Anand on chess as a profession and on computers

2/23/2009 – World Champion Viswanathan Anand was one of the pioneers in the use of computers for chess. He started using chess database just months after Kasparov, and stuck with information technology ever since. In part two of his indepth interview Anand also speaks about books, professional chess and sporting heros. We have dug up some unique historical pictures.

Sofia R5: Topalov wins game five, leads 3:2

2/23/2009 – Gata Kamsky played the French with an isolated d-pawn, but was holding out well until move 35, when disaster struck in form of a blunder with a pawn loss. Veselin Topalov did not let the opportunity pass and netted a full point. The Bulgarian is now in the lead at 3.0:2:0, with three rounds to go. Our report today has tidbits from Sofia and GM commentary by Mihail Marin.

Corus Study Day – solution and new puzzles

2/22/2009 – Last week we had a report on the Corus Studies Day, where some of the world's best problem and study solvers were gathered and given nine tough studies to crack. The winner was 18-year-old Twan Burg ahead of double world champion John Nunn. In our report we gave you a sample of the studies they had to tackle. Today we bring you the solution and two incredible new studies to solve.

Sofia R4: Kamsky strikes back – wins in 73 moves

2/21/2009 – Gata Kamsky used the white pieces in game four to grind down his opponent Veselin Topalov and equalise the score in the FIDE Candidates match in Sofia, Bulgaria. It was an impressive performance by the American GM, who thwarted Topalov's attempts to complicate the position and punished them when the Bulgarian went too far. GM commentary in English and Romanian.

Linares R3: All games well-fought draws

2/21/2009 – The results may seem desolate, but the games of round three were by no means boring. In each the players worked hard in an attempt to score a point. In fact one last until late in the evening, with Vassily Ivanchuk pushing in vain for 65 moves to overcome Alexander Grischuk. Rooky Leinier Dominguez did well to hold Anand to a draw. Illustrated report with annotations by GM Dorian Rogozenco.

Kurnosov leads at Aeroflot Open 2009

2/20/2009 – In recent years, the Aeroflot Open in Moscow (February 17–26) has become established as the world's strongest open tournament. The top section is limited to players rated 2550 or over – and has 76 participants of whom only seven are not GMs. The prize fund is 70,000 Euros, with 21,000 going to the winner. After three rounds Igor Kurnosov leads with 3.0 points. Games and results.

Sofia R3: Game three drawn in 37 moves

2/20/2009 – Gata Kamsky was not afraid to repeat his Grünfeld opening from round one. This time it was a Botvinnik with a black pawn sacrifice with tremendous complications. That got Veselin Topalov thinking and once again Kamsky had the initiative with the black pieces. But he seemed to play it safe and the game ended in a draw. Full commentary by GM Mihail Marin.

Linares R2: Aronian wins after Anand's blunder

2/20/2009 – A shocking turn of events: Vishy Anand was coasting to what looked like a sure victory against Levon Aronian, who kept creating little problems. Suddenly the World Champion cracked and Aronian took the full point. Alexander Grischuk ground down Chinese GM Wang Yue in a Slav. The other two games were drawn, Aronian and Grischuk lead. Full report with annotations by GM Dorian Rogozenco.

The save/replace game dialogue - part 1

2/19/2009 – ChessBase 10 contains a large variety of fields into which you can input player and tournament information when saving a game. Some of these can be confusing for new users. In this week's ChessBase Workshop, learn the important difference between saving and replacing a game, and get a first look at the most commonly-used game header fields. Workshop...

Anand on chess – from square one to the World Championship in Bonn

2/19/2009 – Viswanathan Anand has won it all: the knockout, tournament and match world championships, blitz and rapid – you name it. He is the strongest Indian chess player in history, and one of the strongest in the world, ever. In a multi-hour interview Anand sat down with Indian journalists and described his career, candidly and in rare detail. Today you can read the first section: part one – the early years.

Linares R1: Anand defeats Radjabov in 61-move struggle

2/19/2009 – The World Champion, fresh from a long stay in India, went after top Azerbaijani grandmaster and world number six Teimour Radjabov in a Sicilian Sveshnikov. After 61 moves Vishy Anand was able to convert the queen ending into a full point. The other games were more-or-less hard-fought draws. We bring you pictures from the opening and commentary by GM Dorian Rogozenco.

Alekhine – inspirational mastery in attack and initiative

2/18/2009 – In 1923 at the Carlsbad tournament Alexander Alekhine played a wonderful game against the legendary Akiba Rubinstein. It contains creative opening and middlegame play, and brilliant combinations leading to a decisive advantage. In his Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos explains why such games are an inspiration to contemporary players. Be there at 9 p.m. ET.

