Workshop: Hiarcs 10, Big and MegaDatase

4/20/2006 – The Big and Mega 2006 Databases are now available, as well as programmer Mark Uniacke's brainchild Hiarcs 10. Get a sneak peek at all of these DVD offerings in the new Chessbase Workshop.

Books, a dangerous Najdorf, et al.

4/19/2006 – Tonight on Playchess our host Andrew Martin looks at three interesting new books, a dangerous line in the Najdorf, a Nisipeanu loss in the Sicilian and a blistering win in the Centre-Counter. There is also the weekly chess puzzle, to improve your endgame tactical skill. See you on the server.

European Champs, Santa Lucia on Playchess

4/18/2006 – Easter weekend was very special for our chess server. The European individual champioships ended, and apart from being able to follow all important games live on Playchess, visitors were treated to special indepth interviews by both the winners. On Sunday the closing ceremony was broadcast live, with a baritone aria sung by chess legend Lajos Portisch.

Election 2006: Karpov and Topalov speak out

4/17/2006 – Former world champion Anatoly has been recently quoted as saying incumbent FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has a 100% chances of winning the election. In a recent interview Karpov modified this statement. Meanwhile FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov is quoted as saying "I hope Kirsan will win again". Election interviews.

Almira Skripchenko: Discovering China – part four

4/17/2006 – Three weeks ago Xu Yuhua won the Women's World Championship. Since 1991 three Chinese players have held the title for a total of twelve years. What is the secret of their success and why this extraordinary boom in women's chess in China? Our roving correspondent Almira Skripchenko gives us an answer in part four of her China pictorial.

Kirsan reveals details of Topalov-Kramnik match

4/16/2006 – FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has revealed further details on the reunification match planned for Elista in September. All contracts have been signed, the prize fund of one million dollars will be split, whatever the outcome of the match, and the loser will have to start in the next cycle from scratch. Sport Express report.

Chess and the laws of physics

4/16/2006 – Two years ago we told you about a book in which Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize winning physicist, used the rules of chess to illustrate the laws of physics. Feynman was famous for his ability to explain complex subjects to a lay audience in a sparkling, entertaining fashion. Now we have found a video of his chess analogy lecture.

Zor-Champ wins Freestyle Tournament

4/16/2006 – In a very exciting final the team of Zor-Champ, located in the United Arab Emirates, took first place and the $8,000 prize money in the Second PAL/CSS Freestyle Tournament. The team was driven by the program Hydra, which runs on multi-processor speical-purpose hardware. Second was IM Vasik Rajlich, assisted by his own program Rybka. Report and games.

The Velimirovic Correspondence Chess Attack

4/16/2006 – The realm of postcard and email chess tends to be wrongly neglected – it is a treasure trove of great, theoretically significant games. Our Playchess lecturer Dennis Monokroussos shows us a spectacular example. It's for people who love sharp openings and wild tactics.

Ekaterina Atalik and Zdenko Kozul European Champions

4/16/2006 – Croatia's top GM Zdenko Kozul won the men's section of the 2006 European Individual Championships in Kusadasi, ahead of top seed Vassily Ivanchuk. In the women's tournament WGM Ekaterina Atalik, who plays for Turkey, delighted her hosts by taking the title. Report and games.

Breaking news: Topalov vs Kramnik confirmed

4/14/2006 – "Today is a historic day for for our sport!" FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has just announced that the long-awaited match between Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik will take place from September 21 to October 13 in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia. It will be over 12 games and the prize fund a guaranteed minimum of one million US dollars.

World Computer Chess Champion: Zap!Chess

4/13/2006 – Our new program, Zap!Chess, is the reigning computer chess world champion, written by Anthony Cozzie from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Zap!Chess uses the same singular extensions algorithms as the famous Deep Blue program, and has one of the best parallel implementations in the world. It also uses 64-bit machines to their full potential. Read and buy.

