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.

Topalov has white in the first World Championship game

4/22/2010 – Owing to the late arrival of Viswanathan Anand, the World Championship match in Sofia has been delayed by a day (according to the Bulgarian magazine Trud, the organiser Silvio Danailov has threatened to sue FIDE for this). The opening ceremony and press conference went ahead on schedule, and the drawing of lots gave Anand black in the first game. AICF report.

A volcanic trip – with the Lord of the Rings

4/21/2010 – On Thursday Vishy Anand embarked on a trip from his house in Madrid, Spain, to the World Championship match. He got as far as Frankfurt, Germany, and was stopped by the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland. Frantic planning followed, and on Tuesday morning, after a 40-hour drive, he arrived with his team in Sofia, Bulgaria. A team member has sent us this remarkable report.

World Championship postponed – by one day

4/21/2010 – "I have consulted with all the parties to try and resolve the 'force majeure' situation," writes FIDE Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos. "It is clear that we have reached an impasse in the discussions and a decision must be made." And made it he did: a one-day postponement of the match, with the first game now scheduled for Saturday, 24th April 2010. Letter to the Prime Minister.

Must watch – Anand on Aljazeera

4/20/2010 – Aljazeera is an international TV news network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. One of their star reporters is Riz Khan, a Yemeni-born British television news reporter and interviewer, who first rose to prominence while working for the BBC and CNN. Recently Riz spoke to World Chess Champion Viswanathan in his One on One show on Aljazeera. An incredibly relaxed and informative interview.

Makropoulos on a possible match postponement

4/20/2010 – Breaking news: after an arduous journey lasting over forty hours – details on this adventure to follow – World Champion Vishy Anand arrived in Sofia on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile FIDE Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos has been discussing the prospect of a possible match delay ("Now, it is clear that we are facing a force majeure situation"). Decision to follow.

World Championship news: Anand on his way to Sofia

4/19/2010 – With air traffic at a standstill, trains completely sold out and practically every rentable car taken, it was no easy task for Vishy Anand to make it from Frankfurt to Sofia. Now the World Champion is on his way by road to the Bulgarian capital, a team member has revealed. Meanwhile Anand's request for a three-day postponement is being rejected by the organisers. Statements and stories.

Will the Icelandic volcano affect the World Championship?

4/17/2010 – Just after landing on a stopover in Frankfurt, World Champion Vishy Anand was informed that all further flights were cancelled, owing to volcanic ash from Iceland. With 25,000 flights cancelled per day, hundreds of thousands of travellers, including Anand, are stranded, with alternative routes (rental cars, trains) almost impossible to arrange. The AICF is seeking a three-day postponement.

Problems, problems, problems

4/16/2010 – Problem solving is a parallel world next to the regular chess scene. Many OTB players will find the ideas and execution daunting, but the twomove, threemove, helpmate and other varieties of problems have their own addictive beauty. Last weekend the annual European Chess Solving Championship took place at Sunningdale, England. Guess who made a clean sweep of the prizes.

Youth rules at the Budapest Spring Festival

4/16/2010 – Like most of Europe, Budapest had a very persistent winter, and blocks of ice could still be seen floating down the Danube. However, Spring is well and truly there, and is celebrated in Budapest with its traditional Spring Festival of Arts with outstanding theatre, music, dance, and art exhibitions. And the Spring Chess Festival marked by a large number of boys and girls. Pictorial report.

Impressions from the Third Kuala Lumpur Open

4/16/2010 – We recently reported on this event, won by the 16-year-old "wonder-girl from China", and shared the video reports produced by our colleagues at Europe Echecs with you. Today we bring you regular pictorial impressions from the event in the capital and largest city of Malaysia. They were shot by our roving reporter WGM Yana Melnikova, to whose report we have added some spine-chilling videos.

Strong play on the dark squares...

4/16/2010 – ... White had achieved with an exchange sacrifice in this game. The compensation is obvious, but here the best continuation had to be found. In order to get decisive advantage, which piece should be moved?
A) pawn;
B) bishop;
C) queen.

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

FIDE Elections: Karpov's mission statement

4/15/2010 – "After a lifetime dedicated to playing and promoting the game of chess, 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov is running for the office of President of the International Chess Federation." This is the beginning of a formal announcement, released by Karpov's New York campaign headquarters. It outlines the main goals and themes of the campaign and is available in Russian, English and Spanish.

Opening surveys in CBM 135

4/15/2010 – The Najdorf with 6.Bg5 has become popular again. Plans which for years have shown no success are being tried out again and, lo and behold, they are suddenly playable. And so even 6...Nbd7 is being put to the test once more. The innovation occurs straight after what has been considered the best reply, 7.Bc4. Black now replies 7...Qb6! and after 8.Bb3 e6 the Nd7 is frequently exchanged for the Bb3 – with comfortable play for Black. Alexey Kuzmin examines this setup in detail, but also thoroughly investigates the alternative 7.f4. CBM 135 contains another twelve openings articles. Read Kuzmin: Najdorf 6.Bg5 Nbd7.

King on the World Championship in Sofia

4/15/2010 – Next Friday, April 23rd, the World Championship match between Vishy Anand and Veselin Topalov begins in Sofia, Bulgaria. Tonight on Playchess.com GM Daniel King previews the event. What does the form book say? Which player has the better stats? What are the players' strengths and weaknesses? The programme begins at 19:00 London (20:00 in Germany, 2 p.m. NY). Schedule.

Top poker award for chess player

4/14/2010 – Many strong players are branching into poker. This is especially true of women, since their chess tournament prizes often hardly cover travel expenses and incidentals. And when in addition players discover they have a natural talent for poker they take to it as a lucrative alternative source of much-needed income. One player such, IM Almira Skripchenko, has done this with great success.

Domination

4/14/2010 – We have recently seen how hard it can be to hold the draw against a rook in a simplified position when you have only a bishop - there were the examples of McShane-Danin ("The fortress breaker") and Dragun-Leniart ("Zugzwang"). This position too is certainly not an easy one to evaluate. What do think is true here?
A) White can only hold the draw with 73.Ke3.
B) White can only hold the draw with 73.Kg3.
C) No matter where the king goes, Black can never ever win.
Larger diagram and analysis by Karsten Müller in ChessBase Magazine Online.

The Georgy Agzamov Memorial in pictures

4/14/2010 – In the first part of our report on the Georgy Agzamov Memorial Tournament, which was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, we – actually the author Jamshid Begmatov – provided you with pictures and descriptions of a large number of players. There were too many to put into a single report. Here is part two with the rest of his pictures. New faces and portraits.

American Gambit: Kasparov vs US Juniors

4/13/2010 – Today is Garry Kasparov's 47th birthday. Reader Ben Vinyard of Woodstock, USA, sent us a YouTube link with "a cool video on a simul Kasparov gave in 1988". A perfect birthday gift for the former World Champion, who was 24 at the time. We know for a fact that Garry has not seen the video – at least not in the last fifteen or twenty years. Happy Birthday Garry Kimovich!