WWch Rd3 G1: bloody battles

3/24/2015 – Depending on which side of the fence you lie, it was either a disastrous day for the Russians, or a great day for Asian players. Whichever your preference, it was a wonderful day for chess spectators with only two of the eight games ending in draws. The tension showed in several games, with violent upheavals all around, but there was no lack of excitement.

Lawrence Trent: Winning with the Fantasy Variation

3/23/2015 – No fun against the Caro-Kann? Why not surprise your opponents with the Fantasy Variation 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3? Aggressive, creative, unexplored, difficult to deal with, but easy to learn. In 60 minutes Lawrence Trent shows you the basics of this interesting and exciting variation that is bound to lead to interesting games. Review...

Bringing chess into the spotlight (2)

3/23/2015 – Today your mobile phone could beat the human World Champion, says Viswanathan Anand in part two of his frank and eloquent talk at the India Today Conclave. "Soon your kitchen table and your fridge will do it!" The fifteenth World Champion, who started working with computers some years before Magnus Carlsen was born, also has succinct things about his successor. Do not miss this one.

WWch Rd2 tiebreaks: the hand of fate

3/23/2015 – After the second round of standard time control games had been played, the sixth day of the FIDE Women's World Championship ushered in another series of tiebreak games played at rapid and blitz time controls. This time ten players were left to settle the score. As if the nerve-wracking rapid and blitz games were not enough, Anna Ushenina missed her first game by a cruel twist of fate.

WWch Rd2 G2: 11 decisions, 5 tie-breaks

3/22/2015 – In round two of the Women's World Championship in Sochi number two seed Ju Wenjun had to give up all hopes of becoming World Champion after losing against Natalja Pogonina. But most of the favorites prevailed, and Valentina Gunina (picture) and Humpy Koneru even won their fourth game in a row. Five matches were drawn and will be decided in the tie-break.

Stewart on chess: US buying nerds??

3/22/2015 – Remember our recent article on a clandestine effort to recruit top players from other countries to switch their allegiance to the United States, to help win team championships like the Chess Olympiad? Well, Comedy Central's inimitable Jon Stewart picked up on the New York Times report and did a five minute sketch on chess, one that is simultaneously insulting and funny.

3rd World Senior Team Championship Dresden

3/22/2015 – With 87 teams this Championship broke all records. Over 400 players traveled to the German city, that had been fire-bombed exactly 70 years ago. The participated in two sections, one for veterans over fifty and one for 65+. Third seed Slovakia took the title, while top seeds England and Germany finished third and second respectively. We have some impressions and one nicely annotated game.

Daniel King: "Power Play 10 - Calculation"

3/21/2015 – Richard Teichmann's quote "Chess is 99% tactics" exaggerates but it also emphasizes how important tactics are in chess. Just have a look at your computer. It might not know what a fortress is but its calculating power more than compensates this lack of positional refinement. But how does a human train tactics and the ability to calculate? Daniel King has the answer.

WWch Rd2 G1: Inspired play

3/21/2015 – For some it was another day of battle after a grueling day of tiebreaks, while others came came refreshed and strong and it showed. Top-seed Koneru sweated to overcome Tingjie in their game, but overcome her she did through skill and tenaciousness. Kosteniuk dominated her Chinese opponent Shen Yang, and finished her in style, while Gunina beat Girya in a game reminiscent of Tal.

Grandmasters in Hawai'i

3/20/2015 – The main events in Hawaii are just kicking off, but the visiting masters to the fabulous Hawaii Chess Festival have not wasted a minute in exploring the island of O'ahu. So far there has been hiking with the World Women's Champion, banquets, hula dancing, snorkeling with turtles, bughouse, simultaneous exhibitions, just to name a few things! We bring you a pictorial from Hawaii.

Passed pawn vs. mating attack

3/20/2015 – 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.

FIDE World Team Championship 2015

3/20/2015 – Tsaghkadzor, the "Valley of Flowers", is a small touristy town in Armenia, with barely 3000 people. But it is big on tourism and has beautiful hotels. In April the five-star Golden Palace will host teams from Armenia, China, Cuba, Egypt, Israel, Hungary, India, Russia, Ukraine, USA in what is sure to be a very enjoyable event. Visitors are welcome, and as a chess holiday the trip is a real bargain.

