Chess on TV: Golden Blitz in Jazz Town

9/21/2005 – Why is there so little chess on TV. Why must this great game play hundred and second fiddle to other shows? The recent Golden Blitz tournament in Moscow was designed with a television audience in mind and was a make-or-break test for chess on TV. In a big illustrated report Misha Savinov tells us how things went in this pioneer effort.

Is 2.Qh5 the future of chess?

9/20/2005 – The young American star Nakamura has recently played 2.Qh5 after 1.e4 e5 and 1.e4 c5. What will he do next? IMs Jacob Aagaard and John Shaw discuss this and anything else of interest in the world of chess. The show starts on Wednesday at 20.30 CET.

Whitewashing Young Masters in Lausanne

9/18/2005 – Eight of the strongest, most promising talents in international chess, male and female, are playing a knockout tournament in the Swiss town of Lausanne. In the first round we were treated to a demonstration of what a 200+ Elo point difference and a bit of experience mean: a 2-0 whitewash. Illustrated report.

Kasimdzhanov vs Anand – a preview of San Luis

9/18/2005 – The will clash at the FIDE world championship in San Luis later this month: Indian Super-GM Vishy Anand and the Uzbek title-holder Rustam Kasimdzhanov. In his Monday night Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos us a very instructive game played between the two earlier this year. Enjoy!

Almira Skripchenko – Discovering China part two

9/18/2005 – Jinan is south of Beijing, a city with a population of over five million, which recently staged a chess tournament with twelve ladies from different parts of the world. "Beautiful and famous chessplayers welcome!" was the motto. Almira Skripchenko, who was one of the players, sent us a big report with her own personal impressions.

Van Wely, Peng win Dutch Championship

9/17/2005 – In the end it boiled down to the better nerves, which according to the official bulletin were "shrieking". In the final round reigning champion Loek van Wely drew Sergey Tiviakov to retain his title. In the women's section Peng Zhaoqin went through with a two-point lead. Illustrated report.

Adams: 'The strongest player will win'

9/17/2005 – Michael Adams, Britain's strongest GM ever, has twice been a hair's breath away from the world championship title. Once he lost to Anand in the semi-finals, last year in the finals to Rustam Kasimdzhanov. In San Luis later this month Adams gets another go at it. Here are his answers to the ten (well, to eight) questions of the organiser.

The making of a world record

9/16/2005 – On August 1st former women's world champion Susan Polgar played against 326 players, breaking the previous world record held by IM Andrew Martin, and a number of others in the process. We received a letter from Martin asking for details. Susan Polgar replied, describing the world record attempts in fascinating detail.

Kasimdzhanov: 'Nerves will prevail'

9/15/2005 – Rustam Kasmidzhanov was the surprise winner of the last FIDE (knock-out) world championship in Tripoli, defeating the likes of Ivanchuk, Grischuk, Topalov and Adams on his way to the title. In San Luis the GM from Uzbekistan will defend his title. Here he answers the ten obligatory questions of the organiser.

Youth Championship in the Black Mountains

9/15/2005 – The European Youth Chess Championship 2005 has started,with 643 players from 42 different countries, in the town of Herceg Novi, on the coast of Montenegro. It lasts from September 13-24. Our reporter Ali Nihat Yazici was so enchanted by the venue that he is appealing to all our readers: call and come!

Ponomariov, Kosteniuk win Golden Blitz in Moscow

9/14/2005 – A knockout blitz tournament was held in the Jazz Town Casino in Moscow, with eight male and four female players. It was organised by the ACP and broadcast on NTV + Sport. The winners were former FIDE world champion Ruslan Ponomariov and reigning Russian women's champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. Illustrated report by Pufichek.

FIDE President Ilyumzhinov's State-of-the-Union

9/13/2005 – In a letter to all national chess federations Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has painted a positive picture of the future of the world chess organisation. He mentions that he will be running for reelection next May, but that there will be significant changes to the ticket. Meanwhile ex world champion Boris Spassky visited the Republic of Kalmykia. Illustrated report.

