9/9/2016 – During the first week of August the city of Belgrade hosted the 40th World Chess Solving Championship. Brian Stephenson, a member of the British Chess Problem Society, ran the Championship and chose the problems for the participants to solve. In the September issue of CHESS Magazine he presented two of the studies, and the solution to one from the May issue. Our readers are challenged to solve them, especially one that has a prize attached to it.

9/9/2016 – 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.

9/9/2016 – With the field at the top winnowed down to a handful the matches of the day were of paramount importance. The big match between Holland and India was epic: The Dutch started strong on all boards, but the Indians rallied and emerged victorious. The Ukrainians, who had shared the lead, faced Team USA, and it was Caruana's victory over Eljanov that decided their fate. The Women's event was no less dramatic as the Ukrainians squandered a sure win to draw with Russia, while China was held to a draw by Romania. Here is the report with instructive notes by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

9/8/2016 – After five gruelling rounds at the Olympiad 2016 comes the rest day. And the Indian team used it to be together and having a nice time. AICF President Venketrama Raja took the teams out for a lunch. We have some very candid and interesting pictures and also videos showcasing the physical strength of the Indian players! We have videos of their feats, and there is also a chance for you to win the latest Master Class Vol.07: Kasparov DVD as a prize!

9/8/2016 – He used to be a very strong chess grandmaster, one of the 40 best in the world. But at eighteen he abandoned chess to study economics, and went on to become a leader in the field. We met Kenneth Rogoff over a year ago in Munich, Germany, where he and GM Helmut Pfleger exchanged chess memories. Ken also delivered a remarkable lecture on the curse of paper currency. Today his book on the subject has been released – to keen world-wide attention.

9/7/2016 – Most chessplayer wonder, at least occasionally, how good they are. Of course, rating offers an answer but this answer often seems wrong. Indeed, sometimes you play far worse than your rating indicates, sometimes you do much better. The latter games should encourage you as they indicate what you are able to do. You "only" have to play such games more often, more consistently. Which might lead to less agony and more ecstasy.

9/7/2016 – Chess booms in the US. The US team is one of the favorites to win the Open Section of the Olympiad in Baku and the US American juniors achieve success after success. In the Wall Street Journal GM Alejandro Ramirez analyses this phenomenon, concluding that "the new model for U.S. chess success is a uniquely American recipe: private sponsorship combined with school programs and a dollop of vintage Soviet chess know-how". See article in the Wall Street Journal.

9/7/2016 – Maybe on day six of the Olympiad the players have firmly settled in and feel more and more inspired by the Olympic spirit, or they decided to try particularly hard before the free day after round five, or they were looking forward to the legendary Bermuda Party that invited players on Tuesday evening - but whatever the reason, round five in Baku brought many brilliancies. Daniel King presents three of them.

9/7/2016 – The fifth round shows the Olympiad in Baku now in full swing, and lopsided pairings are now mostly a thing of the past. In the Open section, Ukraine continued their fantastic run, and after their great win over Russia, they now beat the Chinese, and remain unbeaten. Joining them is the Netherlands, who won against Belarus, followed by India who soundly defeated the Azeri team. In the Women’s section, only Russia and Ukraine remain unblemished. Still, what really stood out was the inordinate number of spectacular games, analyzed for your pleasure.

9/6/2016 – There have been many chess geniuses, but Kasparov is one of the greatest. And one of the most remarkable. He was World Champion for fifteen years and won countless tournaments. He did it with his wonderfully dynamic style of play, his scientifically perfect openings preparation and his tactical brilliance. Not to mention the overwhelming will to win. In the ChessBase Master Class series four experts examine all aspects of his genius. Nine hours of video lessons.

9/6/2016 – 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. Today on the playchess server, 4 pm: Endgame Magic with Karsten Müller and Sergei Tiviakov.

9/6/2016 – The NATO Chess Championship is the greatest military chess tournament in the World. It is hosted by a different NATO country every year and for 2016 it was the turn of the United Kingdom. A challenging task, and the chess was played out at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham from the 22-26 August. Poland won the team event, FM Finn Pedersen was Individual Winner. Carl Portman reports.