Option Chess by Paul Bonham

2/17/2014 – As you know we have been on a search for a chess variant that keeps the game as recognizable as possible yet dramatically weakens the play of even the most optimized computer engine. The goal is to weaken the play of such engines so that they cannot defeat most humans, and won't be able to do so for decades or centuries to come. The latest variant is by a Canadian software engineer.

The Love for Wood - 1979 chess documentary

2/17/2014 – Recently a fascinating Dutch documentary on chess, dating from 1979, surfaced on YouTube, showing in intimate detail the state of chess at the time, and a glimpse into the players’ minds. The protagonists are Jan Timman, Jan Hein Donner, Hans Ree, Max Euwe and more. They answer questions on chess addiction, chess sadism, home preparation, often with exceptionally insightful comments.

Yochanan Afek's Study of the Year 2012

2/16/2014 – The contest, which is organised by the World Federation for Chess Composition, awards the prizes to chess studies that were aesthetically pleasing, that appeal to chess players of various levels and encourage them to pay more attention to the subject. 24 entries were received for 2012, and Israeli composer Jochanan Afek won first prize. Enjoy his work and the top eight studies of the year.

Chess in Rural Ireland (part 1)

2/14/2014 – The never stopping globe trotter Alina l'Ami brings us a new report of a tournament in a slightly unusual place. This time she visits the village of Bunratty in Ireland. With little knowledge of Ireland going to the event she tells us of her story about a beautiful, picturesque village, of friendly people, and her new found love of Guinness Beer!

Looking back at the World Championship in Chennai

2/14/2014 – This dramatic event that took place in south India last November and attracted visitors from all over the world. In the tournament hotel we encountered two chess playing barristers from London, who were clearly enjoying their stay. We asked them to write up their impressions, which they duly did, giving us a picture of the World Championship as experienced by seasoned chess tourists.

Chess movie: Life of a King

2/14/2014 – Hollywood actor Cuba Gooding Jr., who won an Oscar for his performance in Jerry Maguire, is starring in a film about chess. It describes the true life of Eugene Brown who started playing chess during an 18-year incarceration for bank robbery founded a chess club aimed at getting kids off the streets and working towards lives they never believed they were capable of. Inspiring.

Ken Regan's Tandem Pawn Chess

2/13/2014 – "Some years ago Frederic Friedel of ChessBase asked for a game that was reasonably like chess but would give humanity a chance against today's computers," writes IM Ken Regan, Associate Professor at the University of Buffalo, NY. He has produced a new chess variant in which two pawns are strapped together initially. The aim is to make a game that is harder for computers to play.

Pairings for Candidates Tournament Published

2/12/2014 – This event will determine the challenger to World Champion Magnus Carlsen. FIDE has determined the pairings by random draw in its office in Athens, and the stage is now set for the players to prepare their tournament strategies. The order of the opponents can influence on how they play depending on style, color and tournament position. The fight begins in one month.

Moscow Open 2014 attracts over 1700 competitors

2/12/2014 – In previous years, the Moscow Open was almost a prelude to the Aeroflot Open, but with the latter's demise, the Muscovite festival is now the center of attention with an all-star cast. This year drew more than 1700 players from around the world to participate in the myriad chess competitions from opens of all kinds to even chess compositions. Here is an illustrated report by Galina Popova.

'Top quality material at an affordable price'

2/11/2014 – "The new issue of ChessBase Magazine is packed full of all the usual features, from tournament reports to opening surveys, middlegame tactics and endgame strategies, writes reviewer Sean Marsh. He especially appreciated the simplicity of the explanations: No fuss, no attempt to show off – the commentators get straight to the point and the lessons leave a lasting, uncluttered impression.

Chess for Euromaidan

2/11/2014 – In late January tensions between the Ukrainian opposition and President Yanykovych's government increased. This led to the wave of ongoing demonstrations and civil unrest known as Euromaidan that has taken Ukraine by storm. Two chess events have been staged showing their support for the movement. Grandmaster, Euromaidan activist Mikhail Golubev brings us a full report.

Carlsen's secrets: How does he do it? (1)

2/10/2014 – Last November, when Magnus Carlsen won the World Championship match, a well-respected commentator offered some harsh criticism of his playing style, calling it "bloodless and soulless", similar to a computer. We beg to disagree. Magnus success lies in his ability to consistently play accurate moves while maximising the chances for inaccuracy by his opponents. What do you think?

