Norway sends complaint, Paris ready to bid

5/3/2013 – The President of the Norwegian Chess Federation, Jøran Aulin-Jansson, has sent a vigorous protest to World Chess Federation on the selection of Chennai as the host of the 2013 World Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. Just hours after we had received his open letter to FIDE we received word that Paris is apparently placing a €3.45 million bid.

Almasi shines at 2013 Capablanca Memorial

5/3/2013 – With a certain irony, the 2013 Capablanca Memorial was held on the exact same days as the Alekhine Memorial, and thus the two former giants remain rivals even today. Hungarian Zoltan Almasi, playing his first edition of this classic, scored a brilliant first in spite of a loss, but it was a celebration of Cuban chess at this festival of activities. Here is the illustrated report.

FIDE May 2013 ratings – big changes at the top

5/2/2013 – The monthly ratings published by FIDE usually show little variation amongst the strongest players. Not so in April, where a number in the top ten slot gained up to 22 points, and one player dropped a thumping 48 points in a single month, descending from fourth to 14th place in the world. May 2013 rating of FIDE.

Bo Lindgren – problem solutions

5/2/2013 – He was one of the most versatile chess problem composers ever, as David Friedgood told us in a recent article. Bo Waldemar Lindgren (1927–2011) was a friendly, serious character who had many interests, including science, world literature and poetry. David showed us three Lindgren compositions and gave us two problems to solve. Here today are the solutions.

Kasparov – How life imitates chess

5/2/2013 – You can't be blamed if you missed it – this very comprehensive and informative interview was conducted last December on MMC Slovenian TV, thankfully in English with a well-prepared and intelligent host. It is an hour and a half long, and even if nobody has time these days to watch more than one-minute videos, this should be the exception. Take the time, you will not regret it.

Aronian and Gelfand win Alekhine Memorial 2013

5/1/2013 – Top seed Levon Aronian outplayed French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and scored a vital point in the final round, catching tournament leader Boris Gelfand at 5.5/9 points and winning the event on tiebreak. The Israeli drew his game against World Champion Vishy Anand, who finished with 5.0/9 and third. We bring you GM analysis of a key game and pictures from the closing ceremony.

Alekhine R08: Vachier falls, Gelfand leads solo

4/30/2013 – Vitiugov held an advantage against Vachier, but it was mainly due to mistakes by the latter that the Russian broke through. Kramnik missed a win against Gelfand, who now leads by himself with one round to go. Fressinet sacrificed two pawns against Aronian but the game ended peacefully. The other games were uneventful draws. Games and pictures here.

Zug GP R11: Topalov wins game, set and event

4/30/2013 – Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov finished his extraordinary performance (2924!) with a final brilliant game. Although a draw or even a loss would clinch victory in this Grand Prix he went for a complicated, double-edged line against Sergey Karjakin, committed no errors and won the game and the tournament, a point and a half ahead of the field. Full illustrated report.

33-board blindfold simul at US Championship

4/30/2013 – The 2013 U.S. Championships is scheduled to be held from May 2 to 13 in the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. Today, to kick things off, Uzbek GM Timur Gareev will be conducting a 33-board blindfold simultaneous exhibition – preparation for a world record attempt on 64 boards, to be held on December 21 on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Press release.

Zug GP R10: four wins, three with black

4/29/2013 – Veselin Topalov has scored his greatest victory since 2010. He beat his nearest rival, Fabiano Caruana and is now a full point ahead of the rest. Even if he loses the final round the Bulgarian will be the winner of the Grand Prix on tiebreak. His performance so far: close to 2900. Morozevich, Nakamura and Kamsky also won today, the latter two (like Topalov) with black. Full report with GM commentary.

Alekhine R06: Gelfand and Anand strike

4/29/2013 – Two important victories were seen today as Anand dispatched Fressinet in a very complex Scotch. Black's passive play ultimately cost him the full point. Gelfand outplayed Ding Liren and is now tied at the top of the standings. Svidler and Kramnik drew, while Adams didn't make the most of his position against Vachier. Aronian sacrificed yet again but could only draw. Full report.

ChessBase Tutorials Openings: Flank Openings

4/29/2013 – Continuing the “ChessBase Openings Tutorials”, the fifth volume has been released covering the 'Flank Openings’. In 24 videos in German and English, by masters and grandmasters, each covering a separate opening or variation, casual or club players have all they need to surprise their opponents.  Read the review.

