Baku 05: Peace after the rest day

10/7/2014 – To quote one of the commentators of the event, Sutovsky, "Quite a boring round here in Baku. Only Gelfand-Tomashevsky and Nakamura-Dominguez were exciting at some stage." And even those games were not thrilling. Gelfand-Tomashevsyk petered out to a draw right after move 30 while Nakamura was trying to nurse two extra pawns in a probably drawn opposite colored bishop endgame.

Aronian's Arrow

10/7/2014 – Sometimes being a pawn or even two pawns up is not enough to win the game. Especially in endings with opposite colored bishops - if only bishops are left. But things change if other pieces come into play because the bishop is suddenly not the only one attacking. But you have to be creative to exploit this advantage. Levon Aronian certainly is.

World Junior R01: exciting chess and personalities

10/7/2014 – There are 136 players in the Open section, with five players above 2600 and a tournament average of 2225. In the Girls section has four WGMs and 14 WIMs, with an average rating of 2048. There were lots of interesting encounters in the first round, including a ten-year-old beating a Swedish IM rated 2420. Our report introduces you to the top personalities of tomorrow's chess world.

World Junior has started in Pune

10/7/2014 – It is probably the strongest World Junior event of all time, with 18 GMs and 20 IMs, the most talented young players on the globe. They were greeted by another great talent, who won the event himself back in 1987 – and is currently preparing for a world title defence. Our reporters Sagar Shah and V. Saravanan are on the scene in India doing live commentary.

Yannick Pelletier wins 5th Swiss title

10/6/2014 – Thanks to an easy victory against IM Oliver Kurmann in the final round of the men's title tournament, Yannick Pelletier, who resides in France, won the title of Swiss Champion for the fifth time after winning it in 1995, 2000, 2002 and 2010. It was but one of the highlights in a series of events surrounding the 125th anniversary of the Swiss Chess Federation. A pictorial report.

A history of cheating in chess (5)

10/6/2014 – A few weeks ago FIDE took first executive steps to combat the most serious threat that the game of chess currently faces: the secret use of computer assistance during the game. In a paper written fourteen years ago Frederic Friedel had first drawn attention to the dangers that are lurking. We re-published this historical document in four parts. Here is the fifth and final section.

Baku 04: Fabi unstoppable

10/5/2014 – He could have been 4.0/4 as he had a strong advantage aginst both Nakamura and Gelfand in previous rounds, but his 3.0/4 is far from shabby! He beat Mamedyarov with a computer-like defense and precision. As many pieces as Mamedyarov sacrificed and as weak as Caruana's kind seemed, he survived and his material advantage was too big. He now shares the lead with Gelfand.

World Junior 2014 in Pune starts on Monday

10/5/2014 – Remember the days when young players wanted to win the World Junior Championship because it gave them an automatic GM title? How things have changed: this year a total of 139 players from 47 countries are participating, among them 18 GMs and 20 IMs, led by Russian GM Vladimir Fedoseev, clocked at Elo 2677. V. Saravanan reports on final preparations in Pune, India.

Baku 03: Grischuk flags; Gelfand leads

10/4/2014 – Some interesting games in Baku. The highlights are Grischuk's frantic endgame against Gelfand. Due to time pressure neither side played particularly well, and in a drawn position Grischuk flagged! Gelfand now leads solo with 2.5/3. Missing a good chance to keep up was Caruana who was winning against Nakamura... who, in his own words, should have castled like a man.

Richard Rapport vs Viktor Laznicka: 3:1

10/4/2014 – In the past Richard Rapport had trouble to play against Viktor Laznicka. But in their six-game match in Novy Bor, in the Czech Republic, things seem to have changed. Now Rapport is the one who calls the shots and after four games he leads the match with 3-1. However, he was lucky that Laznicka failed to exploit the chances given to him.

6th London Classic: The Super Six

10/4/2014 – The 'Super Six' are Fabiano Caruana, Viswanathan Anand, Anish Giri, Hikaru Nakamura, Vladimir Kramnik and Michael Adams, with an average rating of 2780. There is a Rapidplay Open on December 6-7, a Blitz on December 9th and then a classical tournament on December 10-14, with a number of subsidiary events. And all of this just two months away.

Baku 02: Missed Chances

10/3/2014 – An exciting second round has left four leaders with 1.5/2, though the standings could have been very different. Caruana missed a chance to win against Gelfand while Grischuk missed several finishing blows against Karjakin. Svidler and Nakamura outplayed Mamedyarov and Andreiking to join the leaders. Meanwhile Dominguez tortured Tomashevsky for 100 moves...

