54th Reggio Emilia: Spaceship Nakamura takes off

1/1/2012 – It was an impressive turnaround when, in round four, Nakamura downed Giri in a game where the young Dutchman seemed out of sorts, while Morozevich lost his lead when he was defeated by Ivanchuk in an exciting game. This was only a prelude to round five when Nakamura and Ivanchuk had a thrilling battle, which gave the American the sole lead. Pictures and New Year wishes.

FIDE ratings – Carlsen starts 2012 with thirty-point lead

1/1/2012 – If it wasn't for you-know-who twelve years ago we would have said this was unique in world chess: the Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen has climbed to 2835, his highest rating ever, and now leads the field by a full thirty points. Two other players, Aronian and Kramnik, are above 2800, and the World Champion Anand has dipped just below the mark for the first time since July 2010. January 2012 ratings.

Double-game tournament in Donostia/San Sebastián

12/31/2011 – This event, which is taking place from December 28th 2011 to January 5th 2012 in northern Spain, is unusual in that, following an idea by David Bronstein, the participants play two classical games against each other – simultaneously. It is a knock-out tournament, with the eliminated players continuing in a parallel group. Here's a nicely illustrated report by WGM Anastasiya Karlovich.

Rilton Cup in Stockholm

12/30/2011 – This chess tournament, staged for the seventh time, is thanks to a very generous man, Dr. Tore Rilton, a Swedish doctor who left six million Swedish kronor in his will to be used only for chess. The venue is the beautiful Clarion Hotel, with a view of Stockholm directly outside the playing hall. In spite of some opening problems Alina l'Ami managed to send us this big illustrated report.

Kavalek in Huffington: The World Chess Hall of Fame

12/30/2011 – The World Chess Hall of Fame, which was recently relocated from Miami to St. Louis, celebrated its tenth anniversary this month. When it first opened in December 2001, Czech GM Lubos Kavalek was inducted there together with five great chess players, with whom he had a lot in common. He tells us all about it in his latest Huffington Post column.

CBM training: Endgames from the Women's Team Championship

12/29/2011 – This time our resident endgame expert Dr Karsten Müller, who provides lessons in his popular ChessBase Magazine section, has picked four instructive examples from the recently ended Women's World Team Championship. Study them and improve. At the same time don't forget to visit our Christmas Puzzle page, where there are now five installments to solve. Enjoy.

San Sebastian reborn with double the fun

12/29/2011 – A very special tournament will take place in San Sebastian, Spain, from December 28 to January 6, celebrating the centenary of Capablanca's victory there in 1911. This new event, or rebirth, with three opens, includes over ten players rated 2700, playing in a new format christened the "Basque system". In this format, players play each other with both colors in two simultaneous games!

54th Reggio Emilia: Morozevich continues his winning ways

12/29/2011 – After three rounds, Alexander Morozevich has taken the early lead after an impressive attack against Anish Giri in round two, also taking him to sixth in the live ratings, two points from fifth. Vassily Ivanchuk joined Hikaru Nakamura in second after beating Fabiano Caruana in round three. In the women's section, WGM Sopiko Guramishvili leads with a perfect score. Rounds two and three.

54th Reggio Emilia: An exciting start

12/28/2011 – The 54th Reggio Emilia is both the last top event of 2011 and the first of 2012, and this year's lineup is as good as one could wish, with Ivanchuk, Morozevich, Nakamura, Caruana, Vitiugov, and Giri. In the very first round, Hikaru Nakamura defied classic rules to beat Nikita Vitiugov handily, while Fabiano Caruana blundered a won position to Alexander Morozevich. Round one report.

Asian Schools Championship – Indian players dominate

12/28/2011 – Is there a stronger word than "dominate"? Of the 570 players in the fray over 400 were from India, and the dominance of the subcontinent was demonstrated on the result sheet: Indian participants won a total of 33 of the 36 medals at stake (one player, Sanskruti Wankhede, scored 7.0/7 in the U5 section). Our reporter Praful Zaveri sees a shift towards a chess playing nation.

Ashley in Jamaica – Caribbean Chess Tour of a GM

12/28/2011 – GM Maurice Ashley, who in 1999 became the first African-American grandmaster of chess, was born in Jamaica, where he spent the first twelve years of his life. Returning to his first home – and meeting an uncle for the first time – was the hightlight of a Caribbean tour, and involved promoting the "Magnificent Chess Foundation". Even the new Prime Minister Andrew Holness supports it.

The Chebanenko Slav in 60 minutes

12/28/2011 – The Chebanenko Slav is a line championed by several top players, such as Gata Kamsky, Vladimir Malakhov, Etienne Bacrot, and the author, German GM Leonid Kritz. GM Dejan Bojkov was impressed, "One would expect that a strong GM would hide some of his ideas from his main repertoire, however, this is not the case with Leonid Kritz." Find out more in GM Dejan Bojkov's review.

