6/1/2018 – Downfalls, comebacks, blunders and brilliancies, all was witnessed in the Siberian town of Poikovsky which is playing host to the Karpov Poikovsky International. Ian Nepomniachtchi had been leading the tournament for the most part but by the time the dust of the battles of round five had settled, he was not only joined by two co-leaders but had also suffered his first defeat of the tournament. Vidit Gujrathi also came very close to defeating Gelfand in the fifth round but the Israeli GM found a stunning stalemate tactic to save the day. A report on all the action at Poikovsky.

6/1/2018 – With his king running in the middle of the board, Black's position seems to be completely lost, and 34.Qe7+! Kd5 35.Rf2 in the diagram would indeed have sealed his fate. The immediate 34.Rf2?, however, could have (semi-) backfired for White. How?

5/31/2018 – Photojournalist ALINA l'AMI continues the story of her journey to the Kathmandu International Open, battling sleepless nights, meeting interesting characters, and all the while trying to make a decent showing across a chess board. A vicarious trek through the urban scene in remote Nepal.

5/31/2018 – The Rossolimo variation in the Sicilian is well-known and popular but who remembers Rossolimo? He was a connoisseur of the art of living, a chess artist, and an imaginative attacker with a passion for live and chess. Vlastimil Hort shares memories.

5/31/2018 – Magnus Carlsen seems to be in top form at this year's Norway Chess tournament. In Round 3, he defeated Levon Aronian in a near miniature and in a manner that was typically Carlsen-esque. This puts the World Champion in the clear lead after with 2½ of 3. The four other games ended in a draw, leaving Carlsen the only player who has yet scored a full point — and with two of them, he's already a heavy favourite to win the tournament if history is any guide. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Norway Chess

5/30/2018 – Is there a correlation between the strength in chess of players and their ability to recall a position in chess using short-term memory? This was the research question of a budding young scientist, QIYU ZHOU, who gave professional and casual chess players positions to study and then attempt to reconstruct them within 30 seconds. Her results are meticulously documented in a paper we are pleased to publish. At the end, there is an appeal to our readers to help with associated material.

5/27/2018 – From 11 to 23 May, the Norwegian Bliss was the scene of a "chess tournament at sea". The ship and the tournament travelled from Miami through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles. The winner was Michael Klyszcz from the SG Löberitz, an amateur angler and ex-basketball player. Jürgen Meijerink and Henry Gregory Allen earned prizes. On its last leg, the chess tourists visited "Switzerland in Central America" and then a land of the volcanoes (see picture towards the foot of one of them). | Photo: Michael Dombrowsky

5/27/2018 – On May 10, 2018, Evgeni Vasiukov died in Moscow. In his prime, he was one of the best players in the world and amongst other things he won the prestigious Moscow Championship no less than six times. Later he was a renowned coach, second, and organiser and achieved a number of successes in senior tournaments. An obituary by DAGOBERT KOHLMEYER.

5/26/2018 – As the column is always changing, reader feedback was received that April’s historical examination was too long and the column should concentrate on studies more, which of course has been the heart of this column. Therefore the next issue will be more condensed again. In May and probably July SIEGFRIED HORNECKER concentrates on selected non-fiction (May) and fiction (July) literature about chess. This month focuses on Josef Kling and Bernhard Horwitz.

5/26/2018 – Rounds five through seven of the Chinese League were held in Shenzhen this week. The team from Shanghai currently leads the league, but the performance of Ding Liren (who plays for Zheijang) has attracted attention. He has had a strong showing, winning all five of his games so far, and by beating Ivan Cheparinov in the seventh round he nudged up past Vladimir Kramnik to the fourth spot in the world rankings and is less than three Elo points shy of 2800. | Photo: qipai.org.cn

5/25/2018 – Vasif Durarbayli doubled up Varuzhan Akobian in a rapid tiebreak for first place in the top 'A' group of the St. Louis Summer Classic, winning both playoff games and earning $6,000. Both players finished the classical tournament with 6.0 / 9, a half point ahead of third-place finisher, Sam Sevian. GM Daniel Fernandez looks at the ninth round games. There was also a 'B' tournament, but one with far less drama at the end, as top seed Kamil Dragun took a quick draw to clinch clear first a full point ahead of Andrey Stukopin | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club on YouTube

5/25/2018 – A solid tactical understanding is sure to help any chess player in critical situations. Whether it is a simple exchange or a mating attack, tactics are ubiquitous. Take advantage of the opportunity to develop your tactical understanding in this series with IM Oliver Reeh and Pascal Simon! (Normally) Friday's at 15:30 CET (9:00 AM EDT) it's all about Tactics!