Lake Sevan 2014: Vidit Gujrathi triumphs

8/14/2014 – 23 years ago a young Indian grandmaster took part in one of the strongest events ever, together with nine other top players, all Russian speaking. He won with 6.0/9 points. The player was Viswanathan Anand. Last week, at another very strong event in Armenia, with nine Russian speaking players and one Indian GM, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, it was déjà vu all over again.

Tromso final round preview

8/14/2014 – The last round starts at 11 a.m. CEST. Many of the medals are still to be defined, and we are not just talking about the team medals either. With so many strong players and so many fierce battles it has become clear that some players were more of an asset to their team than others. We bring you a preview of tomorrow's games plus a prediction on who will get the medals.

Marin on Tromso R10 – Boring symmetry?

8/13/2014 – How long can perfectly symmetrical play last at the top level of chess? Eleven moves? And what are the results of games in which the moves are mirrored? Draw, win for White or loss because of a kind of zugzwang? Curious about this our GM commentator Mihail Marin put on his symmetry glasses to look at round ten, giving us three instructive examples. You should be taking notes.

Judit Polgar to retire from competitive chess

8/13/2014 – It came pretty much out of the blue: the most successful, easily the strongest female chess player in the history of the game today announced her retirement in the London Times. Judit, who at one stage was number eight among all chess players in the world, is 38 and has two children. She is also working intensely on chess for children. We look back at a remarkable career.

Tromso 10: Hard to predict!

8/12/2014 – Today was a difficult day to predict, especially in the Women's section. Russia lost to Ukraine, a grudge match that was clinched by Zhukova. However the Russian team still leads solo as China was unable to beat Spain! An important win by Matnadze against Tan Zhongyi equalized the score. In the Open there was better news for China as they beat France in the top board. Round ten report.

FIDE (and ECU) elections in the international press

8/12/2014 – As you know the election for the FIDE presidency was won on Monday by incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov against challenger Garry Kasparov. Today the international press has devoted a number of articles to this news item. Another almost remained unnoticed: GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili unseated the President of the European Chess Union Silvio Danailov. News links.

Tromso Penultimate Preview

8/12/2014 – The medal contention is nearing the final battles. In the open section China and France are duking it out for the lead, but they are followed by a contingency of strong teams only half a match point behind them. In the Women's there is the grudge match between Ukraine and Russia, a very loaded encounter. Can the Russian team keep their lead? Preview of an exciting round.

Marin on Tromso R9 – The little guys

8/12/2014 – "Pawns are the soul of chess", said Philidor. There are many other ways in which the little guys can become the true heroes of the game, restricting the enemy's activity and making all the other pieces focus on them. For his round nine selection our GM commentator Mihail Marin has selected a few games in which pawns had a decisive influence over the final outcome. Learn and enjoy.

Winning against Magnus

8/12/2014 – Beating Magnus Carlsen is difficult. Especially in the endgame. However, Arkadij Naiditsch managed to do just that, even if he needed a bit of luck to reach a good endgame against the World Champion. But could Carlsen have saved himself at the very end? Or was he lost anyway? Karsten Müller took a closer look and discovered hidden possibilities.

Tromso 09: No changes at top

8/11/2014 – The top match in the Women's section could have gone either way. Armenia held a strong advantange in three boards at a certain point, but they could not hold on to them and at the end Russia even won the match and keep their lead. In the Open section China and Ukraine drew while Azerbaijan was also held to a draw by a very surprising Romania. One report, many quickchats.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov remains FIDE President

8/11/2014 – In a very hostile environment today's General Assembly was held. With all the votes counted the official tally is Kirsan Ilyumzhinov 110. The current FIDE President will maintain his position until the next General Elections. It seems as if the Kasparov Campaign simply did not reach the votes they needed, and it certainly was not as close as expected. More to follow.

Round Nine Preview

8/11/2014 – We are in the final stretch in Tromso; the last three rounds are upon us and the battles for the medals are starting to line up. China leads in the men but they face a vicious Ukrainian team. In the Women's section Russia leads by a match point, but there are many teams that are still trying to position themselves in medal contention. Preview and top players so far

Marin on Tromso R8 – Lasker's Copyright

8/11/2014 – Back in 1889 Emanuel Lasker played a game of which Garry Kasparov wrote: "It contains one of the beautiful combinations which created a blueprint for future similar double bishop sacrifices" The though loomed on the mind of our GM commentator Mihail Marin: Would any reasonable strong player overlook the bishops' threats so easily nowadays? Here is his answer.

