Chess Tiger

Two months ago, in my post on CCM PGN Game Scores, I listed the Chess Classic Mainz (CCM) PGN game scores available from the CCM site on Chesstigers.de, and mentioned that several of the 2005 events were missing. Now I can report that, as of two weeks ago, they are no longer missing.

Mike Rosa, aka Chess Tiger on the SchemingMind.com correspondence server as well as being a CCM insider, sent me an email with the missing games attached. Scheming Mind, in addition to chess and chess960, features many other chess variants from the well known to the hopelessly obscure. His Scheming Mind photo, shown reduced to the left looks a lot like GM Artur Jussupow in full wizard garb, and indeed, Mike informs that he is Jussupow's 'Co-Trainer for Chess960 and Traditional Chess'. [NB: Jussupow is better known to English speaking chess players as Yusupov, although you'll find web pages under any variation of the names '{J/Y}-u-{s/ss}-upo-{v/w}', thereby rivalling Korchnoi, Kortchnoi, Korschnoi, etc. as World Champion for difficulty in name transliteration.]

After forwarding the games, Mike left a flurry of comments on some of my other chess960 blog posts. On Chess960 @ CCM9, he noted that an 'English site for the CCM9 will follow soon!' It can now be found at Chess Classic Mainz 2009 (CCM9) 27. Juli - 2. August, along with info on the many chess and chess960 events like the forthcoming 6. Stadtwerke Mainz Chess960 Rapid World Championship with GMs Aronian, Bologan, Nakamura, and Movsesian.

On Chess960 Rules Formalized by FIDE?, he confirmed that 'FIDE added Chess960 to their "Laws Of Chess"' and gave a Chesstigers.de link to a PDF copy of the laws. I couldn't find the file on Fide.com.

Against Comments on Chess960 Opening Theory, he linked to the
W|NC|A Rating Library, which he called the 'Chess960 World Ranking'. The top five players are currently Ivanchuk (2818), Anand and Kamsky (both 2815), Aronian (2800), and Nakamura (2777). Aronian, several times winner of the Chess960 Rapid World Championship, is only 4th?

And on Chess960 World Championships, he noted 'Being a Chess Tiger and a member of the Chess Classic Team I can probably help you (all) to learn a little bit more about the so called "Chess Classic (Mainz)".' He followed this with an outline of CCM events since 1994.

Thanks, Mike!