Advent calendar: December 1

12/1/2016 – Christmas is coming, advent is there. Every day, from December 1 to December 24, we invite our readers to open a door in our advent calendar. Each day, a little surprise waits for you. Enjoy!

Yasser Seirawan: "A Radical Solution"

11/30/2016 – For many chess fans the short draw in game 12 of the Carlsen vs Karjakin World Championship Match was a shock. Now, rapid and maybe even blitz games will decide the match that started with 12 games in classical time-control. Our author Yasser Seirawan finds this "extremely undesirable" and offers a radical solution.

Carlsen wins tie-break and remains World Champion!

11/30/2016 – Magnus Carlsen won the World Championship match against Sergey Karjakin. After three tie-break games he led with 2-1 and Karjakin had to win the fourth tie-break game with Black. But in a Sicilian Karjakin soon drifted into a passive position. He desperately tried to create counterplay but this allowed Carlsen to mate Black and finish the game and the match with a scintillating queen sacrifice. Review the showdown in the Newsblog...

Khanty-Mansiysk, Rd. 9: Nino Batsiashvili and Ju Wenjun lead

11/30/2016 – Nine of eleven rounds are played in the Fide Women's Grand Prix in Khanty-Mansiysk and Ju Wenjun has the best chances to finish on one of the top places and to win the Grand Prix series 2015/2016. In round nine Ju won against Sarasadat Khademalsharie and with 6.0/9 she now shares the lead with Nino Batsiashvili (photo, who won against Valentina Gunina. Games and results.

A short visit to a short game

11/29/2016 – Maxim Dlugy was in a hurry when he came to watch game 12 of the Magnus Carlsen vs Sergey Karjakin match. But there was not much to miss. After 30 minutes the last classical game of the match was over: draw. Dlugy still found time to play blitz, greet old acquaintances and discuss religion and education with Henrik Carlsen and Richard Conn.

The breakthrough

11/29/2016 – 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!

Game 12 draw / Showdown on Wednesday / Notes by Yasser Seirawan

11/28/2016 – Game 12 ended in a short draw - we will witness tiebreaks on Wednesday. Carlsen's 26th birthday. Carlsen chose to avoid a fight and settled for a quick draw by playing one of the most solid variations against the Berlin Defence. Karjakin also seemed to be happy with the draw. Maybe the press conference after the game was harder than the game itself. Yasser Seirawan shows mixed emotions. Newsblog 2016-11-29...

In Memoriam Mark Taimanov (1926-2016)

11/28/2016 – Today, Mark Taimanov died at the age of 90 in his hometown St. Petersburg. The Russian Grandmaster was one of the greatest personalities in the history of chess and a man with many talents. After being a filmstar when still a child he later formed a famous piano duo with his first wife, and was one of the world's best chessplayers though he lost his most famous match 0-6 against Bobby Fischer. Obituary...

While game 11 was on

11/27/2016 – While Ian Nepomniachtchi was giving simul again, our reporter arrived at the venue just in time to see what is going. He was discussing the match with Vladimir Potkin, then Lawrence Trent showed up, so a re-match with the big F. was looming up. Some non-alcoholic Lychee Martinis helped to prepare, but when the moment arrived, Anna Burtasova took her chance. Inside Report, game 11...

20-year-old GM Urii Eliseev dies after falling from the 12th floor

11/27/2016 – 20-year-old Russian GM Urii Eliseev died after he fell from his apartment balcony on the 12th floor of a building in Moscow. With a rating of 2614, he was ranked 212 in the world and 42 in Russia. He was the 2016 Moscow Open champion. A brief report.

Wesley So: How Carlsen tried to spice up game 11

11/27/2016 – Game 11, 5.5-.5.5: Last regular White for Karjakin. What happened? After 1.e4 Carlsen avoided the Berlin and went for a classical system. He later tried to generate some threats, and Karjakin wasn't too impressed by his own play, as he later told after the game. Wesley So shares his perspective in our Newsblog 2016-11-27...

Carlsen vs Karjakin, Game 11: A fighting draw!

11/26/2016 – With one game to go the the World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin is tied at 5.5-5.5. After 34 moves game 11 ended in a draw. Karjakin had White but could not exert any pressure on Black. Carlsen impressed with the brilliant idea 19...d5 which gave him the initiative but that was not enough to win the game. Game 12 will follow on Monday. Newsblog - Nov. 26 ...

