8/18/2018 – The Riga Tech University Open from August 6th to 12th was won by a pair of Armenian grandmasters: Robert Hovhannisyan and Manuel Petrosyan, each scoring 7½ / 9. Hovhannisyan was undefeated with six wins; Petrosyan scored a whopping seven wins, one loss and a draw. Among the trailing pack on 7 / 9 were the young and talented Russian GM Andrey Esipenko, and the German GM Rasmus Svane. | Photos: Tournament page

8/17/2018 – The chess action continues in Saint Louis. After the Rapid & Blitz tournament and before the Sinquefield Cup, Team Randy and Team Rex came back for another version of the ‘Ultimate Moves’ event. The Sinquefields led their Grandmaster-packed teams in a fun exhibition match that was eventually won by Randy’s squad. Magnus Carlsen was already in the premises and was part of the winning team. V. SARAVANAN reports | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

8/17/2018 – The Petroff (or Russian) Defence which is characterised by the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 has been popular at the highest levels for many years and enjoys the reputation of being an extremely solid defence. In the 1990’s and 2000’s, the theory of this variation began to develop quickly, when players like Kasparov, Karpov, Anand, Adams and Kramnik infused it with new ideas for White and Black. Adams and Kramnik continue to rely on the Petroff, and they have been joined by the 2018 World Championship challenger, Fabiano Caruana. As with many openings favoured by the world elite, there is a sharp contrast between the sidelines (in which understanding plays the most critical role) and the theoretical battleground of the main lines where experience and knowledge of plans are needed, but also a high degree of concrete knowledge. This DVD aims to present this knowledge in a structured way, so that players can pick exactly what they need. This is interspersed with discussions of structural themes and annotated games. Two particular structures are discussed in great detail. But the author is not tied down to dogma, and suggests two relatively minor lines for Black which can alleviate the problems, either practical or objective, which Black has been facing in recent games in the 5.d4 and 5.Nc3 lines respectively.

8/17/2018 – Despite his four minus pawns in the queen ending, achieving a draw with White in the diagram position seems not too difficult. But victory would be even nicer, wouldn't it? Enjoy!

8/17/2018 – The Bruges Masters (or Brugse Meesters in Flemish, if you prefer!) ran from August 12th to 16th in the picturesque Belgian town known for its old-fashioned streets, peaceful canals, world-class chocolate and — once a year — an international open chess tournament. This year's winner was GM Oleg Korneev, the 49-year-old Russian who now lives in and plays for Spain. Korneev stormed through the field winning all of his games before acquiescing to a draw in the final round. | Photo: Meri Grigoriyan

8/16/2018 – Sestao Xake Taldea's team narrowly won the Spanish team championship in Linares with one point lead, relegating Cac Beniajan Duochess and Solvay A. Elisabeth Pähtz was the best player of the tournament. | Photos: FEDA

8/16/2018 – Hikaru Nakamura triumphed at the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz leg of the Grand Chess Tour with a round to spare and landed at the top spot in the overall standings of the tour with 33 points. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave scored 6½ from the final nine blitz games of the tournament to top the section, just outpacing Shakhriyar Mamedyarov at the finishing line to place himself second in the tour with 25 points. His score of 13½/18 in the Blitz was a whopping three points more than Nakamura, who finished second on 10½. V. SARAVANAN's report includes a full pictorial look at the final day. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

8/16/2018 – In this Simon Says, Simon will take a look at some of Garry's most celebrated chess victories. Simon was not live this week due to some rare technical issues, however, we've consequently made his latest show FREE for all. Enjoy!

8/15/2018 – The race for the title between Daniil Dubov, Anton Korobov and Salem Saleh ended in a deadlock between the three GMs after a nailbiting final round. Due to his better tiebreak, Dubov was declared the winner while Korobov and Saleh were placed third and fourth, respectively. The tournament also witnessed two Indian teenagers, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi earn their grandmaster titles at its conclusion. | Photo: Abu Dhabi Masters Twitter

8/15/2018 – The first day of blitz action in Saint Louis was won by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The Frenchman scored no less than five wins (four with Black) to recover after a disastrous third day. Both Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Hikaru Nakamura totalled positive scores and are still sharing the lead, while Caruana won three and lost three and is currently in sole third place. V. SARAVANAN reports from Saint Louis. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

8/15/2018 – The 25th edition of the Abu Dhabi Chess Festival kicks off today at Hotel Dusit Thani, Abu Dhabi. The anniversary event is extra strong this year, featuring five grandmasters with a 2700+ Elo, among them the FIDE Presidential candidate Nigel Short making a brief return to the chessboard amid a hectic campaign season.

8/14/2018 – Chess enthusiasts from fourteen different countries attended lectures by a team of strong trainers at the end of July in Maribor. The second-largest city in Slovenia hosted the event that included simultaneous exhibitions, a blitz tournament and various outdoor activities. MISA HRENIC sent a report that included impressions by some of the participants. | Photos: Lena Uranjek