Morelia – A Treck to the Volcano

3/1/2006 – Chess is great, especially in Mexico. But there are other things in life that are equally important. Like an outing to a recently formed volcano, which is best reached on horseback. The beauty of the landscape, when viewed from unnecessarily precipitous heights. Or the food, prepared in a simple Mexican rest place. It's all described in our Morelia travel blog.

The $16,000 open-to-all chess tournament

2/28/2006 – Would you like to play in a grandmaster tournament? From your home and for a substantial prize fund? With a guarantee that you will not disgrace yourself? Then think about joining the second PAL/CSS Freestyle Chess Tournament, where anything goes. Where computer assistance is not forbidden, but is positively encouraged. Full details.

Life on the Edge

2/28/2006 – "Purists will surely turn away from the Andrew Martin Radio Show this week," writes our Wednesday night Playchess lecturer, who shows us an audacious Anti-Grunfeld weapon, a 1.h4 game, a Leko-Radjabov Sveshnikov from Morelia and a retro puzzle. Come with an open mind.

Chess clocks keep lawyers in check

2/27/2006 – Why didn't someone think of it sooner? Determined to keep a trial short, lawyers in a Vioxx trial are using chess clocks to limit the time they spend arguing each side of a case. Time controls are at around 40 hours. "Lawyers are like gas. We fill up whatever room we're provided," said one of the participating attorneys. They may have found a cure.

Morelia R7: Peter Leko leads at halftime

2/27/2006 – The final round of the first half of the Linares-Morelia Super-GM saw Peter Leko draw Veselin Topalov to retain the lead at halftime. The ambitious Armenian Levon Aronian beat Etienne Bacrot with black to come within striking distance of Leko. The event continues on Friday, March 3rd, in Linares, Spain. Updated analysis and photos.

The joyous aggression of Misha Tal

2/26/2006 – "My favorite player of all time," says our Playchess lecturer Dennis Monokroussos, "is the Latvian great Mikhail Tal. There is a joy to his chess that is evident to even the casual fan, manifested in an almost feral aggression at the chess board." That is the subject of Dennis' Monday night lecture.

Morelia R6: Vallejo defeats Topalov

2/26/2006 – Another shock day at the Linares-Morelia Super-GM: FIDE champion Veselin Topalov went down to tail-ender Francisco Vallejo, with the white pieces! Peter Svidler continued his losing streak, this time against Ivanchuk. Peter Leko drew Aronian to climb a full point ahead of the field. Updated with pictures, video and analysis.

Morelia – Topalov vs the Monarcas

2/25/2006 – Veselin Topalov is not having a good tournament. But as FIDE world champion he has duties, which include attending functions organised by the hosts. On a free day Topalov paid a visit to the Morelia soccer club, played an exhibition game against the goalkeeper, and fired three penalty shots at him. Guess who was good at what.

Morelia – ChessBase goes to the Market

2/25/2006 – The chess is great, we must admit. There is chess all over the town. But much, much more. Like the big market that sells vegetables, spices and animal parts. Your intrepid ChessBase team explored this aspect of Mexican life and, with the help of an expert culinary advisor, has put together a big illustrated report. Tasty but not tasteful.

Morelia R5: Topalov beats Ivanchuk

2/24/2006 – The first win in this event for FIDE champion Veselin Topalov came with the black pieces against veteran Vassily Ivanchuk. Peter Svidler ended his winning streak with a loss to Levon Aronian. This leave Peter Leko on top of the tables with 4/5 points. We bring you a full updated report with pictures, videos and analysis.

FIDE elections: Right Move on the march

2/24/2006 – The "Right Move" election campaign, headed by Bessel Kok, high-profile chess organiser and businessman, is gaining momentum. 18 national federations have declared their support, as has Leo Battesti, who had himself planned to run for the Presidency. If the campaign succeeds the plan is to move the FIDE offices to France.

Digital brains or not?

2/23/2006 – In the latest ChessBase Workshop, our columnist wraps up the year just past and responds to a fairly provocative e-mail which caught his eye. It was in response to the "intelligent mistakes" column, which was closed, but will be reopened briefly for a final reflection. Workshop...

