Pictures from Manhattan

11/18/2003 – With the match between Garry Kasparov and X3D Fritz tied 1.5:1.5 after three games the tension is very high in New York, where the ESPN coverage of the event is drawing more viewers than anyone anticipated. Before the critical fourth game we bring you a pictorial report and new analysis of game three.

Kasparov strangles X3D Fritz in game three

11/17/2003 – Just in case you thought the rise of the machines was inevitable, Garry Kasparov stood up for humanity in game three against X3D Fritz in New York City. Actually, it was more a case of X3D Fritz lying down while Kasparov rolled over it like he was the Terminator instead of the human. The match is now tied 1.5-1.5. The final game is Tuesday and X3D Fritz will have white. Report and full analysis.

It is in the news

11/16/2003 – Everybody is talking about it – the coverage in thousands of newspapers all over the world comes in addition to the massive cable TV coverage on ESPN and TV news reports in stations around the world. Even Al Jazeera is following the progress of "Chess czar Gary Kasparov" in his New York match against X3D Fritz. Here are links to a small sample of the international media coverage.

A message from India

11/16/2003 – ChessBase.com visitors are participating in a game between grandmaster Saidali Yuldashev and the Uzbek TV audience. And the messages are pouring in. "Hi uncle Jam," worte a seven-year-old from India, "the only joy in my life is chess. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to play a real grandmaster!" Jamshid Begmatov reports.

Alexander Aljechin vs Garry Kasparov

11/15/2003 – The man in the photo is Alexander Alekhine. In 1913 the future world champion played a legendary game agaist Jaques Mieses, sacrificing a queen for positional consideration and winning brilliantly. In his book "My Great Predecessors" Garry Kasparov thinks Mieses could have parried the attack. We invite you to debate the point with the author.

X3D Fritz wins game two after Kasparov blackout

11/14/2003 – The second game of the spectacular Man vs Machine encounter in New York ended with a stunning loss by Garry Kasparov. The greatest player of all time was actually doing quite well with the black pieces against X3D Fritz, when suddenly a time trouble blunder put an end to all chances. Here's our illustrated report.

Vladimir Kramnik vs the German national team

11/13/2003 – A national team consists of four strong grandmasters. The German team is strong enough to have won the the silver medal at the Chess Olympiad in Istanbul. Now classical chess world champion Vladimir Kramnik is taking on the entire team in a clock simul. Here's the official press release...

A semi-virtual trip to New York

11/12/2003 – The spectacular match between Garry Kasparov and X3D Fritz in the exclusive New York Athletic Club has started, the first game was trasmitted live in a unique TV chess spectacular. In the playing hall hundreds of guests followed the action, including the US Women's Olympiad team. Here's an illustrated report.

How (not) to play chess against computers

11/11/2003 – Is there any way that human chess players can withstand the onslaught of increasingly powerful computer opponents? Only by modifying their own playing style, suggests statistician Jeff Sonas, who illustrates a fascinating link between chess aggression and failure against computers. There may still be a chance for humanity. More..

Putting your money where your mouth is

11/11/2003 – Kasparov vs X3D Fritz. What will be the opening move? How many checks will there be in each game? What will be the final score? Who will win each game? If you think you know the answer to any of these questions, then why not back your judgement at the Betsson online betting exchange.

A swat team to New York

11/11/2003 – Our trip to New York to play in the upcoming match between Garry Kasparov and X3D Fritz started on a frightening note. Take a deep breath before you read the following story. We would like to warn you that some readers may find the images disturbing. Here is our express report.

Putting his money where his stats are

11/11/2003 – We hope you've been keeping up with statistician Jeff Sonas' fascinating series of articles on man-machine chess. After looking at computer ratings, human playing styles, openings, and tossing it all into the analysis blender, he is ready to take the logical last step in this fifth and final article: predicting the result of the Kasparov-X3D Fritz match that starts today. The envelope please...

