7/21/2010 – He was one of the most prolific chess composers. His endgame studies were elegant, witty, entertaining, simple and beautiful. Henri Rink's ultimate collection of 1414 endgames was published six days before he died – some 500 of them were without pawns. He was brilliant at using two rooks, and two of his creations are part of today's column by GM Lubomir Kavalek.

7/21/2010 – No famous figure, whether dictator, pope, author, scientist, musician or film star, is safe from having a spurious game of chess attributed to him, and fanciful claims have also been made about world champions. In his discussion of the subject of hoaxes the Editor of Chess Notes includes a bizarre story from the nineteenth century about what was discovered in the brain of a blindfold expert.

7/21/2010 – In the rook ending from the game Wang Yue-Nisipeanu, Black may be a pawn down, but his pieces are simply bursting with activity and are well coordinated. The passed pawn on the queenside is effectively supported by the king, and the rook is cutting the white monarch off on the first rank from the rest of the battle.

With Black to move, can you work out an exemplary winning variation? Should the latter begin with 56...b4 or with 56...Kc3? Compare your analysis with the comments by Karsten Müller for ChessBase Magazine Online.

7/20/2010 – The 2010 Canadian Open Chess Championship ended in an impressive display of steam-roller chess, with English GM Luke McShane taking top prize with 8.0/9. The championship was a great success, complemented by events such as a Chess 960 simul by Shabalov, and a rook ending lecture by Gagunashvili. Read the final illustrated report with photos, quiz, and video.

7/20/2010 – The fifth round finally lived up to the fighting spirit demonstrated by the players until now, with decisive results in all. Kramnik outsmarted his opponent by locking his rook away for good, while Leko's attempts to force a win ended up backfiring, and blowing up in his face. The two leaders Ponomariov and Mamedyarov met, and the leader's mantle traded hands once more. Games and analysis.

7/20/2010 – The 43rd Biel Chess Festival is underway, and this year's invitational event is a tribute to the growing number of junior talents already breaking into the world elite. The list is a veritable who's who of top juniors, all vying to show that they are the ones most deserving of your admiration. Round one brought in a few surprises. See the report and illustrated introduction.

7/20/2010 – IM Anna Zatonskih had been leading the event since round five, but in the last two rounds she conceded two draws, while her main rival IM Irina Krush won both her games to take the title. In the junior section top seed Ray Robson suffered a last-round defeat to make it a three-way tie for first. Armageddon games on Tuesday will decide the winner. Round nine report.

7/19/2010 – IM Irina Krush scored a win in round eight, while her main (and only) rival IM Anna Zatonskih drew her game, so that with just one more round to go both ladies are tied at 7.0/8 points (with 2640 and 2624 performances). In the Junior section top seed Ray Robson leads ahead of surprise runner-up Parker Zhao. Don't miss the final games! Rounds seven and eight reports.

7/19/2010 – ... before taking the enemy ones, White thought here when he played 34.Nb4-c2, controlling the square a1 and planning to capture the pinned Nb6 afterwards. How is Black's position now?
A) winning
B) losing
C) a shade worse. 

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

7/19/2010 – For the fourth consecutive year, the Leiden Chess Tournament was held at the Mind Sports Center in Leiden, Netherlands. Erik Van den Doel seemed poised to run away with the event, before lightning struck in the last two rounds, allowing Pedrag Nikolic an unexpected opportunity to take the laurels. We bring you the report complete with videos and test positions.

7/18/2010 – In the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees, in the Benasque Valley, a small town has been the source of a magnificent chess festival, now celebrating its 30th edition. This picturesque town attracted more than 500 players and 26 grandmasters from all corners of the globe to its open, as well as hosting a special champions' tournament for previous winners. Pictures and report.

7/18/2010 – 19-year-old Le Quang Liem earned a place in this tournament by winning the Aeroflot tournament in Moscow, earlier this year. The Vietnamese GM has had a string of very strong events, jumping from practically nowhere into the top 50 in the world. That was no fluke, as he demonstrated today with a fine victory over tournament leader Ruslan Ponomariov. Round four report.