Curacao 2008 – above and below the water

8/7/2008 – Until the last round Spanish IM Luis Javier Bernal Moro led by a full point, with a GM norm in his pocket. Then came disaster in the final game and the first place was taken on tiebreak by GM Larry Christiansen. But not all the action was above the water. In Curacao people are preparing for underwater chess. During the test the players found the kibitzing stingrays quite disconcerting.

Sochi R06: Radjabov and Cheparinov lead in Sochi

8/6/2008 – For a while Ivan Cheparinov, the Bulgarian GM who assists Veselin Topalov, was in the clear lead. In round five he lost a wild and chaotic game to Teimour Radjabov, who also got a slightly lucky win against Boris Gelfand in round six. But Cheparinov bounced back with his own victory against Alexander Grischuk. Now Radjabov and Cheparinov lead in the FIDE Grand Prix. Round six report.

History in the making at historical Simpson's

8/6/2008 – "In the summer, an Englishman's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of chess", as Alfred Lord Tennyson almost said. For the past few years, August in London has meant international chess of a calibre rarely seen in England, and this year is no different. Next to Adams, Sokolov, Short and van Wely we see 87-year-old IM Bob Wade participating. Everyone's rooting for the octogenarian.

Vallejo vs Nepomniachtchi – two young lions in a display of ferocity

8/6/2008 – Two of the strongest young players in the world today are Ian Nepomniachtchi and Francisco Vallejo Pons. Ian is 18, born in the same year as Carlsen and Karjakin; Paco Vallejo is a veteran at 25, and has scored wins over Anand, Kramnik and Topalov. In his Wednesday night Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos looks at a dramatic encounter between the two. Do not miss.

World Junior Championship starts in Gaziantep

8/6/2008 – The World Junior Championship is being held in Gaziantep, the Economic Centre of Turkey, from 2 to 16 August. The event has 22 GMs, five WGMs, 23 IMs, 14 WIMs, 15 FMs and 27 WFMs among the 195 players from 60 countries playing in the championship. Guess who is equal second, after four rounds, in the boy's section. A 14-year-old Chinese girl! Illustrated report.

Mainz 2008: photographic impressions by Fred Lucas

8/6/2008 – In an age when two billion photographers are loose on the planet it is good to see a few professionals who take their work seriously. One is Fred Lucas of The Netherlands, who was providing us with stunning portraits before digital cameras became essentially a grocery store item. Fred was in Mainz, busy and creative. Here is a sample of his work.

Mainz 2008: Ian Nepomniachtchi wins Ordix Open

8/5/2008 – It was a dramatic last round: when other title contenders were playing short draws Ian Nepomniachtchi showed his fighting spirit and beat world-class GM Evgeny Bareev. "Nepo" shared the top place with Pavel Eljanov (but beat him on tiebreak points). A splendid performance was given by Kateryna Lahno, 18, who scored half a point less and ended up in fifth place. Big illustrated report.

Vladimir Kramnik wins a new corporate sponsor

8/5/2008 – "Chess is a competition of intellect and endurance, of risk and estimation," says the new sponsor. "This very philosophy, completely shared by «EUROCEMENT group, induced the company to pay a huge attention to the chess tournaments throughout its sponsorship activities." Press release.

Jerusalem Chess Festival

8/5/2008 – The Jerusalem Chess Festival was held from 29th to 31st July 2008, the first time such an event has occurred in Israel’s capital and a city holy to three religions. The venue was the spectacular open-air setting of Alrov Mamilla Avenue, a new shopping centre just outside the walls of the Old City by Jaffa Gate. Chess at midnight – Jerusalem style. We bring you a spectacular pictorial report.

Sochi R04: Ivan Cheparinov leads ahead of Grischuk

8/4/2008 – The second of Veselin Topalov, Ivan Cheparinov, is in the lead, with 3.0/4 points, in the Second FIDE Grand Prix Tournament which is taking place in Sochi. Cheparinov profited from a blunder by Gata Kamsky in round three. Kamsky defeated Vassily Ivanchuk in round two. Behind the leader is Alexander Grischuk with 2.5 points, followed by ten players with 2.0 points each. Illustrated report.

Mainz 2008: Anand punishes Carlsen in Grenkeleasing final

8/4/2008 – The final of the 13th Grenkeleasing Rapid Chess World Championship in Mainz – four 20'+2" rapid chess games – was a one-sided affair. World Champion Vishy Anand took the first two games fairly effortlessly, after which the young challenger Magnus Carlsen got two draws. In the match for third place Alexander Morozevich struggled to beat Judit Polgar in the final game. Big illustrated report.

Biel 2008: impressions from the final round

8/4/2008 – A few days ago the 41st Biel Chess Festival ended – with a colossal bang. First there were human fireworks, then the celestial variety, with a violent thunderstorm raging over the city. The next morning saw the prize-giving ceremony, then came a mad dash to deliver Magnus Carlsen to the Chess Classic in Mainz. Now that peace has returned to our lives here's a pictorial retrospect of Biel.

