Tal Memorial Rd8 – Aronian takes lead with brilliant win

11/24/2011 – After no fewer than nineteen draws in the last twenty games, the first draws of round eight had spectators antsy, wondering when the genius, the players are obviously capable of, would start to shine through. The answer came from Aronian, who held an endgame advantage against Svidler, only to uncork a brilliant knight sacrifice, and won in style. Illustrated report with GM analysis.

WWCC R08: Draw, Hou Yifan retains World Championship title

11/24/2011 – The eighth game was the third Ragozin in this match. Challenger Humpy Koneru, in a must-win situation, came out of the opening with a small advantage, which she started to lose around move 22, after which her opponent took control. A draw was agreed on move 29, which means that Chinese GM Hou Yifan is the old (though just 17) and new World Champion. Congratulations Yifan, great show!

Daniel King: 'Catch it before it catches you!'

11/24/2011 – "Tonight I'm going to be examining a very tricky opening idea," says GM Daniel King, "the so-called Torre Attack. It is has a bit of a stodgy reputation, but there was a recent game that contained a very, very tricky opening idea, which I would like to examine tonight." The show, which starts at 8 p.m. CET (7 p.m. UK, 2 p.m. NY) is free for Premium members of Playchess.

Tal Memorial Rd7 – Ivanchuk breaks the gridlock

11/23/2011 – After three rounds of draws all-round, even the most patient spectator was beginning to wonder when the dry spell would end. It is true the players were all clearly playing for the win, but an actual one and zero somewhere would be nice for a change. Ivanchuk broke the gridlock after Nakamura appeared in subpar form, and subsequently lost as a result. Illustrated report with GM analysis.

WWCC R07: Hou Yifan wins again, now has three-point lead

11/23/2011 – This is very bitter for the Indian challenger, GM Humpy Koneru, the second highest rated player in the history of the game. In game seven she lost to the World Champion (and world number three) GM Hou Yifan, who is all of 17 years old. With three games to go the score is now 5:2, which means Humpy must win them all to draw even. Illustrated report with GM commentary.

Ashley in Martinique – GM bearing gifts

11/23/2011 – In 1999 Maurice Ashley was the first African-American to attain the coveted title of International Grandmaster of Chess, and he has become an ambassador of the game, especially in the Caribbean area. Recently he embarked on a Caribbean Chess Tour, where his first stop was Martinique. He motivated local school children with simultaneous games and gifts from the ChessBase shop.

Tal Memorial Rd6 – All drawn again, though not all dull

11/22/2011 – One would be forgiven for bemoaning a third straight round with all draws, but those who were watching were anything but bored. Not all games were equally exciting, it is true, but the early queen sacrifice by Karjakin against Nepomniachtchi and the nerve-wracking struggle between Svidler and Carlsen were alone worth the price of entry. Round six report.

Computer survival guide for chess players

11/22/2011 – After a top player claimed chess software had killed his machine, careful analysis agreed this was probably true, just not in the way he believed. A chess engine uses 100% of the computer's resources, and a pro usually has his computer running day and night. This can lead to an early death of your computer if measures are not taken. Here is a computer survival guide by Albert Silver.

Euwe Memorial 2011 – Peng takes Group One; Van Kampen Group Two

11/21/2011 – The 2011 Euwe Memorial just took place, and was a fitting tribute to the Dutch legend. Aside from two tournaments, the event also saw the release of ex-Candidate Paul van der Sterren's biography, and simuls by Jan Timman and Jennifer Shahade. 13-time Dutch Women's Champion, Zhaoqin Peng, won Group One, and Group Two was taken by 17-year-old Van Kampen. Reports and pictures.

Passed pawn duel

11/21/2011 – Facing White's trump on d7, Black had just mobilized his own passed pawn with 26...e4-e3. After the reply 27.Rd1-f1 (diagram) he now can ...

A)... resign;
B)... liquidate into a roughly balanced position;
C)... win on the spot.

ChessBase Magazine, larger diagram and solution.

Aeroflot Open – Invitations, regulations, events and prizes

11/21/2011 – The Aeroflot Open Chess Festival, one of the most popular tournaments in the world, will be held in from February 6 to 17, 2012 in a new venue: the Hotel Cosmos, one of the largest in Moscow, located in a beautiful park area 20 travelling minutes from Red Square. The total prize fund is 150,000 Euros, and it includes qualification places for the Dortmund Super Tournament. You can register now.

WWCC R06: Hou Yifan wins, takes two-point lead

11/21/2011 – The sixth game of the Women's World Championship ended in time trouble. The Challenger Humpy Koneru was pressing in a basically equal position, but with time running out for both players it was the 17-year-old champion Hou Yifan who, in spite of a violent stomach-ache the night before, had the better nerves. With four games left she now has a commanding 4-2 lead. Full illustrated report.

