Russian Men's Superfinal - Nepomniachtchi is champion!

12/23/2010 – What could have been one of the dreariest championships in recent history, with over 71% draws, will instead go down as one of the most exciting. Karjakin took sole lead in round ten, but then lost tragically in the last, and had to decide first with Nepomniachtchi in a rapid tiebreaker. It finally all came down to just eleven minutes. Here is the final report with a video of the Armageddon blitz.

2010 Women's World Championship – Ruan strikes back! Tiebreaks ahead

12/23/2010 – It seemed like Hou Yifan's victory was in the cards. Her early blow in the second game taking a 1.5-0.5 lead seemed decisive, and though Lufei Ruan obtained a significant edge in the third game, it ended in a draw. In the last, Ruan needed a win at all costs to force a tiebreak, and Ms. Nerves of Steel did it again and pulled off the victory! Report with annotations by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

2010 Women's World Championship – Yifan takes early lead

12/21/2010 – This year's final is an all-Chinese affair, though that is all they have in common. Hou Yifan is the brilliant 16-year-old prodigy seeking to break a world record, while Lufei Ruan is the tireless fighter who survived five nerve-wracking tiebreaks. We asked Jeff Sonas, the statistician, the odds on making it through even as favorite, and have also received annotations by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

Junior 12 and Deep Junior 12 now available

12/21/2010 – It is not a chess program for children – not by a long shot. Junior, the work of two Israeli programmers, Amir Ban and Shay Bushinsky, won multiple computer chess world championships and in 2003 even took on World Champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match in New York, which it drew 3-3 after a startling bishop sac in game five. How about a Christmas gift: the latest Junior?

India set to break the simultaneous games record

12/20/2010 – Four years ago Mexico City got into the Guinness Book of Records by staging simultaneous exhibitions for 14,000 chess enthusiasts. On December 24 the city of Ahmedabad in India is set to break the record with 20,000 participants. It promises to be a visual spectacle, with University Grounds turned into a giant chess board with 64 alternating black and white squares. Press release.

Russian Men's Superfinal - Nepomniachtchi beats Svidler

12/20/2010 – The tournament has been a mixed affair, and though the 70% draw rate is uninspiring, a few players have conspired to make it a memorable event nonetheless. After the break, Svidler drew two games, while Karjakin beat Kurnosov to join the lead. Then in round nine, Nepomniachtchi, a half point behind, beat Svidler, and now shares the lead with Sergey. Report with pictures and games.

The London Festival Open + Women's Invitational

12/20/2010 – In our star-struck reporting of the London Chess Classic 2010 we sadly neglected some of the side events that were held at the spacious Olympia Conference Centre. One was the London Festival Open which, with 11 GMs and 16 IMs, was one of the strongest UK tournaments of the year in its own right. Then there was the Women's Invitational, all of which yielded some marvelous pictures.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (54)

12/20/2010 – The bullfighter is revealed as Larry Christiansen. In giving the answers to the picture quiz the Editor of Chess Notes adds further illustrations on the theme of chessplayers and animals, including several shots of Alekhine’s Siamese cats and, alarmingly, a kibitzing circus lion. The quiz prizes are DVDs signed by masters at the London Chess Classic, and the three winners are now announced.

The Power of Tactics - A guide by a world champion

12/20/2010 – Works that teach tactics, whether books or DVDs, tend always to teach using the same tried and true method: a basic exposition followed by oodles of exercises to solve. However, for many this alone has not led to that next leap so desired. Here we are taught not only how to spot them but how to think them and prepare the groundwork to ambush the opponent. Here is Albert Silver's review.

Some thoughts on the Bilbao scoring system in London

12/19/2010 – Lubomir Kavalek wrote in the Huffington Post that in the annals of chess history the final result of the 2010 Chess Classic would show Magnus Carlsen as the co-winner, together with Anand and McShane. But according to the official "Bilbao" scoring system Magnus was two points ahead and sole winner. This led to vigorous discussion in the chess forums and blogs, and we too received a lot of feedback.

Mega Database 2011 with automatic 200,000 game update

12/19/2010 – It contains 4.8 million carefully edited games, 65,000 of which have been annotated by top players. For openings classification it has 100,000 positions, it can identify 257,000 players and has 32,000 pictures of the best-known of them. AND: it updates itself automatically for a full year, keeping it permanently up-to-date through the whole of 2011. An essential tool for the ambitious player.

Kasparov at the London Chess Classic

12/18/2010 – On the final day of the Chess Classic a snowstorm hit Scotland – and hurricane Garry Kasparov descended on London. Both were similarly titanic events, the latter involving CNN taking over part of the venue. It was interesting to see a network news program made – and to talk to the former World Champion, who had an interesting comment on the scoring system in London. Pictorial and video.

