John Nunn in a blitz game at the 3rd Mind Sports Olympiad.citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic252.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 252|date=06 September 1999|accessdate=2008-06-15]
*FIDE, the governing body of international chess, celebrates its 75th Anniversary. A number of FIDE's member federations, including Argentina, are excluded over the non-payment of fees.citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic259.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 259|date=25 October 1999|accessdate=2008-06-15]
*Alexander Baburin launches "Coffee-break Chess", an online newspaper for chess fans and a forerunner to his "Chess Today" and "Grandmaster Square" ventures.citation|last=Crowther|first=Mark|url=http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic256.html|title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 256|date=04 October 1999|accessdate=2008-06-15]

Deaths

*Lodewijk Prins, Dutch chess master and arbiter - November 11
*Lembit Oll, Estonian Grandmaster and world top 50 player - May 17
*Ortvin Sarapu, "Mr New Zealand Chess", 20-time NZ chess champion – April 13
*Gary Koshnitsky, Australian Master - September 17
*Catharina Roodzant, three-time winner of the women's Dutch championship – February 24
*Ramchandra Sapre, former national champion of India and chess columnist - May 18
*Francisco José Pérez Pérez, Spanish/Cuban master – September 11

Notes

References

*cite book | author=Burgess, Graham | title=Chess Highlights of the 20th Century | publisher=Gambit Publications | year=1999 | id=ISBN 1901983218
* [http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/history.txt Chess History & Chronology - Bill Wall]
* [http://www.olimpbase.org Olimpbase - Olympiads and other Team event information]
* [http://wwwcs.uni-paderborn.de/~wccc99/ World Computer Chess Championship]