Elections 2006: the battle becomes belligerent

4/13/2006 – "Turkish Gambit" is an article published on Kirsan's Campaign 2006 website, attacking the candidate for Deputy President on the rival ticket. The Israeli delegate Israel Gelfer, a very influential member of FIDE's Executive Board, criticizes Presidential candidate Bessel Kok, who replies forcefully. Campaign news.

Reader mail...

4/13/2006 – As our ChessBase Workshop columnist says at the start of the latest column: "I never intended for ChessBase Workshop to be a column driven by reader questions and comments, but as long as interesting e-mails keep coming, I'll keep printing them." He's printed another batch for your perusal along with his replies in his new column. Workshop...

FIDE's April 2006 ratings – revised

4/12/2006 – FIDE has done a silent update to their April 2006 rating list. Vassily Ivanchuk and Nigel Short had both lost points from games they had never played. Ivanchuk is now at number seven (originally ten) and Short has moved up ten ranks, from 37 to 27. Efimenko lost 14 points and dropped 15 places. Corrected list (updated).

Long live the Hedgehog!

4/12/2006 – Playchess lecturer Andrew Martin presents a grab bag of games today, starting with the Hedgehog system of defence, to the eccentric genius of Oleg Romanishin and a successful effort in a Caro Kann game of his own. Note that from now on the lecture will begin one hour later – so our trainer can get some cricket practice.

Kusadasi: Ivanchuk, Kozul, Nikolic lead

4/11/2006 – In the men's section of the European Championships top seed Vassily Ivanchuk is sharing first with 4th seed Kiril Georgiev and number 25 player Pedrag Nikolic. In the women's section we find Tea Bosboom and Ekaterina Atalik, ranked 24 and 25, in the lead group. Today's report brings you pictures of the venue, the coastal city of Kuşadası.

Topalov vs Nisipeanu – the final game annotated

4/11/2006 – As already reported, the match in Bucharest ended 3:1 for the FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov. We brought you extensive tutorial annotations, by GM Mihail Marin, of the first three. Today we complete it with game four. And a picture of one of the guests of honour at the tournament, whom we bet you do not recognise.

Topalov takes the lead against Nisipeanu

4/9/2006 – After a draw in the first, the second game in the match between Veselin Topalov and Dieter Nisipeanu ended in a white victory for the FIDE world champion. We bring you expert commentary by GM Mihail Marin, plus a pictorial report of the host country, Romania, withe its magnificent architecture and a castle that people say was owned by an unsavoury count.

Best game of the past 20 years?

4/9/2006 – That's what Jan Timman called the game between two of the world's best players thirty years ago: Ljubojevic vs Andersson. The superlative attacker against the consummate defender. Our Playchess lecturer Dennis Monokroussos tells us who blinked first.

Topalov beats Nisipeanu 3:1

4/9/2006 – FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov, Bulgaria, outplayed European Champion Dieter Nisipeanu, Romania, in the last game of their match in Bucharest on Sunday. Topalov won both white games to take overall victory with a 3:1 score. A final report will follow, today we bring you extensive commentary on game three.

Koneru Humpy leads in Indian Championship

4/8/2006 – Here's some exciting news: after five rounds of the very strong Indian championship, with many GMs and IMs, the only female player is in the lead. Not just in the lead, but with a 5/5 score. GM Koneru Humpy has just turned 19 and is the second strongest woman player in the world (after Judit Polgar). You would do well to watch the championship and this girl.

Nigel Short – Inside Africa

4/8/2006 – It is not often one sees the army summoned to attend a chess federation meeting, but that is what happened in Kabwe, Zambia. GM Nigel Short was on an African goodwill and campaign tour, when he faced considerable animosity from certain dignitaries in Botswana and Zambia. Here are the graphic details.

Kusadasi: sensations in the women's section

4/8/2006 – After four rounds of the European Individual Championships we have three players, Jobava, Dgebuandze and Anastasian, in the lead, with 22 following them. In the women's section a lot of 2400+ players are languishing in the bottom half of the table, while the remarkable Muzychuk sisters are stealing the show. As promised here's a big photo report from the women's section.