IM Daniel Kopec dies at 62

6/14/2016 – He was a highly talented home-bred US player, New York High School Champion at 14, National Master at 17, Scottish Champion at 26. He was also a computer science professor at Brooklyn College, with a PhD in Machine Intelligence. In the chess world he is best known for the "Bratko-Kopec" test used to evaluate the positional understanding of chess programs. We bring you a video eulogy with analysis of his games.

Ivan Ivanisevic triumphs in Zalakaros

6/14/2016 – The open in Zalakaros has a long tradition and there are a number of good reasons why people like to visit the small Hungarian spa town to play chess. The surroundings are beautiful, the tournament is well organised and the field is strong. The 35th edition of the Zalakaros Open was won by the Serbian GM Ivan Ivanisevic with 7.0/9.

Rauser's drawing zone

6/14/2016 – 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 fun!

Can computers compose artistic problems? (1)

6/14/2016 – Some time ago Dr Azlan Iqbal presented a program, Chesthetica, that was composing chess problems. We published ten examples of three-movers by the machine. Now a leading expert in the subject, Pal Benko, who is one of the finest problem composers in the world, tells us what he thinks about the quality of the computer compositions – and also what are the criteria that make a chess problem valuable.

Russia vs China

6/13/2016 – Since 2001 Russia and China play friendship chess matches against each other. The tenth of these friendship matches takes place from 11th to 15 June in Moscow. Each team consists of five players and each player of one team plays against all players from the other team. After three rounds the score in the men's event is even but in the women's event Russia leads 8.5-6.5.

Anand continues to win "Ciudad de Leon"

6/13/2016 – Last weekend the Spanish town Leon invited to its traditional chess event, the "29th Ciuduad de Leon", a four-player k.o.tournament in rapid format. The favorite was Vishy Anand who had won the previous eight events. The former World Champion continued this series though he needed some luck to beat Chinese prodigy Wei Yi in the finals.

Hikaru Nakamura wins Grand Chess Tour Paris

6/12/2016 – Hikaru Nakamura convincingly won the Grand Chess Tour Paris. After a shaky start into the second day of the blitz tournament he started to win game after game. World Champion Magnus Carlsen, however, failed to find his form and lost one game after the other. After 16 of 18 rounds Nakamura was 2.5 points ahead and had won the tournament with two rounds to go.

Paris: Nakamura and Carlsen dominate

6/11/2016 – After the first day of the blitz tournament Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen continue to dominate the field. After 9 of 18 rounds Carlsen leads with 7.0/9, Nakamura follows with 6.5/9. But in the table with the combined results of rapid and blitz Nakamura is half a point ahead of Carlsen. He even could have had a dominating lead had he not lost a better position against Carlsen in the last round of the day.

Rapport wins match against Navara

6/11/2016 – David Navara, Czech’s number one, narrowly lost his four-game match against Hungarian talent Richard Rapport 1½-2½. The match was close, exciting, and decided in the fourth and final game. After three draws Navara opted for a sharp and double-edged attack in the fourth game but lost after an inaccurate move. Timur Gareyev reports. | Photo: Anežka Kružíková, Prague Chess Society

Paying homage to Viktor

6/11/2016 – All over the world, obituaries, eulogies, tributes and testimonies have been written on behalf of a legend whose longevity and passion were an inspiration even for world champions. Here are some of the words that have been said by players such as Anand, Short, and Nakamura, as well as special tributes sent by Judit Polgar, Kavalek, Speelman, Benko, and more...

MCL 2016: Where chess meets fun!

6/11/2016 – It is one of the most colourful events of our country. The Maharashtra Chess League, India's only chess league, is into its fourth year and is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. The most unique feature of the MCL is the auction! Six team owners bid their amount in order to get the best players in their team. Vishy Anand, the brand ambassador of the event, was present. In this article we take you through the auction and prepare you for the exciting tournament which begins today!

Paris: Nakamura wins rapid tournament

6/10/2016 – The rapid tournament of the Grand Chess Tour Paris was exciting to the end. After five rounds Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen were sharing the lead with 3.5/5 each, and on day two both tried hard to win the tournament. In the end Nakamura, who scored 3.5/4 out of the four last rounds, had the better of it and finished half a point ahead of Carlsen.

