Everything you wanted to know about Ukrainian chess

7/14/2008 – It is one of the super-powers of chess, but somehow there have not been that many great events in Ukraine. Until very recently, that is. This year, which is just half over, has already seen the ACP World Cup, the Aerosvit tournament, the Pivdenny Bank rapid and recently the Life:) chess match in Kiev. WIM Olena Boytsun visited the event and sent us some great pictorial impressions.

IV Torneo Internacional Abierto de Ajedrez “Alajuela 2008”

7/14/2008 – We ask you: is it polite to belch sulfurous steam, smoke and ash behind a strong grandmaster? Well that is what Volcan Poaz, just a few meters higher than Sergey Tiviakov's Elo rating, did in Costa Rica, where the the Alajuela chess event was held. We don't have all the games, but we did get some spectacular images, including GM Tiviakov's impressions of tropical Central America.

How to tease your opponent in move two or three

7/13/2008 – Colle, Torre, and London System – all these are d4 openings that you will hardly find a black player who feels happy about. While their general reputation is rather bad, there is simply no refutation. Moreover, they all have been played by world champions. Let Nigel Davies show you why and give you good reasons to rebuild your repertoire without much ado. Buy his QPO-DVDs now or read more.

Kramnik: 'My task is to play the very best chess'

7/12/2008 – Shortly after his rapid chess match against David Navara in Prague Vladimir Kramnik gave Czech journalist Pavel Motocha an indepth interview on Navara, chess ethics, the world championship title, his upcoming match against Anand and Garry Kasparov's political activities in Russia. An English language translation has appeared on the Kramnik web site. Here are the highlights.

Chess helps hostages in Colombian jungle

7/12/2008 – Here's a harrowing and uplifting tale. Three Americans had spent more than five years as hostages of the FARC rebel group in the jungles of Colombia. Last week they were rescued in a daring mission. They carried with them a metal lock, a bullet and – a chess board made of cardboard. One of the captives had carved the pieces with a a broken machete. The game helped them survive. CNN video report.

Archiving databases

7/11/2008 – Data corruption -- it's a heartbreaker and can strike without warning. The best defense is to be prepared by making backups of your important database files. Learn how to create compressed database archives in the latest ChessBase Workshop.

Would you like a blindfold?

7/11/2008 – Blindfold chess has a long and colorful history. But did you know that blindfold chess isn't just for public exhibitions and special grandmaster events anymore? You can play blindfold chess in the privacy of your own home, as you'll learn in the latest ChessBase Workshop.

Ashley on CNN: 'I just knew I would be a great chess player'

7/10/2008 – Maurice Ashley is the first black chess grandmaster in history. He is also one of the games finest ambassadors, an ardent spokesman and advocate of the intellectual and character building effects in young people for over 15 years. In a short CNN report, part of the series on "Black in America", he speaks about the driving forces in his life and his career. We bring you Maurice unsquished.

Women's World Championship in Nalchik

7/10/2008 – The Women's World Chess Championship will be held from August 28th to September 18th 2008 in Nalchik, a city in the Caucasus region of southern Russia and capital of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic. 64 top qualified players take part in the knockout event for the highest title. Nalchik is not very well-known, but it is located in a hotbed region for chess. You can convice yourself by clicking on our map.

The Russians are coming – in chessboxing

7/9/2008 – Having enjoyed recent success in soccer, basketball and ice hockey, Russia is now also able to boast a world champion in the little-known sport of chessboxing. Russia's Nikolai Sazhin, a 19-year-old mathematics student from the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, defeated light heavyweight defending champion Frank Stoldt, a 37-year-old policeman from Germany, to lift the world chess boxing title.

Kiev Life Rapid: Karjakin beat Short 7.5:2.5

7/8/2008 – They worked together in Nigel's home in Greece, and almost got themselves killed in a traffic accident. But Sergey Karjakin, 25 years younger than Nigel Short, completely outmatched him in the rapid chess match in the Academic Puppet Theatre in Kiev, Ukraine. On the final day the youngster won both games to finish with a five-point lead. Illustrated report.

Viktor Korchnoi vs the King's Indian Defense

7/8/2008 – Few players have been as implacably opposed to a major opening as Viktor Korchnoi has been to the KID. For at least five decades he has been in the vanguard of those combating this opening, developing countless new ideas in the struggle to prove an advantage for the white pieces. In his Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos shows a milestone example from 1987. Learn and enjoy.

