Rating and K-factor: wrapping up the debate

5/11/2009 – The discussions regarding the K-factor – the rate at which ratings go up or down when they are calculated – reaches its climax with a wrap-up article by Dr John Nunn, grandmaster and mathematician, who evaluates the arguments that have been presented by the different parties. After this it is up to FIDE, which has already initiated positive steps settle the matter. Final installment.

Open fight in the closed Sicilian

5/11/2009 – The closed Sicilian usually starts slowly – the first real clash of pieces may come in the middlegame. That is why understanding of strategies and knowledge of motifs is essential here. Nigel Davies' "Closed Sicilian" DVD proves by means of games by Spassky, Karpov, Smyslov etc. that this is a real fighting opening with lots of space for creativity. Buy his DVD now or read more.

FIDE World team beats Azerbaijan 21.5-10.5

5/10/2009 – The FIDE team playing in the President's cup in Baku was nominally 50 points stronger than its Azeri opponents. But even that could not lead anyone to anticipate the tonking (as the British would call it) delivered by visitors. Vladimir Kramnik was the lead tonker, with 6.5 points from eight games and a performance of 2977. Anand followed with 5.5/8 = 2850. Final report with video.

The first DVD by GM Ftacnik

5/9/2009 – For more than 20 years, Lubomir Ftacnik has collaborated with ChessBase - of course for ChessBase Magazine (over 4700 (!) annotated games in the Mega Database), but also as the author of CDs and above all as the most important editor of the player encyclopaedia and in the standardising of game references. Now the Slovakian GM has recorded his first DVD in Fritztrainer format - in both German and English. Video, interview and annotated game...

President's Cup – FIDE World leads after two rounds

5/8/2009 – The first round saw a well-prepared Shakhriyar Mamedyarov take a point from Alexei Shirov, who defeated Gadir Guseinov in round two. Anand defeated Vugar Gashimov to put the FIDE World team in the lead by 4.5:3.5 points. Before the games started the World Champion received his sixth Chess Oscar from the FIDE President. Live coverage was spotty. Illustrated report.

11th Dubai Open 2009 – a feast for the eyes

5/8/2009 – Chess players look more or less the same, in Beijing or in Dortmund. But step out of the playing hall and the picture changes. The locations where chess events are held range from the boring to the visually stunning. Dubai does not belong to the former category. Our report WGM Yana Melnikova has lovingly portrayed the city, while not neglecting the participants, in this spectacular pictorial report.

Azerbaijan takes a pounding from Kramnik and Karjakin

5/8/2009 – After scoring a narrow 4.5-3.5 win in the first two rounds, the FIDE World team turned on the heat on the second day, defeating the Azerbaijan selection by a resounding 8.5-3-5 points – with Vladimir Kramnik winning all three games, and Sergey Karjakin two. FIDE World now leads 13-7. Report with results and games (many still missing or incomplete) and some pictures from Baku.

Thompson: Leave the K-factor alone!

5/7/2009 – The debate on whether to increase the rate of change of the Elo list continues. Today we received an interesting letter from Ken Thompson, the father of Unix and C, and a pioneer of computer chess. Ken believes that the current rating system isn't broken and that the status quo is better than change. If anything the ratings should be published more often – every day if possible. Food for thought.

Thanks to CBM for the full point

5/7/2009 – We all dream of winning a game thanks to having read an article in CBM. Our reader Peter Graf managed this feat. He enjoyed the instructive vdeo by Andrew Martin in CBM 124 on the subject of 1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5 4.d5 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 f5 so much that he used the variation in a tournament game - and won.
Description of the opening video in CBM 124
See Andrew Martin in the video on the Moderne Defence
Reader's letter and game from Peter Graf…

Chess Grandmaster Utut Adianto elected Senator

5/7/2009 – A chess grandmaster has won a seat in the Indonesian senate – no mean achievement in a country of 237 million people. Indonesia is the world's third-largest democracy, the world's largest archipelagic state, and home to the world's largest Muslim population. The news of Adianto's election will be officially announced on May 9th. Pictorial report by Casto Abundo.

'Refined Chess' proposal – readers' feedback

5/6/2009 – Two weeks ago a Turkish chess player and computer engineer proposed a modification of the rules of chess, one intended to combat the perceived problem of too many draws amongst top players. "No feedback?" asked the author timidly recently. Au contraire, Ali Ferhat Tamur! Once again our readers submitted large volumes of thoughts, ideas and opinions on the subject. Long, interesting read.

Tal vs Filip – the art of defence and counterattack

5/6/2009 – Last week a former World Championship Candidate Miroslav Filip, died in Prague. He was a world force in chess in the 50s and 60s, defeating no less than three world champions. In his Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos discusses the renowned 1962 black-piece win against Mikhail Tal in Curacao. He also corrects some inaccuracies in an earlier blurb on Garry Kasparov. 9 p.m. ET.

