Sofia R6: Draw, Anand leads 3.5-2.5 at halftime

5/1/2010 – Today's game was unlike any other ever seen in World Championship history. It started off as a normal Catalan, with Topalov deviating from the previous line that had led him to disaster in game four. Then Anand produced a novelty that led to a middlegame pitting his knight pair against Black's bishop pair, and spurred off into a unique sequence of thirteen consecutive knight moves! Express report.

Did you guess correctly? – It was Shakh Mamedyarov!

4/30/2010 – The most puzzling part was our contention that there were three GMs amongst his immediate siblings and that he had never succeeded in achieving an IM title. That's because he moved straight to GM by winning the 2003 World Junior Championship. And apart from him his sisters Zeinab and Turkan are women grandmaster. Since this week Shakhriyar Mamedyarov has his own web site.

White extra pawn versus bishop pair...

4/30/2010 – ... was the constellation in this game, where Black just had played 28...Bg5 targetting the weak spot on e3. What do you think, which assessment is valid in this situation?
A) White has the advantage, but the realization of his plus pawn is difficult;
B) he can win instantly;
C) the position is balanced;

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

Sofia R5: Another Slav, another draw

4/30/2010 – The players played a hard fought Slav in game five, repeating the opening from game three. This time, we were able to finally see what is expected of World Championship match play, and what makes it so different from tournaments: a war of opening preparation, thematically played, with incremental attempts to improve on earlier play. Express report.

Maximum checking distance

4/30/2010 – This week ChessBase Magazine's endgame expert Karsten Müller analyses the endgame from Ghaem Maghami-Aleksandrov, played in the Dubai Open 2010. It is an instructive rook endgame in which the correct checking distance for the rook has an important role to play. Remember: when the pawns are on a single wing, generally speaking one extra pawn is not enough for victory, as long as the attacking pieces are not allowed to become too active. In the position in the diagram it is White's move and his task is to find a satisfactory defence (which he didn't). What would you recommend?

President's Cup Baku 2010 – Mamedyarov leads

4/29/2010 – Four local grandmaster (Mamadyarov, Rajabov, Mamadov and Guseinov) are joined by four foreigners (Kramnik, Kamsky, Polgar and Sutovsky) are taking part in an eight-player rapid round robin event in Baku, Azerbaijan. After two rounds Shakhriyar Mamedyarov is in the lead, after having beaten Vladimir Kramnik in the second round. Illustrated report.

Third Women's Chess Grand Prix in Nalchik

4/29/2010 – This event, which is taking place from April 25th to May 8th in the Kabardino-Balkaria region of Russia, has produced eight white win (and zero with black) in three rounds. In the first bottom seed Betul Cemre Yildiz of Turkey produced a shock win against the Grand Prix leader Zhao Xue of China. GM Tatiana Kosintseva leads with 2.5/3 points. Illustrated report.

World Championship – Sleepless in Sofia?

4/29/2010 – Nigel Short called game four "superb stuff from Anand," while NIIT wrote: "Anand goes into the second rest day tomorrow with a psychological edge, while it's another sleepless night for Topalov." We have collected another bunch of news stories and, after the very detailed on-the-spot analysis by GM Anish Giri yesterday, we bring you new commentary by IM Malcolm Pein.

Polgar routes Navara 6-2 in ČEZ Chess Trophy

4/28/2010 – That is not a picture of Judit Polgar with her badly mangled opponent – it is an unusual art prize she received for resoundingly defeating her opponent, top Czech GM David Navara, in the eight-game rapid chess match held by the Prague Chess Society. Judit once again demonstrated that she is the best female player of all time, with this 2900 performance.

Can you guess who this well-known player is?

4/28/2010 – Here's another puzzle from our early-pictures scrapbook: who is the young boy in this photo? His middle name is Hamid oglu and he is of oriental origin – or maybe not. He himself never succeeded in achieving an IM title, but amongst his immediate siblings there are three grandmasters. He has played played against and occasionally beaten no less than six world champions. Do you know who it is?

World Chess Championship – Game three reactions

4/28/2010 – While the amount of attention this world championship is receiving in the international broadsheets – usually just an inch or two at the bottom in the sports section – is very limited, this is not the case in India, where all large newspapers are reporting on each game. We bring you quotes and links, with special attention to the draw offer and handshake situation.

Breaking news: Anand wins game four, takes the lead

4/28/2010 – Three decisive games in the first four of a world championship match? Who needs drawing rules with such knock-out hungry players? In a second Catalan, with a nothing special novelty, Anand decided it was an eye-for-an-eye when he dropped a knight onto Topalov's king to quickly achieve a spectacular victory of his own. We bring you extensive and enthusiastic analysis by GM Anish Giri.