'Winning is not a secret, it is something you can learn'

9/13/2005 – In a series called "German Dream" the national TV station ZDF is interviewing intellectuals from all over the world about their personal dreams for the country. One of them was former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who spoke with eloquence and commitment of what this century has in store for us. We bring you transcripts and the original audio links. Must read.

Nigel Short is back – in the Guardian

9/13/2005 – Just six weeks ago we reported that the conservative Sunday Telegraph had axed their star chess correspondent in favour of a second poker column. We received a lot of despairing feedback from readers and fans. So here's the good news: Nigel Short is back, this time working for a liberal newspaper, which will be carrying more chess than ever before.

From hell to paradise – Jude Acers found

9/12/2005 – For many days he was missing, the famous chess teacher whose workplace was a sidewalk in the French Quarter of New Orleans. After Katrina hit, friends and fans were deeply worried for his safety. A week later Jude reported back from a refugee center in Tennessee, shaken but alive. Here is his harrowing tale.

The Topalov-Leko torture in San Luis

9/11/2005 – The FIDE world championship in San Luis could concievably be decided in the mini-match Veselin Topalov vs Peter Leko. Topalov has a higher rating, but Leko has a long history of torturing him. In his Monday night Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos shows us the 17-year-old doing it back in 1996. Enjoy!

Evgeny Bareev wins Russian Championship

9/11/2005 – After a somewhat shaky start top seed Evgeny Bareev won the 58th Russian Individual Championship, beating Alexander Khalifman on tiebreak points. Both players won their final games in an exciting final. Seven players qualify for the Super-Final, to be held together with seeded players in December. Here are all games and results.

Nona Gaprindashvili wins BDO Chess Tournament Haarlem

9/10/2005 – She is a former world champion, now 64, but still in excellent shape. In the first six rounds she showed it to the local upstarts, scoring a resounding 5½/6. Then Nona Gaprindashvili lost her sense of danger and conceded two games. In the end, however, it was enough to take first prize. Big illustrated report by Frits Agterdenbos.

Almira Skripchenko: Discovering China – part one

9/9/2005 – China is a rising chess nation. They have a lot of extraordinary talents, and are doing more to help them than almost any other country in the world. Recently French women's champion Almira Skripchenko spent six weeks China, returing with a myriad pictures and impressions, which she has agreed to share with us. Here is Almira's first report.

'It will be even harder because of its status'

9/8/2005 – Peter Svidler, four times Russian champion, currently number seven in the world, is still somewhat of a dark horse in the FIDE world championship, which is due to start in San Luis, Argentinia three weeks from now. In the interviews conducted by the official web site Peter answers ten set questions. His comments are terse but telling.

Kobalia and Volkov lead in Russian Championship

9/8/2005 – The Russian Championship Qualifier, a nine-round Swiss, is being held in Kazan. After five rounds two players are in the lead with 4/5, followed by ten with 3.5 each. We bring you games, results and pictures. There are two ladies in this "men's" tournament, and one of them, Alexandra Kosteniuk, takes us on a tour of Kazan.

American chess icon hit by Katrina

9/7/2005 – He taught chess on a "Gazebo" sidewalk terrace in the middle of the French Quarter in New Orleans. With a rating above 2500 Jude Acers, 61, has been promoting the game for decades. Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent breach of the levees destroyed everything. At least, as we have just heard, the man himself appears to be alive.

Incredible!! Fantastic!! Sensational!!

9/6/2005 – All those words (on the tournament web site) cannot fully describe the stellar performance of China's young star Wang Hao in the 2nd IGB Dato' Arthur Tan Malaysia Open 2005. This kid, who only turned 16 in April this year, won this event two full points ahead of the GM field, with a performance of 2843. Read all about it in Edwin Lam's extensive report.

Areshchenko wins the Ukraine Championship

9/5/2005 – The 74th Ukrainian Championship was won by 19-year-old Alexander Areshchenko (2625) from Kramatorsk, who narrowly defeated his 20-year-old clubmate Zahar Efimenko (2643 – would you believe the ratings on these Ukrainian kids!). We bring you all the games and results, plus a big illustrated report by Olena Boytsun.