Bobby Fischer settles down

4/15/2005 – The news was he planned to sue the US Government for $200 million. Now we learn that Fischer has dropped the lawsuit, which may have been filed without his consent. He is settling down in Iceland, enjoying the food (especially seafood and lamb), the space and fresh air, the absence of nuclear plants. We bring you the latest news and lots of new photos.

The Garry Kasparov Interview, part 2

4/14/2005 – In the second installment of our epic interview with the world's highest-rated chess retiree, we discuss Kasparov's picks for his best games, tournaments, and years, his legendary opening preparation, chess evolution over the decades, and the past and future of chess and the championship. And what about Fischer?

The Nigerian Chess Scam – revisited

4/14/2005 – Remember the Advance Fee Fraud involving chess teacher being promised a $150,000 a year salary for training the Nigerian chess team? Well, one chess trainer has applied for the job. Grandmaster Dr Martin Roland, number 19 on the world rankings (Elo 2698), successful Linares player and seven times Olympic gold medalist, has come close to clinching the deal.

World Ladies Tournament in Jinan

4/14/2005 – In 2003 the city of Jinan staged a male + female tandem chess event, now these imaginative Chinese organisers have come up with another winner: inviting twelve beautiful, strong women players to take part in the San Jinan Cup World Ladies Tournament (April 14–19). We enthusiastically bring you a first giant pictorial report.

Sensation: Dubai Open won by Wang Hao

4/14/2005 – Wang Who?? The question and the question marks are justified. The clear first place winner is a Chinese player who left 53 GMs and 30 IMs gasping for air. We say player because Wang has no FIDE title. It gets worse: he turned 16 during round five of the event. Clearly we are going to have to watch this lad. Full report with games, results and lots of pictures.

Viktor Kortchnoi's my life for chess

4/13/2005 – Viktor Kortchnoi has authored an incredible two DVD series for ChessBase entitled "My Life for Chess". Get a preview of these disks featuring the man ChessBase Workshop columnist Steve Lopez calls "a bottled hurricane". Workshop...

Peter Leko takes on the French

4/12/2005 – Recently Peter Leko, Hungary's top GM and the world's number four player, gave a clock simul against eight top chess teams from French schools and universities. Each side had 90 minutes for all the moves, Leko naturally 90 minutes for all his games. The event was held in the Paris Senat. Guess who turned up...

On world chess and crapulent GMs

4/11/2005 – In recent days there has been a spate of articles, editorials and interviews on chess. Anand gave an interview to Rediff; Jon Speelman and Leonard Barden wrote columns in the Guardian; ACP president Joel Lautier was extensively interviewed by the Russian chess magazine 64-Chess; and of course Nigel Short did his thing in the Telegraph. Interesting material...

Anand wins fourth Chess Oscar

4/11/2005 – He won two in a row, in 1997 and 1998. Now Indian Super-GM Vishy Anand has done it again, winning the Oscar for 2004 Chess Oscar after clinching it for 2003. The worldwide poll involving leading chess writers, critics and journalists from 75 countries, and conducted by Russian magazine 64, gave Anand 5205 points for victory.

Dealing with the Dreadful Dragon

4/11/2005 – Don't you hate Dragon players? Well, most e4 players do. They dig in with a strong fianchettoed bishop and a safely castled king, while the white player has all the fish to fry. If these Dragon specialists are driving you nuts, Aryan Argandewal has some advice for you: play the Yugoslav Attack!

Double-checking your opening - part two

4/11/2005 – In Part Two of a series on identifying and researching non-book moves, ChessBase Workshop takes a look at how to use ChessBase 9 features to help you pinpoint and learn from these points of variance. More...

Monokroussos: Seek and you shall find

4/10/2005 – For his Monday night lecture on Playchess.com Dennis Monkroussos went hunting – in ChessBase Magazine 104, where he found a contemporary masterpiece of a game, played at last year's Calvià Olympiad. Tune in, watch and listen.

