World Rapid and Blitz starts today

6/6/2013 – “Just two days ago we closed the FIDE Grand Prix in Greece," said FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, "and today we are opening the World Rapid and Blitz Championships.” It was at the opening ceremony in in Khanty Mansiysk (Russia), where 62 players from 18 countries are gathered for a five-day event in the spectacular Ugra Chess Academy. Prepare for some fast and furious action.

Experts weigh in on Ivanov's performance

6/5/2013 – Two days ago we reported on the crushing victories of a Bulgarian FM against top grandmasters and the suspicion that he was secretly using computer assistance to achieve his success. Extensive analysis of the games by Valeri Lilov made this seem quite plausible. In part two of our series we present the opinions of international experts and one of the GM victims, plus initial reader feeback.

Eighth Tal Memorial next week in Moscow

6/4/2013 – The FIDE Grand Prix in Thessaloniki has just ended. Suffering withdrawal already? Well, in just over a week, on June 12th, there is another Super GM, this time in Moscow, with Carlsen, Kramnik, Anand, Nakamura, Karjakin and co. Average Elo: 2777, making it a category 22 event. There will be live broadcast, with video from the site and GM commentary on Playchess. Full tournament details.

Sam Collins: The French Advance Structure

6/4/2013 – This structure, which can arise in the French, Caro-Kann, Sicilian or Slav Defence, is characterized by the pawn chain d4-e5 for White and e6-d5 for Black and an open c-file. Chess trainer Sam Collins provides full instructions on a ChessBase DVD which reviewer Lukas Wedrychowski says is "one which especially those with limited time should get." He gives it 6/6 stars = Highly Recommended!

Ding dominates Danzhou

6/4/2013 – After a great start, Ni Hua was unable to prevent top-seed Ding Liren from overtaking him and eventually winning the tournament. It all came down to a spectacular game in round seven. After a terrible start, 13-year-old Wei Yi posted a great comeback with 3.5/4 at the end. and gained further Elo. Here is the final illustrated report by Liang Ziming.

Daniel King – Power Play 19: Attack with 1.e4

6/3/2013 – In part two of this series British GM Daniel King provides us with a repertoire of attacking lines against the Scandinavian, Alekhine’s Defence, the Petroff, Philidor, Pirc and the Modern Defence (1. e4 g6). After the DVD was complete it occurred to him that he should have included the deadly Philidor Counter Gambit. What to do? Daniel has now published it online, and you can watch it for free.

Thessaloniki Final: Caruana stops Kamsky, Dominguez wins the tournament

6/3/2013 – In a wild turn of events in the last round, Caruana played a masterful Spanish to take down Gata Kamsky. With this victory Caruana tied for second in the event and paved the way for Dominguez who defeated Topalov in a very precise endgame. The Cuban scored 8.0/11 and gained an incredible 30 rating points. GM Analysis of both key games.

The show goes on: Ivanov in Kustendil

6/3/2013 – Borislav Ivanov is an FM who in the past months has been crushing players hundreds of points stronger than himself. Bulgarian GMs, who suspect computer cheating, are now boycotting tournaments in which he appears, or chosing not to play their games against him. Ivanov has called them antisocial buttheads in newspaper interviews. Alex Karaivanov reports, with new video analysis by Valeri Lilov.

Thessaloniki 10: Kamsky wins and leads

6/2/2013 – On his 39th birthday Gata Kamsky destroyed Alexander Morozevich in a 25-move Chigorin. He snatched the sole lead, with 7.5/10 half a point ahead of Cuban Leinier Dominguez. Fabiano Caruana outplayed Veselin Topalov with the black pieces and at 6.5/10 has a theoretical chance to win the event. Express report with pictures of the free day simul and GM analysis of the most volatile game.

Aronian's clock simul at the Mitropa Cup

6/2/2013 – The Mitropa European team tournament designed to give strong young players a challenging competition opportunity. The first opportunity members of the German team got was in a 6:1 time odds clock simul against the world's number two player Levon Aronian. The event took place in the beautiful Meissner Museum, which treasures 300 years of porcelain history. Pictorial report.

Thessaloniki 09: Dominguez wins, ties for first

6/1/2013 – The Cuban star continues surprising in Greece by dispatching Caruana. A positional exchange sacrifice put the Italian in an uncomfortable situation and was unable to deal with all his problems adequately. Topalov swiftly punished Morozevich's awkward handling of the Caro-Kann while the rest of the games were drawn without any real winning chances. Games, analysis and standings.

June 2013 ratings – Magnus Carlsen remains on top

6/1/2013 – The monthly ratings show Kramnik and Topalov, who gained a bunch of points in the previous list, dropping most or some of these points. Aronian played 18 games but remained exactly in the same position with the same rating. Karjakin did a big climb, from tenth in the world to seventh, gaining 15 points in the process. June 2013 rating of FIDE.

