The 10th annual Karpov chess tournament ended June 12 in Poikovsky, a small city of 20,000 in western Siberia. Former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov designed this event as a 10-player round robin, and the tradition has continued as the chess tournament has gradually grown into one of the world's strongest, with an average rating of 2695. A Russian gas company helps sponsor the tournament. Alexander Motylev of Russia took first prize by defeating chief rival Vugar Gashimov of Azerbaijan in the penultimate round. Motylev scored an undefeated 7-2, while Gashimov finished second with 6-3. Alexander Onischuk of Maryland, the 2006 U.S. chess champion, scored ...

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