Olympiad quiz: and the winners are...

9/15/2016 – Before the Olympiad in Baku began on 1st September, ChessBase invited its readers to answer three questions to predict which team would win the open, which team would win the Women's Section and who would win gold for the best result on board one in the Open. Hundreds of readers replied but no one had the right answer to all three questions. As so often, it was Baadur Jobava who surprised everyone.

Elisabeth Pähtz: How to exchange pieces

9/15/2016 – What is better - knight or bishop? And why? In many positions these are difficult questions but knowing the right answers to them helps to make the right moves and win more games. Practice and study helps to develop a feeling for the right exchange which simply makes you a better chessplayer. On her new ChessBase DVD Elisabeth Pähtz offers a practical and useful guideline that shows how to exchange pieces.

Anand: 'In chess, 40 is the new 50'

9/15/2016 – Recently Susan Ninan met Vishy Anand at his home in Chennai to do an interview for ESPN India. The thing which separates this interview from many others we have read in the past is the detail and candour with which Vishy answers the questions related to age and aging, tackling younger opponents, fatherhood, staying relevant in an evolving sport – and, inevitably, to retirement. We reproduce this interview along with some very interesting historical pictures.

Romantic chess in modern times

9/14/2016 – In the romantic era of chess many games followed a similar pattern: a sudden attack was fueled by sacrifices to get a lead in development and, ideally, the opponent was finally mated with a flourish. This way of playing led to a number of gambits, particularly after the opening moves 1.e4 e5. But can you still play that way today? On two ChessBase DVDs Dutch Grandmaster Erwin l'Ami used modern chess engines to take stock of all gambits that might arise after 1.e4 e5. German amateur player Henrik Meyer took a look at Volume 1 of this Gambit Guide.

Daniel King's final report from the Baku Olympiad

9/14/2016 – In the final video report on the Baku Olympiad, Daniel King brings images and comments on the eleventh round. He talks about the big matches with the historic US victory, including the surprising tiebreak conundrums, which turned into a vertiable cliff-hanger, and a small chat with Ukraine's top board Pavel Eljanov. He discusses China's first Gold with Hou Yifan, and other tidbits from Azerbaijan. Plus additional on the spot interviews.

Tie-break system decides Olympiad

9/14/2016 – After the US team had won the Olympiad in Baku on tie-break Hikaru Nakamura congratulated German Grandmaster Matthias Blübaum via twitter for "the win of the tournament" and thanked "Germany" for helping the USA to win gold. Blübaum, indeed, had played the game that was crucial for the, as Daniel King put it in his video report about the last round, "arcane" tie-break system, and decided the Olympiad in favor of the USA. But why exactly?

From Baku: Jon Speelman's Agony Column #19

9/14/2016 – As one of England's top players Jon Speelman played in many Olympiads, in Baku he was captain of England's women's team. Of course, the many games played in the Olympiad offer a wealth of material for Speelman's "Agony/Ecstasy Column". But for now he focuses on his compatriots and presents adventures and misadventures of the English teams in Baku.

2016 Baku Rd11: US wins historic gold! China wins Women's

9/14/2016 – The win by the US at 2016 Baku, in the largest field ever, can only be described as historic. Ukraine held on to their pace and took silver, while Russia took bronze. Board one gold medal went to Baadur Jobava, and take note of board three bronze medal by 64-year-old Eugenio Torre! The Women's event saw China overcome Russia in an epic match, the first team gold for Hou Yifan, and denying Russia any medal. Poland took silver for their greatest result in Olympiads ever, while Ukraine took bronze. Huge report with videos and GM analysis.

Chess Olympiad in Baku, Round ten: Daniel King reports

9/13/2016 – There is a reason why Daniel King is one of the most popular chess commentators in the world. If you want to know why, just have a look at his video report of round ten in Baku. It was a crucial round in which the teams tried to position themselves for the last and decisive round. Daniel King shows the highlights of round ten and once again manages to catch the Olympic flair in Baku.

Finding the right time

9/13/2016 – 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!

Favorite website? Chessbase.com!

9/13/2016 – Chessplayers from all over the world meet at the Chess Olympiad in Baku, super grandmasters and professionals, amateurs and casual players. This creates a unique atmosphere and lots of chances for a little chat. Which the ChessBase team in Baku likes to use for interviews with a variety of players. Fabiano Caruana and Robert Hess were both ready to answer a barrage of questions in 99 seconds.

2016 Baku Rd10: China to face Russia to decide Women's

9/13/2016 – The penultimate round saw few changes if any in the leaderboards. The USA played Georgia and won, with the only hiccup being Nakamura's loss to Mchedlishvili. Ukraine also defeated the Czech, while their Volokitin soars at a 2994 performance. Russia only drew India, though they still remain clear third. Remarkably, Canada is in 4th place on tiebreak. The Women's saw China barely overcome Poland, while Ukraine drew India. Russia won against Georgia and will face China for the gold. Large illustrated report with videos and GM analysis.

