9/26/2016 – Today, the Russian Chess Federation announced that the well-known Russian chess coach and author Mark Dvoretsky had died. As a young player Dvoretsky was a promising talent but he soon decided to end his career as a player to focus on a career as a coach. Since then he has supported and trained countless strong players and has helped many of them to make it to the top.

9/26/2016 – If you are like Magnus Carlsen and do not want to memorize endless lines of opening theory but prefer to force your opponent to find his way in unknown territory then the Accelerated London System (1.d4 followed by 2.Bf4) might be the right opening for you. On a recent Fritztrainer DVD English Grandmaster Nigel Davies showed how White can score in this line. German amateur Robert Klenk liked what he saw.

9/25/2016 – The first day of the X Tal Memorial opened with a favorite of fans all over: a blitz tournament. There is nothing quite like spending a Sunday watching the elite go crazy in blitz games all day to fight for the right to an extra white in the event to follow. It was Mamedyarov’s party as he crushed the field, with live video commentary in both Russian and English. Here is the report with some fun positions to test your skills!

9/24/2016 – Online playing has been one of the true wonders for chess. The possibility to play a game against someone at any time of the day, anywhere in the world, is a joy and addictive. As of this writing, no fewer than 666 million games have been played on Playchess, from the most casual unrated game to grudge matches between top GMs. Learn about the many options you have to play games, including filters, the fancy 3D boards, and participating in the tournaments organized around the clock.

9/24/2016 – Fide Master James (Jim) Eade has been a chess player, chess organizer, chess politician, and chess publisher. In 2016 he was honored by The University of Texas at Dallas as “Chess Educator of the Year.” Still, while certainly laudable, he is perhaps best known as an author, particularly for his best-selling Chess for Dummies, now in its fourth edition. His book has sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide, and has been translated even into Russian. Alexey Root interviewed the best-selling author.

9/23/2016 – Playchess is an incredibly rich online server, with tons of options for playing, watching, or simply hanging out. You can also enjoy live lectures, simuls, have private lessons, watch live commentary (and ask questions), watch live and past video shows, and even test yourself with the tactics trainer. You can even set up a private chess club page with special events inside! If you are new to Playchess, or a bit unclear on it, check out this first tutorial.

9/19/2016 – Among the many brilliant performances turned in at the Baku Olympiad was Vladimir Kramnik's gold medal performance on board two, and taking him to 2817 Elo and world no.2. While everyone appreciates his brilliance, understanding the games and moves of such a deep player often requires the help of a grandmaster who can shed light on seemingly baffling choices. Providing just that is GM Elshan Moradiabadi who shares his insights in this wonderful class on strategy.

9/18/2016 – If you thought the three activities hockey, football and chess don’t mix, think again. During the summer break, the Doprastav Bratislava Chess Club (Slovakia) organized a chess exhibition match between hockey players and footballers. This match between big names of the sport in Slovakia, included such players as Miroslav Šatan, a hockey player who was world champion and even won a Stanley Cup. His personal love for chess motivated him to help make this unlikely event possible. Illustrated report with a mind-boggling video.

9/17/2016 – An event such as the Baku Olympiad will generate enormous interest, great games, and historic moments, but have you ever wondered what it was like from an insider's point of view. We don't mean from the perspective of an on-site reporter, but rather one who had to make the tough decisions each and every day: the captain! What follows is an article by Manuel Weeks, the captain of the Australian team, as he dealt with the decisions and worries that might decide his team's fate. A fascinating account with games and quizzes.

9/17/2016 – Three years ago Vladimir Kramnik won the 2013 FIDE World Cup in Tromsø, a 128-player knockout tournament. It was a fine and stunning victory, which involved defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (currently the World's number two) in the sixth round. In game two Kramnik could have settled matters with a study-like win he had on the board, but failed to find. Not surprising in short time controls under high pressure. Try to solve the position and let Sagar Shah of ChessBase India teach you a bit about an important endgame.

9/16/2016 – A solid mix of solid play and aggression - that is what Black wants with the Queen's Gambit Declined. And that is what Daniel King wants to give you on his DVD "Powerplay 23" - a "Repertoire For Black With the Queen's Gambit Declined". German amateur Sebastian Vigl, who now seems to be an ardent fan of the QGD, had a look at the DVD and shares his impressions in a personal review.

9/16/2016 – Chess is on the rise in the US, symbolized by the gold medal the US team won at the 42nd Chess Olympiad in Baku. And there seems to be no lack of talent in the US. Jeffery Xiong is the top rated player in the world born in or after 2000 and he recently became World Junior Champion. Li Ruifeng is the top rated player in the world born in or after 2001 and he recently won the North American Junior Open U20. After a dramatic last round.