Does playing chess make children smarter?

8/5/2016 – The meme is clear: teach your kids chess and they will get better grades in school. Everyone has experience that supports this thesis – certainly we do , from two decades ago! But a systematic study of 3,000 primary school children, who took part in a trial to see if playing chess improved their maths results, seems to come to a sobering conclusion: no improvement compared to children who didn't receive chess lessons. What do you think?

Jon Speelman's Agony Column #13: 0x0D

8/4/2016 – This week marks three months of this column as we hit the controversial number 13. Effectively naked when we play and responsible only to ourselves, chess players, like competitors in other fields, tend to have at least a tinge of superstition. Garry Kasparov, who was born on April 13th 1963, thinks of 13 as a lucky number but any triskaidekaphobes are invited instead to view this column in hex as number 0x0D. This week you will also be tested on some of the positions.

Listen to Tania sing the National Anthem

8/4/2016 – The Thyagaraj Sports complex in New Delhi witnessed a jam packed crowd on 25th of July 2016. The reason? It was the game between Dabang Delhi and Patna Pirates at the Pro Kabaddi League 2016. But what on earth is the connection to chess? India's very own International Master Tania Sachdev was at the venue and sung the national anthem before the start of the game. A proud moment for every Indian chess player.

Russian Chess Federation proposal to FIDE

8/4/2016 – The FIDE office in Athens has received a proposal by the President of the RCF suggesting that World Champion should in the future be allowed to "accept the challenge of any player who can contribute to the prize fund and the costs of holding of the match." FIDE would get 50% of the prize fund. The proposal, which is to be discussed in September at the FIDE Congress in Baku, has met with immediate protest from the Association of Chess Professionals.

What grandmasters fear most – in simuls (2)

8/3/2016 – In this part two of this article – part one had grandmasters tell us what they fear most during simuls – two FIDE masters recall their most memorable games from playing in simuls. Normally, FMs give simuls rather than play in simuls. Long before he became an FM, Keith Hayward played in grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek’s simul. The second FM, William Schill, couldn’t pass up the chance to play the current World Champion. They describe the experience.

Kramnik at the Verbier Music Festival

8/3/2016 – We have seen many great chess events preceded by quality musical performances, and now the favor has been returned: during the great Verbier Music Festival, held in the heart of the Swiss Alps, chess activities were organized including a simul by Vladimir Kramnik to musicians and the director of the festival. With concerts broadcast online live, it is a must on your calendar. Read about it and enjoy some truly magnificent music.

Korobov brilliant at Poikovsky

8/2/2016 – The Karpov Poikovsky tournament celebrated its 17th edition this year in Nefteyugansk, Russia, and it must be said that it was a singularly exciting event to watch. This was not simply because many of the players are justifiably famed for their creativity, but because a number of the games were wild speculative affairs to leave spectators gaping at the players’ courage. The event was won by Anton Korobov who signed a brilliancy against Sutovsky.

Biel Juniors won by Bok and Rambaldi

8/2/2016 – Parallel to the Masters Challenge was the Juniors Challenge, following a similar format. There were two matches involving two Swiss juniors Noel Studer and Nico Georgiadis against guest youths Francesco Rambaldi and Benjamin Bok repsectively. In both cases they played four rapid games, followed by six classical games for a through workout and valuable experience gain in match play. The games were all hard-fought with dynamic play.

The knight surprises

8/2/2016 – Every week ChessBase Magazine author and renowned endgame expert Karsten Müller presents a remarkable or particularly instructive endgame in his blog. A click on the diagram opens a larger board. Test your endgame skills, improve and have fun.

A breath of fresh air – Leiden Open and the city!

8/2/2016 – In the first part of our report on the 10th Leiden Chess tournament we saw how Roeland Pruijssers played a superb tournament to emerge victorious. In the second part we describe some of the fresh and novel ideas introduced by the organizers and also take you on a trip through the beautiful city of Leiden – using the best mode of transport! Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal tell you everything you need to enjoy the 2017 edition of the tournament!

The joy of the Czech Open Games Festival

8/1/2016 – The Czech Open held in Pardubice is one of those events that is just a joy to follow and see unfold. Although chess is its greatest focus with a very strong open, followed by opens of all kinds for every variant there is such as Chess 960, bughouse, problem solving… you name it, it is a festival of games from classics such as bridge, go and backgammon, to Rubik’s cube, Mankala and Smoking Cat! Here is a huge pictorial with commented games.

Ojas' journey: 400 rating points in 37 days!

8/1/2016 – Imagine you are a player rated 2000. How would you feel if one month later, your rating would be 2400+? Ojas Kulkarni from Bangalore, Karnataka, has pulled off something incredible in the bygone 37 days. In four tournaments, all part of the Catalonian circuit in Spain, Ojas has gained 400 points. We have a brief coverage with games and analysis. And we reveal the secret of his remarkable progress!

Master Class on Viktor Korchnoi at Biel

8/1/2016 – Among the many activities and events hosted at the Biel Chess Festival were two excellent Master Classes. The first was presented by MVL, and this second one is by GM Daniel King together with GM Yannick Pelletier. The theme is suitably a tribute to Viktor Korchnoi, who was a Swiss citizen for much of his life, and his games played at the Biel tournaments. Enjoy this video presentation on Viktor the Terrible!