Tehran Wins Asian Cities Championship

5/5/2009 – This event has been held since 1979 and used to be played in Asia. In the 1990s it was staged three times in the UAE, and in 2000 it arrived on Lebanese soil. This year Twenty teams competed in the nine-round Swiss tournament with four boards per team. The winner was Tehran, Iran, ahead of Bangalore, India and Damascus, Syria. Big illustrated report by Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh.

Rating debate (6): Here comes the proof!

5/4/2009 – "I couldn't believe my eyes when I read GM John Nunn's opinion," writes GM Bartlomiej Macieja (pronunciation supplied), the original initiator of this debate. He presents proof for the fact, challenged by Nunn, that the K-factor and the frequency of rating lists are related to one another. Other readers have also weighed in, a wrap-up reply by John Nunn will appear soon. Long, interesting read.

Chess problemist shot in Azeri terror attack

5/4/2009 – Shocking news: a gunman stormed the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy, a public university located in Baku, and shot 25, killing twelve, before turning the weapon upon himself. One of the victims of the massacre was leading Azeri chess problemist Mejnun Vahidov, who had worked at the Academy for over 30 years. His 200 published problems include many prize-winners. Horrifying reports.

Anand: Every year I keep my fingers crossed

5/3/2009 – The yearly Chess Classic in Mainz, Germany, will be held from July 27th to Sunday, August 2nd 2009, with World Champion Vishy Anand defending his Rapid Chess title against Levon Aronian, Arkadij Naiditsch and Ian Nepomniachtchi. Anand has won the main event eleven times – and feels the pressure every time he plays. Read all about this and his recent chess life in this indepth interview.

Rating debate: is 24 the ideal K-factor?

5/3/2009 – FIDE decided to speed up the change in their ratings calculations, then turned more cautious about it. Polish GM Bartlomiej Macieja criticised them for balking, and Jeff Sonas provided compelling statistical reasons for changing the K-factor to 24. Finally John Nunn warned of the disadvantages of changed a well-functioning system. Here are some more interesting expert arguments.

Czech GM Miroslav Filip dies at 80

5/3/2009 – At six foot nine inches Miroslav Filip was an imposing presence at the chess board. But he became a world force in the 50s and 60s, represented his country in 12 consecutive Chess Olympiads and inflicted defeat on no fewer than three world champions (Euwe, Smyslov and Tal). Filip was born in Prague on October 27, 1928, and died there on April 27, 2009. Obituary by Raymond Keene.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (20)

5/1/2009 – Lasker’s house in Germany, Capablanca’s bungalow in Cuba and Alekhine’s château in France are among the properties on view in the latest article by the Editor of Chess Notes. Over the years he has been building up an address book of many of the old masters’ residences. Find out whether any prominent chess figures of the past lived near you.

Alexei McQueen

4/30/2009 – "If I knew that Garry Kasparov had already made a DVD on the Grünfeld Defence for ChessBase I would never have dared to make one myself," confesses Alexei Shirov. Needless to say, Shirov is an expert here too, and with his games from the end of the 90s up to 2007 you can relive the development of this opening over the last ten years. Buy his Grünfeld DVD or read Bob Long's review.

Macieja: the FIDE General Assembly must decide

4/30/2009 – "Using the FIDE Laws of Chess terminology, the move has been made, and no takeback is any longer possible." Polish GM Bartlomiej Macieja is insisting that the decision to increase the K-factor in rating calculations is not just necessary and good in the current tournament situation, it is in fact irrevocable and can only be legally changed by the body that passed it. Open letter.

Incredible Abundance

4/30/2009 – Mark Donlan has examined ChessBase Magazine 129 for ChessCafe.com. The American has called his article "Incredible Abundance". He points out as an example of the abundance of contents of  ChessBase Magazine that it contains, e.g. introductory videos in Fritztrainer format by Karsten Müller and Dorian Rogozenco, and then columns by Daniel King, Peter Wells, Karsten Müller, Oliver Reeh and Rainer Knaak and much, much more. Buy CBM 129 or read this review

Nunn on the K-factor: show me the proof!

4/30/2009 – With the debate raging over FIDE's decision to change or not to change the K-factor used in calculating players' ratings, we are glad to receive an important message from our voice-of-reason grandmaster. Dr John Nunn says "there seems no real evidence that K=20 will result in a more accurate rating system, while there are a number of risks and disadvantages." His explanation and reader feedback.

Pourkashiyan won the Iranian Women's Championship 2009

4/30/2009 – We return to this Championship, which had 14 participants and was won, for the third time, by WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan, who scored 11/13 points. Bronze went to eleven-year-old WFM Sara Sadat Khademalsharieh. For those of you who have had enough flawless 2800 play for a while, here's a big pictorial report by Reza Mahdipour with highly enjoyable chess highlights from the event. Don't miss it!