Biel 2009: Vachier Lagrave and Ivanchuk lead

7/29/2009 – After eight of ten rounds two players are in the lead by a full point: French GM Maxime Vachier Lagrave and Ukrainian perennial Vassily Ivanchuk. Russian GM Alexander Morozevich has been doing a roller coaster, with Caissa frowning on him in round six, smiling in round seven and frowning again in round eight. Illustrated round seven/eight report.

6000 chess players took part in our beauty contest

7/29/2009 – We recently conducted a test: you had to choose a number between 0 and 100, and could win prizes if your number was closest to 2/3 of the average of the numbers given by all participants. The experiment is known as the "Beauty Contest" and goes back to John Maynard Keynes, one of the most influential economists who ever lived. Did chess players score above or below average?

Simple positions...

7/28/2009 – ... can actually be full of venom, particularly when they feature a weak back rank. Here White had just attacked the enemy rook with 34.Bxa5 and now Black had the choice between three moves: 
A) 34...Ra6
B) 34...Rb7
C) 34...Rxb3.
What would you advise? Only one continuation doesn't lose!
The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

US Junior Championship: IM Ray Robson, 14, victorious

7/27/2009 – The US Junior Invitational Championship was hosted by Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 12-17th. The top seven American juniors under the age of 21 were joined by last year’s Junior Open champion for this eight-person round robin event. The tournament drew one of the strongest fields ever with one GM, three IMs and three FMs. It was won by a 14-year-old, with a 2751 USCF performance!

Rating inflation – its causes and possible cures

7/27/2009 – Thirty years ago there was one player in the world rated over 2700. Fifteen years ago there were six. Today there are thirty-three. What is the cause of this "rating inflation". A general improvement of chess skills? A larger number of players in the rating pool? The way the initial ratings are conducted? In this clearly written article statistician Jeff Sonas addresses these questions. Must read!

Biel 2009: Alekseev beats Morozevich, Ivanchuk leads

7/26/2009 – Talk about mercurial and unpredictable: after winning the first two games in the Biel Chess Festival Alexander Morozevich lost in round four to the youngest participant, Fabiano Caruana, and in round six to Russian GM Evgeny Alekseev. "Moro" is now at 50%, together with three other players. Vassily Ivanchuk leads with 3.5/6 points. Round six report.

Giri on a rampage at the Dutch Open Championship

7/26/2009 – The Open Netherlands Championship is taking place in Dieren, Holland. Jan Timman is playing here for the first time in several decades – he was Open Champion in 1970, when still a junior! But the talk of the town is Anish Giri, just turned fifteen, currently the world's youngest grandmaster. Anish has won every game in the first five rounds. His performance: a stunning 3164!

GM Chao Li gunning for a historic win next month!

7/26/2009 – Of all the events in the Asia-Pacific region, the IGB Dato' Arthur Tan Malaysia Open is establishing itself, not only as an annual tradition, but as a location for chess tourism and tough over-the-board battles. For those looking for a reason to take part, consider the tourist options, and the strong contingent of players converging on the area. Pictorial report by Edwin Lam.

Aronian on Mainz: I wish chess could always be like this

7/26/2009 – The 2007 Chess Classic starts on Monday, with a simul on 40 boards by GM Levon Aronian. The Armenian Olympic Champion and world number four goes on to defend his Chess960 title and then play in the Rapid World Championship against World Champion Vishy Anand. What does he think about the Mainz event? Levon clearly thinks it is great fun. Light-hearted interview.

Chess and cars in Ukraine – presentation by Mercedes

7/25/2009 – Chess, as we all know, is a magnificent game. It is also a great promotional tool. Banks, insurance companies, law firms – everyone seems to use chess motifs these day. Even car companies, and even in the Ukraine. Earlier this month German auto manufacturer Daimler presented two new Mercedes models, and invited WGM Natalia Zhukova to star in the event. Pictorial report.

Biel 2009: Caruana beats Morozevich in round four

7/25/2009 – In 2006 a 15-year-old lad scored a double victory over Alexander Morozevich in the Biel Tournament – which in spite of this the Russian won. That was Magnus Carlsen. This year another chess prodigy, Fabiano Caruana, has defeated Morozevich in the first half of the double round robin. At halftime Ivanchuk and Morozevich lead, with 3.0/5 points. Report after round five.

Five years of the ACP: results and development

7/24/2009 – On January 1st 2004 the Association of Chess Professionals took up operations. Today it has 250 members from 44 countries, and has organised eight tournaments with a total prize fund of over 400,000 Euros. Five years is long enough to draw some conclusions about the activities, and to develop directions for the years to come. ACP Secretary Olena Boytsun reports.

