Into the mailbag again

9/18/2006 – Once again our ChessBase Workshop columnist reaches into his virtual mailbag for reader questions and comments. The hot topics this time center around playing programs, their opening books, and endgame tablebases. Read the letters and our columnist's replies in this week's Workshop. Workshop...

Preparing for the Kramnik-Topalov showdown

9/17/2006 – In less than a week from now we will be treated to a World Championship reunification match between Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov. By way of preparation our Monday night Playchess lecturer Dennis Monokroussos looks at the meteoric rise of the Bulgarian GM with a model Topalov game.

Salem and Sahaj – new chess prodigies from Asia

9/17/2006 – Sahaj Grover is an Indian 10-year-old who is going after the world record for the youngest grandmaster in history. And in the United Arab Emirates the leading jewellers Damas have agreed to sponsor the talented schoolboy chess player Salem Abdul Rahman Saleh to the tune of US $136,000. Kids to watch.

Happy Birthday, Playchess server!

9/17/2006 – Some of you, the older readers, will remember the time before online chess (BOC). Those were harsh times, when you could not play a game whenever you liked. Five years ago we launched our Playchess server. Since then 158 million games have been played by over 200,000 members. Here are some interesting statistics.

Topalov and Kramnik arrive in Elista

9/17/2006 – In less than a week, on Saturday, September 23 at 3:00 p.m. local time, the first game of the reunification match between FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov and classical chess world champion Vladimir Kramnik will begin in the Republic of Kalmykia. The event lasts until October 12. We bring you first pictures of the players' arrival in Elista.

Alarming day at the European Chess Championship

9/15/2006 – Round eight started normally, but after three hours of play suddenly the fire alarm went off. It turned out to be a mistake by dim-witted workman brandishing a soldering iron. After nine rounds of play, with one more to go, seven players share the lead with 6.5/9. The final day will decide everything. Steve Giddins reports.

Hungarian Women's Championship in Szeged

9/15/2006 – The city of Szeged, which lies on Hungary's border with Serbia and Romania, is an economic, scientific and cultural centre. It is famous for its architecture, and for its great chess sons Geza Maroczy and Peter Leko. Currently it is hosting the Third Szeged Cup with an international women's championship. Big illustrated report.

ChessBase Magazine 113 – A great step forward for all chess enthusiasts

9/15/2006 – early 20 years ago ChessBase Magazine started on a floppy disk. The new vol. 113 is the first to come on DVD, packed with three and a half hours audio and video training with top players like Anand, Kasimdzhanov and others. ChessBase Magazine now also comes in a fully new design and conception. Order it now, or read this review.

Nigel Short wins European Union Chess Championship

9/15/2006 – The last day decided everything. With seven players tied for first it was anybody's guess who would clinch the Championship. But of the seven only Nigel Short could chalk up a victory in the final round to take first place alone, with 7.5/10 points. Full illustrated closing report by Steve Giddins.

Chess stars in PlusCity

9/14/2006 – The scene: a mega mall in Linz, Austria. The actors: Garry Kasparov, Viktor Korchnoi, Elisabeth Pähtz and Kateryna Lahno. The event: two days of total chess, with grandmasters, simuls and scantily clad airbrushed models. And the head of the Austrian government, Wolfgang Schüssel. We bring part one of a big pictorial report.

Short, Williams, Sulskis lead in Liverpool

9/12/2006 – After six rounds of the European Union Individual Chess Championship (Sept. 6–15) three players are in the lead with 5.0 points, followed by four with 4.5 points. After neglecting this exciting event for a few rounds we catch up with a giant illustrated report on rounds 2–6, provided by Steve Giddins, live from Liverpool.

The knights or the bishops?

9/12/2006 – Which is more important: the centralized knight or the long-term potential of the two bishops? Nigel Short argues for the knights while Granda Zuniga likes the bishops. On this week's Radio Show Playchess lecturer Andrew Martin also shows us how to play the white side of the Pirc. Enjoy a feast of good chess.

