8/27/2010 – This traditional rapid chess event this year pits top Hungarian GM Peter Leko against Israel's strongest, Boris Gelfand, in eight games of rapid chess. After the very beautiful openings ceremony the two played four games in the National Theatre. Boris Gelfand won the very first one, Peter Leko the fourth. We bring you a big pictorial report with the opening ceremony and GM analysis.

8/26/2010 – This year’s "Caribbean Chess Carnival" attracted 147 players from ten countries, including one GM, Gennadi Sagalchik of the USA, who duly won the event. The sensation, however, was 11-year-old Josh Colas, the scholastic All American player from White Plains, New York, whose fine performance culminated in a win over a four-times Trinidadian champion. Daaim Shabazz reports.

8/26/2010 – The Spanish Chess League - Honor Division is currently underway, with no less than 39 players over 2600, including Shirov, Ponomariov, and Short among others. Top seed Kasparov Marcote, with an average rating of 2668, has taken the lead, but the surprise second is Solvay, rated 7th, spearheaded by three Indian GMs, including junior Negi with a 2829 performance. Illustrated report.

8/25/2010 – GM Karsten Müller’s endgame course is already a modern classic. In Volume five he deals with the overarching principles: activity, initiative, mate and the correct exchange. In his review, Sean Marsh points out that sometimes it takes Mueller "only a few short minutes to show something really valuable and easy to remember". Buy Chess Endgames 5 now or read more.

8/25/2010 – In Seirawan's multimedia DVD, My Best Games, we are given a personal look at the journey of a beginner, child of the Fischer boom, to grandmaster in under eight years. Yasser Seirawan's engaging presentation focuses on key games in his progression as well as key moments and plans. All in all, it makes for very enjoyable, yet instructive viewing. Here is a review by Albert Silver.

8/24/2010 – It happened to Barack, now World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand faces doubt concerning his nationality. Anand was born in Chennai (at the time Madras), India, where he has a residence. But he also has one in Spain, which led to the confusion. The result: Anand declined receiving the honorary doctorate he was to be awarded. Naturally he is an Indian citizen. Press reports and video.

8/24/2010 – Richard Reti? Nope. Nikolay Grigoriev? Try again. Henri Rinck? No, the following position, with only four pieces on the board is not from the torturous imagination of some study composer designed to have your mind standing upside down. This position actually arose in the game between Georgiadis - Sandalakis, played in 2010 in an Open on Crete. The player with White was faced with a delicate problem that had an elegant solution, worthy of a place in some endgame manual. Can you find the narrow path to victory? White to play and win.
Analysis by GM Karsten Müller on ChessBase Magazine Online.

8/23/2010 – The ticket to next year's Amber seemed almost a formality, as Anish Giri needed only a draw against Danish GM Nielsen, but a slip in the final liquidation forced him into a blitz tiebreak against renowned speed specialist, Hikaru Nakamura. The top American GM lived up to his reputation, as he took both games, snatching the ticket at the last minute. Report for rounds 9 and 10 with new pictures.

8/23/2010 – The former U.S. champion Hikaru Nakamura is fast. The quicker the pace on the chessboard, the more he seems to enjoy playing. His nimble skills helped him to secure a place for the next traditional Amber tournament, a blindfold and rapid chess extravaganza played every spring on the French Riviera. GM Lubomir Kavalek show us one of Nakamura's games – a 17-move cruncher.

8/23/2010 – This event took place in a very beautiful Dutch seafront location: in Vlissingen, historically known as Flushing, from where the Dutch Empire was built in the 17th century. Two players of a total of 250 scored 7.5/9, with top seed GM Krishnan Sasikiran of India beating German IM Thomas Henrichs on tie-break points. Five players followed half a point behind. Illustrated report.

8/22/2010 – Morphy versus the Duke and Count (Paris, 1858) was described by Frank Marshall as ‘the most famous game of all time’. Even so, as the Editor of Chess Notes demonstrates, modern masters’ views differ concerning its value, and there is much about the circumstances of the game which is still enveloped in mystery. Another intriguing historical investigation...

8/22/2010 – Bacrot was out for a record 7th title, and Fressinet was out for his first, but it was Romain Edouard and Fressinet who raced neck and neck throughout. Don't miss Romain's exquisite miniature against Tkachiev in the penultimate round. In the end, Fressinet showed his will to win, and took the tiebreak, while his wife, Skripchenko, took the Women's title. Report with pictures and videos.