Speelman's Agony #53: Agony, Ecstasy and "Irony"

5/31/2017 – This week's games are by Romain Bernard, a Belgian in his late twenties. Born in Liège in 1990 (the same year as Magnus, but a month earlier), he began playing chess while in the second year at university, studying physics and engineering. and since February of this year has worked for Prevor as a junior material engineer. Breaking somewhat from tradition, Romain sent three games instead of two, with the third being described as 'Irony'.

European Championship Rd1: Surprises and upsets

5/31/2017 – It is all one could hope for in such a mega event as the European Individual Championship. Held in Minsk, Belarus, it is a field that is so strong that even the no. 50 in the starting list (GM Romain Edouard) is rated 2640. The top seeds are David Navara and Dmitry Andreikin, but incredibly both suffered a reversal in the opening round, and they were not the only ones! Illustrated report with plenty of analysis by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

Royal support

5/30/2017 – It is well known that pawns are the soul of chess. And sometimes they are surprisingly strong. Particularly so when the king supports them.

Memory Techniques: An Introduction

5/30/2017 – Have you ever read about some genius who seemingly had a memory reserved for movies or fiction? Have you ever wished you had some of that, even if you have a good memory now, or can barely remember the number of your mobile phone? The fact is that these seemingly impossible feats are well within the grasp of anyone, if they learn some basic techniques of memorization. Here is an introduction.

Introducing Komodo 11

5/29/2017 – The latest and greatest chess engine is here, Komodo 11, helping chess players analyze and understand games and positions with ever greater skill and knowledge. That said, while there is no question the engine is an essential part of the equation, when you buy Komodo 11 at Chessbase, you get a series of other benefits such as a 6-month Premium subscription to ChessBase Account. Learn what’s new in Komodo 11 and why you should not delay in adding it to your stable.

Chess Informant Jubilee Tourney

5/29/2017 – Older readers will remember it well: for decades the Chess Informant – Šahovski Informator – was a lifeline for serious chess players. Two, later three issues per year provided a selection of games and top-grade analysis. Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, Vladimir Kramnik, and Viswanathan Anand have all said that the Informant was central to their tournament preparation. Now, after 50 years of publication, we are treated to a Jubilee Tournament of chess studies, which we bring you with the kind permission of Tourney Director Yochanan Afek.

Yermolinsky on Kupreichik: a chess eulogy

5/27/2017 – The unforgettable Viktor Kupreichik passed away a few days ago at the age of 68, and with him one of the greatest creative minds in chess passed away as well. Alex Yermolinsky readily admits he was one of his fans from an early age, and later had the chance to face him over the board. Instead of trying to neutralize Kupreichik's wild play, he invited it, leading to a game he explains "is so insane I can't even annotate it properly." Have fun!

Altucher podcast with Garry Kasparov

5/27/2017 – James Altucher is an American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, bestselling author, venture capitalist and podcaster, founder of more than 20 companies. Also a chess master, Deep Blue trainer. His fondest wish was to play Garry Kasparov, which he recently did, during a podcast with the Champion. A one-hour discussion that provides unique insights into Kasparov's career, his match against Karpov, his training with Botvinnik, and a lot more. Miss this incredible discussion at your own peril.

ChessBase Magazine 177: Arsenal for the aspiring player

5/26/2017 – An issue packed with rich material. Four Great events, Women’s World Championship, Tata Steel (Carlsen overtaken by Wesley So) Gibralter and FIDE Grand Prix. 2284 OTB games, of which 149 are annotated. Commentators include Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Mihail Marin among others. Eleven opening surveys, ranging from the Sicilian to the Slav, to surprise your opponent! Exercises in opening traps, middle game tactics and endgame technique. DVD lessons by Rainer Knaak, Rogozenco, Simon Williams and Karsten Müller plus a live commentary by Danny King. CBM 177 offers both an armory and ongoing course for ambitious players. Review by Prof. Nagesh Havanur.

Blitz knockout

5/26/2017 – Sometimes a single well-placed piece can suffice to hold a game - like for example Black's magnificent knight in the diagram position. Yet here the case is different. White wins thanks to his space advantage on the kingside, marked by pawns on the 5th rank ...

Paul Morphy: how good was he really?

5/24/2017 – Did you ever wonder who was (or is) the best player of all time? Who would win if all 16 World Champions, plus Philidor, Labourdonnais, Anderssen and Morphy could play against each other in a tournament? How would Steinitz, Lasker or Capablanca cope against the best players from today? Such questions have no answer, of course, but are hotly debated.

Botvinnik and the Pirc/Modern

5/24/2017 – Continuing his look at how champions began to include new openings later in their careers, the tireless student of the game, GM Alex Yermolinsky, looks at Mikhail Botvinnik, 'The Patriarch', and his employment of the Pirc-Modern defense. He also shares his first encounter with the great player as a junior, speculates on what a Botvinnik-Fischer match would have looked like, and even mentions his secret match with Gata Kamsky when he was 14. Enjoy this great article!

