The largest chess club in the world

7/27/2014 – The United Arab Emirates has many landmarks that are famous around the world, including the tallest man-made structure, the Burj Khalifa, the world's biggest mall, the Dubai Mall, and the JW Marriott Marquis, the world's tallest hotel. Therefore it should come as a no big surprise that it is now home to the largest chess club in the world. Big illustrated report.

Tromso 2014: Preview and preparations

7/27/2014 – The much awaited Chess Olympiad in Tromso, Norway is just around the corner, with the gong for round one sounding on August 2. After much controversy and nailbiting, the greatest hurdles seem to have been passed, and we can get ready for two weeks of fantastic chess. The teams have been officially published, and the organizers have shared pictures of the preparations and a music video.

Chess on tablets: Playing on Playchess

7/27/2014 – It is one o'clock in the morning and you just wanted a quickie before turning off the light? No problem. You can do it at a desk with a computer of course, but with a tablet you can do it in bed, just as if you were reading a book. Have a fifteen minute break during work? To scratch that chess itch while you sip some coffee or tea, just start the Playchess app. See how in this video.

Best ‘Chess Constructs’ by ChessBase readers

7/26/2014 – Chess constructs are basically an intermediate form of composition or chess problem, lying somewhere between brilliancies from chess history – and artistic chess problems, between real game sequences and traditional award-winning compositions. A month ago Dr Azlan Iqbal explained the concept asked our readers to submit compositions of their own. Here are the winners.

British Championship: Hawkins leads, rivals closer

7/26/2014 – After taking a humongous 1.5-point lead in round six, round seven saw some of the other contenders do a bit of catch-up by closing the gap to 'only' a full point. IM Jonathan Hawkins is still the tournament favorite after seven rounds, but he can not cruise to first with rivals closing fast. One key game was between GM Pert and GM Williams that is annotated by IM Andrew Martin.

Master Class Vol.3: Alexander Alekhine

7/26/2014 – Following up on the popular new Master Class series, after covering Bobby Fischer in volume one, and Mikhail Tal in volume two, here is the next with one of the most creative attackers of all time: Alexander Alekhine. Each phase of his play is scrutinized by a grandmaster, providing thorough and often insightful analysis, with numerous games and excerpts to enjoy. Here is a review.

Olympiad: Terror warning in Norway

7/25/2014 – We don't want to scare anyone, and things around the Olympiad seem fine. But the country is bracing for an attack by ISIS jihadies that "could happen in three, five or seven days – or not at all." Meanwhile heavily armed police are patrolling streets airports, ports, train stations and other transport hubs, and there are extended immigration and border controls. Norwegian press reports.

Grigoriyan wins Sant Marti Open

7/25/2014 – The Sant Marti Open was the third tournament in the Catalonian circuit for our reporter – who fulfilled the final requirements for his IM titel in this event. It was won by a lively young GM from Armenia, 19-year-old Karen Grigoriyan (2592). The atmosphere is as pleasant as could be, with the Spaniards showing everyone how to properly stage a chess open. Big illustrated report by IM Sagar Shah.

British Championship: Hawkins continues to win

7/25/2014 – Six rounds, six points - the British Championship started well for IM Jonathan Hawkins. After winning against GM Simon Williams in round six Hawkins now leads by 1.5 points. But he is not the only one who has fun in Aberystwyth. In round six Chris Ward won a fine game with Black against Marcus Harvey's 1.b3. IM Andrew Martin has the details in his Game of the Day.

Tactics please: Why not?

7/25/2014 – What to do if your opponent just made a move that allows you to snatch a pawn? Assuming he overlooked something elementary, give in to temptation and grab the poor guy? Or do you try to find out if your opponent sneakily wants to lure you into a trap? Calculating some lines might help to find an answer. As the following example from a recent tournament shows!

Gideon Japhet: Svidler wins match 5-3

7/25/2014 – The Second Gideon Japhet Memorial was an unmitigated success with three chess opens and a four-day match between world class players Peter Svidler and Boris Gelfand. Four out of eight games had decisive results, and each day was followed by video recorded player commentary and analysis, but kudos to Gilad Japhet for conducting the very entertaining interviews.

Biel: MVL clinches, Wojtaszek second

7/25/2014 – It's all said and done. Despite a before-last round scare against Giri, MVL was able to play solid chess against Wojtaszek, who finished second, and hoping Hou Yifan didn't win so as to not split first. Hou Yifan indeed did not win and actually lost to Harikrishna. Meanwhile Giri and Motylev made a quick draw as they had little to play for. Last round report.

