8/10/2016 – A topsy-turvy round started with belliggerent intentions on all boards, but as the round progressed, it began to seem as if we would have another full set of draws. Anand and So played out a striking novelty well past theory and prepared by both, so that in the end, the draw was just. Caruana managed to outfox MVL in the opening and middlegame, but right at the finish line he faltered and let the Frenchman escape. Finally, Topalov took the least obvious route possible to beat Ding and become the leader. Illustrated report with GM analysis.

8/9/2016 – Michael Adams, the long-time highest rated English player on the FIDE rating list, has won the British Chess Championships 2016 in Bournemouth to add to his 4 previous British titles. His score of 10.0/11 equaled the record set by Julian Hodgson in 1992 and, given that future championships are planned to be run over nine rounds, this was probably the last opportunity for the record to be equaled or exceeded. Illustrated report with commented games.

8/9/2016 – It was another uneventful round, and while several games seemed to hold promise for more than a draw, the wind seemed to peter and die out in the players' sails. The most dynamic game of the round was unsurprisingly between Nakamura and Topalov, players for who the word dynamic seems a weak term, but despite the material imbalance at the end, neither seemed willing to press the issue. Giri pressed hard in an endgame against So, but the American neutralized his attempts and they also drew. Full report with GM analysis.

8/9/2016 – For a couple of months now the meme has been that the 2016 World Championship is not, as originally stated, going to be staged in New York, but moved to Moscow. Not true. AGON, is the official partner of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and owner the World Chess brand as well as commercial rights holder to the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle, has now definitely announced that it will take place from November 11th to 30th in the Fulton Market Building, a five minute walk from Wall Street. Press release.

8/9/2016 – The author writes: "The Englund Gambit, 1.d4 e5, is in my opinion the second worst opening in the whole of chess (top position belongs to 1.e4 f5, the glorious Fred). This is not something that is likely to crop up in too many standard play games, although it is a common enough customer in blitz chess – its awfulness is mediated by a the presence of a few funny ideas (and one big trap) that White may struggle to get to grips with in the course of a few minutes." In CHESS Magazine Matthew provides extensive analysis that will serve you well.

8/9/2016 – 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.

8/8/2016 – In round two, an analogy was made about movies and their sequels, and the title is a reference to it. To be fair to the players, all the games were dynamic affairs with fascinating tussles that just seemed to culminate in draws in spite of the players’ efforts, not because of them. Examples to be seen are Topalov’s oversight that all thought meant a sure loss, or Aronian’s opening piece sacrifice. Full report with analysis by GM Moradiabadi.

8/7/2016 – Iran is a beautiful and mysterious country and Tehran is more so. A combination of factors makes Tehran a pleasant place to visit: The province's geographical features, great museums, parks, restaurants, and a warm friendly people. However, sometimes a big chess event is a better reason to visit Tehran. This year, among the many chess tournaments held there, the 12th Asian Schools Chess Championships were held in Tehran. Illustrated report.

8/7/2016 – After the excitement of round one, round two, if anything, it was even more thrilling with every game having a story to tell. Topalov seemed poised to play a masterpiece after a beautiful attack on Caruana, but somehow botched it and let Fabiano escape, while Anand came back from a bad position to outplay MVL and score his first win. The last game to finish was Nakamura's superb win over Giri, and that was not all that happened. Here is the detailed report with analysis by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

8/6/2016 – Amidst rave reviews by players on the quality of organization, the Turkish Is Bank Super Chess League ended with a resounding victory by top team Hatay Municipality, followed by Kayseri Sports Club. While Hatay’s result was no surprise considering its five GMs including Ivanchuk on board one, but Kayseri was certainly a surprise with only two GMs. Here is the final report with numerous entertaining positions to test yourself.

8/6/2016 – Fans got it all in what was a thrilling start to the Sinquefield Cup. Almost all boards saw vicious battles. MVL seemed like his star would fall as he was in big trouble against Giri, but saved it after Anish blundered. However, the biggest blunder was Svidler's terrible oversight, losing a piece to Topalov. Nakamura suffered an off-day and lost to So, while Anand and Caruana drew a very complicated battle. Here is the illustrated report with analysis by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

8/5/2016 – The last piece of the Biel Chess Festival puzzle was finally completed: the prestigious Main Open. It saw the top spots fought over by dozens of grandmasters and masters hailing from all over the world. The top seed was Russian GM Nikita Vitiugov (2728), but the player in form who dominated it was US grandmaster Sam Shankland, scoring one of the best victories of his career.