CBM training: Principle of one diagonal, the cut-off and the back door

11/20/2011 – As you know by now every issue of ChessBase Magazine has a wonderful endgame section, with practical lessons taken from current tournament play. The trainer is GM Karsten Müller, who also gives us weekly sessions on the news page. You can study Dr Müller's analysis on our JavaScript boards or download the games for later review. Look, learn and enjoy.

Tal Memorial R5 – All games drawn, with firework displays

11/20/2011 – For some time it seemed that the black pieces would again dominate a round. Nepomniatchtchi, Aronian and Carlsen all had a significant edge. However they were all unable to best their opponents. The five draws again do not betray the fireworks that occurred during the round. And speaking of fireworks, the only "short" draw of the round, Karjakin-Svidler, had enough of those to light up a stadium.

WWCC R05: Draw, Hou Yifan remains in the lead

11/20/2011 – The fifth game in the Women's World Championship in Tirana, Albania, ended after four hours and 43 moves in a draw, with the 17-year-old World Champion Hou Yifan, who didn't have a tangible advantage, pressing anyway on the white side of an Open Ruy Lopez. Meanwhile, in an extraordinary feat of investigative journalism we were able to at last solve the mystery of the silver pot.

WWCC R04: Draw, Hou Yifan remains in the lead

11/19/2011 – The reigning world champion from China was pressing hard in this game, but all attempts to gain a two-point lead in the match were thwarted by challenger Koneru Humpy's resilient defence. The match now stands 2½-1½ for the incumbent. In the press conference after the game the players analysed for the journalists using Fritz 13 and a flat screen. You can see what they said in our round four report.

Tal Memorial Rd4 – The one that got away

11/19/2011 – The fourth round was marked by draws on all boards. However, not all draws are equal. To be fair, considering the way the games unfolded, it is quite surprising that there were not a few decisive results. The most distinct game was one that was reminiscent of the classic Botvinnik-Fischer (1962), as Nepomniachtchi escaped from Nakamura in similar fashion. Full report with GM commentary.

Tal Memorial Rd2 – Carlsen beats Gelfand

11/18/2011 – It was a combative round, and once again, Carlsen and Ivanchuk were right there in the mix of it. Ivanchuk played a hard endgame against Nepomniachtchi, but was unable to exploit his extra pawn. Carlsen once more played the most complex game of the round, and eventually beat Gelfand after mindboggling complications. Illustrated report with GM commentary by Alejandro Ramirez.

WWCC R03: Hou Yifan draws first blood

11/18/2011 – Playing with the white pieces, the challenger Koneru Humpy of India got a good position from the opening, but she was not, in her own words, making good moves. The reigning world champion Hou Yifan from China, took heart (and a pawn on a2) and overran her opponent with a precision that belies her age. Hou now leads 2-1 in this ten-game match. Game three commentary by GM Alejandro Ramirez.

Meet World Champion Anand every two weeks in Firstpost

11/18/2011 – Network18’s Firstpost.com, India’s first exclusive online news and views website, has launched an online chess championship for its readers. This fortnightly event will see Vishwanathan Anand share some of his real-life chessboard experiences with online participants as a part of ‘Firstpost Battleboard’, which calls for audience participation. Press release.

Tal Memorial Rd3 – A black day for white

11/18/2011 – In a day and age when the advantage of White has been compared by Valery Salov as being greater than being on serve in tennis, it is remarkable that with the very best players in the world, three out of five games ended in a win for Black, and even Carlsen's draw as Black against Kramnik was probably won in the final position. Illustrated report with annotations by GM GM Alejandro Ramirez.

Kavalek in Huffington: Joys of Chess: From Krabbé to Hesse

11/18/2011 – Two books, one new and one a classic, bring us a compilation of chess stories, biographical sketches, games and fragments with references to art and science. One, The Joys of Chess, is by a professor of mathematics, the other, Chess Curiosities, by a writer and cyclist. In this week's Huffington Post column GM Lubomir Kavalek gives us samples from both.

Tal Memorial Rd1 – A feeling of déjà vu

11/16/2011 – It is a historic first with four players rated 2800 participating: Carlsen, Anand, Aronian, and Kramnik, followed by Ivanchuk, Karjakin, Nakamura, Gelfand, Svidler, and Nepomniachtchi. In the first round Kramnik lost to Nepomniachtchi, and while the top seeds failed to impress, Ivanchuk was also first to score, against Svidler. Illustrated report and analysis by GM Alejandro Ramirez

Chess for the empowerment of Palestinian women

11/15/2011 – East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Qatanna and Hebron – names that are regularly in the news, but usually not in a good way. “Chess for Leadership and Creativity” is a structured program launched by the Palestinian Chess Federation with support of "Peace and Sport" and FIDE, designed to encourage Palestinian women’s empowerment and develop their leadership skill. Press release.