Tragicomedy on Thanksgiving

11/25/2016 – See what happened backstage while Carlsen and Karjakin fought it out in game ten: Maxim Dlugy reports: "It was getting clear that Magnus has to make the most out of today’s White pieces. The fight was tense, grandmasters watching the game were electrified. Read about the crowd in the VIP Lounge in our report from Fulton Market, Manhattan.

Aeroflot Open 2017

11/25/2016 – The Aeroflot Open in Moscow is one of the world's strongest open tournaments. In 2017 the Russian capital again invites to a chess festival, in which professionals and amateurs can start in various rating-groups. The top tournament is the A-group which offers a prize-fund of 65,000 Euros. Information and invitation.

Stability

11/25/2016 – 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.

Game 10: Carlsen strikes back / Notes by Wesley So

11/25/2016 – The World Champion wins his first game in New York City and evens the score: 5-5 now with two games to go. Sergey Karjakin had several chances to equalize but the game was tense and both players missed a lot of opportunities. Wesley So tells us why this was a great game. Newsblog - Nov. 25 ...

The crowd in the VIP area

11/24/2016 – Really into it - VIP-Lounge Inside Report, Part III: Maxim Dlugy our man in New York, runs into a cluster of grandmasters, melts into the crowd and wonders what happened to the food the VIPs could enjoy during the first half of the match. Of course, he also follows game nine and ends up enjoying Judit's company in the broadcast room. Back in the crowd he sees Lawrence Trent offering outrageous odds. Check the temperature...

Jon Speelman's Agony Column #29

11/24/2016 – If you know your openings and have an eye for strategic plans and tactics you are a dangerous opponent, no matter your rating. Of course, all these qualities do not protect against the occasional bitter loss but they certainly help to win fine games. As Han Schut, father of former Dutch women's champion Lisa Schut, demonstrates.

Game 10: Carlsen wins and is back in the match / Notes by Wesley So

11/24/2016 – In the tenth game of the World Championship in New York Magnus Carlsen scored his first win to come back into the match. With two games to play the score is now 5-5. In a nervous game with mistakes by both sides Carlsen finally managed to convert a clear advantage into a win. Game 10 annoated by Wesley So. Newsblog, Nov. 24 2016

An American Chess Resurgence!?

11/23/2016 – Is chess really thriving in the U.S.? Is the game really moving forward between New York City and Los Angeles after the U.S. won the Olympiad, has three players in the Top 10 and hosts the World Chess Championship Match between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin in New York? Our author Vanessa West takes a look at the chess scene in the U.S., browses through the media coverage and provides ample food for thought...

Game 9: Carlsen escapes Sudden Death / Notes by Fabiano Caruana

11/23/2016 – Another draw, a very tense one, it's 4-5 now. Some spectators expected the game to end in Karjakin's favour, but Carlsen survived a dangerous middlegame to escape into a worse endgame which he could hold. Theme of the fight: The Archangel. A complex struggle in the middlegame climaxed when Karjakin sacrificed a bishop on move 39. Carlsen struggled to stay in the match, trailing by -2 was a real threat. Notes by Fabiano CaruanaNewsblog 2016-11-13.

Karjakin wins with Black! Game 8 with notes by Fabiano Caruana

11/23/2016 – Karjakin wins with Black! The first decisive game of the match. Carlsen desparately went for a full point, overpressed and lost. After mutual oversights in time-trouble Karjakin reached a favorable endgame which he converted to a win. Karjakin now leads 4.5-3.5 with four games to go. Carlsen was too shocked to attend the press conference. It was a dramatic and crucial game. Fabiano Caruana investigates the scene.

Sergey Karjakin: The Inside Story

11/22/2016 – Just four games remain at the World Championship 2016. Sergey Karjakin is leading the match with +1. There is a chance that we may have a new World Champion in the next ten days. A good opportunity to learn more about Sergey Karjakin's background. Alexander Turpin has directed a 22-minute documentary based of Karjakin's life right from his childhood to the World Championship. You can watch the movie for as little as $3. Read the article for the complete details.

Khanty-Mansiysk: Three players lead with 3.0/4

11/22/2016 – The top encounter of round four of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Khanty-Mansiysk was the game between Valentina Gunina and Nino Batsiashvili. Before the round Batsiashvili was leading with 3.0/3, Gunina was one point behind with 2.0/3. But in round four Gunina stopped Batsiashvili's run and is now again at the top, together with Olga Girya and Batsiashvili. Games and results...