3/26/2013 – Magnus Carlsen magically survived a powerful novelty by Vladimir Kramnik in a Catalan; Peter Svidler and Alexander Grischuk played the most spectacular game of the tournament so far; after six and a half hours of play, Vassily Ivanchuk scored his first win of the tournament; and Boris Gelfand defeated Levon Aronian in a game that was critical for the tournament standings. Postgame press conferences.

3/25/2013 – A leader emerges – naturally it's Carlsen. The Norwegian super-star must count how many lives he has remaining, as he certainly used one up today to salvage his game against Kramnik. Aronian fell prey to an emerging Gelfand, which gives Carlsen solo lead. Svidler and Grischuk played a spectacular game, while Ivanchuk ground down Radjabov with technical precision. Full report inside.

3/25/2013 – As you probably know and have seen, at the London Candidates, in addition to the live commentary during the entire round, the players have agreed to give live interviews immediately after each round, and actually analyse the games they have just completed. This often provides fascinating insights to their thinking, as well as many interesting factoids around the game.

3/24/2013 – One of the wonderful things about chess is its unpredictability, and after two rounds of all draws where wins had been expected, today saw three wins where at most one was expected. While Carlsen and Aronian drew, Radjabov fell prey to a battling Gelfand, Kramnik squeezed Svidler until he choked, and Grischuk beat Ivanchuk in his first Candidates win in six years. Round eight report.

3/24/2013 – At the London Candidates Tournament we can see an ambitious project by the organisers FIDE and AGON: the innovative display of the games in progress, on mobile tablets for the audience and on computer screens for people at home. The goal is to make this software platform the standard for chess entertainment broadcasting and turn chess into an exciting spectator sport. Press release.

3/23/2013 – Four draws, but the round could easily have had three decisive results. Ivanchuk-Svidler was a lifeless draw. Aronian couldn’t convert a pleasant position against Grischuk. But the highlights of the day were clearly the missed opportunities by Gelfand and Radjabov against Kramnik and Carlsen – one could’ve smashed his opponent’s kingside, the other was simply up an exchange. Round seven report.

3/22/2013 – The first game to end was Svidler vs Carlsen, a smooth win for the Norwegian in a more or less standard Ruy Lopez position. Levon Aronian beat Teimour Radjabov on the black side of another relatively quiet Ruy. Vladimir Kramnik had good chances against Vassily Ivanchuk, but once again couldn't get the ball into the net. Carlsen and Aronian now have a 1.5 lead over the field. Video postgame discussions and analysis by IM Zura Javakhadze.

3/21/2013 – Joseph "the Black Death" Blackburne – famous for his prowess with the Black pieces - must be smiling as he sees today’s games in the Candidates! As the second player, Carlsen and Aronian dismantled Svidler’s and Radjabov’s early d3 Spanish. Gelfand couldn’t punish Grischuk’s blunder, and Kramnik and Ivanchuk drew in a wild game. Analysis to follow. Express report.

3/21/2013 – One of the fascinating innovations of top-level chess tournaments is that players have now agreed to give live interviews immediately after each round, and actually analyse the games they have just completed. Take a look at round five, where all eight players appeared to discuss their games  with press officer Anastasiya Karlovich.

3/20/2013 – Both Peter Svidler and Vassily Ivanchuk had winning chances today, against Boris Gelfand and Magnus Carlsen respectively. Svilder mysteriously missed it, as did Ivanchuk in his usual time trouble. Vladimir Kramnik outplayed Levon Aronian, who however found some very resourceful moves to draw the game.  Round five report with pictures and videos.

3/20/2013 – Dr John Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once was in the world's top ten. He is no longer active as a competition player but works mainly in writing and publishing chess books. During round four of the Candidates Tournament in London he appeared at the press-center for the first time, keeping a low profile. He predicted: the winner will be determined in the last round. Interview.

3/20/2013 – On the free day, Monday, the national British TV channel BBC News interviewed the organiser of the Candidates Tournament Andrew Paulson, and the highest-ranking chess player in the world Magnus Carlsen. During the discussion the presenter Ros Atkins played a game against Magnus, in which he was proud to give a check on move eight. Watch it on BBC News.