Closing Gala in Gibraltar

2/10/2014 – With the best open of the year coming to an end it was necessary to host a traditional closing gala to celebrate the event. The players were of course eager to receive their prizes and to enjoy some relaxing time together. Mariya Muzychuk won best women's, while Fier and Adams shared best game. Additionally, we bring you commentary of what proved to be the fateful and decisive rapid games.

Statistics of chess players and events

2/10/2014 – How many FIDE rated players are there in the different countries? How many open and round robin tournaments are held in each? What is the total number of FIDE rated games played per year in the world, and which country leads the statistics (guess: Russia, India, Germany, France or Spain)? And who are the greatest exporters and importers of players? Numbers and graphs by Martin Huba.

Chess, Sex and a Good Car Chase

2/9/2014 – Imagine a book on chess, set in the 16th Century in Constantinople, populated with characters like Queen Elizabeth I, Michelangelo, Ignatius Loyola, Suleiman the Magnificent, a 15-year-old Ivan the Terrible and Henry VIII? Written by a novelist who normally specializes in outrageous action scenes. Matthew Reilly's book The Tournament was wildly successful in Australia last year. Now it hits our shores.

New: ChessBase Magazine 158 – with free sample

2/7/2014 – The new ChessBase Magazine provides star analysis by some of the world's best players. There is also a wealth of openings analysis and surveys, like Alexey Kuzmin's explanation of the "Romanishin Principle" (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.c4). You can download this sample article for free – or check out state-of-the-art GM analysis your favourite line in the eleven opening surveys.

Cheparinov surprise winner in Gibraltar

2/7/2014 – After Ivanchuk was holding on to his leader position for so many rounds, and with a pack of 2700s usually only half a point behind, it was a mystery that Ivan Cheparinov was able to become the 2014 Gibraltar Tradewise Chess Festival's champion! With a string of victories in the last three rounds and with luck on his side in the playoffs the Bulgarian emerged victorious.

An ‘Israeli-incognito’ in the UAE

2/7/2014 – The World Youth Championship 2013 in Al Ain boasted 1800 participants from 120 countries, including a US squad of 94 players and nearly 250 people in total. One of them, the coach and many-times head of delegation of the US juniors, is a dual national, born in Israel. Aviv Friedman was a bit apprehensive about going, for the first time, to an Arab country. He tells us what it was like.

Huffington: Chess Triumphs and Blunders

2/6/2014 – Magnus Carlsen finished the Zurich Chess Challenge undefeated, a full point ahead of his nearest rival. Carlsen's victory seemed easy, but, in fact there was a swing game against American Hikaru Nakamura, who should have won but lost instead. In his Huffington Post column GM Lubomir Kavalek shows us how even the world's best players can be vulnerable to one-move blunders.

Zurich: Simul Exhibition

2/6/2014 – As part of the festivities of Zurich 2014 the World Women's Chess Champion Hou Yifan was invited to play a simultaneous exhibition against the strongest Swiss junior players. This proved to not be an easy task as the Chinese player's opponent's average rating was well over 2150 and the clocks were running on every board. One player was even very close to winning...

Gibraltar 08: Hurricane Ivanchuk is back

2/6/2014 – With a very important victory over Ganguly, Ivanchuk has regained the sole lead in Gibraltar. He is followed closely by Kamsky and Rapport, the only players to have won their round eight game going into it with 5.5/8. The leader will face US Champ Kamsky in a decisive battle in round nine, while Rapport will face the Frenchman MVL in depth round eight analysis.

Joys of Chess – My favourite

2/5/2014 – Every chess player probably has his favourite game: Byrne-Fischer from the Rosenwald Tournament 1956, Kasparov-Topalov, in Wijk aan Zee 1999, or for chess romantics the Immortal Game Anderssen-Kieseritzky from 1851. In his book The Joys of Chess Professor Christian Hesse has selected a lesser know game, but one dominated by a series of incredible sacrifices. Let him show us this game.

Gibraltar 07: Ganguly, Ivanchuk at the top

2/4/2014 – With a fascinating win against Spanish grandmaster Vallejo Pons, the Indian player Surya Shekhar Ganguly was the only vanquisher that had 5.0/6 going into the 7th round. Ivanchuk drew his games against English #1 Adams who leads the pack of hunters with 5.5/7. The festivities continue and chess is becoming sharper and sharper in another edition of Gibraltar.

Caruana wins Rapid, Carlsen tops Zurich

2/4/2014 – The World Champion saw his lead be seriously diminished as he was only able to score 2.0/5 in the rapid section of Zurich 2014. Caruana had an amazing performance, playing convincing chess and not once being in serious problems. His 4.0/5 was half more than Nakamura and one more than Aronian. The Armenian and the Italian shared second in the final tournament standings.