Super Six for India at WYCC 2014

10/3/2014 – Chess in India is booming, and you know it is when the nation returns with two golds, two silvers and two bronze medals from the World Youth Championships in South Africa – the best tally of medals there. While the bronze medal at the Olympiad in Tromsø had shown how strong India has become, it is now clear that the future of Indian chess is in the safe hands of promising youngsters.

Mihail Marin: A Passion for the Pirc

10/3/2014 – For Mihail Marin chess is passion, profession and hobby. No wonder the Romanian Grandmaster is one of the most prolific and renowned chess authors today. Recently he published two DVDs on the Pirc, a complete repertoire for black. In an extensive interview Marin talks about his approach to chess, inspiration, and why the Pirc is one of his favorite openings.

Strong Baku Open is won by Inarkiev

10/3/2014 – With the FIDE Grand Prix currently underway in Baku, you would be forgiven for thinking the Baku Open was somehow related to it, but in fact it did not. The Baku Open was held just before, and brought a powerful contingent of grandmasters and masters as is typical of the region. Despite many known names, what stood out was the number of significant results by teenagers.

Vis-à-vis

10/3/2014 – Major pieces opposing each other on an open file – a tricky situation, offering both sides plenty of tactical opportunities. Good if you see what your opponent wants, even better if you spot tactical ideas for yourself. But do not forget to calculate precisely. Because it is not always obvious whether a move leads to a win, a draw or a loss.

Durban GM brings fourteen grandmasters

10/2/2014 – Held simultaneously with the WYCC in Durban, South Africa, the Durban GM Open was also held over eleven hard rounds of play. This provided an important opportunity for players from South Africa and surrounding nations to get some valuable competitive practice against titled players. Fourteen grandmasters starred in the lineup, not to mention numerous masters. Illustrated report.

Baku 01: Caruana, Gelfand strike first

10/2/2014 – The tournament has started with some exciting games, even if some of the most important variations in plenty of games were not executed on the board. Two decisive games kicked things off: Gelfand overwhelmed Andreikin by following a new trend in the QID that the Russian wasn't familiar with while Caruana took advantage of an overpress by Karjakin. Round one analysis and impressions.

October 2014 ratings: Faby! Faby! Faby!

10/2/2014 – The month of September was somewhat breathtaking to follow as a change in the guard took place so swiftly and aggressively that fans and pundits were left scratching their heads. After two super results, Fabiano Caruana added 43 Elo, moved to world no.2 and is within 19 Elo of Magnus Carlsen. No less impressive is Hou Yifan who is now within two Elo of ending a 25-year domination.

Baku Grand Prix begins on Thursday

10/2/2014 – The race for the 2016 Candidate's Tournament starts now. The first Grand Prix stage in the 2014-2015 FIDE GP series is in Baku, Azerbaijan. The matches start tomorrow but today the opening ceremony and drawing of lots took place. The locals cheered when out of coincidence the very first round includes a duel between the locals Radjabov and Mamedyarov!

Now released: ChessBase Magazine 162

10/1/2014 – The Chess Olympiad in Tromsø is at the center of this issue, with annotations by many of the participating players, Daniel King's "Game of the Day" videos, video analysis by Rustam Kasimdzhanov and several hours of ChessBase TV videos with outstanding players and trainers. Saint Louis and Biel are also there, as are eleven opening surveys. Can you afford to miss it?

WYCC 2014: The winners and the stories

10/1/2014 – The night before the last round, only two players slept well, knowing they had bagged the gold. For the rest it meant a nail-biting last round to decide their fates. Would they be able to bask in everlasting glory, or would they lie awake for weeks to come, wondering about that one move, that defining moment? Here is the final report with all the results, pictures, and stories.

Rapport vs. Laznicka: Contrasting Styles

10/1/2014 – Each year, Victor Laznicka, the Czech Republic's number two, plays a six-game-match against a strong opponent. This year it's young Hungarian GM Richard Rapport, famous for his unconventional style. Nominally Rapport is favorite but in the past he often had problems against Laznicka. But things were different in the first game of the match.

Swiss Championship celebrates 125th Anniversary

10/1/2014 – The Swiss Championships started with a special flavor in the air. The reason is that the Swiss Chess Federation is celebrating its 125th anniversary, a milestone in its seminal existence. Compare this to the US Chess Federation which is 74 years old, or the French which is just over 80. Surrounding the event is a wide range of activities, from simuls to an exhibit on Chess and Art.