French Team Ch: three dominate

6/1/2014 – It had almost seemed as if the reigning champion, Clichy, would whitewash the event as they successively beat top challengers Bischwiller and Mulhouse, all with top players on their front lines. Just when the danger seemed past, Evry, a team that has been struggling in the event, pulled off a huge 3-3 upset, including some very unexpected board results. The lesson is never drop your guard.

Mitropa Cup: Hungary and Italy take gold

5/31/2014 – The Mitropa Cub in chess holds a unique status as a team event with national squads without being part of any of the official FIDE cycles. Despite this, it is now in its 33rd edition, with a full roster of teams and grandmasters playing. The men's event was won by Hungary thanks in large part to a monster result by Peter Acs, the Italians took the women's. A large illustrated report.

Asian Cup: China takes gold, India is silver

5/31/2014 – The final round of the men's competition was a cliffhanger since the medals were not assured, and a slip could end in tragedy. The Chinese men played Iran-A, and barely scraped through a win, thus taking gold, while India had an easy round and took silver. Iran's GM Elshan Moradiabadi sent us a report of the tour of Tabriz, with many fascinating glimpses into the culture of the region.

Two top Chicago

5/30/2014 – The traditional Chicago Open was held only days after the U.S. Championship. With many players taking advantage of the close location between the tournaments it is not a surprise that the event was incredibly strong. At the end, Armenian GM Gabriel Sargissian and Indian IM Priyadarshan Kannappan shared first place and the nice first prize.

Final Four Nations League Weekend – Part two

5/30/2014 – This tournament, held over three divisions, with over 850 players and over £10,000 in cash prizes on offer, is the most prestigious team chess event held in the United Kingdom. It takes place over various weekends from October to May 2013/14, in several venues. In his inimitable style – wonderful narrative, interesting analysis – John Saunders reports on the final weekend. Enjoy.

Asian Cup: China wins women's event

5/29/2014 – It was a perfect performance by the Chinese women as they completed a rout in the standard event, while India took silver and Iran-A bronze. Iran's double result against India in both the Open and Women event stood out as the last-minute draw in the women secured their medal, while the Indian men lost their lead after a win by Iran's Moradiabadi over Adhiban changed everything.

French Team Ch: Clichy and Bischwiller share lead

5/29/2014 – In Saint Quentin, France, eleven teams are fighting for the title of best team in France, bringing a roster of top grandmasters such as Vachier-Lagrave, Ivanchuk, Wojtaszek and many more. One thing that separates this event from others is that it runs for eleven days straight instead of spread out over the year. GM Alejandro Ramirez has annotated a couple of fantastic attacks.

1.e4 or 1.d4 – which is the better move?

5/28/2014 – We all know that 1.e4 is an attacking move, producing explosive, decisive games. 1.d4 is muted, leading to closed positions that are more likely to end in draws. But is this impression rooted in fact? Ioannis Halkias, a physicist and mathematician from Spoa-Karpathos, Greece, – himself a 1.e4 player – has some very original arguments that may come as a big surprise. What do you think?

Kavalek: Chess Champions in America

5/27/2014 – Gata Kamsky, at 39 the oldest participant in this year's US Championship, he needed help to retain his title. Only a draw between his main rivals, Varuzhan Akobian and Aleksandr Lenderman, kept his chances alive by drawing their game. One particular move in the critical game caught GM Lubomir Kavalek's eye. The Huffington Post columnist uses it in a trip down memory lane.

Asian Cup: India beats China and takes lead

5/27/2014 – It was a cataclysmic day as both men's and women's competitions saw the leaders, China and India, meet head on for a possibly decisive battle. In the women's section, the Chinese had a significant rating advantage overall, and were able to make it count as they beat India, but the men's section was another matter and India has now taken the lead after scoring a fantastic victory.

Alina in Iasi: more chess and more players

5/26/2014 – Our reporter in Romania, WGM Alina l'Ami, sent us three well-received reports on the International Chess Festival Iai Open. Previously she dealt with the winners, but they were not the only ones who produced chess jewels, as we see today. We can also present you with a lot of great pictures of lesser-known players and participants, in this final report for you to enjoy.

Dragoljub Velimirovic, 1942–2014

5/26/2014 – He was noted for his attacking style and possessed a great gift for visualizing sacrificial possibilities. Whilst spectacular chess made him popular with onlookers, each game required a great effort and this handicapped his quest for international success. Dragoljub Velimirovi died last Thursday. In his eulogy Andrew Martin honors the Master of Attacks with a beautiful annotated game.

