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Grandmaster
Kamsky Plays in the National Open
World-Champion challenger and US Grandmaster,
Gata Kamsky was the honored guest and participant at
the 2008 National Open held in Las Vegas, Nevada. His
appearance at the tournament included a chance for his
fans to meet him personally during his rounds and during
his simultaneous exhibition. Kamsky finished tied for
first with 5 players at 5 points. He managed to
win 4 of his games and draw 2.
When you consider that one game can last six hours,
and 2 could be twelve hours in one day, you understand
how draining a tournament can be for the top players.
All the game scores are available on the Monroi website,
www.monroi.com including his simultaneous games.
At the beginning of the tournament Gata was introduced
and given a standing ovation in the tournament hall
as he made his way to Board 1 where he ceremoniously
played the entire tournament. Shown below is Gata being
introduced and awaiting his first round opponent.
He
has to wait 40 minutes for his opponent to appear and
wound up winning a sharp Center Counter game.
In Round
3 Gata played Grandmaster Mark Paragua and played an
exciting Nadjorf Sicilian. For close to an hour over
150 spectators watched the game as Gata was down the
exchange and looked to be on the ropes. Some quick
moves quickly got the advantage back in an even material
ending where he could squeeze his opponent for a victory.
(1)
Gata Kamsky (2782) - Mark Paragua (2588) [B99]
National Open
2008 Las Vegas
1.e4
c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 Time
for another round with the Nadjorf. This defense has
been played by World Champions for decades. What
does Gata hav prepared? 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qc7
This is a different order. Normally
Be7 is played to avoid the pawns being scrambled but
this give the game its unique character. 8.Bxf5
gxf6 9.Qd2 Nc6 10.Nb3 b5 So Black starts his
attack on the queen side. 11.Bd3 Bb7 12.a4 Kamsky
tries to open up the game without either King being
castled. 12..b4 Mark says no 13
Ne2 b4 Rg8 14.g3 O-O-O, 15 O-O-O so both kings
go castle long and neither one looks all that safe.
This was probably just to get the rooks connected.
15...d5 time to open it up 16.exd5
Rxd5 17.Qe3 Na5 18.Bxh7 Nxb3 19.Qxb3 Rh8 20.Bd3 Ra5
21.Bc4 Bxh1 so Gata is now down the exchange.
22.Rxh1 Qc6 23.Rd1 Rxh2 24.Nd4 Rxa4 25.Kb1
Rh1? This is where black misses his best line.
Rd2 spotted by Fritz keeps all the pressure and also
the extra material. Gata thought for 35 minutes here
before responding 26.Bf1 Qd7 27.Qf3! Qd5 28.Qxd5
exd5 29.Bxa6 so the material comes back afterall
Rxa6 30.Rxh1 Bc5 31.Nf5 Kd7 32.Rh7 Ke6 33.Ng7
Kd7 34.Rh5 Rd6 35.Ka2 Bf2 36.Kb3 1-0
Before the
tournament on Thursday, Gata held a 21 board simultaneous
exhibition Shown above is Gata taking on all the challengers.
Although he did not win all the games ( 2 draws) Gata
gave everyone of his opponents a thrill of a lifetime.
Gata
Kamsky Interview
The
following is an interview with USA Grandmaster and World
Championship candidate Gata Kamsky conducted by Chess
Journalist Jerry Hanken shortly after the National Open
concluded at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada
on June 10 th , 2008. (Used with permission)
JH:
I am very fortunate in being able to interview Gata
Kamsky upon the occasion of his winning the Edmundson
cup, signifying the Championship of the 2008 National
Open. Congratulations Gata.
GK:
Thank you very much.
Have
you ever played in a swiss tournament before when you
were guaranteed to be on first board, win or lose, the
entire competition?
That
was a nice feeling.
Of
course, you would have been on first in any case as
you never gave up the lead and you were the top rated
player.
The
really great moment for me was when I simply walked
into the room and even before I was introduced while
going to my board, there was everyone standing and clapping
for me. It has never happened in my life before and
I was quite overwhelmed.
I
think you can see that you are very much admired and
even loved by the American chess public.
Thank
you. Part of the reason I play chess is not only for
myself but for the people who enjoy and follow chess.
It
is a very bright prospect to have a possibility of a
third American World Champion who is actually sane!
What
makes you think I am sane? (LAUGHS). Sometimes I wonder
just how sane I am!.
Trust
me, compared to the first two you are a model of good
mental health!
How
did you like the conditions of the National Open overall?
I
was very pleased with all the conditions. The organizers
and directors did a fine job.
World
Championship Quest
As
it stands now, is it certain that the match with Veselin
Topovov will happen?
It
is about ninety percent certain now. That is up from
about 40 percent last month.
Do
you recall that when I interviewed you a couple of years
ago you said you would give yourself until age 40 to
win the world title and if not, you would then devote
your life to the law. Do you still feel that way?