2010 Women's World Championship – Yifan and Ruan in final

12/18/2010 – It was a titanic semifinal with both top-rated Hou and Humpy in one match, and the surprise Zhao and Ruan in the other. Yifan beat Koneru who played a Berlin for the first time, and ended up in a rotten endgame. Their second game was a draw. Zhao and Ruan went into a tiebreak, and for the fifth straight time, Ruan prevailed and is now a finalist despite losing Elo. Report, pics, games.

The capture on f7...

12/18/2010 – ... was of course the obvious continuation in this game from the Women's World Championship, yet the opening the f-file allowed Black a counter strike due to White's back rank weakness. Following 26.Rxf7, how would you assess the consequences of 26...Bxb4 now? This...
A) ... equalizes completely;
B) ... loses on the spot;
C) ... leads to a superior endgame for White.
The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

Russian men's Superfinal – Svidler sole leader

12/17/2010 – The event had all the hallmarks of an explosive tournament, with a 2700+ average rating and worth the very prestigious title of Russian Champion. Sadly, the bomb has been a dud so far, with barely over 27% of the games ending with a decisive result. This has been compensated slightly by Svidler, now sole leader, who has played strong original chess, and the lovely pictures by Yana Melnikova.

Kavalek in Huffington: Carlsen fights and wins in London

12/17/2010 – The second London Chess Classic, one of this year's major events, is over. But many chess players may ask: who actually won the tournament? Magnus Carlsen according to the tournament rules, but ask the traditionalists and they will tell you that three players shared first place in London: McShane, Anand and Carlsen. Here's extensive analysis of a critical game by GM Lubomir Kavalek.

A comfortable way to reach comfortable positions

12/16/2010 – The series of the ChessBase Tutorials belongs to the top-sellers in the Christmas season. Like ChessBase Magazine, it combines a fully packed DVD with a carefully designed booklet that includes a precise introduction to each opening line covered on the DVD. An experienced customer, Dr. Leonard F. Koziol, send us comprehensive feedback on #01 and 02. Buy the CB Tutorials now or read more.

London Chess Classic - Carlsen wins after incredible comeback

12/16/2010 – The 2nd London Chess Classic was as exciting an event as could be hoped. McShane started like a rocket, to be joined later by World Champion Anand, who seemed a likely candidate to snatch first. Instead, Carlsen, who started with two losses in three, came back with 3.5/4, and his uncompromising play (only one draw) gave him the clear win using London's scoring system. Round seven report.

London Chess Classic – Kramnik-Carlsen revisited

12/15/2010 – After crushing Carlsen through the game, Vladimir liquidated into an endgame without a second thought, which turned out to be far trickier than expected, and a miraculous draw ensued. Was it winnable? Yes, said a 12-core Hiarcs, but it was a fiendishly hard win to work out. IM and psychologist Ilias Kourkounakis shows how this could have been avoided, with added analysis by GM Karsten Mueller.

2010 Women's World Championship – And then there were four...

12/15/2010 – After two weeks of non-stop competition, we are finally down to four players, three of whom are Chinese. The two top ratings, Indian Humpy Koneru (2600) and Chinese Hou Yifan (2591) made it through. Skripchenko played a bold Evans Gambit that might have brought her glory, but a missed chance and she is out, while Harika finally failed a tiebreak, losing to Lufei Ruan. Round and analysis.

London Chess Classic – analysis of round five

12/14/2010 – Nigel Short tried a sacrificial sideline of the Marshall Attack. Hikaru Nakamura was able to find a stable continuation and ultimately won. Nigel was his usual ebullient self in the commentary room and burst into song. David Howell found the cruel truth of the biblical quotation “he that has not, from him shall be taken even that which he has”. Commentary and postgame analysis of the player.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (53)

12/14/2010 – A quiz set by the Editor of Chess Notes concerns chessplayers in the company of animals (seated on them, in two cases). A frisson of danger comes from a bullfighter and a master posing with two lion cubs. There is a reptile too, but whose neck is it dangling around? The prizes in this unusual challenge are some fine items inscribed by participants in the London tournament. Can you supply the answers?

London Chess Classic - Carlsen pulls a Houdini

12/14/2010 – The penultimate round saw four draws, but that had the spectators on the edges of their seats. Adams and Anand was a trench war draw, while Short and Howell exchanged blows in a King's Gambit. McShane and Nakamura also slugged it out, but the game of the round was Kramnik's crushing position against Carlsen, only to liquidate into an endgame that proved unwinnable. Round six report.

London Chess Classic – Carlsen, Anand, McShane lead

12/13/2010 – The game between the two leaders was a tough trial for the tournament's dark horse, McShane, who found himself in a difficult position, in danger of losing. Adams and Kramnik had a hard game before they also drew. Short played a rare offshoot of the Marshall Attack against Nakamura which backfired, while Carlsen outplayed Howell in a simplified middlegame and won. Full report with pictures.