Short wins 2013 Canadian Open Championship

7/24/2013 – The 50th Canadian Open Chess Championship in Ottawa saw 178 players, including 12 GMs, competing in a nine-round Swiss. Nigel Short and Eric Hansen tied for first, with Short taking the title on tie-break. He is practically a resident, so often has he visited and played in the city. There were plenty of interesting games at the 2013 Championship, as John Upper shows in his giant pictorial report.

2013 Maccabiah Games - The Jewish Olympics

7/24/2013 – Every four years, the best Jewish sportsmen from all around the world come together to compete in the Maccabiah Games. Here the royal game has been recognized as a sport and was included in the Maccabiah Games as early as 1935, and since 1989 it has thrived under the tutelage of Moshe Slav. This year includes numerous events with opportunities for all.

Biel R02: 3-0! All games decisive

7/23/2013 – Yesterday all the games were drawn, today all brought decisions: Etienne Bacrot beat Ding Linren with white, while Alexander Moiseenko and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave overcame Richard Rapport and Ian Nepomniachtchi with the black pieces. Our full report is now up, with pictures and video interviews with the players, and a video summary of the round by GM Daniel King.

Richard Rapport: the sky's the limit

7/23/2013 – Three years ago we introduced you to a chess prodigy from Hungary who, at thirteen had become the sixth youngest grandmaster in history. Today at seventeen Richárd is a towering lad, charming and well-spoken. And his chess is probably the most exciting we can find in the current U21 generation. We are certain to hear a lot more about this chess star, portrayed here by Diana Mihajlova.

Karsten Müller: endgame lessons from the masters

7/23/2013 – Today's endgame lessons by GM Karsten Müller are taken from the recently concluded Renova FIDE Grand Prix in Zug, Switzerland, and involve three former FIDE world champions, Ponomariov, Topalov and Kasimdzhanov, as well as young stars like Nakamura, Caruana and Radjabov. So our ChessBase Magazine endgame expert is plucking grapes from the finest vines. Learn and enjoy.

Biel R01: All games fighting draws

7/22/2013 – One of today's games, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Richard Rapport, ended after a repetition on move 22. A quick draw, right? Wrong, it was in fact a very interesting game that deserves to be looked at quite carefully. The other two draws are similarly not uninteresting by any standard. We bring you games, pictures, video analysis and interviews in big round one report.

Daniel King – A Summer Simul in Hanwell

7/22/2013 – The fourteenth day of July 2013 proved to be scorching hot, but this did not deter chess enthusiasts in Oxfordshire, England, from appearing for a body and mind battle against chess GM and trainer Daniel King. According to organiser Carl Portman, in such events it is critical to avoid "taciturn introverts" and invite a gregarious grandmaster, willing to engage with the players.

Kavalek in Huffington: Tired chess brains in China

7/21/2013 – Saved from collapse by rich Russian sponsors, the FIDE Grand Prix moved to China this month for its fifth leg. Some of the world class players came to Beijing tired from the previous hectic schedule, having taken part in the Candidates Tournament, Alekhine and Tal Memorials, Norway Classic and Grand Prix in Zug and Thessaloniki. Huffington Post columnist Lubomir Kavalek analyses the consequences.

The Kasparovs tour Africa for chess in education

7/20/2013 – Former World Champion Garry Kasparov and his wife Dasha just completed a trip across seven African nations to meet with chess and education officials as well as chess players and kids. It was part of the Kasparov Chess Foundation's drive to bring chess into education around the world by gathering public and private sponsors and organizations together. We have a giant pictorial report.

Slovenian WIM Vesna Rozic in distress

7/19/2013 – Vesna Rožic, 26, has played for her country in six Mitropa Cups, four European Championships and four Chess Olympiads. She is the second strongest Slovenian player, after world number four Anna Muzychuk. Now she has been struck by a very serious condition: peritoneal cancer. Always a fighter Vesna is determined not to give up but to combat the disease.

International Chess Festival Biel

7/19/2013 – The double round robin GM tournament in Biel, Switzerland, this year features six players, led by Maxime Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Etienne Bacrot. It takes place from July 20 – August 2nd and will be covered extensively with video commentary and postgame interviews on Playchess. There are a number of subsidiary events in which practically anyone can participate.

Happy Nelson Mandela Day!

7/18/2013 – While the Commonwealth Championship ended in a deserving victory for GM Abhijeet Gupta, its conclusion was overshadowed by some prestigious VIP guests: South African president Jacob Zuma and former world champion Garry Kasparov. Zuma revealed that as a political prisoner he had played chess with soap pieces and driftwood. Today they celebrate Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday.