Sofia: Game three drawn

4/27/2010 – Chess fans were waiting to see what Anand would play after the disaster in game one. Would he repeat the Grünfeld with some devastating novelty, or would he switch gears? The answer was a rock solid Slav, leaving it up to Topalov to show what he had in store against it. The Bulgarian was unable to crack it, and Anand’s setup was never in any real danger. Express commentary by GM Anish Giri.

Sofia Game two – more analysis and pictures

4/26/2010 – Anand's reaction to his terrible beating in game one, says our colleague IM Malcolm Pein, was a fine performance to level the match. We brought you fairly detailed on-the-spot analysis by GM Anish Giri yesterday. Today we add Malcolm's notes for your enjoyment. Also some interesting pictures from the Bulgarian capital, for one of which you will require strong nerves.

Time to get started – with Playchess version 5

4/26/2010 – Get ready, because it’s here, and it’s better than ever. The new, free-for-download Playchess program is available, bringing with it all the special perks that only owners of the latest Fritz 12 previously enjoyed, as well as access to the numerous special options for Premium accounts. You can download the Playchess software now and go through part one of our introductory instructions.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (39)

4/25/2010 – Chess is a multi-million-dollar game, or at least it can be. Throughout the ages, many of the greatest figures, chess masters whose games have offered untold pleasure to generations of enthusiasts all over the world, have been devastated by poverty. The Editor of Chess Notes recalls some chilling examples, even including cases involving world chess champions.

Sofia: Anand strikes back in game two

4/25/2010 – Yesterday Viswanathan Anand suffered a painful defeat, casting doubt on his chances at a title defense. So how did he reply: by turtling up and licking his wounds? Not at all – in a dangerous, fighting game the World Champion outplayed challenger Veselin Topalov in positional masterpiece to level the score at 1-1. We bring you the game with express commentary by GM Anish Giri.

World Chess Championship 2010 – a curtain raiser

4/24/2010 – The World Championship match in Sofia begins on Saturday, a day later than originally scheduled, and two hours later than the rest of the match – at 17:00h local time, 16:00h CEST, 10 a.m. New York, 16:00h Moscow and 19:30h Indian Standard Time. There will be a rest day after every second game. We bring you the full schedule and a nice promotional video.

Bachus 'Alco-Chess' Cup in St. Petersburg

4/24/2010 – If you've seen the classic Graham Greene thriller "Our Man in Havana" (we include a video!) you'll know the setup: in a game of chess or checkers you have to drink the pieces you capture. Usually whiskey, vodka or cognac. In St. Petersburg there is an "Alco-Chess" tournament designed to bring people from business, politics, publishing and chess together, to test their endurance.

World Championship Sofia: Topalov draws first blood

4/24/2010 – It was one of the shortest, most decisive opening games in World Championship history. Veselin Topalov rattled off his moves quickly and comfortably, with Anand following suit, until he apparently ran into his challenger's home preparation (or muddled up his own). On move 23 he blundered in a very dangerous position, and Topalov drove his advantage forcefully home. Express report.

Pein on Sofia game one – what went wrong?

4/24/2010 – The first game of the World Chess Championship match in Sofia was a shocker: in just about an hour Anand was in a lost position. In the middle of some obvious preparation Anand started to think and blundered with 23...Kf7?? which was almost certainly as a result of trying to remember his preparation rather than studying the position. Extensive commentary by IM Malcolm Pein in TWIC.

A vis-à-vis in the e-file...

4/23/2010 – ... Black had produced here with 22...Rfe8 in order to restrict the enemy's possibilities on the kingside due to his back rank weakness. How would you evaluate the situation now?
A) despite White's optical superiority the position is balanced;
B) there is a combination, but Black can bail out into an endgame with a minus pawn;
C) the first player wins.
The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

Rare Chinese chess set for collectors

4/23/2010 – A splendid ivory chess set, carved around 1900, is up for sale in Los Angeles, California. The pieces are in the form of Chinese classical figures, with the Emperor and Empress seated on thrones and measuring over seven inches in height. The current owner, Elizabeth Krauss, is searching for a dealer, auction, or collector that would be interested in purchasing the set.

Russian Chess Fed nominates Ilyumzhinov – sort of

4/22/2010 – A candidate for FIDE Presidency needs the nomination of his Federation, and the Russian Chess Federation has announced its support for the incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Does that end rival Anatoly Karpov's chances for the post, as one commentator suggests? Not quite. The nomination appears to have conditions, and Karpov has struck back with a fighting statement on his new campaign site.