Emil Sutovsky is European Internet Champion

11/10/2003 – Emil Sutovsky from Israel is the first European Internet Champion. After an exciting tournament he managed to beat Etienne Bacrot in the final, witnessed by an audience of about 800 chess fans on the playchess.com server. The sympathetic Champion got a lot of applause after the final when he analysed the most exciting game for the viewers. The tournament was organized in partnership with the European Chess Union. More...

Workshop: Chess Media System Part 2

11/10/2003 – In the new ChessBase Workshop we take a look at the new Chess Media System feature in Fritz, have a tour of its buttons and commands, and show you how easy it is to enjoy multimedia chess lessons as part of the Fritz8 program. Workshop...

Man vs Machine – the endless fascination

11/9/2003 – Chess matches between humans and machines are enthralling. They attract large numbers of specators – next week it will be millions on ESPN – while most human tournaments are struggling to find more spectators than participants. Ram Prasad looks back at fourteen years of man vs machine encounters.

Want to play with the stars?

11/8/2003 – This weekend we are holding the First European Internet Championship on the Playchess.com server this weekend. This is your chance to play with to GMs like Adams, Bologan, Khalifman, Radjabov, Sutovsky, Bacrot, Nunn. Don't miss it...

May the Force be with him

11/8/2003 – "Remember the first 'Star Wars' movie? The only way to destroy the Death Star was to find this one little spot, this weakness, and blow it up. With computers it's the same." At the opening ceremony Garry Kasparov spoke about the ordeal he has to go through in his match against X3D Fritz.

A chess set from Uzbekistan

11/8/2003 – The game between grandmaster Saidali Yuldashev and the Uzbek TV audience, assisted by ChessBase.com visitors, is being received with great enthusiasm. People are already talking about a a match between the Uzbekistan and ChessBase audiences. A delighted woodcarver from Tashkent (picture) is even making a special gift for ChessBase.

Chess in the Southern Caribbean Sea

11/7/2003 – A bicycle race, a boat trip to the Spanish Lagoon, a beautiful sunset – and lots of chess. That was the Curaçao International Gateway Tournament. Three players, Gulko, Shabalov and Hübner tied for first with 6.5 poite each (Gulko had the best tiebreak). Ger Jan and Lily Meijer sent us a complete, illustrated report.

Physical Strength and Chess Expertise

11/7/2003 – How can humans hope to hold their ground in their uphill struggle against chess computers? Play shorter matches, stop sacrificing material, and don't fear the Sicilian Defense, says statistician Jeff Sonas, who also questions the high computer ratings on the Swedish SSDF list. Here is his evidence.

The world's strongest nonagenarian

11/7/2003 – Who is the strongest active player in chess in the world today aged ninety or older? We think it is Arkadi Gilman, who sports an official FIDE rating 2237. Gilman hails from Russia and lives in Canada. He is fit enough to compete regularly in local tournaments, including tough double round robins. Take a look at how he outwits his opponents.

Sport Express Interview with Garry Kasparov

11/6/2003 – Garry Kasparov is currently in New York City preparing for his match against X3D Fritz. Right before he left he gave an extensive interview with the famous Russian paper Sport Express. Kasparov talks about his book series, his cancelled match, his return to chess, the worst blunder of his career, unification, and his upcoming match with X3D Fritz. More..

Hoffman for chess in ESPN

11/6/2003 – Chess is at the brink of mainstream popularity. and who better to bring it over the edge than Paul Hoffman. The Harvard educated science journalist has been an editor at Scientific American and Discover magazine, and publisher of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Paul is also an avid chess player who next week will comment on Kasparov vs X3D Fritz for ESPN. More...

The Executive Board hath spoken

11/5/2003 – A lot of people were waiting in tense anticipation for news to come out of the FIDE Congress, which was held in Kallithea, Greece. Now the executive board has announced the results. In it the Ponomariov-Kasparov match is officially cancelled, but very few details emerge about the next FIDE world championship. Here is the news in a nutshell.