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.

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.

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...

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!

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...

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...

6/3/2003 – Twenty-eight years ago one of the brightest stars of chess, Paul Keres, unexpectedly died of a heart attack on his way back home from a tournament triumph in Vancouver, Canada. We take a look at the career of a man who beat nine world champions and use this year's Keres Memorial games to help you improve your tactical skills. More...

6/1/2003 – Ivan Sokolov picked up the biggest check at the 2003 Bosnia tornament, leaving big names like Shirov and Bareev in the dust. Sokolov long ago left his native Bosnia for the Netherlands, although he continued to play for the Bosnian team until last year. In 2002 he played for the Dutch squad in the Olympiad but in 2003 he came back to Sarajevo to win clear first in the annual supertournament. Crosstable, games to replay online, and key positions with diagrams and notes here.

6/1/2003 – The 4th European Championship has started in Istanbul and lasts from May 30 until June 14. The men's section has 164 GMs, 31 IMs – and one 13-year-old girl (guess who!). The prize sum is $192,000, in the women's section $44,000. We bring you information, links and lots of pictures of the participants at work and at play.

5/31/2003 – Rev. Earl Smith, the chaplain at San Quentin State Prison, is ready to make his move with chess pieces crafted from matchbooks. He looks into the dark, fiery eyes of his opponent and tries to read his mind. Which is impossible because it is demented. Here's some possibly vital information for you on chess, psychology and serial killers.

5/31/2003 – The town is full of dignitaries, from politics and chess. On the day of the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg the famous Russian city played an Internet match against a team of the NAO Chess Club in Paris. Viktor Korchnoi played the only decive game to clinch the match for St Petersburg. More...

5/29/2003 – Grandmaster Ratmir Kholmov has chalked up victories against such players as Keres, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky or even Fischer and Kasparov. For polictical reasons he could only participate in a few tournaments abroad, so he is practically unknown in the West. In this week's lecture (Thursday, 21:00h on the Playchess.com server) GM Dorian Rogozenko seeks to change that. More...