King talks with Kirsan

8/11/2014 – Just one day before the FIDE presidential elections, Daniel King caught up with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov for an interview. In it, the FIDE President explains the status of the 2014 World Championship, his plans for office if re-elected, and the zero tolerance rule for all events. We also discover that among those lobbying for Kirsan votes are Russian embassies all over the world.

Tromso 08: It's all about China

8/10/2014 – The match was close, and for a long time it looked as if it would end in a 2-2 tie. The top two boards in China-Azerbaijan ended in a draw, with both White players pushing for a win on the lower ones. However Guseinov overestimated his chances and ended up losing, while Yu Yangyi did convert his position. China leads! Also, is it possible that there is cheating in the Olympiad?!

More quickchats and preview from Tromso

8/10/2014 – The Russian women's team is in a great position and they simply have to defend their lead to cruise to victory, but with many strong teams at their heels it is easier said than done! Today they face Hungary. In the Open things are quite hot, but with Azerbaijan having the lead it will be up to China to stop them. Plus quickchats with Ipatov, Giri and Ponomariov!

Marin on Tromso R7 – Through Steinitz' glasses

8/10/2014 – You have probably heard of Wilhelm Steinitz' abstract theories on static and dynamic elements of a position. They were considered naive and dogmatic by some, but when our star commentator Mihail Marin looked at two crucial games from round seven in Tromsø through Steinitz' glasses he was surprised to notice how simple and logical things suddenly became! Learn and enjoy.

Tromso 07: Russia Wins, Russia Falls!

8/9/2014 – A very eventful round seven! The Russia Women's team beat top-seeded China and are now the leaders of the event. In the open section Azerbaijan defeated Cuba despite Dominguez's demolition of Mamedyarov. Meanwhile the Russian men were defeated by the Czech Republic! Oh, and just by the way, Carlsen lost, costing his team the match! Report of a dramatic round seven.

Round seven preview

8/9/2014 – The Open section has many tough matches today; but the top board is the contest between Cuba and Azerbaijan, a close duel that will determine who leads the Olympiad after today. In the Women's section there is a decisive match as Russia takes on China, both teams on perfect scores. A little further down USA faces Armenia a match in which five Armenians will be playing!

Marin on Tromso R6 – Originality at the Top

8/9/2014 – After each round of the Olympiad our special commentator GM Mihail Marin picks out one to three games and annotates them, quite extensively, in his own inimitable didactic style for you – making sure you understand the spirit of the game. In round six, looking at the pairings, he was sure there would be a lot of originality on the top boards. Turns out he was absolutely right.

Tromso 06: Two top Olympiad

8/8/2014 – Six teams entered the sixth round of the Open section with 9/10, but only two teams moved to 11/12. Cuba thrashed Kazakhstan while Azerbaijan did the same to Georgia and they will face each other in a very important match in round seven. Bulgaria meanwhile could only draw against Serbia. Russia almost drew Uzbekistan, but they squeezed a win at the end. Report of round six.

Rest Day in Tromso

8/8/2014 – After five grueling rounds it was time for the players to relax a little and enjoy the city of Tromso. Most players preferred to take a walk around the city and explore some of the beautiful views this place has to offer; a common activity was for players to go "up the mountain" and take pictures. However some teams were more adventurous, especially the Italian national team!

Tromso: Female chess stars at the Olympiad

8/8/2014 – Remember when top women chess players were stereotyped as elderly matrons? Well, times have changed, and today they look more like film or sports stars. And we can prove it: there are many wonderful video interviews conducted by GM Daniel King with top women from our Olympiad studio in Tromsø. Many of the interviews are online for you to watch. Enjoy.

Seemingly solid but actually weak

8/8/2014 – Three major pieces behind a knight on the fifth rank on an open file - what could be more solid? But in chess things are not always as they appear on first sight. Which one of the world's best players had to find out in a recent game from the Olympiad in Tromso. Oliver Reeh has the details and invites you to take a second or third look.