10/5/2010 – To win gold medals at any chess olympiad, you need exceptional performances of at least two players, who know how to take risks and collect points. But you also need a few others who can steady the team – solid players hard to defeat. If that is not enough, you need some luck. The team of Ukraine had it all at Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk. GM Lubomir Kavalek annotates.

10/4/2010 – The 2010 Presidential Election is over, incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov won, after an attempt by his rival failed to have his nomination as a candidate disqualified. Ilyumzhinov and Karpov appeared together in a display of harmony, and many expected to see the latter nominated as a vice president. That did not happen, and now Karpov and his team have been talking about the lawsuit and election.

10/4/2010 – ... on c4 had been the idea of Black's preceding sacrifice, and his last move 26...Qxd3 attacked both this piece and the rook on c2. What do you think, which continuation leads to an advantage for White now?
A) 27.Qxf7+ Kh7 28.Rd2
B) 27.b3 Rxb3 28.Qxf7+ Kh7 29.Ne5
C) Neither

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

10/3/2010 – It had all the hallmarks of a nail-biter, and we were not disappointed. Ukraine held Israel at bay while waiting to see how Russia did against Spain. All looked good when Kramnik surprised Shirov in the opening and proceeded to outplay him, but the Spaniards struck back with a surprise win by Salgado over Svidler. This sealed their fate, and hands were shaken. Final report and wrap-up.

10/2/2010 – On its last working day the FIDE General Assembly took a decision on the venue of the 41st World Chess Olympiad in 2014. There were two cities bidding to host the event – Albena in Bulgaria and Tromsø in Norway. The bidding procedure lasted several days, in the end the Norwegians won by a 95-47 vote margin. We have reported extensively on Tromsø – here's a summary.

10/1/2010 – One day after winning the bitterly contested election the old and new President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov held a reconciliation press conference with his opponent Anatoly Karpov, whom he offered the post of Vice President. Karpov, who had originally helped Ilyumzhinov into office, said that he was considering the offer but was not in "time trouble." His decision will be forthcoming. Election details.

10/1/2010 – It was a round that pretty much illustrated the Olympiad: the Russian women swept Bulgaria for the gold, Ukraine clobbered France to maintain their lead going into the last round, and the top-rated players stumbled (again), while Ivanchuk and Shirov played masterpieces to the delight of chess fans. In the round ten report, we bring diagrams and pics galore. GM Karsten Müller comments.

9/30/2010 – The Azerbaijani team had climbed back into contention after their surprise loss to Vietnam, and now faced Ukraine, the leaders. Mamedyarov outplayed Ivanchuk in a Benoni with some briliant shots, but Ukraine's bottom boards rallied. Russia 1 beat Armenia thanks to Svidler, and France beat Georgia to tie for second. As to the women, the Russians nearly lost. Round nine report.

9/30/2010 – In the rapid chess game Anand-Hammer, played in Kristiansund in the "Arctic Securities Chess Stars" tournament, it came down to this minor piece ending. It seems that all entry routes into the black camp are blocked to the white king, because the knight, the b7-pawn and the king are guarding all the important squares on the queenside and in the centre. And yet... White can force the win here with a precise move order, with the motif of zugzwang playing a decisive part.
Compare your solution with the analysis given by grandmaster Karsten Müller on ChessBase Magazine Online.

9/29/2010 – The vote took two hours, and the final count was 95 for the incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, 55 for the challenger Anatoly Karpov and three abstentions (four years ago Ilyumzhinov beat Bessel Kok by 96-54). The renewed victory was achieved mostly with votes from smaller federations in Asia, Africa and South America, while Karpov's votes came mainly from European countries. Four more years for Kirsan.

9/29/2010 – In numbers, it was the biggest match of the Olympiad. Russia 1 had just beaten their younger compatriots Russia 2, while Ukraine was in sole lead and had magic Ivanchuk on 6/6. The Ukrainian finally ceded a draw, and it was young Karjakin who overtook the leaderboard with a 3040 performance, seven more than Ivanchuk, after beating Eljanov. Detailed analysis in the round eight report.

9/29/2010 – On Wednesday Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was reelected President of FIDE, which he has headed since 1995. His victory over the challenger Anatoly Karpov, backed by Garry Kasparov, was greeted with delight and dismay in the international press. Accusations of proxy vote rigging have been raised, and Karpov vows that the fight will go on. Reports and explanations.