Russia - China friendship match starts in Moscow

6/10/2016 – The friendship matches between China and Russia have a long tradition. The first match was played in 2001 in Shanghai and since then Russia and China have celebrated friendship and rivalry in eight more matches in different formats and with some of the strongest players of both countries. On June 10 the tenth Russia - China match begins in Moscow. Press Release

Chess holidays

6/10/2016 – Playing chess in nice surroundings has a lot of advantages. If you play well, you will enjoy the nice surroundings even more. And if you do not play well, you can always enjoy the nice surroundings. When Alina l'Ami played a small, fine tournament in Salento, Italy, her results could have been better but she enjoyed the tournament and the place. Large pictorial report.

Follow the Grand Chess Tour Paris live!

6/10/2016 – The first part of the rapid tournament on day one of the Grand Chess Tour tournament in Paris brought fine games, surprising blunders and exciting chess. After five rounds Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen share the lead with 3.5/5 each. Day two of the tournament starts doday, 14:00 hrs local time. To follow the games with live video and commentary click here!

Clichy wins French Top 12

6/10/2016 – Before testing their skills in the Grand Chess Tour against the world's best players Laurent Fressinet and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, the two French participants in Paris, gained confidence in the French Team Championship which took place from 28th May to 07 June in Drancy, near Paris. Fressinet and Vachier-Lagrave played for Clichy the French Team Champion 2016.

Trade or ignore?

6/10/2016 – 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.

Paris: Carlsen and Nakamura lead after day 1

6/9/2016 – For top favorite Magnus Carlsen the Grand Chess Tour tournament in Paris began with a shock. In round one he had a completely winning position against Wesley So but then forgot to move and lost on time. Carlsen recovered by winning three games in a row to finish the day with a draw in round five. He now has 3.5/5 and shares the lead with Hikaru Nakamura.

Anna Ushenina is European Women's Champion

6/9/2016 – Anna Ushenina, Women's World Champion 2012, is the new European Women's Champion.In the final round of the European Women's Championship she played a short and safe draw against Lilit Mkrtchian which guaranteed her the title because Ushenina had the best tie-break. Sabrina Vega and Elisabeth Pähtz played a tense game for second place which Vega won to win silver.

Action and fun: Watch the Grand Chess Tour Paris live!

6/9/2016 – The Paris Grand Chess Tour 2016 promises to be a highlight of the chess year 2016. It will be fun to watch ten of the world's best players battle against their opponents and "contre le montre" (against the clock). Don't miss it and follow the games with live commentary and live video transmission from the tournament hall. The rapid tournament starts today, 14:00 local time.

Let's go: The Grand Chess Tour begins in Paris!

6/9/2016 – Today, 14 pm local time, the first tournament of the Grand Chess Tour starts in Paris, France. The next four days ten of the world's best players, among them World Champion Magnus Carlsen, will compete in rapid- and in blitz chess. With an illustrious opening party, simuls and an apperance by Carlsen in a Canal Plus talk show the event began well.

Afghanistan Rising: a request for support

6/9/2016 – How dangerous is it to go to Kabul, to hold a simultaneous exhibition for young Afghani chess talents? Suneet Mausil, CEO of the Planetskool Initiative, spurned the usual security – like an armored vehicle for a short drive from the airport – and chose instead to simply call locals and make a friend from the very beginning. Now he is calling for international tournament directors to support Afghanistan players.

Kasparov pays tribute to Korchnoi

6/8/2016 – At age 85, and seriously enfeebled as any could see even in photos or videos, one would think Viktor Korchnoi's death would be no great shock, and yet it was. The reason is that he had long seemed living proof age was only a number, not a reality. In print and online everywhere, players are writing tributes and testimonies. Here is Garry Kasparov's, one of his biggest admirers.

Jon Speelman: Agony Column #5

6/8/2016 – Computer engines generate thousands and hundreds of thousands moves per second. The majority of these moves are utter nonsense but the sheer numbers help the machine to play strong chess. The move-generator of the human mind is less well-tuned and much more limited but also finds remarkable moves. As Jon Speelman illustrates in his Agony Colum #5.