4/2/2010 – ... Black had spotted in this position when he went for 28...Bh3 to allow his c-rook to forcefully occupy the second rank while clearing the diagonal b6-g1. How would you assess the situation after the capture of the bishop?
A) Black wins; 
B) the position is balanced;
C) White gets the advantage.

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

4/2/2010 – They are known as the ‘post-Carlsen generation’: young players not so dependent on computers, not obsessed with the opening theory, looking for much more practical and aggressive play. They are Wesley So, Berbatov, Nyzhnyk – and Richárd Rapport of Hungary, who became a grandmaster at thirteen and who has now launched a professional career. Indepth portrait of a young professional.

4/1/2010 – On Tuesday, at 13:06h CEST, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland/France achieved the world's first seven tera electron volt collisions. It was a great moment in physics, but also a topic of discussion in GM circles for some years now. There is reason for their concern: could the LHC generate micro black holes that destroy the earth? Theories and explanations.

4/1/2010 – After his death on January 17, 2008 an Icelandic court awarded Bobby Fischer's estate to his wife Miyoko Watai. Then Marilyn Young, Fischer's "Filipina live-in partner", filed a claim on behalf of her eight-year-old daughter Jinky, who she says was fathered by the former World Champion. Now it appears the case will be settled by the disinterment of Fischer's remains for DNA testing. Press release.

4/1/2010 – Two weeks ago we published an interview by the German magazine Der Spiegel with Magnus Carlsen, with a picture that one of our readers found familiar. "He looks remarkably like my son," thought Professor Nancy Carlsson-Paige of Lesley University of Cambridge, Massachusetts. After a little research we discovered that the two are second cousins. Guess who the American relative is.

3/31/2010 – Every book on rook endings tells us that positions with pawns on the same wing are usually drawn, even when one side has an extra pawn. In Nice, Magnus Carlsen demonstrated that even with an equal number of pawns (four against four on the kingside) there are still plenty of practical chances, especially in a rapid game. Playchess spectators were enthralled to see how a hopelessly drawn endgame turned in the hands of the Norwegian into a winning position. In his analysis for ChessBase Magazine Online, Karsten Müller reveals to you exactly where Carlsen's opponent Ponomariov left the path which led to a draw.

3/30/2010 – The world economic crisis is being felt in chess. In Bulgaria the the annual MTel tournament has been cancelled this year, and the very popular Mainz Chess Classic has been reduced to a three-day simul and open. Still, two world champions are part of the former, and a very large elite field of GMs is expected to play in the latter, which carries a prize fund of €30,000. Press release.

3/30/2010 – This is not just any event – it took place on the campus grounds of the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica, nestled in a lush valley, one of the most scenic areas in Greater Kingston. On the free day participants could typically scramble up waterfalls or swim with dolphins. The chess action was dominated by Uzbek GM Timur Gareyev from the University of Texas. Big pictorial report.

3/29/2010 – Although Vassily Vassilievich Smyslov, who died last Saturday, was best known as a chess player and World Champion, he had a great love for music. "My study of chess was accompanied by a strong attraction to music," he wrote, "and it was probably thanks to this that from childhood I became accustomed to thinking of chess as an art." Listen to Smyslov sing Stenka Razin.

3/28/2010 – "The Magic of Chess Tactics" is a unique collection of positions and game fragments by German trainer Claus Dieter Meyer. Late last year a DVD was released, along with GM Karsten Müller, with more than three hours of video presentation. Louis Lima from chesscafe.com thoroughly tested it and found a new favourite among his Fritz Trainer DVDs. Buy it now or read his review.

3/27/2010 – Last week GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili, President of the Georgian Chess Federation and Vice President of FIDE, turned fifty. Many dignitaries and old friends turned up for the occasion in the capital Tbilisi – amongst them FIDE President Ilyumzhinov and former World Champion and buddy Garry Kasparov. We bring you a big pictorial report of the birthday celebrations.

3/27/2010 – He was "one of the great chess geniuses of the twentieth century" (Boris Spassky). Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov was born on March 24, 1921, auditioned as a baritone singer at the Bolshoi Theatre before he took up chess as a full-time career. In 1957 he beat Botvinnik in the world championship match and held the title for a year. Smyslov died in the night to Saturday March 27, 2010. In memoriam.