5/11/2011 – While the critics wrote rave reviews about Edward Winter's book on Capablanca, of which a paperback edition is now available from McFarland, one person remained virtually silent regarding the work: the author himself. The chess historian simply pursued his investigations and writings. But now we have coaxed him into describing how his unique book came about. Here is the inside story.

5/10/2011 – Contrary to previous editions, this year the European Women Chess Championship is being held separately from the overall event at Tbilisi, Georgia. It is a fitting choice considering the history of women's chess there, and the number of Georgian greats. After four rounds, Lithuanian GM Viktorija Cmylite is the only player with 4.0/4. Robert Fontaine from Europe Echecs has provided daily video reports.

5/10/2011 – 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 positions are from the US Championship and the Russian Women's Team Championship. Come minister your mind's eye.

5/9/2011 – For Easter the Hungarian chess grandmaster, author and great problem composer Pál Benkö sent us five puzzles, which we presented to our readers. "Each puzzle was incredible wonderful!" wrote Gabor Szamosközi of Budapest, and a large number of readers participated in the competition for a Fritz program signed by World Champions. Are you the winner?

5/9/2011 – In this difficult position the second player Gata Kamsy went for 30...N8e7, whereupon he had to continue suffering and could save the game only by a miracle. How would be your assessment of the alternative 30...Nxd4 31.Bxd4 Bxa2 with a discovered attack on the the white bishop d4?
A) good enough for equality;
B) still worse for Black, but better than the game anyway;
C) a direct way to disaster, White wins immediately.
The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

5/9/2011 – The surprises took place almost at the same time. Aronian was tied Grischuk, but lost the fourth game. Kramnik tied Radjabov in all four rapids, and then lost the first blitz (of two). With a dead drawn position and 15 seconds left each, the clock died! When they resumed, thirteen minutes later, Radjabov quickly lost, after which Kramnik took the second blitz match. Report with GM commentary.

5/2/2011 – Nothing much has changed at the top of the May rating list released by FIDE today. This is understandable since eight high-ranking players have been preparing for the Candidates matches which begin on Thursday. The World Champion, Vishy Anand, who is now a proud father, remains on top, two points ahead of the Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen. May 1st 2011 FIDE rankings.

5/1/2011 – Three weeks ago Danish GM Peter Heine Nielsen protested about the tiebreak system used by the ECU to determine which players in the 2011 European Championship would qualify for the 2011 World Cup. He demanded that the final standings be recalculated, or that the affected players be compensated. Now the ECU, while accepting that the system was flawed, have rejected both demands.

5/1/2011 – Remember Andriy Slyusarchuk? The chess amateur who read three thousand books about the game and then went on to beat Rybka blindfold? The Ukrainian professor performs other mental feats, like memorizing 80 chess boards in 4½ minutes and then identifying changes made to them. GM Georgy Timoshenko took part in the act and wrote a wonderfully entertaining expose.

4/30/2011 – Although the Russians still hold the greatest number of grandmasters and masters, the key is in the renovation. The 2011 Russian Youth Championships just took place, crowning not only the new champions, but also designating those who will represent Russia in the next World and European Youth Championships. Here is a beautiful panoply of pictures by Anna Burtasova.

4/29/2011 – ... White had to consider when in this position he went for 37.Nf6-h5 pinning the black rook g7. What is your evaluation? This...

A) ...decides immediately;
B) ...wins an exchange, but not the game; 
C) ...is a blunder, Black comes out on top.

The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

4/29/2011 – It was déjà vu all over again, as Gata Kamsky carved through the field at the 2011 US Chess Championship in St. Louis, Miss, with relative ease. Kamsky likes to build his games slowly, relying on his positional judgment. Once he gets a small advantage, he is willing to torture his opponent for hours. But GM Lubomir Kavalek shows us a different, more entertaining Kamsky in this key game.