Yes,
I am now 34 so that gives me another six years.
Did
you have very strong feelings as to where the Topolov
match would be held?
I
only wanted it to be held in neutral territory.
Do
you feel that the US Chess Federation has treated you
fairly and represented your interests in the matter
of the match?
I
was not directly involved in the negotiations but as
I see it, the USCF tried very hard on my behalf and
I have no reason to be displeased with their efforts.
If the match comes off in November,
this will preclude your playing on the US Olympic team
.
Yes
and that's too bad as I would love to represent my country
in the Olympics This is where all the top players come
together and help each other There is a real sense of
camaraderie with those players you are otherwise competing
against. You are just one of many Grandmasters who have
a common goal, to bring honor to their countries.
Well
if you do become World Champion you can still play on
future Olympic teams.
That
is looking farther ahead than I am now prepared to look.
Topolov is still a great challenge. He is one of the
very best. I want to take this one step at a time.
Recent
Results
In
recent tournaments you seem to have hit a downturn or
perhaps we could call it a slump .You had come back
to where you were as a young man and even seemed to
have surpassed that strength. What do you think is the
reason for this?
I
have been trying new ideas and have worked with some
new people. I have done some experimenting in the openings
and have increased my repertoire. Sometimes it takes
a little time to integrate the new approaches.
Who
are your new coaches?
Let's
skip that question for now.
When
you first won the FIDE Cup with that magnificent match
achievement, you said you would play in the FIDE Gran
Prix. Is that still your intention?
Yes.
You can only play in four so I am doing two this year
and two next.
Are
there any other American tournaments you may consider
playing this year?
I
am afraid not. I am busy with my preparations for the
match and am also scheduled for some fundraising events
plus several International events to which I am committed.
Simultaneous
Exhibition in Las Vegas
(
Gata played 21players in a simul before the main event
and yielded only two draws. The boards went for $100
a player)
Family
Life
I
had heard that your five year old son Adam was a bit
under the weather before the National Open. Is he OK
now?
Yes
he is fine.
How
difficult is to balance family life and obligations
with the demands of being a professional chess player?
Any
professional in any field must find that balance. I
am lucky to have the love and support of my family to
keep my perspective.
I
recall asking you before as to how much time you put
in on chess a day. You told me “Not enough but maybe
a couple of hours a day” Is that still the case?
Yes
but when I am in a tournament or just before, I do spend
many hours studying.
Do you spend time with your family
watching TV or movies and going on family trips?
Yes
of course. Sometime my coaches get angry with me because
the want me to spend all my time on chess! (laughs)
But I think I keep things balanced pretty well.
Do
you think Adam will be a chessplayer?
No
That's
a pretty firm no.
Actually
it's a conditional no. It's what he wants which will
be important. As a parent you have to guide a child.
I certainly don't want him to have the kind of childhood
I had but that certainly won't happen.
They
do start them at five these days.
We
are not pushing him at all. We just want him to grow
into a fine human being.
You
see, that's why I said you are sane!
Tension
during a Match
What
do you think of all the craziness that came out of the
Kramnic Topolov match?
There
is always heightened tension in a top match and I don't
think that anything actually was going on besides chess.
I recall the atmosphere of my Karpov match and the tension
seems to distort things.
Do
you think your game has actually come back or surpassed
what it was then?
It's
hard to say. My openings now suck. I have spent so many
hours with other GMs trying to refine them but still
I am not happy with where they are.
What
was your best game of this tournament?
I
think my 4 th round game with Atuniam was my best. It
was consistent and thematic. There were ups and downs
in the others but I like that one.
Levon
Altounian vs Gata Kamsky
It
seems as if you have almost a sixth sense in finding
winning ideas in what others would only see as tranquil
positions.
When
you are playing the very top players, you have to get
all you can out of every position. I try to find the
subtleties in a position and let them take me where
the game goes.
The
Future
What
are your priorities in life now?
First
is family and after that, maybe I can say personnel
happiness.
How
is your health?
It's
pretty good. I have gained a little weight lately.
I
thought you had lost some.
It's
the black suit.
So
what is your schedule up to the match?
The
Gran Prix event coming up and then then there is the
TAL Memorial in Moscow in August. At the end of that,
there will be a World Class Blitz in which I will compete.
Do
you like Blitz?
Yes,
I like it quite a lot. I don't play as seriously as
some do. I just do it for fun. You can tell quite a
bit about a person by the way he plays Blitz. All the
emotions are just out there and you can't hide them.
Farewell
and Good Luck
It
was very nice of you to take this time to chat with
me. One of my proudest moments is when you said in a
a prior interview that we have been friends for years.
I
still feel that way. If you have further questions,
feel free to call me or email me.
We
will all be following you in your quest for the championship.
Thank
you and thanks to all the people at the National Open.
It has been greatly enjoyable for me.
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