Meet a genuine chess billionaire

5/31/2013 – Sergey Galitsky, 45, is a co-owner of a major Russian retail chain Magnit and president of FC Krasnodar. According to Forbes, as of 2013 his personal fortune was estimated at US $8.2 billion, making him the #138th richest person in the world. So why are we interested in his personality? Sergey is also a proficient chess player who can give 20-board simuls! Peter Zhdanov reports.

Three-way tie at Sigeman & Co.

5/31/2013 – The 21st edition of the Sigeman & Co. tournament held in Malmö, Sweden, was undecided until the end and beyond. After seven rounds of competition, it was not for lack of fighting spirit that three of the eight players ended in a tie for first but rather because of it. Not all of the players were in a position to fight for first but even those out of contention fought to the end.

Thessaloniki R08: Kamsky wins again

5/30/2013 – An amazing round that saw five decisive results and five Spanish openings. Kamsky dispatched Nakamura in the French in masterful style. Ivanchuk has not recuperated and lost to Svidler, Ponomariov suicided against Kasimdzhanov, Bacrot made short work of Topalov with black while Dominguez's assault on Morozevich's king was irresistible. Analysis, standings and pictures.

Thessaloniki R07: Caruana and Kamsky keep scoring

5/29/2013 – A blunder by Morozevich and consistent play by Kamsky allowed the Italians and the American to get a half point lead over Dominguez, who had to defend a long endgame against Bacrot. Nakamura scored a full point with a nice technical win against Topalov, while Ivanchuk forced another quick draw with white. Games, pictures and analysis.

The Maverick: play hard, party heartily

5/29/2013 – GM Timur Gareev of Uzbekistan, now living in the USA, is one of the most energetic mavericks in the chess world. He is sure to remain a stellar grandmaster for many years, but is also a representative of the new generation of grandmasters with a passion to bring the game to a wider public. Marck Cobb reports on his adventurous 1000-mile journey from St. Louis to San Diego.

Thessaloniki R06: Kamsky, Caruana join Dominguez

5/28/2013 – Kamsky played a superb positional game to dispatch Svidler and join Dominguez in the lead. The Cuban drew a very resilient Nakamura who was down a pawn the entire game. Caruana showed great class in his win against Bacrot. Ivanchuk continues his freefall and self-destructed against Ponomariov. Analysis, pictures and standings.

Thessaloniki GP: free day activities

5/28/2013 – Sunday was a free day at the FIDE Grand Prix in Thessaloniki – a city founded around 300 BC and named after a half-sister of Alexander the Great. A number of players used the opportunity to hop on the open desk bus and go on an extended sightseeing tour. They saw the Hagios Demetrios, the Heptapyrgion, and visited the landmark White Tower of Thessaloniki. Here is a pictorial report.

40th Anniversary of the Beer-Sheba Chess Club

5/28/2013 – The Beer Sheba chess club, the largest in Israel, is celebrating its foundation four decades ago, crowning a history rich in activities and achievements. To commemorate, it is organizing a strong rapid round-robin tournament with local and guest grandmasters. As a result of its very active program and fine leadership, the city claims the highest grandmaster per capita in the world.

Thessaloniki R05: Dominguez takes the Lead

5/27/2013 – Winning three consecutive games has catapulted Dominguez to the top of the leaderboard. The Cuban outplayed Kasimdzhanov to cleanly collect a full point. Bacrot missed a win against Morozevich in a complex endgame, Caruana wasn't able to win against Nakamura with two extra pawns while the other games were uneventful draws. Analysis, standings and pictures.

Short and Sokolov lead Sigeman & Co.

5/27/2013 – The Sigeman tournament is now in the second half with five rounds played, and the podium is being disputed hard by the players. The leadership has changed hands a few times among the group, especially after round five when Nigel Short beat Loek van Wely in a hard fight, and Richard Rapport was punished for his brash opening play by Hans Tikannen. Report and analysis.

Ni Hua leads Hainan Danzhou with 5.0/6

5/26/2013 – After six rounds, the Danzhou tournament held in China has seen GM Ni Hua take the lead with 5.0/6, followed by top-seed Ding Liren with 4.5/6. One of the surprises has been the comeback by Xiu Deshun who lost his first two games, and then won four straight. Though Wei Yi has had a rough start he is a veteran in top chess in China. IM Lou Yiping annotates in the illustrated report by Liang Ziming.

Skyfall – the TLC Trio's chess video

5/26/2013 – They represent a unique blend of traditional sound and twenty-first century rhythm, playing songs by the Beatles, Lady Gaga and Elvis with classical instrumentation. The TLC Trio's latest video features a live chess game – Kasparov vs Topalov, Wijk 1999 – that plays out, move for move, to Adele's "Skyfall." A U14 World Champion, protégé of Kasparov, costars. Chess like you have never seen it.