Mainz 2008: Anand to face Carlsen in Grenkeleasing final

8/3/2008 – The qualifier stage of the 13th Grenkeleasing Rapid Chess World Championship in Mainz ended with a victory by World Champion Vishy Anand, who beat Alexander Morozevich twice. Magnus Carlsen beat Judit Polgar to qualify for the final on Sunday against Anand. In the Livingston Chess960 Computer World Championship Rybka beat Shredder to take the title. Big illustrated report.

Foidos: test the world championship broadcast system

8/3/2008 – The October World Chess Championship in Bonn, Germany, will be broadcast on the Internet using a new system developed by Dutch technology company DGT, using multiple cameras to show the action during the game. As a dry run the company is now covering the University of Twente Young Masters in Holland, with GM Yasser Seirawan commenting. 300 free tickets are available.

North Urals R7: Stefanova wins, followed by Ushenina, Sebag

8/3/2008 – It was the strongest women's tournament in history – category 11, Elo average 2522. The round robin North Urals Cup in Krasnoturinsk, Russia, was won by former women's world champion Antoaneta Stefanova, half a point ahead of Anna Ushenina and Marie Sebag. The event was a big disappointment for top seed Koneru Humpy, who played 114 points below her 2622 FIDE rating. Final report.

Mainz 2008: Anand on Carlsen, Morozevich and Polgar

8/1/2008 – The Grenkeleasing Rapid Chess World Championship begins on Friday. The record winner, Vishy Anand, is the favourite to win it again. Or is he? Magnus Carlsen, who is developing faster than anyone else; Alexander Morozevich, the most dangerously unorthodox player; and Judit Polgar, the most uncompromising – Anand weighs his chances against these opponents. Indepth interview.

FIDE Grand Prix in Sochi begins – Grischuk, Radjabov win

8/1/2008 – The Second FIDE Grand Prix Tournament is taking place in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi, from July 30 to August 15, 2008, with 14 players from ten different countries. The field is dominated by Ukrainian GM Vassily Ivanchuk, who is 37 points ahead of the next highest ranked player in the field. In round one it was Alexander Grischuk and Teimour Radjabov who scored. Illustrated report.

Mainz 2008: Kosteniuk wins Chess960, Rybka and Shredder qualify

8/1/2008 – Alexandra Kosteniuk won the 2nd FiNet Chess960 Women's Rapid World Championship, beating Ukrainian GM Kateryna Lahno in the final of this shuffle chess variant. On the second day of the computer Chess960 world championship Rybka scored nine points out of twelve games, easily qualifying for the final against Shredder (6.5/12). Reports and games.

Biel R9: Alekseev beats Onischuk, Dominguez leads

7/31/2008 – Russian GM Evgeny Alekseev took a full point from Alexander Onischuk, USA, to join Magnus Carlsen in second place. Cuban grandmaster Leinier Dominguez, who in round nine had good chances against top seed Carlsen, is still a full point ahead and assured at least joint first in the tournament. The final round begins an hour earlier to accommodate possible tiebreaks. Round nine report.

Evonik and Gazprom are the World Championship sponsors

7/31/2008 – The main sponsors of the World Chess Championship from October 14 to November 2 in Bonn, Germany, are: Evonik Industries, which operates in chemicals, energy and real estate and turns over 14.4 billion Euros per year; and Gazprom, the world’s largest gas company, with a capitalization of over US $300 billion (it is one of the world's three largest energy companies). Full details.

Mainz 2008: Kosteniuk and Lahno in Women's Chess960 final

7/31/2008 – Chess960 is a form of Fischer Random Chess, where the pieces are shuffled (symmetrically) for the starting position of the game. At the Chess Classic in Mainz the Women's Rapid World Championship Alexandra Kosteniuk, Russia, and Kateryna Lahno, Ukraine have qualified for the final. In the computer championship Rybka and Naum lead. Full reports and games.

North Urals: An active day off for active players

7/31/2008 – Three arduous rounds of chess, one nice day of rest, but not by any means of inactivity. The eight participants of the strongest women's chess tournament of all time made a trip to the river, where you throw in coins to ensure your return. Then a festive dinner. Speeches. Then Karaoke. Then some dance moves. Free day report, richly illustrated with pictures by Vadim Smalkov.

Biel R10: Alekseev catches Dominguez, wins tiebreak

7/31/2008 – What a turn of events! Russian GM Evgeny Alekseev caught the leader, Cuban GM Leinier Dominguez, who had been coasting to sole victory. Alekseev beat Pelletier, while Dominguez succumbed to revitalised French GM Etienne Bacrot. Magnus Carlsen was unable to overcome Alexander Onischuk's defence. In the tiebreak Alekseev won the second blitz game to take overall victory. Express report.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (6)

7/30/2008 – The smothered mate is one of the most attractive themes in chess, and the Editor of Chess Notes recalls a range of cases from over-the-board play, starting with the basic, familiar pattern. One of the other specimens, which occurred in a 1926 game, has to be seen to be believed: the black king is choked by eight ‘friendly’ pieces and pawns. Discover these variations on a theme.