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.

3/22/2010 – Magnus Carlsen lost a key encounter with Vladimir Kramnik ½-1½, and actually couldn’t complain that he didn’t lose both games. Kramnik moved up to joint third place with Boris Gelfand, only half a point behind Carlsen. Vasily Ivanchuk retained first place in the overall standings. Monday is a free day. Europe Echecs interviewed Kramnik on the Anand-Topalov match in Sofia. Round eight report.

3/21/2010 – Did you know that when White plays 5.Nf3 in the French (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7) that indicates he is going to play against Black’s “hanging pawns” on e6 and d5? It is strategical knowledge of this kind that Nigel Davies presents on his new DVD on the French Defence. Bob Long has gone through the entire course and regards it 'the most useful DVD I have seen in a long time'. Buy it now or read Bobs review with sampler.

3/20/2010 – Apparently nothing can stop the world's highest-ranked player. In round six of the Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament Magnus Carlsen dispatched Boris Gelfand, who had won his four previous games, with a 2-0 score. Carlsen is now alone in the lead. Dutch GM Jan Smeets won his first game in Nice – against Vladimir Kramnik in blindfold. Round six report with video interviews.

3/20/2010 – In our previous report we gave you the gold medal winners of the European Championship. On Thursday the silver and bronze medals in the open and womens groups were played out. The statistics of the event are impressive: 566 players from 41 countries, 440 players with titles, 196 of them grandmasters. Of the 3,078 games 2,088 or 68% were decisive, only 32% drawn. Final report.

3/20/2010 – Vasily ‘Mr Amber’ Ivanchuk once again back in the sole lead. The Ukrainian beat Alexander Grischuk 1.5:0.5, while his main rival, Magnus Carlsen, lost 0.5:1.5 to Azeri GM Vugar Gashimov. Sergey Karjakin scored 2-0 against his compatriot Ruslan Ponomariov, while Vladimir Kramnik and Levon Aronian shared the points with a win each. Round seven report.

3/19/2010 – To play and to analyze – those are the most important element in a chess program. To this respect, Pocket Fritz 4 provides a real thoroughbred, not just a bean counter. But don't be afraid: you don't need a special training course to run this beast. Everything is very easy, with a pleasant and intuitive interface. To study and to have fun, Pocket Fritz 4 offers you versatility and power.