Asian Continental Rd.7-9: Wang Hao is the Champion

5/24/2017 – The Asian Continental Championship 2017 came to an end in Chengdu, China with Wang Hao taking the first place on the tiebreak. Although the tournament began with Yu Yangyi and Wei Yi at the helm, it was Wang Hao and Bu Xiangzhi who took the first two places. In the women's section, former Asian Junior Girls Champion Vo Thi Kim Phung took the title. Illustrated Report.

An hour with Alina l'Ami!

5/24/2017 – Alina l'Ami is one of the most colourful personalities in the world of chess. She is not only a wonderful photographer and a great reporter, but also a strong International Master. IM Sagar Shah, who hosts the ChessBase India show had an hour long chat with Alina, trying to understand how is it that she excels in everything that she does. This was the 8th ChessBase India show! In this article we tell how you can watch this high quality chess content.

The Power Play Show

5/23/2017 – Tonight at 8pm UK time Daniel King goes on air on playchess.com. He will present a bunch of practical examples and show you how to handle different kinds of positions, which will help improve your practical results. An example and more information...

Going the extra mile

5/23/2017 – Sometimes you need patience - and zugzwang - to win a won endgame: The following interesting duel which Remy Heimers sent to me with annotations is an instructive example:

New in Chess Invincibility List

5/23/2017 – Who played the longest streak of games, in classical chess, without a single loss? Fischer? Kasparov? And how many games did the record holder survive? Well, we all know that José Raúl Capablanca did not suffer a single loss for eight years, from 1916 - 1924. But has his record been broken? The magazine New in Chess, which we greatly admire, produced a list in their 2017/2 issue. It was modified in 2017/3. Do our readers have further changes?

Asian Junior 2017: Iran sweeps Open, and India the Girls

5/22/2017 – When it comes to Iran, normally Shiraz comes to our mind. Shiraz is one of the oldest cities of ancient Persia and most likely more than 4,000 years old. In order to help foreigners familiarize themselves with this beautiful cultural city, the Iranian Chess Federation decided to organize the Asian Junior Chess Championship in Shiraz. Here is the illustrated report.

Zalakaros Rd. 1-4: Early upsets in Gyula Sax Memorial

5/22/2017 – The 36th Zalakaros Open is taking place from 18th May to 26th May in the Hotel Karos Spa in Zalakaros, a beautiful little spa town in the Balaton lake region of Hungary. Top seed Richard Rapport has already suffered a shock defeat at the hands of IM Abhimanyu Puranik. Meanwhile, Indian IM Praggnanandhaa R. is playing some sparkling chess. Report.

Moscow Grand Prix: Ding Liren wins it all

5/21/2017 – In an epic final round, the two leaders went in different directions. While Mamedyarov safely drew in just 16 moves with MVL, also ensuring a round 2800 on the next FIDE Ratings list, Ding Liren, playing black, faced down Boris Gelfand in a massive battle that ended in his victory and sole first place at the Moscow GP. Ex-Women's World Champion Hou Yifan defeated Super-GM Ernesto Inarkiev with black. Here is the illustrated report with analysis by GM Alex Lenderman.

Speelman's Agony #52

5/21/2017 – This week's single Agony game comes from Richard Bailey, an Englishman in his mid sixties. The British Boys Under 16 champion in 1968, he represented England at junior level in 1970 (Glorney Cup and Glasgow Junior International) and 1971 (Danish Junior Open). Richard sent in a game against Vernon Dilworth (1916-2004), the inventor of the famous Dilworth Variation of the Open Ruy Lopez. There is a lot to learn in this week's instructive column.

Moscow Grand Prix R08: All quiet on the western front

5/20/2017 – In terms of results, not a lot happened in round eight, aside from Pentala Harikrishna’s win over Ian Nepomniachtchi, bringing him to the 50% mark. There was indeed a long stream of draws, but not all were made alike. The leaders Ding Liren and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov both played interesting and dynamic games that fit their temperament. Here is the illustrated report with analysis by GM Alex Lenderman.

How chess saved a village

5/20/2017 – In a country as vast as India, peppered with villages all over, economic prosperity is often the difference between folding in on itself or survival. Many villages suffered from rampant illicit gambling and alcoholism. Marottichal was one such, until one day, a man opened a teashop and began teaching everyone chess, and now chess is seen everywhere. BBC reports.

Moscow Grand Prix R07: From sizzling to fizzling

5/19/2017 – After a period of genuinely exciting chess, the leaders are all playing extremely cagey now, unwilling to take risks, and many times demonstrably so with quick draws. The result is that while Ding and Mamedyarov lead still, they are followed just a half point behind by seven others. Completing the Fellowship's nine is Anish Giri, winning a fine game against Saleh Salem. Hou Yifan also played a gritty win, breaking down Jon Hammer's fortress. Report and analysis by Alex Yermolinsky.