Canadian Open: Friendly Faces Congregate in Edmonton

7/23/2009 – This edition of the Canadian Open concluded with GM Mark Bluvshtein and IM Edward Porper clearing the field. We make a brief return to the scene of the crime to shed light on some of the lesser known faces around the tournament hall. Unsurprisingly, the Canadian contingent was large and noticeable, perhaps striking fear into the hearts of the foreign top-seeded players. Pictures by MonRoi.

A cornered king...

7/22/2009 – ... with the opponent already controlling one long diagonal and about to occupy the second usually means red alert. Here White has played 30.Qe5 holding a pistol to Black's head. What do you think about that?

A) A real knockout blow, forcing immediate resignation;
B) Not bad, but a surprising trick lets Black escape into an endgame;
C) The move is rubbish, throwing away White's entire advantage.
The solution is here, but first ponder it with a larger version of the diagram.

Judit Polgar – how to play the anti-Najdorf

7/22/2009 – Judit Polgar burst on the scene in the late 80s and early 90s as a great attacking player and tactician. But the strongest female in the history of the game can, when necessary, maneuver and utilize the strategic advantages in a position. She proves it a game against Vishy Anand that is the subject of this week's Playchess lecture by Dennis Monokroussos. Be there to watch at 9 p.m. ET.

Biel 2009: Ivanchuk beats Caruana, Morozevich leads

7/22/2009 – At Elo 2703 the 40-year-old Ukrainian Vassily Ivanchuk may be only the fifth seed in the 2009 Biel International Chess Festival, but everyone knows that he is one of the best players in the world (number three in the January 2009 list). In round three he showed his expertise in a rook and bishop ending to grind down the youngest participant Fabiano Caruana. Report and correction.

Tromsø 2009 – the Arctic Chess Challenge

7/22/2009 – The city of Tromsø, located within the Arctic Circle in Norway, has become a hot-bed of chess. Not only is Tromsø bidding for the Chess Olympiad 2014 – every year they stage a very attractive chess tournament in this beautiful location. This year the Arctic Challenge will be staged from August 1st to 9th, with 132 entries and lots of title holders – an ideal opportunity to make norms.

Biel 2009: Morozevich starts with a 2-0 score

7/21/2009 – The mercurial Russian GM Alexander Morozevich, 32 years old, Elo 2751, ranked 10th in the world, seems to mean business: he has scored two victories in the first two rounds of the 2009 Biel International Chess Festival, defeating last year's winner Evgeny Alexeev and top seed Boris Gelfand. Morozevich is a full point ahead of the field. Round two report.

Canadian Open: Canadians take it all

7/21/2009 – Nine players were in contention, five drew their games, two lost and two Canadians won. GM Mark Bluvshtein and IM Edward Porper beat FM Theo Hommeles and GM Surya Ganguly to take first places. Bluvshtein won the title on tiebreak. In the next slot, 3rd–8th, we find Shirov, Adams and Irina Krush! Illustrated report with round eight commentary by GM Alexander Shabalov.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (24)

7/20/2009 – The Editor of Chess Notes looks back at the remarkable legacy of a writer of erudition, wit and urbanity who combined rigorous research with sparkling quips. In some quarters today, however, that writer’s name may barely be recognized, so we have pleasure in introducing, or re-introducing, readers to one of the great neglected figures of chess lore.

Nakamura vs Ponomariov – the tiebreak games reconstructed

7/20/2009 – In an earlier report we told of the 2-0 victory of US GM Hikaru Nakamura in the tiebreak blitz after he and Ruslan Ponomariov had tied for first in the Dondstia San Sebastian Category 18 tournament. Unfortunately owing to a malfunction in the sensor board all the moves of the second game were not recorded. Not to worry: David Llada filmed it all and provides us with a video document of both games.

Mainz 2009 – Schmitt: 'I suffer vicariously with Anand'

7/20/2009 – The organiser of the Chess Classic, which begins on July 27 in Mainz, Germany, is a self-professed "dinosaur". Hans-Walter Schmitt has been staging the massive event since 1994. In that year he met a young chess star from India, Vishy Anand, from which grew a deep and warm friendship. The following interview with "HWS" contains some rare insights and startling revelations. Must read.

Canadian Open: Nine players lead after penultimate round

7/19/2009 – Just a round ago it was four players, now a total of nine share the lead with 6.5/8 points. Shirov and Adams drew their round eight games, while Ganguly beat Zhe Quan and Perlshteyn beat Kovalyov to join them. IM Irina Krush, US, won her last three games to take a place in the top berth. Congratulations! Pictorial report with round seven commentary by GM Alexander Shabalov.

2009 Canadian Open: four players with 6.0/7 points

7/18/2009 – Two top seeds and internationally well-known players, Alexei Shirov and Michael Adams, are accompanied by two players below 2600 on the rating scale: GM Mark Bluvshtein and IM Edward Porper at the top of the table after seven rounds of this event. We bring you extensive annotations of the last three rounds by GM Alexander Shabalov, together with pictorial and video impressions by MonRoi.