Biel Blitz: MVL continues his winning ways

7/31/2016 – It was the final event of the Biel Chess Festival, saving dessert for last: the blitz challenge. The six players from the matches, Studer, Bok, Rambaldi, Georgiadis, and of course the stars Peter Svidler and Maxime Vachier Lagrave, would face off in a round-robin of blitz. The two elite players won and faced each other in a mini-match that led to a memorable and epic battle. We bring you the report, commented games, and exclusive videos.

August 2016 ratings: Monster Maxime reaches 2819 FIDE!

7/31/2016 – What can one say except 'Wow'? 25-year-old Frenchman Maxime Vachier Lagrave continues his run after a win at Dortmund and crushing win over Svidler to reach 2819 FIDE and rocket into the world no.2 spot. He will bring great momentum into the approaching Sinquefield Cup. Be sure to read about 15-year-old Iranian phenom Parham Maghsoodloo who gained 75 Elo and is now the top rated in his country. Report, stats, and more.

What grandmasters fear most – in simuls (1)

7/31/2016 – Your best chance to draw or win against a grandmaster is to play one in a simultaneous exhibition. In part one of this article by WIM Dr Alexey Root, grandmasters tell us what they fear most during simuls – and why, despite those challenges, they enjoy giving them. In part two, two amateur players reveal how they scored in simuls against the world’s best and created memories that last a lifetime.

Critical moments in chess - an invaluable lesson

7/30/2016 – The idea of critical moments is not hard to understand, and perhaps because of this is so easy to underestimate. These key moments in our games are essentially the turning point, leading to a decisive and negative change if missed or played improperly. Veteran trainer Adrian Mikhalchishin casts his expert eye on this topic to teach the student to recognize them and not misplay them.

Turkish Super League starts with class act

7/30/2016 – In the midst of revolutionary turmoil, Turkey still hosted its top chess league, the Turkish İş Bank Chess League, with stars such as Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2764), Vassily Ivanchuk (2728), Ernesto Inarkiev (2730), and many more. It is held in in Izmir, at the Kaya Thermal Hotel, and has reached its midway point with six of thirteen rounds, with tons of great action. Here is the illustrated report with games.

Huffington: Carlsen dominated Bilbao Chess Masters

7/30/2016 – Magnus Carlsen has won the event twice before. This year the Norwegian World Champion, playing in a six-player double round robin, started slowly, losing for the first time to Hikaru Nakamura in the classical time limit. He went on to win four games, one more than all his opponents combined. Huffington Post columnist GM Lubomir Kavalek analyses two games of the winner who turned the other world-class players into spectators.

Vladimir Kramnik withdraws from Sinquefield Cup

7/29/2016 – The 2016 Sinquefield Cup, one of the strongest tournaments of the year, will start in about a week, on 5th August, in St. Louis. Unfortunately Vladimir Kramnik, with a rating of 2812 currently officially number two in the world, had to withdraw due to health issues. But with Fabiano Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Levon Aronian, Hikaru Nakamura, Anish Giri, Ding Liren, Vishy Anand, Wesley So and Veselin Topalov the line-up is still enormously impressive, promising a fantastic tournament. Press release...

British Championships 2016: Six lead with 3.5/4

7/29/2016 – Bournemouth, the large resort town on the south coast of England, hosts the 103rd British Championships. From 23rd July to 6th August a large number of various tournaments are played. 86 players start in the Championship group, among them Michael Adams, David Howell and Gawain Jones. After four rounds these three all have 3.5/4 and share the lead with Nicholas Pert, Keith Arkell and Justin Tan. After each round Andrew Martin presents the game of the day.

Biel: Vachier-Lagrave wins match against Svidler

7/29/2016 – As so often before it was the Najdorf that brought Maxime Vachier-Lagrave an important victory. The French Grandmaster had Black in the third game of his match against Peter Svidler, and Svidler, who had to win the game to stay in the match, tried an unusual, sharp line of the Najdorf. But while Vachier-Lagrave at one point in the game was worse he managed to win with a surprising counterattack. Including rapid and classical games Vachier-Lagrave now leads 7.5-2.5 and won the match with one round to go.

Anton Korobov leads Karpov Tournament in Poikovsky

7/29/2016 – The Karpov Tournament in Poikovsky that honors the 12. World Champion has a long tradition and traditionally is very strong. The 17th edition is a category 18 ten player round-robin with an Elo-average of 2679. After five rounds the Ukrainian Grandmaster Anton Korobov leads with 3.5/5. Half-a-point behind follow Radoslaw Wojtaszek and Maxim Matlakov with 3.0/5.

Indirect knight trade

7/29/2016 – Tactics can seem deceptively simple, particularly when seeing an engine analysing grandmaster games. Strange, however, how difficult it is to find the right move and to calculate variations properly when playing yourself. It is easier if you solve tactical puzzles regularly. In the ChessBase Magazine and his tactics column Oliver Reeh helps you to do so.