David Foster Wallace (1962 - 2008) and chess

9/12/2016 – David Foster Wallace, author, essayist, short story writer, and professor of English and creative writing, is considered to be one of the most influential and innovative modern American writers. Eight years ago, on 12th September 2008, Wallace, who throughout his life had been suffering from depression, committed suicide at the age of 46. In his career he wrote about a large variety of subjects and one of his major essays contains a short revealing passage about chess.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov applies for US citizenship

9/12/2016 – At first it seems to be hard to believe but according to the Russian News Agency TASS Kirsan Ilyumzhinov sent a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama to apply for US citizenship. This surprising move by the FIDE President seems to be directed against the sanctions imposed on him by the U.S. Department of Treasury. As Ilyumzhinov explained, as a US citizen the sanctions "could be considered at a local court".

Video: Sam Shankland explains his win against Frode Urkedal

9/12/2016 – In round nine of the Olympiad the US team won 3-1 against Norway. An important and fine game was Sam Shankland's crushing win on the black side of the Najdorf against Frode Urkedal. After the round Shankland visited the ChessBase stall in Baku and in a video session with Daniel King explained some of the finer points of the game and showed attacking and defensive ideas in the Najdorf.

The "Chess Train" rolls again

9/12/2016 – The "Chess Train" journey is one of the most entertaining and charming chess events of the year. The voyage of the "Chess Train 2016" begins 7th October 2016 in Prague where it also ends on 11th October 2016, after stops in Regensburg, Innsbruck, Salzburg and Český Krumlov. During the day the participants play chess on the train, in the evening there is time to visit some of the most beautiful and culturally interesting cities of Europe. However, keep in mind that only a limited number of tickets are available - and these are very much in demand.

2016 Baku Rd9: US and Ukraine lead, Russia third

9/12/2016 – Once more it was a great round, chock full of exciting matches and dramatic games. The US against Norway match held the spotlight, if only because of the top-board encounter between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, though the Americans won 3-1. The Ukraine defeated India to join the lead, while Russia thumped Azerbaijan. The surprise of the day was Iran's youthful team tied with England. In the Women's event, the Chinese beat the US to take sole lead. Full report with photos, videos, and analysis by GM Fabiano Caruana!

Must-have: Master Class Vol. 07 on Garry Kasparov

9/11/2016 – The Master Class series by ChessBase is an excellent way to acquaint yourself with the World Champions. Last week Master Class Vol. 07 dealing with the life and games of Garry Kasparov was released. With runtime of almost nine hours and experienced grandmasters like Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin and Karsten Mueller explaining you the details, this is the ideal way to learn what made Garry Kasparov absolutely invincible! A must-have for every ambitious player.

Daniel King analyzes Baku Olympiad round 8

9/11/2016 – In the swarm of games and players at the Baku Olympiad, the Georgian player Baadur Jobava has stood out by now as an outright favorite for the Board One gold medal. His performance has been one of superlatives to say the least, combining technical play and imaginative attacking. In round eight he defeated the extremely solid and experienced Ruslan Ponomariov from Ukraine in a astonishing 21 moves. This was not the result of a blundered piece or rook, it was the result of a lightning sacrificial attack.

2016 Baku Rd8: USA versus Russia

9/11/2016 – They were without a doubt the matches on everyone's mind. In both the Open and the Women's events, Russia faced the USA, and the promise of thrilling top-notch fights did not disappoint. In the Open section, the USA came within a whisker of defeating the top-rated Russian team, with a key win by Welsey So over Nepomniachtchi, balanced by a tragic last-minute blunder by Ray Robson against Grischuk. As to the Women, the Americans beat Russia after a big win by Krush over Kosteniuk. Full report with analysis by GM Wesley So and more!

Daniel King analyzes Baku Olympiad rounds 6 and 7

9/10/2016 – The action at the Baku Olympiad has been intense, and there have been more games than is possible to cover, share, or analyze. GM Daniel King, author of the incredibly popular PowerPlay series, casts his professional eye on a few games of rounds six and seven. In round six he focuses on the Women's match between RUssia and Ukraine, with some of the strongest players giving it their all. In round seven, he has arrived in Baku and starts with some initial impressions and analyzes in depth the wild game Li Chao vs Nigel Short.

SwitChess – an experiment with the black pieces

9/10/2016 – The first-move advantage in chess is historically varified. Statistics for the last 165 years show that White consistently wins between 52 and 56 percent of the games. Some chess theorists have challenged the view that this is solely a consequence of being able to make the first move. GM András Adorján wrote a series of books on the theme "Black is OK!", arguing that the general perception that White has an advantage is founded more in psychology than reality. András conducted an experiment to test his theory.

The Record Holder: Eugenio Torre

9/10/2016 – Eugenio Torre from the Philippines, Asia's first grandmaster, is a phenomenon. In Baku he plays his 23rd Olympiad, more than any other player in chess history. Torre, who once qualified for the Candidate Matches and at his peak was number 17 in the world, gave his olympic debut in Siegen 1970 and since then has won three bronze medals for his results on board one. He is 64 years old, but still very strong. In Baku he plays on board three for the Philippines and started with 6.0/7 and an Elo-performance of 2712. A short tribute.

Where is Vassily Ivanchuk?

9/10/2016 – The Ukrainian team seems to be in good shape at the Olympiad in Baku. They beat Russia and China and only lost to the USA. After seven rounds they have 12 from 14 possible team points and share second to seventh place, and are only one point behind the leading US team. However, one prominent player is missing in the line-up of the Ukrainians: Vassily Ivanchuk. Where is the Ukrainian top player? Well, he is playing an open in Poland - a draughts tournament.