The 17th Dubai Open Begins

4/8/2015 – Over the years the Dubai Open has established itself as one of the strongest open tournaments in the world. This year the event witnesses the participation of 150 players from 43 countries, with 39 grandmasters, 22 of whom are rated above 2600. The overall rating average is 2182. We have a reporter in Dubai who has provided a big illustrated report from the tournament venue.

US Champ R6: Big Results

4/8/2015 – Important results in the Open section of the U.S. Chess Championship. Onischuk took down Kamsky to now tie for third with Sevian, who defeated Troff. In second place, is Robson who leapfrogged over So in a very strange game. The newest addition to the American team is now in third. In the Women's Krush blundered away a win, and with Nemcova winning again she now leads by a point.

The Guardian speaks to Sevian

4/7/2015 – It was only a matter of time before 14-year-old Samuel Sevian, the youngest grandmaster in US history, attracted the attention of the international media. The Guardian, a British news paper, had a chat with the prodigy during the US Championship, in which he discussed his long term ambitions for the World Championship, and what he learned from Kasparov.

Closing ceremony: Mariya Muzychuk is crowned

4/7/2015 – The official closing ceremony of the Women's World Chess Championship took place on April 6. 64 players from 28 countries competed for the chess crown from March 16 to April 5. In the final match Mariya Muzychuk from Ukraine defeated Natalia Pogonina from Russia by 2.5-1.5 and became the 15th World Champion. In the high-profile affair, unique gifts were given. Pictures and comments.

Ziaur Rahman, Liza Akter win Asian Zonal

4/7/2015 – 33 male players and 15 females, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, assembled in Ratnagiri Resort near Katmandu in Nepal, withing sight of Mount Everest. They took part in the Asian Zonal section 3.2, won $1,500 and 1,000 dollars, but more importantly qualified for the FIDE World Cup. We bring you a special illustrated report from the top of the world.

Aeroflot Final: Nepo victorious

4/7/2015 – He only had to hold a draw in the final round, and he had no problems doing so. Ian Nepomniachtchi drew Ivan Bukavshin to take hom the Aeroflot crown and earn his qualification to the Dortmund super-tournament later this year. The battle for second place in the last round between Daniil Dubov and Lu Shanglei was a completely slugfest, which also went in favor of the Russian.

Switch-Side Chain-Chess Revisited

4/7/2015 – The search continues for a chess variant which retains the flavour of the original game but does not succumb to the brute calculating power of modern computers. AI researcher Azlan Iqbal has proposed his own unique variant. Now he provides some test games and shows how Carlsen could have won (instead of lost) WCCh Game 3 against Anand in Sochi had Switch-Side rules applied.

Nicholas Pert: The French Defence

4/6/2015 – Nicholas Pert, English grandmaster and experienced coach, loves the French Defence. He has played this opening in hundreds of games and it brought him many fine victories and helped him to become grandmaster. On his new ChessBase-DVD he distills this huge knowledge into a French repertoire. For Davide Nastasio this opened a window into a new world.

Mariya Muzychuk is the 15th World Champion

4/6/2015 – In the last game of the match, Natalia Pogonina needed a win at all costs, and the question was whether Mrs Comeback herself would be able to pull off a fourth miracle in the tournament. Unfortunately, the task was made all the harder as she had Black, and White only needed a draw, and Muzychuk pretty much shut down Natalia in the game. At the end, a new champion was crowned.

US Champ R5: Bloody Easter

4/6/2015 – A holiday for many people in America, but the players in the U.S. Chess Championship definitely did not take it off. After six draws in the previous round, the entertainment level in round five was off the charts. Blunders, unexpected results, complicated positions, awkward/brilliant moves, it had it all! Meanwhile in the Women's in a difficult melee, Krush kept her chances alive.

Going viral with planetoid Vishyanand

4/5/2015 – We had heard about an asteroid being named after the 15th World Champion some months ago. But with inherent devious cunning we decided to hold back the news, which was an ideal "fake April Fool's joke". It left many readers, thinking it was made – even Anand has his doubts. After we confirmed that it was genuine, Indian newspapers picked it up and turned it into a media storm.

WWch Final G3: One step from the title

4/5/2015 – After the nervous wreck that was game two, with errors and mistakes belying the nonchalant face both players displayed, game three was a different beast altogether. The two finalists duked it out in a Semi-Slav, sidestepping the Meran for less chaotic waters, and succeeding to a degree. It would go down as an uneventful game, were it not for one move.

