Fernando Arrabal: Musings on Chess Today

11/1/2006 – He is one of the most famous and prolific of Spanish playwrights, poet, novelist and director. According to a Dictionary of Literature his theatre is "a wild, brutal, cacophonous, and joyously provocative world." Fernando Arrabal is also passionately interested in chess, and has sent us an essay on the game today. We publish it with reverence, as submitted.

Andrew Martin – Judit on Top

10/31/2006 – The tenth Essent tournament came to a climax last Saturday with a dramatic last round. The first game on this week's radio show by Andrew Martin on Playchess features the fluctuating Topalov-Polgar game, which in itself is an object lesson about how to handle hanging pawns. Starting time is 18:15 GMT/19:15 CET this Wednesday.

Cap d'Agde Rapid under way

10/31/2006 – Considerable surprises at the 7th Cap d’Agde tournament, which is taking place from October 26th to November 2nd. Anatoly Karpov lost four games to two female players (Humpy and Zhao Xue), and dropped out of the final knock-out stage. A number of bright young players are dominating. Big picture report by Vishal Sareen.

Computers choose: who was the strongest player?

10/30/2006 – Who is the best chess player of all time? Entire books have been devoted to the subject, but all have one major flaw: they are mainly subjective. Necessarily so, since there is no direct way of comparing Morphy to Fischer, Lasker to Kasparov. Or is there? Two scientists from Slovenia try it with computers and statistics. The results might surprise you.

Coming soon to a chess shop near you: Fritz 10

10/30/2006 – Fritz is one of the strongest, best-loved chess programs in the world. It will play against the unified World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik in the National Art Gallery in Bonn, Germany, in November. At around the same time a new version of the program will be launched. Is it worth considering. In a first information installment we tell you about the new features.

Essent 2006: Mamedyarov, Judit Polgar are the winners

10/29/2006 – After some very tense roller-coaster periods in their final games both Shakhryar Mamedyarov with white and Judit Polgar with black were able to win their games against Ivan Sokolov and Veselin Topalov respectively. They are the joint winners of Essent 2006. Congratulations Judit and Shak! Full report with a disturbing video.

Carsten Hensel: 'It was a victory for justice'

10/28/2006 – A few days ago we published an accusatory interview by Veselin Topalov. In his reply Vladimir Kramnik's manager Carsten Hensel calls Topalov's allegations nothing but a pitiful excuse after a major sporting defeat. He also releases some additional details regarding the video surveillance of Kramnik's restroom.

Uncovered: an unknown game by Capablanca

10/28/2006 – The Cuban world champion José Raúl Capablanca is one of the best researched chess players in history. There are countless books, and the collections of his games are comprehensive. Recently Lawrence Totaro dug up a 1909 newspaper article with a hitherto unknown gamescore, which shows Capablanca losing to one F.D. Cornell. A very nice game, but is it genuine?

Essent 2006: Judit loses, Veselin wins

10/28/2006 – Instead of going for a draw and a sure tournament victory Judit Polgar remained true to character and went for the jugular. However a pugnacious Shakhryar Mamedyarov fought back and delivered her first defeat in Essent. Veselin Topalov outplayed Ivan Sokolov for his second win in a row. Report with video by Peter Doggers.

Essent 2006: Judit!

10/27/2006 – What more can one say? This lady has come out of her second maternity leave to completely dominate the Hoogeveen super-GM so far. In this category 20 tournament, with an average rating of 2730, Judit Polgar has scored 3.5/4, which translates to a rating performance of 3058 Elo points. Today she and Topalov won their games. Report with photos by Frits Agterdenbos.

Topalov: Elista still haunts my mind

10/27/2006 – Veselin Topalov, who earlier this month lost his world championship title to Vladimir Kramnik, has been holding back with his views on the controversial happenings that accompanied the event. Now he has let loose in an interview with journalist Gert Ligterink in the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant. Topalov: 'At night I dream about Kramnik.'

Nigel Short terminated – again

10/26/2006 – Last year Nigel Short lost his job, after ten years, as the chess columnist of the Sunday Telegraph. He was quickly snapped up by the Guardian, which started a series of projects with the British Grandmaster. But now, for a second time in two years, Nigel's column has been discontinued. Surprising, since it enjoyed high international esteem. Was it too good?

Sydney is a six letter word

10/25/2006 – The Opera House and Harbor Bridge, suckao and The Rocks, koalas and Caoili – Australia, and in particular the 4.3 million metropolis of Sydney has plenty to offer. Like the Sydney International Open Chess Tournament, which will take place in April 2007, with an A$13,100 prize fund. Like to join the fun? Then shout us a stubby, mate!

