Geoffrey Borg replies to Zhdanov on the FIDE Women Grand Prix

9/28/2012 – The call by Peter Zhdanov for a "fair player selection process" in the Grand Prix did not meet with universal aclaim. In fact most readers disagreed with the notion that the cycle could or needed to be run on purely strength-based criteria. "While we thank Mr Zhdanov for his article," writes FIDE CEO Geoffrey Borg, "some deeper research and objectivity would have been appreciated." Resounding reply

Ankara R09: Muzychuk beats Humpy, takes sole lead

9/27/2012 – After rounds seven and eight India's top female player, Humpy Koneru, was in the sole lead. She was followed, half a point behind, by the tournament's top seed Anna Muzychuk, who in round nine turned tables by scoring a stunning black-piece win against Humpy. Once again there were four decisive games and two hard-fought draws, all of which you can replay with GM commentary.

São Paulo Rd3 – Enthralling draws on all boards

9/27/2012 – It might sound like an attempt at irony, but despite three peaceful results, the games were anything but. Aronian found himself in trouble against Paco in a volcanic position, but somehow no win could be found. Caruana had the best chances to score but could not convert against Anand, and Carlsen pressured Karjakin to no avail. Report with games and many pictures by Albert Silver.

FIDE Grand Prix: A call for a fair player selection process

9/27/2012 – How are the participants of the FIDE Grand Prix chosen? Why are some top players not invited, while some of their less distinguished colleagues are taking part? Is there anything we can do about it? Peter Zhdanov reflects on the topic and pays special attention to women’s chess, which is relatively neglected compared to that of their male counterparts. What do you think?

Basketball with the São Paulo players

9/26/2012 – In the van on the way back from the simul, Levon Aronian was twisting around, asking each and every player, Carlsen, Karjakin, Paco: "Are you in? And you? And you?". When asked what was up, Levon replied, "We're organizing a basketball game this afternoon." Chess players organizing a basketball game? Albert Silver recorded the moment, and brings this fun pictorial.

London Rd5: All games drawn, Gelfand continues to lead

9/26/2012 – The longest draw was Dominguez-Nakamura, 90 moves, with the Cuban GM gaining a decisive advantage but failing to bag the point with a nice combination. The shortest game lasted just 26 moves. Of the 30 games played so far 24 were drawn (= 80%), White won four games (13.3%) and Black two (6.7%). Boris Gelfand leads with a 2893 performance. Round five report with GM analysis.

São Paulo Rd2 – Caruana crushes Karjakin, Carlsen beats Paco

9/26/2012 – The second round of São Paulo was no less exciting than the first, with drama and action. The first game to end was Anand-Aronian in a quiet draw, but this was merely the eye of the hurricane. After a slip in the opening by Karjakin, Caruana sacced two exchanges to win, and took the lead, while Carlsen beat Vallejo in a study-like endgame. Games, pictures and report by Albert Silver.

London Rd4: Gelfand, Grischuk win, Gelfand leads

9/25/2012 – Alexander Grischuk won a fine game against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, one that both our GM commentators, Alejandro Ramirez and Daniel King, have chosen to show us as the game of the day. The other really interesting game was Boris Gelfand vs Wang Hao. Just when the Chinese GM seemed to have saved a tough rook ending he blundered into a mate in one. It was all captured on video!

São Paulo Rd1 – Aronian wins, Carlsen loses

9/25/2012 – The São Paulo stage of the Grand Slam Masters just started, with a dream lineup: Carlsen, Aronian, Anand, Karjakin, Caruana, and Vallejo-Pons. The very first round saw drama strike after Aronian swiftly beat Karjakin with old preparation he had stored, while Carlsen tried his utmost to beat Caruana, and just as he could, blundered and lost. Large illustrated report by Albert Silver.

Ankara R08: all games drawn, but with plenty of fight

9/25/2012 – Round eighth of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix was deceptively peaceful – all games ended in draws, but they were anything but boring! In fact, if as many of our readers have discovered that the commentary by GM Evgenij Miroshnichenko is virtually a free high-powered lesson in chess strategy and tactics. And no-one should miss IM Elisabeth Paehtz's live cappuccino commentary on Playchess.

Ankara R07: Humpy wins and leads the Grand Prix

9/24/2012 – Humpy Koneru tricked Ju Wenjun with a clever move order to win her round seven game. The India GM is now in the lead with a superb plus five score and a 2800+ performance. Anna Muzychuk is the only serious challenger, half a point behind. Just 38% of the games have so far been drawn, with White and Black each winning 31%. Round seven report with analysis by GM Evgenij Miroshnichenko.