A hitchhiker's guide to the European Championship

4/9/2005 – Remember last year's European Individual Chess Championship in Antalya, Turkey? With GMs in swimming pools and girls relaxing in Turkish steam baths? This year's championship, which is open to all European players, regardless of their titles or ratings, is being held from June 17th in Warsaw, Poland. We have no pictures from the Polish steam baths yet, but full details of the tournament.

Karol Józef Wojtyla, 1920–2005

4/8/2005 – As we write, one of the largest gatherings in human history is taking place in the city of Rome, where over four million devotees have assembled to bid farewell to Pope John Paul II, who died on April 2nd. In his youth the Polish head of the Catholic church was a polyglot athlete, actor, playwright, and, some believe, an avid chess player.

Chess Trainers sought – by scam artists

4/8/2005 – Everyone knows the Nigerian scam, which promises people startling rewards in semi-legal operations, in return for a relatively modest advance fee. After decades of working under different guises the fraudsters have at last turned their attention to chess. How would you like a cushy job as a chess trainer in Lagos, with a $12,000 paycheck per month. You wish...

News and views from the world of chess

4/7/2005 – Grandmaster Akopian mistakenly arrested on murder suspicion. Fischer ready to sue the US government for $200 million. Kasparov forms a new political party. Karpov criticises him and defends Putin. Indian chess row apparently resolved. US chess club advocates Scholar's Mate instead of sex. Who said chess was boring?

Double-checking your opening

4/6/2005 – ChessBase Workshop often concentrates on a single program feature in each column. In the latest edition, you'll learn how to combine multiple program features to "double-check" and research your opening choices.

The German Bundesliga – preparing to rumble

4/6/2005 – It is the strongest team championships in the world. Stars like Anand, Adams, Svidler and Shirov participate. Currently three teams are tied for first, with the big showdown coming up this weekend. You can watch the critical games live, on Playchess.com and other transmission sites. Full information...

Radio ChessBase: Around the World in 80 moves

4/6/2005 – Glasgow 3rd Floor Chess Radio is back with an hour on the best chess of the past week, as always on Wednesday at 20:30h CET on Playchess.com. Presented by the aerodynamic duo of IMs Jacob Aagaard and John Shaw

7th Dubai Open Chess Championship

4/6/2005 – It is one of the strongest open chess tournaments in the world, with 53 grandmasters and 30 IMs (including five WGMs and seven WIMs) at last count. The 7th Dubai Open has been organised by the Dubai Chess & Culture Club under the auspices of H.H.Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktum. The prize fund is US $40,000, with special prizes for local players of US $5,000. More...

Fit to Kill – with all the right moves

4/6/2005 – It is a witty and elegant new production in the tradition of Sleuth and Deathtrap. The off Broadway play Fit to Kill is about a chess master who is caught up in deadly schemes involving his older but sexy and vibrant wife and a young reporter with an agenda of her own. It opens at the Clurman Theatre in New York City (410 West 42nd Street) this Saturday. Guess who's the chess consultant.

The Garry Kasparov Interview, Part 1

4/5/2005 – This is the one you've been waiting for. Actually, the three you've been waiting for. Our epic post-retirement interview with Garry Kasparov covers his best games, the future of chess, retirement plans, Kramnik, Karpov, Deep Blue, computers, and much, much more. And of course there are plenty of fantastic photos.

Club-2700 – a one-act play

4/4/2005 – "We writers like to seek inspiration in the strangest places," wrote Alex Shternshain of Ottawa, Canada. "But I bet no writer has ever found his inspiration in the FIDE rating list – until now." Alex submitted a one-act play titled "Club-2700", suggesting Sandra Bullock for Caissa and R2D2 for Deep Blue. Now all we need is to find a producer.

Kasparov on the future of Russian politics

4/4/2005 – This week on Sunday Profile, an Australian news program, Gary Kasparov was interviewed by Monica Attard, one of the country's most respected news and current affairs journalists. The subject: Kasparov's decision to leave the world of professional chess and enter into the fray of Russian politics, and the personal consequences that entails. Very powerful stuff.