Hi everyone!
There is some exciting chess being played in Canada this week!
With 12 GMs and several other titled players, the Quebec open is sure to feature some very interesting games. You can follow the four top boards LIVE here, and get the results here.
On top of the Quebec Open, Félix will also be following the 10th Annual Susan Polgar Foundation Girls' Invitational Tournament, which features over 200 thousand dollars in prizes and scholarships! Susan Polgar posted about it on her blog.
Another major event is taking place this week in Biel, Switzerland. The Biel International Chess Festival features 4 GMs rated over 2700 (FIDE) and several other participants. You can find coverage on the event's main website, or on Europe Échecs if you are Francophone.
Wondering about how to expand your repertoire? According to John, if you're looking for Opening ideas, and don't mind doing a little sifting, you could do worse than try the ChessPub Forum.
Finally, I ran into this rather useless but very entertaining Wiki page which records chess openings named after animals! Ever heard of the Pterodactyl Variation of the Modern, or of the Medusa Gambit? Perhaps. However, I bet you would never dare play the Wild Bull Defense or the Lobster Gambit in a tournament!
See you next week!