Guinness Chess Records in Mexico City

10/24/2006 – Imagine: a simultaneous exhibition with 14,000 participants – possibly the only chess event that is visible from space. The signing of almost 2000 books in one go by the 12th world champion Anatoly Karpov. A rapid chess tournament, and then the scaling of the Teotihuacán pyramid. Mexico sets new records in chess.

Andrew Martin – Chess for the Connoisseur

10/24/2006 – Like to gain twisted satisfaction from an off-form Ivanchuk? Watch Kiril Georgiev get drubbed in a Blumenfeld Gambit? Or learn how to defeat one of Black's most solid responses against the exchange Queen's Gambit. Our Playchess lecturer Andrew Martin shows it in his Wednesday night lecture.

Ilyumzhinov: 'The chess crown has returned home'

10/24/2006 – "The crown is now on a safe shelf of our safe, and we will never give it away." On a special charter flight from Elista to Moscow after the Elista World Championship match the FIDE President spoke to our correspondent Misha Savinov and gave him noteworthy insights into the next plans of the world chess organisation – which include a $100 million ten-year plan. Ilyuminating.

Essent 2006: both games drawn, Polgar, Mamedyarov lead

10/24/2006 – Mamedyarov vs Polgar and Topalov vs Sokolov were both fighting draws in round three of the Hoogeveen tournament in Holland. That leaves Judit Polgar and Shakhryar Mamedyarov in the lead with 2.5/3 at halftime, while Veselin Topalov and Ivan Sokolov languish at 0.5 points each. New with videos by Peter Doggers and pictures by Fred Lucas.

This week's ChessBase Show: Porper-Lock

10/23/2006 – It is not always old games and famous players from whom you can learn. This week on Playchess Dennis Monokroussos shows us a super-sharp game between two non-grandmasters, Eduard Porper and Gavin Lock – the kind that amateurs should study. Don't miss it.

Essent 2006: Judit Polgar beats Veselin Topalov

10/23/2006 – Round two of the Essent tournament in Hoogeven, Holland, brought more drama: Judit Polgar outplayed former world champion Veselin Topalov to take her second point in a row. Shakhryar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan also scored a second victory, this time over Ivan Sokolov and with the black pieces. Full report.

Rustam Kasimdzhanov: world champion and chess teacher

10/22/2006 – In 2004 Rustam Kasimdzhanov, grandmaster from Uzbekistan, shocked the chess world by winning the FIDE world championship title, beating a string of world-class players like Ivanchuk, Grischuk, Topalov and Adams in the process. "Kasim" is a very deep player, who is able to explain chess ideas in an eloquent, lucid style, with a fine touch of humour. We have two hot new DVDs.

Mamedyarov beats Topalov at Essent Tournament

10/22/2006 – Just eight days after the end of the World Championship in Elista Veselin Topalov in back at the board, at the 2006 Essent tournament in the Dutch city of Hoogeveen. The other players are Shakhryar Mamedyarov, Judit Polgar and Ivan Sokolov. Mamedyarov beat Topalov in round one, Polgar took a point from Dutch number one Sokolov. Report with pictures and video.

First ACP World Rapid in Odessa

10/21/2006 – The Association of Chess Professionals has announced the First ACP World Rapid Cup, to be held from January 4–8 2007 in Odessa, Ukraine. Participants are the players who finished among the best in the ACP Tour 2004/2005 – Kramnik, Anand, Morozevich, Aronian, Leko, Gelfand, Radjabov, Shirov and others. The sponsor is the Bank Pivdennyi. The prize is $136,000.

Yasser Seirawan: Elista 2006 – Another Perspective

10/21/2006 – A few days ago chief arbiter Geurt Gijssen described the crisis that evolved around the fifth game forfeit at the World Championship, justifying his decisions and criticizing Yasser Seirawan's article "The Layman's Guide to World Chess Match Officials. Now GM Seirawan plays the ball back into Gijssen's court with a powerful volley.

Krk is the Golden Island of Mediterranean

10/19/2006 – That, precisely translated, is the name of the tournament, which was held in the little town of Njivice on the Croatian island of Krk. The event is a women's ten-player round robin, which give budding young talents the opportunity to make WIM and WGM norms. Or spend some time playing chess on the Adriatic sea. Big pictorial report by Valery Golubenko.