Chess Gymnasium by Jaan Ehlvest

12/27/2011 – Chess in Schools has become the hottest topic in the game. A new book by the Estonian GM Jaan Ehlvest (who now lives in the US) introduces us to the “Russian way” of teaching chess to young children. It is a method born of decades of research. “Chess Gymnasium” introduces each concept slowly, but with depth. The author, once ranked number five in the world, describes the project.

Women's World Team Ch: China is gold, Russia is silver, Georgia is bronze

12/27/2011 – The final round was anything but a formality. Although the Chinese lost in round eight, they still secured gold a round in advance, while India, who had been gold contenders throughout, had a disastrous last two rounds, and placed fourth. Russia was quick to take advantage and secured silver, while Georgia snatched bronze when Ukraine drew against Vietnam in the last round. Final report.

Looking back at the BBC Master Game – thirty years later

12/26/2011 – Until 1980 the only way to show a chess game was for a master to stand in front of a demo board and move the magnetic pieces by hand. Then BBC Television pioneered a radical new technology: using a glass chess table and chess pieces with symbols stuck to their bases they brought us animated games, commented semi-live by the players. You can watch these shows on YouTube.

Women's World Team Championship: Mesopotamia and Zhao

12/25/2011 – During the rest day of important events, it is customary to organize activities to entertain the players as well as show off the region's interesting options. The Turkish Federation organized a great program showing sites and ancient ruins of Mesopotamia. In the seventh round, no changes in rankings, though Zhao Xue played a great attacking game. Don't miss Mesopotamia and Zhao.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (75)

12/25/2011 – It seems that the exchange of Christmas greetings cards has never been a particularly common practice in the chess world, and such ephemeral items from yesteryear are quite difficult to find. The Editor of Chess Notes has brought together a selection of cards sent by prominent figures, including Géza Maróczy, Edward Lasker and Irving Chernev. It is time to revel in some Yuletide nostalgia.

Master Moves #19

12/24/2011 – All the deepest plans or endgame technique are useless if you fall victim to a shot that leaves you in a lost position. Likewise, sometimes that superior play will only offer a single window of opportunity to deliver that final blow, so it is vital to be ready for it when it does. All the shots were played at the European Rapid Championship. Raze these rousing positions!

Women's World Team Championship: China crushes Russia 4-0

12/24/2011 – The fifth round brought the much anticipated encounter between the leaders, China, and the reigning Olympic champions, Russia, but no one could have expected the crushing 4-0 score the Chinese ladies inflicted. They won again in the sixth round, and are on their way to a perfect score. Runners-up India fell to the Russians in round six though continue in second. Here are the report and pictures.

Chessbase Online: Quick opponent preparation

12/23/2011 – In many, if not most, of today’s tournaments, demanding fewer and faster rounds, the chances are you will play more than one round a day, and quality opponent preparation may seem an impossible task. However, with an Android smartphone, internet access, and the new Chessbase Online app, you really have all you need. Learn how in this How-To guide by Albert Silver.

Kavalek in Huffington: The Chess Player Vaclav Havel

12/23/2011 – President Vaclav Havel died last Sunday and the sad news spread quickly. The Czechs lost one of their best statesmen – a good, modest man who was respected throughout the world. Havel was perhaps the only head of state who played – and won – an actual game during a ceremonial opening of a chess tournament. GM Lubomir Kavalek recalls.

Ladies' duel

12/23/2011 – Playing 25.R1f6 (diagram) White has attacked her opponent's queen and at the same time taken the point h6 under fire. Now the reply 25...Qxe4 leads to...

A)... a mate final;
B)... the loss of the queen for Black;
C)... perpetual check.

ChessBase Magazine, larger diagram and solution.

Women's World Team Championship: China leads with perfect score

12/22/2011 – Not to be outdone by the men, the Women's World Team Championship is underway in Mardin, Turkey, from December 17-28, and has the world's top national teams. China, with Hou Yifan on top board, leads with a perfect four in four score, followed by India, a half-point behind, led by Humpy Koneru. Russia is third, and fielding their Olympic Gold lineup. Follow the action in this illustrated report.

CBM training: The hiding place, long march, and breakthrough

12/22/2011 – Sounds a bit like the Chinese Revolution, doesn't it? But actually it is a new set of chess positions by our endgame expert Dr Karsten Müller, who provides us with instructions in his popular ChessBase Magazine section. You can get a sample of it on our news page, replaying and downloading his analyses. It will do wonders for your practical playing strength.