Viktor Bologan and the Chebanenko Slav

2/18/2009 – Recently we found a book entitled The Chebanenko Slav according to Bologan. The author is Moldavia GM Viktor Bologan, who looks back on a two decade long career, which includes a 2003 Dortmund triumph ahead of Anand and Kramnik. That came, incidentally, after a ten-day training session with Garry Kasparov. Read all about it in this Bisik-Bisik session with Edwin Lam.

Sofia R2: Topalov draws first blood, wins with black

2/18/2009 – In a Ruy Lopez Berlin Defence Veselin Topalov surprised his opponent on move five – at least it set Gata Kamsky, USA, thinking for a protracted period of time. Starting around move 15 the Bulgarian took over the initiative and tore into the opponent's defences with super-accurate moves. Thursday is a free day. We bring you game two with annotations by GM Mihail Marin.

On the lifestyle of Polish chess players

2/17/2009 – "Chess players are the special group of sportsmen whose training and participation in tournaments do not demand high-intensity muscle effort," say these two scientists from Warsaw University. "Sedentary lifestyle and improper eating may provoke the development of various diseases, especially overweight and obesity and reduce sport results." Interesting study, applies to all.

Sofia: First game Topalov-Kamsky drawn

2/17/2009 – In the first game of the special FIDE Candidates Qualifier for the World Championship Veselin Topalov uncorked a novelty on move 17, and launched a sharp attack against Kamsky's king. However the Brooklyn Boy remained unperturbed, defended well and in fact gained a slight advantage. We bring you a full report with annotations of game one by GM Mihail Marin.

Wijk 2009: Retrospect with pictures and stories

2/16/2009 – So many tournaments, so little time – the frustrated chess journalist may sigh. For instance, our own reporting and material from our associates produced no fewer than 22 reports on the Wijk aan Zee event, and still many pictures and stories remained unpublished. In an attempt to rectify the situation we take a look back at Wijk, with more pictures by John Nunn and stories around them.

The practical side of endgame play

2/13/2009 – In his last game with Topalov at the Chess Olympiad Alexei Shirov managed to win in a brilliant double rook ending that perfectly ties in with his 'Endgame Firework' DVD. In that course you can get to know Shirovs unique 'non-dogmatic approach to endgames', as GM Steingrimsson put it. Buy the DVD now or read this review with sampler.

Twan Burg wins Corus study competition

2/13/2009 – Normally it is John Nunn who wins these things – serially. But during the Wijk aan Zee tournament the British grandmaster and double solving world champion had to bow to an 18-year-old solver from the Dutch town of Schijndel. Twan Burg scored 36 out of 45 possible points (to Nunn's 32). We bring you an example of the incredible studies the participants were given – for you to solve.

ChessBase and ACP opinion poll amongst top players

2/13/2009 – In recent months FIDE has announced major changes to its World Championship cycle. This resulted in a wave of discussions and, in fact, a number of players withdrawing from the Grand Prix qualifier. So what do top players think, and what are their preferences for the cycle? Together with the ACP ChessBase has put together a questionnaire for World Championship candidates.

Antic wins Plovdiv, Georgiev set to break record

2/12/2009 – Serbian GM Dejan Antic won the jubilee 30th edition of the Bulgarian Open Championship in Plovdiv this year. The prize fund was not the greatest, but using some very imaginative trick the organisers persuaded 237 players –64 from foreign countries – to attend. During the evnt GM Kiril Georgiev trained for his Guinness Book attempt to break the World Simul record.

Topalov: 'This match is going to be very tough'

2/12/2009 – It starts next Monday, the special Candidates Match between Veselin Topalov and Gata Kamsky in Sofia. The Topalov team has already taken residence in the Bulgarian capital, Kamsky and his helpers arrive today. Topalov, a Bulgarian who lives in Spain, enjoys the home field advantage – theoretically. There are, as he stresses, also disadvantages. Interview with Dagobert Kohlmeyer.

2008: biggest winners and losers in chess

2/12/2009 – Who was the biggest winning chess player in 2008? Which chess master made the biggest losses? These are hard questions and we will give you a hint: the winner took home close to four million dollars, the loser saw 1.8 billion dollars disappear from his account. Another unhelpful hint: one of the two is called Weinstein. Completely mystified? Here's the answer.

This is how contemporary chess is played

2/11/2009 – 2008. Grand Slam in Bilbao. 17-year-old Magnus Carlsen, already one of the top grandmasters in the world, faces Levon Aronian in a theoretically significant Semi-Slav. Carlsen introduces a dynamic, even shocking pawn sacrifice for the initiative. In his Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos looks at this highly instructive game. Be there at 9 p.m. ET.