Magnus Carlsen on Charlie Rose

4/28/2013 – Making chess – and especially extraordinary chess intelligence – accessible to a lay audience is no mean task. The US American talk show host Charlie Rose, who has done one-on-one interviews with hundreds of the most famous people in the world, endeavors to probe the mind and personality of the world's strongest chess player. It is a half-hour discussion you should not miss.

Zug GP R09: three wins, Topalov continues to lead

4/28/2013 – Fabiano Caruana beat Gata Kamsky from the black side of a Closed Ruy Lopez; Hikaru Nakamura profited from a disastrous error committed by a dejected Alexander Morozevich to take the full point; and Teimour Radjabov took a similar opportunity after Ruslan Ponomariov erred badly on move 40. Veselin Topalov drew against Mamadyarov and continues to lead. Round nine report with GM analysis.

Alekhine R06: Draws prevail in Saint Petersburg

4/28/2013 – The first round of the Alekhine Memorial in Saint Michael's Castle in Saint Petersburg saw solid fortresses, perpetuals and even a miracle escape. Aronian was too trigger happy and his piece sacrifice should have lost him the game, but a wonderful resource found in time trouble allowed him to draw. The rest of the players split the point without too many complications. Full report.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (98)

4/28/2013 – The Editor of Chess Notes shows a position featuring what was described as ‘undoubtedly the most brilliant move ever made by a computer’. Also included is information about early, lesser-known attempts to build chessplaying machines, as well as a miscellany of predictions made decades ago as to whether computers would ever achieve supremacy over human beings.

Wang Yue sweeps in Xinghua

4/27/2013 – After a very close first half it seemed that the tournament would not see any player catapult himself away from the rest. But that is precisely what Wang Yue did, as he won the tournament with a round to go. In the women's section things went down to the wire as Ding Xiyin took first place after holding in a crazy Najdorf. Games, standings and many pictures here.

Maharashtra Chess League starts in Pune

4/27/2013 – An exciting bidding process by private sponsors determined the team line-ups to be used in the Maharashtra Chess League. Some of the top Indian players are participating in the event, and the World Champion himself was there to grace the opening ceremony. This rapid tournament has already produced many exciting games. Read about the first two rounds in our big pictorial report.

Jet-lagged in Japfa (part two)

4/27/2013 – Continuing the travel report on Indonesia, globetrotting WGM Alina L'Ami shares her pictures and impressions of a country rich in culture, tradition, and delicious food. Not to mention the tireless efforts made by GM Utut Adianto, Indonesian senator, to promote chess in Indonesia.

Zug GP R08: Topalov wins, leads alone

4/27/2013 – Alexander Morozevich played a Symmetrical English against Veselin Topalov, using a line he had played unsuccessfully against Grischuk earlier this month. In a long, complicated struggle his opponent Veselin Topalov gained an advantage and drove it home for the full point. All other games were drawn, which puts the Bulgarian GM in the sole lead. Full illustrated report with GM analysis.

Endgames from the Alekhine Memorial

4/26/2013 – Kramnik's crushing breakthrough, Adams' activity, Aronian's attacking king, and Adams' amazing knights – those are the subjects of this week's endgame lessons, brought to you by ChessBase Magazine columnist GM Karsten Müller. They are all from the Alekhine Memorial that has two rest days while the players move from Paris to St. Petersburg. Learn and enjoy.

Jet-lagged in Japfa (part one)

4/26/2013 – Many things come to mind when speaking of Indonesia, from its enormous Muslim population to its breathtaking cultural diversity, but chess is usually not one. The JAPFA Chess Festival, held in Jakarta, organized a Women Tournament calling it the highlight, and treated the players like superstars, but Alina L'Ami explains this is no surprise when you see how rampant chess is there.

Zug R07: Kamsky beats Morozevich

4/25/2013 – The Russian GM, true to his style, played a fairly unusual opening. His American opponent used the opportunity to prepare a kingside assault. A few incautious actions around move 24 put Alexander Morozevich on the spot and Gata Kamsky turned the assault into a full-scale attack and took the full point. All other games were drawn. Full report with pictures and commentary.

Russian Youth won by Artemiev and Kashlinskaya

4/25/2013 – After years of difficult conditions, the Russian Youth Championship seems to finally have a worthy home in AquaLoo. Over 1300 children, accompanied by parents and coaches, from 75 regions in Russia, came to compete for the right to represent their nation, with Artemiev and Kashlinskaya at the top. One player aspires to be the next Mikhail Tal.