WWch Rd1 tiebreaks: Watch the clock!

3/20/2015 – It was a tense day for the players and thrilling for the spectators as 22 players fought for their lives in the tournament. Heart-wrenching for Argentina who saw two heroic players fall under the tiebreak sword, while Germany's Elizabeth Paetz also failed to make the cut. In the Armageddon, both Goryachkina and Kosintseva won their games on time. Report, pictures and more!

Bojkov: The true value of the pieces

3/19/2015 – Don't we know it already: nine points for the queen, five for the rook, etc.? But judging the relative value of pieces in situations with material imbalances is a very complex task. GM Dejan Bojkov helps you understand it with a whopping forty-one instructional videos. His latest DVD is both entertaining and instructional – a must buy says chess trainer Prathamesh Mokal.

WWch Rd1 G2: Easy wins and tough matches

3/19/2015 – After the second game of the first round, 21 matches were decided with 21 players going forward and 21 going home. In the meantime, eleven matches will need to be decided in the rapid game tiebreaks in the third day. Unusual pairings saw lopsided pairings and grueling battles, and while many of the big names are in the clear, some fell to heroic performances.

Man of the moment: Erwin L’Ami

3/19/2015 – The Reykjavik Open has established itself as one of the strongest open tournaments in the world today. And in the 2015 edition the 2605 rated Erwin L’Ami, only 11th in the starting list crushed the competition, winning the tournament with a round to spare! In between receiving the champion’s trophy and catching some much deserved sleep, he was kind enough to answer a few questions.

Last round in Reykjavik

3/18/2015 – With 8.5/9 Erwin l'Ami was certain to win the Open in Reykjavik before the last round. Perhaps it was the lack of tension that made him lose against Pavel Eljanov in the final round. With this win Eljanov became second with 8.0/10, while third place went to Fabien Libiszewski, who also had 8.0/10 but the worse tie-break. Final round report...

Bringing chess into the spotlight (1)

3/18/2015 – It is usual to come across celebrities who set the stage on fire and leave the audience awe-struck at their seemingly stellar performances. Chess players in contrast are often contrived to be socially awkward and are not particularly seen to be engaging with the audiences. But that is exactly what former World Champion Viswanathan Anand did in this must-watch India Today Conclave.

The Women's World Championship begins

3/18/2015 – It would be surprising not to see any surprises at the Women's World Championship. After all, it is a knock-out tournament. But the first round brought hardly any upsets, the favorites won or drew, hoping for better opportunities in the second game. With one exception: Yuan Yuanling used a lethal counter to win against Marya Muzychuk.

The middle of nowhere

3/18/2015 – 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.

Reykjavik has a winner

3/18/2015 – There is still one round left to go in Reykjavik, but that is irrelevant for the pole position. Erwin l'Ami triumphed yet againt, this time over Hrant Melkumyan, and since all his closest pursuers drew he is now in the lead by 1.5 points, with one round left no one will catch him. l'Ami played fantastic chess and it is clear that the stars, or the Northern Lights, aligned for him.

Women's World Championship ready to rumble

3/17/2015 – After uncertainty and concerns on the fate of the event last year, the FIDE Women's World Championship was announced and organized in a flurry, and is held in Sochi, Russia. All the brightest stars will be playing with the exception of Hou Yifan, who reserves the right to challenge the winner as a result of her Grand Prix victory. Complete info, pairings, and pictures.

L'Ami's rampage continues

3/17/2015 – He seems unstoppable! Even with a bad position today against Julio Granda, Erwin l'Ami was able to overcome the difficulties and emerge victorious. This win puts him a full point ahead of a large pack of players with 6.5/8. With only two rounds to go, things are looking good for l'Ami. In round 9 he plays Hrant Melkumyan, who still hopes to take the title. Update.

The Komodo Files – working with a chess engine (2)

3/16/2015 – His initial foray into working with a chess engine ended in near total disaster, when he was forced to think for himself the old human frailties come to the surface. In round six GM Danny Gormally had worked out the position after move seven virtually to checkmate. "There’s no way in a million years I would have been able to find all the moves," he writes. The engine found them in seconds.