The Life Gambit à la Benko – Part two

7/18/2013 – On Monday Pal Benko, legendary grandmaster, author, and problem composer, turned 85. Diana Mihajlova, who recently met with the fit and active octogenarian in his home town of Budapest, sent us a birthday report in two parts. Today we learn of Benkos escape from Communist Hungary to the US, and his relationship with Bobby Fischer. And we get to solve two highly entertaining problems.

Tikkanen beats Grandelius in Swedish Ch.

7/17/2013 – Top seed Nils Grandelius dominated throughout the event, playing impressive, imaginative chess. In the final round he was caught by clubmate Hans Tikkanen. In the playoff Grandelius could have won both rapid games, but let Tikkanen escape. The blitz ended 1-1, in the Armageddon Grandelius once again had a winning position – and missed an important zwischenzug. He was deeply upset.

Swordplay in Slovakia

7/17/2013 – Deep in Slovakia, in the midst of a volcanic caldera, lies Banska Stiavnica. This medieval town is a World Heritage Site and for the last years has hosted a spectacular live chess event as a part of its medieval summer festivities. While GM Sergey Mosvesian and GM Jan Markos fought on a board, the live pieces enacted sword fights for the audience. Don't miss this beautiful pictorial.

Beijing GP: Mamedyarov wins, 2847 performance

7/16/2013 – Azeri GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov drew his final round game against Boris Gelfand to claim clear first place with 7.0/11 points. Alexander Grischuk placed second, half a point behind of the winner, with Peter Leko and Veselin Topalov sharing third place with 6.0/11. Full report with the games, standings , postgame video interviews and many, many pictures.

Ashley Tapp: better opportunities for all

7/16/2013 – What do you do if you are a young chess player, a girl, living in Canada, talented enought to qualify for national and international events, but not really able to afford the trips and the training? Be undaunted and start fundraising for the means. That is what 13-year-old Ashley Tapp is doing, successfully enough to extend the fundraising for general causes. An inspiration for all chess kids.

Beijing Rd10: The bottom half strikes back

7/15/2013 – Giri, Morozevich, Gelfand and Kamsky, players that so far have not had a huge impact in the tournament, are making a late comeback and scored some interesting wins. Giri exploited a strange decision from Topalov, Morozevich stopped the leader while Gelfand kept Mamedyarov in that lead by beating Grischuk who remains in second place. Full report with GM Analysis.

The Life Gambit à la Benko

7/15/2013 – Pal Benko (Hungarian: Benkö Pál) is, as 99% of our readers probably know, a legendary chess grandmaster, author, and composer of endgame studies and problems. He was born on July 15 1928, which made him 85 today. Diana Mihajlova met the fit and active octogenarian, who has been a "pal" of our company for a decade, in his home town of Budapest. Here is part one of her birthday report.

Beijing Rd9: Mamedyarov wins, leads

7/14/2013 – Mamedyarov was the only player to emerge victorious in today's round after Anish Giri played a horrible move early on in the game. The Azerbaijani quickly capitalized on his opponent's blunder and is now the sole leader of the event. Gelfand missed a couple of wins against Wang Hao while none of the other games had much life to it. Report and pictures.

Ten-way tie at the top of America's biggest Open

7/13/2013 – The 2013 edition of the World Open was held in a suburb of Washington D.C. The tournament attracted over one thousand chess players, a few of which took home a good prize fund. The Open section saw a massive tie for first, but the winners of the lower sections we awarded more than $12.000 each. Report and analysis of a wild game.

South Africa in Black and White (Part 2/2)

7/13/2013 – The 2013 Commonwealth Championship has no fewer than 900 participants hailing from 29 different countries, making it the biggest event ever held in Africa. The organizers have set the standards of excellence, holding it in the official five star Boardwalk hotel, with meals of antelope and fig delicacies as well as safaris in the wild.

Beijing Rd8: Gelfand, Topalov score

7/12/2013 – Gelfand was able to outplay Ivancuhk from a King's Indian until the Ukrainian couldn't handle the pressure and resigned. Karjakin played a questionable game against Topalov who seized an early initiative and converted in the endgame. The remaining games were draws without real winning chances. Report and GM analysis.

ChessBase Magazine 154 – with star commentators

7/12/2013 – ChessBase Magazine #154 was keenly awaited by subscribers. It deals with the recent Candidates' Tournament, as well as the FIDE Grand Prix in Zug and the Alekhine Memorial in Paris and St. Petersburg. ChessBase Magazine 154 has 806 games of which about 89 are annotated, by players like Kramnik, Aronian, Caruana, Gelfand and Ponomariov.  Review by Prof. Nagesh Havanur.