Benjamin Franklin and the Morals of Chess

9/12/2006 – Did you know that Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was the author of the first piece of writing on chess published in that country? Today, three hundred years after his birth, the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission is hosting a lecture by John McCrary on this book. If you cannot attend you can read the text.

Grischuk wins FIDE World Blitz Championship

9/12/2006 – The World Blitz Championship, a 16-player round robin, took place on September 7th 2006 in Rishon Le Zion, Israel. Peter Svidler and Alexander Grischuk tied for first, with 10.5 points each. The playoff was an "armageddon" game in which Grischuk had white and an extra minute on the clock, but had to win. Which he duly did. Full report

Into the mailbag

9/12/2006 – Our resident military historian and ChessBase Workshop columnist is about to take some sorely needed time off to go hike around a famous battlefield. But before he strapped on the backpack, gathered up his maps, and headed out the door, Steve Lopez left us with a collection of interesting e-mails that have recently hit his box. Dip into the mailbag in the latest ChessBase Workshop.

Max Euwe and 'the pearl of Zandvoort'

9/11/2006 – Max Euwe is sometimes considered an "accidental" world champion by casual fans, but unfairly. In his Monday night Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos shows us why his games and career are very much worthy of attention, using a bold sacrificial game against Alekhine to make his point.

Bent Larsen selling 1927 portrait of Capablanca

9/10/2006 – Legendary grandmaster Bent Larsen, of the Bobby Fischer era, is selling an original signed photograph portrait of world champion José Raúl Capablanca. This picture is claimed to be the only existing portrait of the world champion from the period when he was challenged by Alekhine. In fact it was taken on the day before the start of the match. Starting bid: $22,000.

The Grand Slam is Born

9/10/2006 – The organizers of the world's top professional tournaments got together in Spain to hatch the Chess Grand Slam Association. The participants represented Linares, Corus, MTel, plus the hosts in Bilbao, home of the top annual human-machine tournament. We have early comments from the organizers and hints about their ambitious plans.

Killer stuff in the French Defence

9/8/2006 – The French Defence is very well suited for players who do not have time to continuously keep up with latest opening theory. You can focus on understanding of positional ideas and strategy, rather than worry about tactics. Buy this new DVD training course on the French Defence by IM Ari Ziegler, or read this review.

'It hasn't yet dawned on me that I'm a grandmaster'

9/7/2006 – At 13 Parimarjan Negi is currently the youngest grandmaster in the world, and the second youngest in history. He is also becoming India's second chess superstar. On his recent return from Europe he was given a hero's welcome at a tumultuous press conference.

The Chess Cruise Tournament

9/7/2006 – What is the best venue for an international chess tournament, with the likes of Ivanchuk, Vaganian and Tukmakov participating? And former women's world champion Nona Gaprindashvili? The correct answer is the ferry ship from Odessa to Istanbul. The 15-minute rapid chess was won by the top seed Ivanchuk. Big pictorial report by GM Mikhail Golubev.

The Vodafone Gambit – EU Championships begin

9/7/2006 – The top seed at the European Union Individual Championship (Sept. 6–15) began with a dangerous opening for top seed Nigel Short. After 90 minutes of play the British GM, who seldom plays on home soil, equalised neatly by switching off his cell phone, and then cruised to victory against Mika Karttunen. Steve Giddins reports.

Kasparov wins BDO Tournament in Haarlem

9/6/2006 – Sergey Kaspaov, to be precise. He is 38 and was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, and now plays for Belarus. Recently he made his final GM norm, and hasn’t lost a single of his last 60 tournament games. Now Sergey has won the BDO Chess Tournament 2006 Premier Group, with 6½ out of 9. Yochanan Afek won the Challengers Group. Big illustrated report by GM Peng Zhaoqin.

Korchnoi wins Chess Festival in Banyoles

9/6/2006 – On March 23 Viktor Korchnoi turned 75. At an age where most grandmasters spend their time in the comfort of their homes, pontificating on the state of the chess world, Viktor Lvovich is out there bashing it out on the international tournament circuit. At the end of August he won a strong GM Open with 131 players in Catalonia, Spain. Report and videos.