3/19/2013 – The World #1 proves again that he can win any type of position. A powerful dark squared blockade enabled Magnus Carlsen to be safe in the kingside while his knights tore apart the weakened structure on Alexander Grischuk’s queenside. The other three games of the round were drawn, which meant that Carlsen and Aronian are now tied in the lead with 3.0/4 points. Full report with GM commentary.

3/18/2013 – It was easily the most exciting day of the Candidates Tournament so far: three decisive games, two of which saw Black taking home the full point. In our report yesterday we brought you express analysis of one game, Ivanchuk vs Aronian, and today we have GM/IM commentary of the other two (and more on Ivanchuk-Aronian) in our illustrated round 3+ report.

3/18/2013 – The Israeli GM is theoretically the top seed in this event, due to his his status as the incumbent challenger – he took Anand to the brink in the 2012 World Championship match. But he is eighth on FIDE ratings in this tournament, while a certain Norwegian is the world's number one (we are saving him for our final portrait). Boris Gelfand is the subject of today's portrait by Michael von Keitz.

3/17/2013 – Peter Svidler won an excellent game against Teimour Radjabov; Levon Aronian beat Vassily Ivanchuk, with the black pieces, in what was certainly the most gripping game of the round; and Magnus Carlsen outplayed Boris Gelfand, also with black, in the last game to end. Aronian leads with 2.5/3 and a 3069 performance, followed by Peter Svidler and Magnus Carlsen. Full report with GM analysis.

3/16/2013 – With the ghost of a drawfest from the previous Candidates cycle, and the sedate first round, Carlsen’s quick draw with Kramnik caused some consternation. This was soon dissipated as Gelfand missed a deadly Bh6+ and succumbed to Aronian, while Radjabov concluded a deadly vice against Ivanchuk for the second point. The Candidates is certainly heating up. Now with GM analyis.

3/15/2013 – Peter Svidler vs Vladimir Kramnik finished as a draw in 23 moves. Levon Aronian vs Magnus Carlsen lasted 31 moves before a draw was agreed. Gelfand-Radjabov lasted 36 moves and Ivanchuk-Grischuk 44. Anyone hoping for major upsets or heroic wins will have to wait until the players shrug off their caution. Full report with pictures, video and GM analysis.

3/15/2013 – The Candidates Tournament for the World Championship 2013 starts on Friday. The main sponsor is the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic SOCAR, which has sponsored elite events chess in the past. The players are all in London, and on Thursday there was a brief ceremony at which FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov official opened the event. Ray Morris-Hill sent us pictures.

3/14/2013 – He broke onto the world chess scene at the Manila Olympiad 1992, a 16-year-old protégé of Garry Kasparov, whom he defeated in the World Championship match 2000 in London. He was dethroned by Vishy Anand in 2008, where he stated that he was only "loaning the title to Anand". The London Candidates is a first step in retrieving it. Michael von Keitz provides a portrait and full statistics.

3/13/2013 – He is the top concern – the "main rival" – for the tournament favourite Magnus Carlsen. Armenian GM Levon Aronian, whose encounters with the Norwegian superstar are many and memorable, started his international career as the World Under-12 Champion in 1994. A steady climb took him to a permanent slot as number two or three place on the FIDE world rankings. Three days before the upcoming Candidates Tournament, where he will face Carlsen in round one, Michael von Keitz provides an Aronian portrait with full statistics.

3/12/2013 – Friday March 15, 14:00h London time: Levon Aronian will play  Magnus Carlsen in the first round of the Candidates Tournament for the World Championship 2013. On Playchess, starting at around 15:00h GM Daniel King will be commenting. In this  preview of the event we bring you a charming anecdote by Malcolm Pein, some interesting statistics and predictions, and  full pairings of all rounds.

3/11/2013 – This Friday the erstwhile child prodigy from Baku will face former World Championship candidate Boris Gelfand in the first round of the Candidates Tournament for the 2013 World Championship. What are his chances? "We all have our favourite marks – Radjabov’s is Gelfand," writes Michael von Keitz in his  latest Candidate portrait.

3/8/2013 – In exactly a week from today the two "-chuks" will meet over the chessboard: Alexander Grischuk will have black against Vassily Ivanchuk at the Candidates Tournament for the 2013 World Championship. To prepare us for this eight-player double round robin Michael von Keitz is providing portraits of each of the Candidates – with descriptions and full statistics.