Yifan on training, travelling and Oliver Twist

1/31/2011 – There is nothing in the slightest bit ordinary about the achievements of Hou Yifan, the Chinese chess prodigy who stunned the world just before Christmas by becoming the youngest ever women's world chess champion at the age of just 16. And yet, In appearance at least, it is a quintessentially ordinary Chinese teenager. Must-read portrait in the Telegraph.

Kavalek in Huffington: Hikaru Nakamura's Great Chess Triumph

1/31/2011 – On the day the Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open in Melbourne, American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, 23, achieved the best success of his life. He won the chess equivalent of a Grand Slam event – the Tata Steel Chess tournament in the Dutch coastal town of Wijk aan Zee ahead of the world's four top-rated grandmasters. Analysis by GM Lubomir Kavalek.

Tata Steel: Impressions by Fred Lucas

1/31/2011 – He is the official photographer of the event, and we know his artistic creations from the tournament web site galleries. We especially liked the photos taken on the free day, of which Fred Lucas has sent us a batch. They were taken in adverse circumstance: it was "too cold, even with gloves." Hats off to the players who in spite of this went blow karting on the beach.

Gibraltar: Ladykiller Nigel Short leads with 5.0/5

1/30/2011 – After four rounds two players, Nigel Short and Nadezhda Kosintseva were leading with 4.0/4. They met in round five, and Nigel bead Nadezhda, after having disposed of her GM sister Tatiana two rounds earlier. That gave the British GM the sole lead. The Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Congress has the deliberate policy of encouraging leading women to take part. Big illustrated report.

Tata Steel: Nakamura wins first Super GM event

1/30/2011 – Nakamura won his first Super GM event, with 9.0/13 and a 2879 performance, ahead of Anand, Carlsen, Aronian and Kramnik. McShane and Navara drew and tied for first in B, after Luke found a fantastic save in a seemingly hopeless ending. In C, Vocaturo sacrificed two rooks and a piece to draw against Nyzhnyk and take first. Final report with video and analysis by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

Tata Steel Rd.12: Test of mettle tomorrow

1/29/2011 – It was the last round to decide who will be fighting for what tomorrow, and it seems it will be a true test of mettle in all groups. Nakamura drew against Kramnik, and Anand almost lost to Giri. Carlsen won and is tied with Aronian for third. B leaders McShane and Navara meet tomorrow, as do C leaders Vocaturo and Nyzhnyk. Report with videos, plus analysis by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

Where to go?

1/28/2011 – Fully concentrated on the black kingside was White in this position which had last seen 31...Qd7-b5 (diagram). Which bishop move is now correct to clear the square g5 for the knight and to start the final mating attack?
A) 32.Be7
B) 32.Bf6
C) both win

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

ChessBase Training with GM Efstratios Grivas (Part 1)

1/28/2011 – How do you help talented young chess players to realize their potential? Working with a world-class trainer is a good way to start. ChessBase has started a program to sponsor a series of training sessions, which started, logically, in our offices in Hamburg. Five young talents got a full-day session with an internationally known chess coach, who has graciously placed his entire lecture at our disposal.

Tata Steel Rd.11: Nak in pole position with 2900+ performance

1/28/2011 – The race for first at this year's Wijk aan Zee has been a thrilling duel between Anand and Nakamura, with each surpassing the other every couple of rounds. Nakamura once more took the lead after crushing Nepomniachtchi, while Anand had to settle for a draw against Vachier-Lagrave. To top it off, Magnus Carlsen produced an endgame masterpiece to beat Kramnik. Illustrated report with video.

French GMs: ''We express our full support of the FFE

1/27/2011 – Four grandmasters Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Laurent Fressinet, Vladislav Tkachiev and Romain Edouard have expressed their dismay at the charges brought against three of their colleagues who are accused of cheating. "If the allegations are found to be true, we will condemn them firmly," they write, in this public statement in Europe Echecs.

2011 Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival under way

1/27/2011 – This traditional and popular event is takeing place for the ninth time, from Jan. 24 to Feb. 3, 2011, at the Caleta Hotel in Gibraltar. There are 231 players in the Masters section: 53 grandmasters, three of whom are rated over the elite level of 2700, and 15 between 2600-2699. A special £10,000 prize will be awarded to the best female. After two round 22 players have perfect 2.0/2 scores. Report.

FIDE: 'The organisers were not trying to make money'

1/27/2011 – A week ago eighteen players complained bitterly, in an open letter, about the conditions and prices at Women's World Championship in Antakya/Hatay (Turkey). The implication was that the organisers had overcharged for a substandard hotel. FIDE promised to answer these allegations, and today we received a letter from Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos repudiating the allegations.

Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie win Japan 'Nobel' Prize

1/26/2011 – It is the most prestigious award in Japan, often referred to as the "Asian Nobel Prize". It is given for outstanding achievements in science and technology, and is worth $600,000. This year it goes to two American scientists who forty years ago created the Unix operating system and the computer language C. One of them is also a computer chess pioneer who visited the London Chess Classic.

Tata Steel Rd.10: Triumph and trauma in Wijk aan Zee

1/26/2011 – Yesterday, the top podiums were so crowded the Wijk organizers may have worried they'd have to request an extra batch of trophies. Today Anand and Nakamura both won convincing games, and once again took off into the lead. Carlsen lost in a complicated game to Nepomniachtchi. In "B", Efimenko beat McShane and joined So on top after Sargissian also lost. Full report with videos.

Kavalek in Huffington: Chess Robots By The Sea

1/25/2011 – "Are chess players becoming robots by repeating moves approved at home by their computers?" asks GM Lubomir Kavalek. "Can't they just use their own heads during the game?" His answer: "Of course they do," as shown in an attacking masterpiece by Magnus Carlsen, as well as a new pawn sacrifice uncorked by Wesley So on move 13 in the Fianchetto Grunfeld. Extensive GM analysis.

Tata Steel Rd.8: New leaders and old in B and C

1/25/2011 – The B and C groups have seen shifts in the guard with new leaders taking over and old leaders restoring their majesty. In all cases it has been a demonstration of fighting spirit and character. Wesley So has surged with 4.0/4 to take over B, while Daniele Vocaturo defied the expectations and retook the lead in C – where two ladies are doing very nicely too. Here are the key moments.

Tata Steel Rd.9: Will the real leader please stand up?

1/25/2011 – After a day of hard-fought chess, the leaderboard was never so unclear. With Anand and Nakamura drawing, and Kramnik and Aronian winning theirs, there are now four with 6.0/9. The tale is almost identical in "B", where So, Sargissian and McShane also share the lead with 6.0/9. Only in "C" was Vocaturo able to establish clear dominance with 7.5/9. Report with analysis by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

Feller replies: 'I completely deny the cheating accusations'

1/24/2011 – Two days ago the French Chess Federation announced the investigation of three French players on suspicion of "organized cheating" at the Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansyik. Now one of the three, 19-year-old French GM Sebastien Feller, has replied emphatically, implying that the entire action was a result of his support of the current FIDE president (the FFE supported his rival Karpov). Open letter.

Battesti: 'It's insulting to our president and his federation'

1/24/2011 – Instead of adopting an ostrich position the President of the French Chess Federation and his VP have initiated an investigation of French Olympiad members suspected of cheating. They have appointed Leo Battesti, a Sorbonne-educated lawyer, as the spokesperson for the Federation. Battesti has reacted to the criticism of one of the accused player with an interview in Europe Echecs.

Eating their way through

1/24/2011 – In this position from the fourth round of the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk, White had just targeted the pawn d6 indirectly with 16.Bg5-f4 (diagram) and Black was now facing the question whether he could get rid of the annoying enemy knight with 16...Nxc6. What does this entail at the end?
A) advantage for Black
B) advantage for White
C) balance on the board
The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (56)

1/23/2011 – Cunning, gamesmanship, skulduggery, bluff, trickery, foxiness, dishonesty and cheating are just some of the terms that may be applied to a set of episodes related by the Editor of Chess Notes. They include play-acting, intentional time-trouble and illegal moves. Never let it be suggested that chessplayers are devoid of ingenuity in trying to outwit their opponents by fair means or foul.

Tata Steel Rd.8: Carlsen beats Nakamura in 3.5/4 streak

1/23/2011 – Who can understand these geniuses? After taking flack for lack of focus or motivation, Magnus Carlsen beat Nakamura in an impressive game, part of a 3.5/4 streak he is now on. The leaderboard has never been so close with Anand and Nakamura at 5.5/8 followed by four at 5.0/8. The "B" group saw So seize the lead, and in "C", Vocaturo is king once more. GM analysis and videos.

FFE accuses its own players of cheating

1/22/2011 – Shocking news: the French Chess Federation (FFE) has announced that it has initiated disciplinary action against three players – one of them one of France's most promising talents – on suspicion of "organized cheating, serious breach of sport ethics, undermining the image of the national Olympic team in Khanty-Mansyik”. We are following the investigation. Press release.

Tata Steel Rd.6 bis: The Nak, the McChine, and GM Tom Thumb

1/22/2011 – The sixth round was such a rich day with so much interesting chess, that we found ourselves with quite simply too much material for a single report. As a result, we are making a second complementary report to give tribute to the many fighters who helped make it an exceptional day. Here are commented games from all three groups, and a gallery of pics of those future stars. More games and pictures.