Mystery revealed: it was chess at the South Pole

5/26/2014 – A week ago we published a picture of a masked man holding up a ChessBase logo. He was, we said, in the process of playing two correspondence chess games – under unusual circumstances. We asked our readers to guess the location of the player. A surprising number got it right – perhaps because the solution could be found on our Facebook page?! Here now is the full story.

Asian Cup: China leads, Iranians shine

5/24/2014 – After the Rapid competition, the standard event began, qualifying the winners to the World Team Championships later this year. In the Open section, the top seeds are China and India, though the Chinese have taken off in the lead. In the women's section, the top seeds are the Chinese again, but have met serious resistance by their rivals. Still, in both events Iran has top performers.

Dharamshala: an Indian (chess) paradise

5/24/2014 – Chess players travel to some wonderfully exotic places in the world, but it is not uncommon for them to come back having seen nothing at all. The game is so engrossing that it becomes much more significant than the medley of trees, mountains and rivers around them. IM V Saravanan, who played in the 52nd National Challenge, sent us impressions he captured of the Himalayan city.

2014 Asian Nations Cup starts

5/23/2014 – The 2014 Asian Nations Cup has started, and brings teams from several countries duking it out in blitz, rapid, and standard time control competitions. It is being held from May 20-30 in Tabriz, Iran, with notable players such as Ding Liren, Le Quang Liem, Yu Yangyi in the open competition, as well as Ju Wenjun and Harika Dronavalli in the women's. Report on the rapid.

Anand delights in Corsica

5/22/2014 – Vishy Anand visited Porto-Vecchio in Corsica where he played a small exhibition match against local masters, as part of a children's chess festival that brought in over 600 children to participate. Anand enthralled the young players with his friendly accessible demeanor, and remained completely at the disposition of his fans, never turning a single one down.

Iasi – a Romanian chess city

5/22/2014 – Iasi (pronounced YAsh) is one of the largest cities in Romania, candidates for the very much sought after title of the European Capital of Culture. The first edition of the Iasi Open was held there, from May 10 to 18. But before she really digs into the chess, our reporter WGM Alina l'Ami, who hails from the city, tells us what it is like to live in a place that is in the process of being reborn.

XV Karpov-Poikovsky: Morozevich takes clear first

5/22/2014 – With a no-nonsense start, with fantastic ones by some, and disastrous ones by others, the course of the tournament seemed clear, but life had its own plans. Alexander Morozevich did indeed take first, but Ivan Saric collapsed and his runnerup status was grabbed by Dmitry Jakovenko. As to Viktor Bologan with his 0.5/4 start, he finished with 4.0/5 and more wins than anyone else.

National Challengers Dharamshala: nine qualifiers

5/21/2014 – The final round started with eight players on 9.0/12 points, and eight more at 8.5/12. They battled it out for the nine places reserved in the forthcoming National Premier Championship, where they are joined by the five highest rated playes in India. The Challengers brought some very exciting chess, even before the final round, as Sagar Shar describes in this final report.

US-Ch 2014: You were expecting someone else?

5/21/2014 – The playoffs started with Armageddon games: Varuzhan Akobian beat Aleksandr Lenderman, while Tatev Abrahamyan drew Anna Zatonskih with black and thus progressed to the final. There Gata Kamsky beat Akobian 1½-½, while Irina Krush did likewise to Abrahamyan. Gata is US Champions for the fifth time, Irina has won her sixth Championship. Full report with pictures.

Fressinet wins 22nd Sigeman Tournament

5/20/2014 – French GM Laurent Fressinet remained without defeat and won two of his five games to take first place in this round robin event. Meanwhile 27-year-old IM Axel Smith, who similarly had two wins and no losses, spoilt his chances with an unfortunate king move in his final game. But Axel finshed second with 3.0/5 points and a gain of 14 rating points. Final report from Malmö.

Wesley So with 2826 performance in Cuba

5/20/2014 – He was the eighth youngest chess grandmaster in history, and now at twenty he is soaring towards the very top. With his +3 score in a Category 19 event he has added thirteen points to his rating and is now number 15 in the world. Cuban GM Lazaro Batista Bruzon also gained twelve points with his +1 result, while Leinier Dominguez, numer ten in the world, lost eight. Final report.

US Ch. Rd11: Six player still fighting for titles

5/20/2014 – The two leaders, Aleksandr Lenderman and Varuzhan Akobian, drew their game against each other, while Gata Kamsky won his to join them on top of the scoreboard (all have 7.0/11 points). Similarly Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih drew in the women's championship, while Tatev Abrahamyan caught them with a win. The playoffs are on Tuesday will be positively nerve-racking.