Ankara R06: Muzychuk, Humpy win, lead the Grand Prix

9/23/2012 – All the games – every single one of them – produced a decisive result in this round. Humpy Koneru defeated co-leader Ruan Lufei with the black pieces, and top seed Anna Muzychuk scored a win against Turkish WGM Betul Yildiz. The two GMs are now in the sole lead and with 5.0/6 a full point ahead of three Chinese players, all at 4.0/5. Full analysis by GM Evgenij Miroshnichenko

São Paulo Opening Ceremony and simul

9/23/2012 – The opening ceremony to inaugurate the São Paulo stage of the Grand Slam Masters took place today, also to be held in Bilbao for the second half. It also settled the drawing of lots and the player pairings. On the day before, the players went to the CEU in Jaguaré where they played part of a simul, but also met fans who were excited to meet the great champions. Pictorial by Albert Silver.

London Rd3: Mamyedyarov beats Giri in spectacular miniature

9/23/2012 – The round was one more marked by near misses than big wins. Topalov neutralized a spectacular opening sacrifice uncorked by Kasimdzhanov, while Grischuk built a winning position against Wang Hao, only to miss the money shot. Nakamura also narrowly missed Leko, but the game of the day was Mamedyarov's impressive miniature against Giri. Full video reports plus GM analysis.

FIDE Grand Prix London R1: Gelfand beats Nakamura with black

9/22/2012 – All of the black players can leave satisfied today. Some of them held easy draws, while most of them were pushing for a win! Only through cleverness and resourcefulness were the white players able to hold to most of those half points. Nakamura, however, was not so lucky against Gelfand. Illustrated report with summary and game of the day analysis by GM Alejandro Ramirez.

London Rd2: Leko beats Ivanchuk, Nakamura bounces right back

9/22/2012 – The games for the most part continue to be very exciting. Leko shows Hungarian precision and positional mastery, while Nakamura punishes his opponent with sheer willpower and tenacity. Gelfand and Giri were easily neutralized by Topalov and Wang Hao respectively, and although Dominguez also drew against Grischuk it was not exactly easy. Annotated report by GM Alejandro Ramirez.

Ankara R05: Muzychuk wins, joins Humpy and Ruan Lufei

9/21/2012 – Top seed Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia defeated the luckless Polish GM Monika Socko – just one draw so far in this event – to move to the top slot, where India's Humpy Koneru and Chinese WGM Ruan Lufei were holding residence. All three are on a plus three score. Tomorrow Ruan Lufei faces Humpy and Muzychuk plays tenth seed Betul Yildiz. Round five report with GM analysis.

Ankara: Round four analysis by GM Evgenij Miroshnichenko

9/21/2012 – The games played at the Women's Grand Prix in Ankara are not at the stratospheric level of some recent Super-GM tournaments. But they are spirited, hard-fought and entertaining. They are also quite instructive for tournament players, and indeed amateurs. Especially when they are nicely annotated by a strong GM. On this free day we bring you all round four games with commentary.

Good choice?

9/21/2012 – The second player has parried the attack on her rook e8 with 15...Be6-d7 (diagram), leaving the pawn d5 momentarily without sufficient protection.
Now the capture 16.Nxd5 earns White ...
A) ... the loss of a piece;
B) ... the win of a pawn;
C) ... an endgame advantage with material equality.

ChessBase Magazine, larger diagram and solution.

Hurricane Kasparov makes landfall in Germany

9/21/2012 – On Thursday Garry Kasparov flew in to Hamburg, en route to a big chess event on Saturday in Lüneburg, about fifty km to the south. Not one to waste any time, Garry is currently (Friday afternoon) recording a DVD in the ChessBase office studio, one that retraces his life and chess career from the start to 1985, just before he became World Champion. Here are pictures and a puzzle he brought for us.

Ankara R04: Humpy joins Ruan Lufei in the lead

9/20/2012 – Indian GM Humpy Koneru defeated GM Tatiana Kosintseva, Russia, with the black pieces, while Chinese WGM Ruan Lufei conceded her first draw to compatriot Zhao Xue. This put the two winners in the joint lead with 3.5/4 points each – and performances of 2817 and 2749. Only one (hard-fought) game in this round was drawn, with for a 33.3% draw ration so far. Round four report.

Adrian Mikhalchishin: An Active Repertoire for Black

9/20/2012 – "This trainer was a pleasant surprise for me, because it offered a very informative discussion by a grandmaster on the 'neglected' open games," writes Chess Cafe reviewer Steven Dowd. It does not, he admits, provide a full repertoire for black – "the universe of the open games is very broad and not easily covered in a few hours." But it is definitely a good starter. Review.

Black Sea Countries Final won by Cheparinov

9/19/2012 – The Black Sea Countries final tournament took place in Burgas, Bulgaria from September 12-19, 2012. It brought representatives from the nations surrounding the Black Sea namely Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, and Turkey. Held in his native Bulgaria, Ivan Cheparinov, only fourth rated among the six participants, scored one of the best victories of his career. Illustrated report.

Analyzing Playchess for Android games

9/18/2012 – With the arrival of Playchess for Android, where one can play online, and follow live broadcasts, the question most asked is how this ties in with ChessBase Online, the ideal tool for looking up theory, and reviewing and annotating one’s own games. To show how to play (or watch) a game on Playchess, and then open it in ChessBase Online for easy review and annotation, here is a step-by-step guide.