Shirov - Laznicka match ends 4-2

8/10/2012 – It was a friendly match designed to delight the spectators and chess fans, while promoting the sponsor, but the match between Alexei Shirov and Viktor Laznicka was a model of organization on all levels. It not only had a fine venue, live broadcast, a website with excellent labeled pictures, and GM commentary, but had a number of touches to make it unique. See more in this lovely pictorial.

Badminton’s “Grandmaster Draw” vs Chess

8/10/2012 – It happened in the Olympics: four sets of badminton women's doubles players ditched their ties by giving a "not trying to win" performance. This earned the ire of spectators, and officials cautioned the players several times for the farcical display. In the end they were disqualified. Kung-Ming Tiong of the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus compares this to the situation in chess.

Nordic edge walking

8/10/2012 – White has just implanted his knight into the enemy king's position with 51.Ng4-f6 (diagram). Which move gives Black the advantage now?

A) 51...Qa8
B) 51...Qe7
C) 51...Rc4

ChessBase Magazine, larger diagram and solution.

Kavalek in Huffington: Chess Winners Win Slowly

8/10/2012 – Chess is a slow game, says GM Lubomir Kavalek. Chess players don't move like the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. They advance to the finish line with a steady, deliberate pace. What the best chess players have in common with Bolt is the enormous will to win. In his Huffington Post column Kavalek extensively annotates an astonishing game by Vladimir Kramnik.

CBM #148: Commended for the serious player

8/9/2012 – This issue of ChessBase Magazine has 13 detailed opening surveys, ranging from the Caro-Kann to the King’s Indian. In addition there are 11 videos, among them an extraordinary presentation by Shirov of the French Winawer 7.Qg4 Qc7 and the Sicilian Rossolimo (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5). "Alexie knows his stuff, having lit fire on both sides of the board!" writes Prof. Nagesh Havanur. Review.

Magnus Carlsen: Am I tired? What a stupid question!

8/9/2012 – In June this year the Norwegian GM won YAST – yet another super tournament. Can one grow tired of all this glory? "I like to win and I want to keep winning," he says in this indepth interview, conducted for the Russian news portal WhyChess by Eugeny Atarov. Magnus describes his feelings during some of the key games and tells us how his life revolves around fame and chess.

Grivas: Chess Expertise Step by Step – Endgame Magic

8/8/2012 – The ending the ending rook, bishop and pawn versus bishop, knight and pawn, when there are no passed pawns and the bishops are of opposite colors is, in the words of chess trainer Efstratios Grivas, "easy, because White has a very concrete plan, and difficult because White has to be accurate at certain moments." He demonstrates this with a deeply annotated 1990 Kasparov-Karpov game.

Chess Redux: how many people play chess?

8/8/2012 – "Chess is the sleeping giant of the sports/entertainment world," said Steve Martin, CEO of M&C Saatchi Sports. Indeed, a study by AGON, the FIDE World Championship partner has revealed some startling facts: world-wide there are approximately the same number of chess players as regular Facebook members, and in the U.S., more people play chess than tennis and golf, combined!

To be or not to be – the Politiken Cup

8/8/2012 – To be or not to be…a chess player, that is the question. No doubt you have your own personal answer to the famous Shakespearian dilemma, but if you are reading this, you made the same choice as 300 players were present in Helsingør, the city of Shakespeare's Hamlet. One again, it was time for the beautiful traditional event – the Politiken Cup! Alina L'Ami brings a large illustrated report.

The Behting study – solution and a search for cooks

8/7/2012 – Can we still deceive computers in chess, asked Kiyoshi Takahashi in a recent article? To his entertaining examples we tacked on a famous study which has been fooling computers – for thirty years now! Today we bring you the incredibly deep solution and also ask you to participate in a minor research project: to find out if the study is cooked. Is there a second move that secures the same result?

Endgame Magic with GM Karsten Müller

8/7/2012 – Endgame knowledge is not easy to acquire and for this reason it is a valuable weapon in practical tournament play. In his Endgame Magic Show on Playchess, the well-known endgame expert GM Karsten Müller will assist you with a bunch of practical endgames. He shows how to handle the positions, which will help improve your results. An example and more information.

2012 Russian championship – Going through the motions

8/7/2012 – It is the strongest national championship in the world, and a win on a player’s resumé speaks volumes of their ability. And if that is not enough, aside from financial incentives and bragging rights, there is a potential spot on the national team at stake. Despite all this, the event has been plagued by a lack of fight leading to 80% draws. Instead, the women are giving the example. Illustrated report.

The Agria Chess Festival

8/6/2012 – For 36 years the Agria Chess Festival has persisted against all odds and has provided the chess community in Hungary with a very pleasant tournament held in a pretty, historic spa town, Eger, in the north of the country. The organiser, Mr Ferenc Rauch, in tandem with his wife, Ara, have built up steady followers that have remained faithful over the years. Illustrated report by Diana Mihajlova.