US Champ R4: Peace

4/5/2015 – It was not the best played round of chess, and the excitement level went down just a little bit. The open section had six draws, some more exciting than others. The anticipated match up between So and Nakamura finished in a draw after Nakamura blundered a pawn, but was able to hold the draw. Meanwhile the action in the Women's was very up and down to say the least.

WWch Final G2: Muzychuk takes lead

4/4/2015 – The second game probably caused no end of heart attacks from fans of both players. The nerves, compounded by more than two weeks of non-stop play without break, began to show, and after a highly theoretical Ruy Lopez Breyer, Muzychuk set up a huge attack, while missing winner after winner. Would Pogonina regroup and defend, or would Muzychuk finally cash in? It was drama to the end.

US Champ R3: Sevian defeats Top Ten

4/3/2015 – The round was wild for all sides, and all boards, but the news of the round, without question, was 14-year-old Samuel Sevian's defeat of World no.8 Wesley So, who resigned just short of getting mated. This was hardly the only surprise as Nakamura let Kamsky escape after squeezing him the entire game, while Irina Krush was on the wrong side of a massive attack by Paikidze. Nakamura-So tomorrow!

Google Tooth?? You must be kidding!

4/3/2015 – Yep, the Google X lab project to replace human molars with electronic devices (and use them to play 3000+ level chess) was the April 1st hoax. Pure invention – well, as far as we know. So we are left with having to believe in a possible refutation to the English Opening and that the minor planet Vishyanand is circling the sun. Perfectly true – in fact you can name a planet yourself!

Clear case

4/3/2015 – 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.

WWch Final G1: At last

4/3/2015 – After over two weeks of relentless competition, the final match has arrived. It is hard to imagine the toll this has had on the players, since this is not like a two week tournament, each two games determined whether they would stay or go home. At last, only two warriors still stand, and both went through their own trials of fire. Report, game and player impressions.

U.S. Champ R2: Favorites perfect

4/3/2015 – One did with a very clean game, the other with a bit of luck. Hikaru Nakamura cleanly wiped Varuzhan Akobian off the board after Akobian sacrificed a pawn, got no compensation and lost. Wesley So had a win against Sam Shankland, missed it, and a huge blunder by White in that game gave So the win. The best game of the day, though, without a doubt, was played in the Women's section.

Karpos Open under way in Macedonia

4/2/2015 – With the so many events running, it would be easy to overlook the lovely Karpos Open, currently being held in Skopje, Macedonia, but it shouldn't considering the excellent conditions, held in a five-star hotel, and generous prize fund that has attracted 98 titled players of whom 33 are GMs ready to fight for their spot in the sun. An illustrated report by Diana Mihajlova

Interview with Boris Gelfand

4/2/2015 – Since the 1980s Boris Gelfand has been one of the world's best players. In 2012 he finally played a match for the World Championship title against Vishy Anand in Moscow and had good chances to win. In a 33-minute interview with Tania Kisilevski from the Russian TV station ETV he now revealed interesting things about his life as a chess professional.

Master Class - José Raúl Capablanca

4/2/2015 – How does one dissect a player such as José Raúl Capablanca, considered one of the greatest talents to ever live, and described as a "chess machine". Three grandmasters do exactly that, unveiling surprises about the champion's play. Add to that tons of training questions, plus hundreds of his games analyzed by Lasker, Alekhine and Capablanca himself, and you have a DVD you must not miss!

U.S. Champ R1: Comedy of Errors

4/2/2015 – At least you can say the games were exciting! Many of the games, in both sections, were decided by blunders or big mistakes. Nakamura won thanks to a blunder by Holt, So because of a blunder by Naroditsky, Onischuk blundered a pawn but managed to hold a draw, Robson beat Troff also because of a blunder. In the Women's section, something very similar happened.

Google Tooth – the latest in wearables

4/1/2015 – Everyone is doing it: after the iPhone and Android we are now confronted with Google Glass, Apple Watch, the Pebble. Computers are getting smaller and can be built to accompany you wherever you go. Now Google X, the semi-secret facility run by the search giant, is working on a dental computer. Why do we tell you this? Because Google Tooth comes bundled with a chess app.