Tromso 02: Surprises!

8/3/2014 – Fire on the board, and it is only round two! Ukraine did not win their match against Norway Two - but it was far from the only upset of the day. World's number one and two - Carlsen and Aronian - was unable to win their games as they both drew against Nyback and Smerdon respectively. Tomorrow's round promises very exciting matches. Round two report!

Round Two Impressions

8/3/2014 – The second round is under way in Tromso. Danny King finishes the recap of round one with a review of Baramidze's positional crush from yesterday. In the playing hall Carlsen is playing his first Olympics game as World Champion, though he faces a strong opponent in Nyback. The Zero tolerance rule is in strict effect, and it even made an eleven-year-old cry.

Olympiad Tromsø – where and how to watch

8/3/2014 – ChessBase is covering the Olympiad with a big daily report, and with special GM analysis of selected games. We also bring you live coverage during the games, and ChessBase TV broadcasts from Tromsø, where we have set up a studio. Our main anchor is GM Daniel King, who interviews players, analyses games and provides a unique two-minute midnight wrap-up.

Marin on Tromso – round one selection

8/2/2014 – More than six hundred games are played per day at the Chess Olympiad in Tromsø – which should you watch and which replay after the round is over. The most important games are covered in our report, which appears soon after the round is over. As a special service we have asked one of our star commentators, GM Mihail Marin, to shine the spotlight on other interesting and exciting games.

Tromso: Round One

8/2/2014 – Things went completely as expected in round one of the Olympiad, most top teams taking home a 4-0 first round win without many difficulties. We bring you an interview with our player of the day, Parimarjan Negi from India, and an overview of a relatively easy round. Perhaps with the exception of Armenia-Japan which was almost a big surprise.

Olympiad First Impressions

8/2/2014 – Despite some minor hiccups with security and punctuality the Chess Olympiad is now under way. Many of the games finished very early as the difference in strength between the teams can be quite excessive. With the first round underway we bring you the first impressions of the playing venue, the ambiance and overall first impressions from chess in Tromso.

Stalemate: the long and the Short of it

8/2/2014 – English GM Nigel Short is known for his strong views and his controversial, often very provocative articles. He recently expressed the view that the "stupid rule" of stalemate, where the attacking side has completely immobilized the enemy but does not win the game, should be abandoned. Our expert Paul Lillebo, an admitted Short fan, begs to differ – and gives sound reasons for this.

Opening Ceremony in Tromso

8/2/2014 – It's official! The Tromso festivities have begun. With over 180 countries in attendance, the opening ceremony has inaugurated what is sure to be a fabulous event. Most players have arrived and the pairings of the first round are set. We bring you a report of the opening ceremony as well as a preview of what will take place in the first round of Tromso 2014.

Day Zero in Tromso

8/1/2014 – The 2014 Chess Olympiad is about to start! Today will host the Opening Ceremony and most of the delegations are arriving. Some of the players are running on tight schedules to make it here while others are freely enjoying the beautiful views of Tromso. We bring you a small pictorial preview of the location and a list of the top players in the most awaited tournament of the year.

2014 Politiken Cup

8/1/2014 – There are many tournaments that are competitive, stressful, difficult. Where players make sacrifices just to play and compete for the reward of winning. Politiken Cup is not that type of tournament. It is a pleasure to play, in a beautiful location full of fun and daily side events. The small town of Helsingor was once more host to undeniably a successful pre-Olympiad tournament!

Tactics please: Cool chaos control

8/1/2014 – "The threat is stronger than it's execution" is a famous saying by Nimzowitsch. So don't panic if the opponent has one, two or even three apparently strong threats. Maybe they are not that strong after all? Or you are the one to strike first? To find out, it's best to keep cool and calculate the variations. Oliver Reeh shows how it's done.

Powerful queen sacrifices in Chess Olympiads

8/1/2014 – On the eve of the Chess Olympiad in Tromsø, Norway, starting tomorrow, a few queen sacrifices from the past Olympiads lead us to an intriguing question: when might have the queen been sacrificed for the first time? Huffington Post chess columnist GM Lubomir Kavalek was involved in a scarce double-queen sacrifice in 1966. He also digs up one one from the 15th century.

