Sargon – a chess program from the past

6/27/2003 – Today's top programs run at gigahertz speeds, looking at millions of positions per second while playing against world champions. Twenty years ago the programs had to make do with one megahertz and five KB of memory. James DuBois takes a trip back to the pioneer days of the VIC-20 and the Sargon chess program. Read more about his tale of woe…

Evgeny Bareev wins clear first in Enghien-les-bains

6/26/2003 – It may have lacked drama but it didn't lack authority. Russia's Bareev has returned to the top ten and it looks like he wants to stick around for a while. He ran out to the lead with 5/6 and then drew his final three games to take the title a half-point ahead of Adams and a full point in front of Gelfand and Polgar. Guess who had the most decisive games! Report, games, and analysis here.

The latest from Yalta, Prague and FIDE

6/26/2003 – It looks like the FIDE world championship will be held in early September in Yalta, Ukraine. Unfortunately it clashes with the annual Eurotel Trophy in Prague, which this year will be a six-game Man-vs-Woman extravaganza. Meanwhile FIDE president Ilyumzhinov has "local difficulties", as reported on the pages of The Scotsmanby John Henderson.

Brilliant, hilarious, unpatriotic

6/25/2003 – When you try to be funny in chess and go out on a political limb you are bound to get reactions. Like the hundreds of letters we received to Mig Greengard's "Weapons of Match Distruction" column (one came from the head of a psychiatric clinic). 80% were positive, 19% took offence at the unpatriotic contents of his satire. Here are excerpts.

Electronic Chess Alchemy

6/25/2003 – "I find ideas?" said GM Evgeny Bareev in CBM 82 video interview. "No, Fritz finds the ideas. I don't. Because I simply don't have the time." That may have been a bit tongue-in-cheek, but Tim McGrew explains how to actually prepare openings novelties systematically using Fritz, in this important Chess Cafe article. Here is the memorable Bareev interview.

Taking chess to Number 10 Downing Street

6/24/2003 – Last week the Scottish Youth Squad paid a visit to 10 Downing Street. They were received by Cherie Blair, wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair. The No.10 reception was held to commemorate the Chess Scotland's inauguration of a trophy for "Scottish Girl Chess Player of the Year". Read all about it in John Henderson's report.

Chess across the globe

6/24/2003 – For the third time the technology and media city of Dresden payed host to a interesting chess event. More than 350 participants turned up at the Sachsen Forum last weekend to try out the different possibilities that modern chess has to offer. One of the most spectacular was playing a blitz games over a distance of 18,000 kms. The nicest: a simul by a 13-year-old girl. More...

How to build your own super-computer

6/22/2003 – Just in case you decide to do this, here are instructions from a well-known grandmaster. John Nunn says that it is time to get a new computer when you get twice the performance of your current system. But it may not be advisable to simply order an off-the-shelf product. Instead he shows you how he went about building his own state-of-the-art machine.

Jet fighters and chess moves in Holland

6/22/2003 – The Dutch Team Championship is in its play-off stage. We sent our trusty photo reporter Jeroen van den Belt to get some pictures of the action. Trusty? Jeroen spent most of his time at an air show that was, fatally, being held on the route to the playing site – a casino.

A chess tournament in Kabul

6/22/2003 – As we reported chess has returned to Afghanistan. For a decade the infamous Taliban had stricly forbidden the game, but now, thanks mainly to the efforts of Dutch Embassy employees, there are lessons and even tournaments in Kabul. They are attended by male and female players, the first such intergender activity in a long time. Boy Frank reports...

Chess players slug it out in Los Angeles

6/21/2003 – Tonight two chess players are playing a World Championship match in Los Angeles. Not with knights and pawns but boxing gloves. The contenders are Dr. Viatly Klitschko, chess fan from the Ukraine, and Britain's Lennox Lewis, the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, who is possibly the stronger chess player. Tip: you can watch this match free (in Europe)! Links and details are here...

The Golden Cleopatra Open

6/18/2003 – Egypt is the country that springs to mind when you think chess. But a giant open in Cairo, just three miles from the pyramids, is something that catches your attention. When we asked the organisers for a report we expeced a dry chessboard (chess-bored?) affair. Instead we received a truly spectacular illustrated article. Take some time to read this unique tournament report.