Morelia R4: Topalov implodes, Svidler and Leko skyrocket

2/23/2006 – Reigning FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov is in deep trouble. Today he lost with white against tail-ender Teimour Radjabov, to take his place at the bottom of the table. Meanwhile the two Peters, Leko and Svidler, won their games with sterling 3000+ performances. We bring you a full updated report with pictures, video and annotated games.

Variety is the Spice of Life

2/22/2006 – Andrew Martin's Wednesday night's Playchess lecture, this time at 23:00 GMT/12 midnight CET, features a grab-bag of interesting subjects: Chandler's unusual Anti-Najdorf recipe; a brilliant innovation in the Trompowsky; doing nothing to win, plus a review and puzzle. Be there, don't miss.

John Nunn 50th birthday endgame study tourney

2/22/2006 – Last week we brought you a selection studies that were submitted to a composing tourney, organised to celebrate Grandmaster John Nunn's 50th birthday. The article contained partial solutions, which our readers were expected to complete. Here are the full solutions and links to all the studies in the award. Enjoy!

Morelia – overview of a Mexican town

2/22/2006 – What, no report on round four of the Linares/Morelia Super-GM? That is because Tuesday was a free day. For the players, not for the ChessBase news team, which continues to explore this beautiful town in the Michoacan region of Mexico. Such is our dedication that we will climb towers to give you an overview. Not for the acrophobic.

Morelia R3: Aronian-Topalov 123-move battle

2/21/2006 – Reigning FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov played a fine game, with the black pieces, taking his Armenian opponent Levon Aronian to the brink of defeat. But then the tables turned and suddenly Topalov found himself in a lost endgame, which he managed to save. All four games were drawn. Full report with analysis and videos.

Morelia R2: Svidler and Leko win

2/20/2006 – This Mexican Super-GM continues to produce fighting chess. Both the Peters, Svidler and Leko, won for the second time in a row. And Vassily Ivanchuk was able to defeat Levon Aronian, after the veteran Ukrainian missed a sure win in round one. Topalov drew against Bacrot. We bring you a big report with games, annotations and videos.

Twenty-two moves of pure creativity

2/19/2006 – Sometimes a game might be short, but it can have enough content for hours of study, like this 22-mover by Albin Planinc, who in the 60s and 70s was among the world's most creative players. More in our Monday night Playchess lecture by Dennis Monokroussos.

Morelia R1: Svidler beats Topalov

2/19/2006 – The Ciudad de Linares-Morelia tournament began with high drama, with Peter Svidler defeating the reigning world champion Veselin Topalov's Berlin Defence. Peter Leko beat Francisco Vallejo with the black pieces and Levon Aronian won against Teimour Radjabov with white. Full report with games, pictures and commentary.

Baadur Jobava wins Aeroflot Open

2/18/2006 – He is 22, hails from Georgia and is currently rated at 2614. He had promised his father to finish in the top three, and remained determined after an unlucky loss and a narrow escape in early games. Using the Caro-Kann as a striking weapon Baadur Jobava was unstoppable in the second half of the event. Big illustrated report.

The age of love – Mark Taimanov at 80

2/17/2006 – On February 7th Mark Taimanov turned 80. For decades he was one of Russia's leading grandmaster, internationally best known for his unfortunate match against Fischer. But has lead a very full life, as a child actor, concert pianist and now as a proud father. For his birthday Mark Evgenievich give us a unique insight into his personal photo album.

Morelia at last, let the games begin

2/17/2006 – Were you beginning to worry? After a 23-hour odyssey, your ChessBase team has arrived safely and set camp in a charming Mexican town. After some glitches involving (would you have guessed?) Internet access we are now all set to report on the second big chess event of the year – live from Morelia.

Q&A with Bessel Kok

2/17/2006 – Dutch businessman and long-time chess supporter Bessel Kok has thrown his hat into the ring to run for the presidency of FIDE, the international chess federation. We submitted a list of questions, including several from readers, and received detailed responses on issues such as sponsorship, time controls, and of course, the world championship.