World Senior Chess Team Championship 2014

7/24/2014 – The World Senior Team Chess Championship had been retired ten years earlier in 2004, but with the growing popularity of the World Senior events, interest in this event was sparked once more. Thanks in large part to the efforts of Donatas Pilinkus, president of the Kaunas Chess Federation, the World Senior Team Championship, held in Vilnius, Lithuania, has risen from the ashes.

Chess on tablets: Playchess broadcasts

7/24/2014 – Smartphones and tablets have impacted our lives like few technologies in the past years, and have evolved from gadgets to inseparables, and yet the very first iPhone, which launched the tidal wave, came out just seven years ago. For chess players, this has been a genuine boon, allowing for a degree of comfort and ease never seen before. Here is an article and video of the experience.

Explosive round in Biel!

7/24/2014 – It's almost too much to take in. Anish Giri uncorked a novelty and defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who now only leads by half a point. Behind him is Radoslaw Wojtaszek who smashed Pentala Harikrishna, curiously both of these games were in a Grunfeld. But also importantly Hou Yifan won her game, which ties her for second. Now she is only eleven points away from Judit Polgar.

Gideon Japhet Memorial with Gelfand vs Svidler

7/23/2014 – The Second Gideon Japhet Memorial is taking place in Jerusalem, from July 16-24, consisting of three Opens and an Amateur Group, with a prize fund of 12,000 Euros (US $16,000). In addition there is an eight-game Rapid match between local hero Boris Gelfand and Russian GM Peter Svidler. After the first half we bring you the games and wonderful video analyis by the players.

British Championship: Hawkins leads with 4.0/4

7/23/2014 – The British Championships 2014 take place in Aberystwyth in West Wales. The idyllic surroundings seem to suit IM Jonathan Hawkins, who won with black against FM Justin Tan in round four to become the only player with 4.0/4. GM Chris Ward, co-leader after three rounds, lost to his old friend GM John Emms and for IM Andrew Martin this was the Game of the Day.

Najdorf Chess Festival has seven-way tie

7/23/2014 – The MetLife Najdorf Chess Festival was recently held in Warsaw, Poland, in tribute to one of Poland's greatest players, with a variety of events and dozens of sponsors. The lineup of the main swiss open had a top-notch roster, with Alexander Areshchenko (2701) at the summit, followed by Ivan Cheparinov (2693), 19-year-old Vladimir Fedoseev (2668), and dozens of grandmasters.

Quiet day in Biel

7/23/2014 – Only two rounds remain at the Biel Chess Festival as round eight saw a series of three relatively quiet draws. This leaves Vachier-Lagrave as the clear favorite to win the tournament as he leads by a full point and a half. Meanwhile Hou Yifan, Wojtaszek and Harikrishna all have 50% and tie for second place. Can Giri make a magic comeback and emerge as the second place winner?

The best friend of the king

7/22/2014 – When fighting against a rook in the endgame, knights are often surprisingly clumsy. Thus, one would think a single knight stands no chance at all against the queen, even if a couple of pawns offer help. But, as Karsten Müller shows, a lot depends on the position of the king. If king and knight are true friends, surprising things can happen.

Daniel Semcesen is the new Swedish Champion

7/22/2014 – He was just the eighth seed in this interesting and exciting championships, held in the small industrial town of Borlänge in the middle of Sweden. But GM Daniel Semcesen emerged sole winner with 6.0/9 points, adding 18 to his 2471 FIDE rating. We have a big illustrated report by IM Ari Ziegler, with anecdotes, ponderings and lots of annotated games.

British Championship: Three lead after round three

7/22/2014 – GM Chris Ward (photo), British Champion 1996, "From Amateur to IM" Jonathan Hawkins, and young talent FM Justin Tan had the best start at the British Championship. After three rounds they are the only players with a 100% score. In round three Ward won a fine game against GM Mark Hebden. IM Andrew Martin has the highlights in his Game of the Day.

Miraculous MVL

7/21/2014 – Two players can certainly be unhappy with today's results. Hou Yifan let go of a winning advantage against Radoslaw Wojtaszek and had to be content with only 50% of the points. Alexander Motylev played a crushing attack against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and obtained a winning position, but in time trouble the Russian not only failed to convert, but let things turn for the worse...

101st British Chess Championships in Aberystwyth

7/21/2014 – The Championships, played in many groups, is this year taking place, are taking place, from July 19th to 30th, in the university town of Aberystwyth in West Wales. The defending champion is GM David Howell, who leads the field after two rounds – together with ten other players on 2.0/2 points. IM Andrew Martin is providing interesting and instructive Game of the Day commentary.