ChessBase 10 – you don't need to wait!

7/8/2008 – It's been a couple of years in the making, but now the latest chess database program is in production, a product from the company that pioneered the the technology. ChessBase 10 provides you super-fast access to an online database with the latest chess games, kept topical and up-to-date by ChessBase. the perfect preparation tool you cannot afford to miss. Order now.

Putting chess through the satirical grinder

7/7/2008 – Uncyclopedia is a satirically themed encyclopedia, formatted as a parody of Wikipedia. Its logo is a hollowed potato that serves as a spoof of Wikipedia's globe logo. Uncyclopedia has a longish article on chess, with many links to satirical subarticles. Funny or not, you must decide. You can also compare it to the 'best short humorous chess sketch ever written’

Tweaking Fritz - PART 9

7/7/2008 – In the final installment of the ChessBase Workshop series on tweaking the various general settings in Fritz, we explore the ins and outs of the "Design" tab settings. Find out more in the latest Workshop.

Izmit: Truva wins Turkish League 2008 with 15/15 points

7/6/2008 – The İş Bank Chess League is a round robin event with 16 teams, each consisting of ten boards. One is reserved for women, one for a junior, one each for boys and girls under 16, and under 14. So it was not enough to import Georgian and Azerbaijani GMs, you had to have young local talent as well. The team of Truva Satranç Spor Kulübü won every match and the league. Big pictorial report.

Dortmund R7: Leko wins Sparkassen Meeting, Ivanchuk beats Kramnik

7/6/2008 – Peter Leko, who was in the lead after the penultimate round, drew his game in 31 moves. Since his closest rivals, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Jan Gustafsson drew their game (in 22 moves) Leko became the sole winner with his plus two score. The shocker came when Vladimir Kramnik stumbled against Ivanchuk to end in seventh place. Final report.

Kiev Life Rapid: Karjakin wins after eight of ten rounds

7/6/2008 – Sergey Karjakin, 18-year-old GM from Ukraine, scored in games five and seven to clinch the Life Rapid Chess Match against Nigel Short, 43, from Great Britain, a full day before it ended. The score after eight of ten rounds: 5½-2½. Together with the games and results we bring you new pictures from the action in Kiev's beautiful Academic Puppet Theatre. Savour the atmosphere.

Kiev Life Rapid: Karjakin leads Short 3:1

7/5/2008 – On the second day Nigel Short, desperate to break his opponent's clean 2-0 score, played the – Alekhine's Defence. He hung on bravely for 35 moves but then collapsed under the pressure from his young opponent Sergey Karjakin. In the fourth game, with moral support from organiser Bessel Kok, Nigel at last struck back. Pictorial report by Anastasiya Karlovich on chess in the Puppet Theatre.

Dortmund R6: Leko beats Gustafsson, takes the lead

7/5/2008 – The penultimate round in the Sparkassen Chess-Meeting saw Peter Leko score a fine black-piece victory over yesterday's leader Jan Gustafsson, taking a point and the lead from the German grandmaster. Loek van Wely blundered again to lose to Arkadij Naiditsch. Tomorrow Gustafsson and Nepomniachtchi play against each other with chances to catch Leko. Round six report.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (4)

7/4/2008 – The Editor of Chess Notes has selected the five worst chess books in English from the past two decades. This grisly matter is not for the faint-hearted, although there are touches of black comedy and farce in the egregious books chosen for the Chamber of Horrors. Warning to readers of a sensitive nature or nervous disposition: do not enter.

Dortmund R5: Gustafsson beats van Wely, leads the event

7/4/2008 – With two rounds to go (and no more rest days) German GM Jan Gustafsson scored a second point, with black in an 18-move miniature against Loek van Wely. Jan is now at plus two, half a point ahead of Peter Leko and poised to win the tournament. Vassily Ivanchuk climbed to 50% with a win over Arkadij Naiditsch. The other games were drawn. Round five report.

From Kiev life it's – Nigel Short vs Sergey Karjakin

7/3/2008 – The event is taking place in the Academic Puppet Theatre, lasts five days and encompasses ten rapid chess games between the former world championship challenger and a former record-breaking child prodigy. After an evening of press conferences and wild festivities it was the younger player who started with a clearer head. Karjakin won both games.