August 2014 ratings: History in the making

7/31/2014 – The month of August saw a few historic moments. The first and most visible is Fabiano Caruana finally breaking into the 2800 club once and for all with 2801. Still, this was overshadowed by Hou Yifan breaking into the Top 100 players at 87th, only the second female in history. However, see the summaries to find out who scored 200 Elo or 300 Elo in a year and even 134 Elo in one month!

Hawkins and Howell are British Champions

7/31/2014 – It was a true nailbiter until the very last game. IM Jonathan Hawkins finished his brilliant start with a solid final stretch, but drew his last five rounds, which made it possible for him to be caught in the end. Sharing top billing is GM David Howell after a fantastic comeback, including a crucial last-round win. We bring you the final report with video analysis.

MVL and Loek Van Wely in Corsica Rapid

7/30/2014 – In the pastoral area of Casanova in Corsica, a nine-round rapid event was held on a Sunday afternoon. What makes the event noteworthy isn't the open air photogenic playing area, but the presence of French no.1 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, fresh from his win at Biel, and Corsican GM Loek Van Wely, both of whom came to play in the event. Here are pictures and videos.

Olympiad: just two days to go

7/30/2014 – It starts in just two days, and some of our readers may be on their way already. For those going to Tromsø, and those who just want to feel the atmosphere of the 41st World Chess Olympiad, here is all the information you will need – greetings, schedules, events. You will even be able to watch a special production of the musical Chess – don't miss the video at the end of our report!

Chess on tablets: Analyzing with ChessBase

7/30/2014 – Playing and watching games is certainly fun and relaxing, but what about genuine study and analysis on the go? If you watched a game, or played one, and would like to quickly review your moves from opening to middlegame, the tablet or smartphone is quite capable of helping you. In the following video, you will be shown how this is accomplished in a few easy steps.

Blindfolded in life

7/29/2014 – It is almost impossible to imagine the hurdles a person without eyesight must leap over in life, and one can only commisserate and admire those who do. Meet Lucas de Jong, a 21-year-old young man who attends business school, and who is playing at the NK Open. Every day he comes to the rounds, accompanied by his faithful Okie, who is at his side at all times. An inspiring story.

What it takes to be an Olympian

7/29/2014 – Sometime in April WGM Nino Maisuradze, the reigning French woman champion, learnt that she had not been selected for the French Women's Olympic team. In a state of disbelief she vented her frustration publicly, not expecting the barrage of comments and criticism it provoked. Diana Mihajlova, who knows Nino as a kind, intelligent and dedicated chess player, describes the situation.

The ladies invite to a little dance

7/29/2014 – The rule that pawns that reach the first or the eighth rank can be promoted into a queen is simply wonderful. It adds spice to lots of positions and never fails to fascinate beginners. But before promoting a pawn it sometimes pays to check whether having two queens in the same castle is really such a good thing. Karsten Müller has a striking example.

Adhiban dominates the Biel Masters

7/29/2014 – The main focus of the Biel Chess festival was on the Grandmaster tournament, won by GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. But this was not the only strong chess event held. 84 participants started in the Master tournament, 25 of them GMs. With 8.5/11 GM Baskaran Adhiban from India won convincingly. An illustrated report with deep annotations by GM Adhiban.

Looking back: Biel

7/29/2014 – Even though only one of the players in the tournament was in the top-10 of the official rating list, it is clear that Biel was a top tier event and one of the most exciting tournaments of the year. The combination of youth and talent exhibited at the event made for a close event that was not defined until the very last round. We bring you a comprehensive look at the Biel super-tournament.

British Championship: Howell and Hebden closing in

7/28/2014 – After nine rounds, the venerable British Championship is once more heating up. Jonathan Hawkins started with a 1.5 point lead over everyone else, but three draws later, including those against reigning champion David Howell, and Nicholas Pert, that gap has been reduced to half a point. He still leads with 7.5/9, but breathing down his neck are Howell, and veteran Mark Hebden.

NK Open: a 140-year-old tradition

7/28/2014 – The NK Open, which takes place in Dieren, Holland, between 22 - 31 July dates back 140 years and it has been 46 years since it was held in the current location. It has around 430 players, playing in seven sections; but the GM section gives the opportunity to the Dutch players who place the highest to qualify for the National Dutch championship. A beautiful report by Alina L'Ami.