Gawain Jones wins the 99th British Championship

8/6/2012 – A number of top GMs were missing, but the extraordinary fighting spirit made up for that. In the final, eleventh round GM Gawain Jones needed to win with black, which he did in a highly combative Sicilian Dragon. This meant he faced Stephen Gordon in a playoff, which he won in spite of losing his queen in the first game. We bring you round-by-round game commentary and video reports.

FIDE August ratings – on a monthly basis

8/5/2012 – The world rankings will in future be published every month, a move we heartily applaud. We have decided to display the top twenty in each category – players, women, juniors, girls – with links to the full lists on the FIDE pages. Also we give the increase or decrease of each player compared to the previous list, plus the number of games played. We hope our readers approve.

Marisa van der Merwe, Women of the Year 2012

8/5/2012 – This award, introduced in 1996, pays tribute to the most exceptional and achieving women in the country, and presents them as role models to the rest of South Africa. Among this year's winners we spotted the co-founder of the South African Moves for Life program and developer of MiniChess, an education-through-chess program (don't miss the video!). Congratulations Marisa!

Grivas: Chess Expertise Step by Step – Rook Handling

8/4/2012 – If there is one aspect of chess that every player can improve, it is rook endgames. Even a minor advance in theoretical knowledge can go a long way. In Chess Expertise Step by Step: Vol. 3, Rook Handling, Greek GM Efstratios Grivas describes them as the "most fascinating element of chess, rich in both tactical and strategic possibilities." Chess Cafe Review.

Chance for whom?

8/3/2012 – One of the many intriguing positions from the just finished Biel grandmaster tournament. Here followed the simplification 31...dxe5 32.Qxd8+ Qxd8 33.Rxd8+ Bxd8 34.Bxb5 Bxa5 35.Kf2 with a draw. Instead, which continuation would you have chosen as White after the intermediate move 31...Bg5?
A) 32.Bxd6
B) 32.Bf4 Bxf4 33.Qxf4 Bxe2
C) 32.Qc2
ChessBase Magazine, larger diagram and solution.

Biel Rd10 - Wang Hao strikes back in last round to win Biel

8/3/2012 – The dice were thrown early on as Anish Giri missed a tactic which gave victory to Wang Hao. Still, that alone did not guarantee the gold as Magnus Carlsen could beat Etienne Bacrot. A late mistake meant that this might actually happen, but the French player held fast and denied the Norwegian the top spot. Hikaru Nakamura beat Viktor Bologan to catch Giri in 3rd-4th. Final report and wrap-up.

Chess Problems: Pinning Themes

8/2/2012 – In this article our problem expert David Friedgood looks at the major thematic ideas that involve pins. In problem chess pins generally refer to a piece being pinned against the king of the same colour; lesser pins seldom occur. In the first instalments we will concern ourselves with black pieces being pinned – later on we will explore white pins. Examples plus two problems for you to solve.

Karjakin and Kosteniuk at the Luzhniki Sport Festival in Moscow

8/2/2012 – For the past five years the Moscow Chess Federation has organized a big chess holiday at the Olympic Sport Stadium Luzhniki, as part of the Moscow Sport Games festival. This world rapid chess champion Sergey Karjakin and former women's world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk were present. There were massive blitz competitions and simultaneous exhibitions. Great entertainment.

Biel Rd9 - Bologan beats Wang, last round will decide all

8/2/2012 – In spite of decisive results and a loss by Wang Hao to Viktor Bologan, who is no doubt sighing in relief, not a lot changed at the top. Magnus Carlsen, who drew Anish Giri today, has the lead, but a draw in the final round will not suffice. If either Anish Giri or Wang Hao win their respective game against each other they would take first. The last round will decide everything. Round nine report.

CBM training: Mighty Magnus, Topalov's rooks

8/1/2012 – Today's endgame lessons, brought to you by ChessBase Magazine columnist GM Karsten Müller, are taken from the recent World Rapid Chess Championship in Astana. Two are by Bulgarian GM Veselin and two from games of Magnus "How-does-he-do-it?" Carlsen. Dr Müller explains how the world's number one sets traps and maintains pressure until the opponent cracks. Learn and enjoy.

Biel Rd8 - Magnus Carlsen five Elo shy of Kasparov record

8/1/2012 – It was a precipitous round in every way imaginable. Anish Giri found himself lost against Etienne Bacrot, but turned the tables around and won. Wang Hao also had a difficult position against Hikaru Nakamura but won, while Magnus Carlsen beat Viktor Bologan to keep the lead and come within five Elo of Kasparov's record 2851. Our challenge received many replies, including a world champion.