Bareev leads Enghien-les-bains

6/17/2003 – A lot has been said about the French lately, but one thing is for sure: They put on an exciting chess tournament. Every two years the organizers of Enghien-les-bains put together a field full of locals, juniors, and fighters of all ages. They are consistently rewarded with many fascinating battles. Top seeds Bareev, Adams, and Polgar lead undefeated after five rounds. All the games, many with notes and analysis here.

Anand speaks to one billion fans

6/16/2003 – What is it like if you are a sporting hero in your country and are spending a few weeks doing the newspaper circuit? Vishy Anand, the world's number three player, is one of India's brightest media stars. Which has special implications when you consider the demographics and circulation numbers. Anand is quite possibly the most popular chess player of all times. On Tuesday you too can chat online with "the Vish". Here are the links...

And the winners are...

6/15/2003 – There were still some loose ends at the European Championships, like who would get gold in the women's section, or bronze in the men's. The questions have been solved in the tie-break games, which we bring you together with a lot of new pictures from the closing ceremony, including Ivanchuk dancing!

Well done, Azmai!

6/14/2003 – Zurab Azmaiparashvili from Georgian finished clear first at the the European Championships in Silivri. In the women's section Cramling and Cmilyte tied for first and are in the tiebreaks for the gold medal. We bring you an interview with Azmaiparashvili plus full final standings and all games. More pictures will follow. Here is the final report...

Great chess players at play

6/12/2003 – Two days ago we published a large number of pictures of the best male and female hard at work during the European Championships in Silivri, Turkey. At the time we promised you a new set of pictures, showing the participants at play. Well here they are, 32 new pictures of Europe's finest, chess like you have never seen it before...

'I have lost $150,000'

6/12/2003 – The FIDE world championship match, originally scheduled for June 2003 in Buenos Aires, has been postponed. World champion Ruslan Ponomariov is not at all happy with the situation. In an interview he complains bitterly about the time and energy – not to mention money – he has spent in fruitless preparation. Also about lack of respect in dealings with him. Here's a transcript of the interview.

Problems in Paradise

6/11/2003 – The reports and pictures we have been publishing from the 4th European Individual Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, have been quite idyllic. But there is trouble a-brewing. 187 participants have signed a letter of protest to the President of the European Chess Union and threatened to boycott the next event. Nigel Short puts it into perspective...

Another big congress in Yalta?

6/11/2003 – The FIDE world championship match between Ruslan Ponomariov and Garry Kasparov was scheduled to begin next week in Buenos Aires. Then it was postponed to November 2003. Now it looks like it might be held in Yalta (Ukraine) in early September – at least according to our tireless investigative reporter John Henderson.

'Another day for you and me in Paradise'

6/11/2003 – This morning we published an open letter sent to us by participants of the European Championships in Silivri, Turkey. A few hours later we received a message from the President of Turkish Chess Federation Ali Nihat Yazici: "I have read the news on the site today. Thank you for covering event. I attach a letter and would be glad if you publish this as an answer." Here it is...

The Girls of Silivri

6/10/2003 – Meet the masters – yesterday it was the men's section of the European Individual Championships in Silivri, Turkey. Now by popular demand we bring you the women's section with 28 portraits of some of the finest female chess players Europe has to offer. You will admit that we will all have to abandon certain age-old prejudices we have held about chess-playing women.

Ponomariov outlasts Topalov in León final

6/9/2003 – It wasn't chess for the highlight reel but somehow his nerves were enough for Ruslan Ponomariov to pick up the winner's check. The Ukrainian FIDE champ won the final match when Veselin Topalov melted down in time pressure and let his flag fall with a repetition on the board. Diagrams and analysis of Topalov's missed opportunity plus photos here.

Favorites into León final after Ponomariov cruises

6/8/2003 – Ukrainian FIDE champ Ruslan Ponomariov continued his domination of Spaniard Paco Vallejo by routing him in their semifinal match 3.5-0.5. This set up a final of favorites between Topalov and Ponomariov. The good news for Vallejo is that he now has something in common with Spassky and Karpov. Report and games