Looking forward to Linares

2/17/2004 – In two days the “Wimbledon of chess”, begins in Linares (Spain). Starring in it are seven of the strongest GMs in the world, including Kasparov, Kramnik, Shirov, Topalov and Leko. Ram Prasad gets us in the mood by looking back at previous tournaments.

Kramnik vs Leko – on Radio ChessBase!

2/16/2004 – In tonight's audio lecture by Dennis Monokroussos on ChessBase Radio the subject will be the upcoming world championship match between Kramnik and Leko. The lecture starts at 9 p.m. EST (3 a.m. for Europeans) on the Playchess.com server. Here are the details...

Five-time World Computer Chess Champion

2/16/2004 – It's the five-time World Computer Chess Champion. It comes with a huge database and opening book. It comes with dazzling new 3D boards. And it's the subject of this week's ChessBase Workshop. It's Shredder 8 and you can read all about it in Steve Lopez' latest column.

Ruy Lopez on Ebay

2/15/2004 – No, not the opening with 3.Bb5, but a book by the famed Spanish priest who lived in the middle of the 16th century. A first edition Italian version of his lesser-known Il Giuoco De Gli Scacchi is up for sale, with "insect damage to the spine and minute marginal worming". The starting bid is €500 ($640) in this Ebay auction.

Nine-headed monster wins Paderborn

2/15/2004 – Hydra, described by its authors as a program that will "corner in a bloody confrontation whoever crosses its path", justified this frightening image by winning the computer tournament in Paderborn outright. Second on the table was Fritz and third Shredder. Here are the results and games, and further information on a blood-curdling program.

Chess spectacle in Cannes

2/14/2004 – You don't see very much of this anymore: a chess master giving a blindfold simultaneous exhibition. It's supposed to be bad for your (mental) health. This week a young grandmaster played blindfold chess against twelve opponents, in the festival city of Cannes (France). The spectators and media loved it.

Daniël Stellwagen wins Complete Chess match

2/13/2004 – He has been called the “Dutch incarnation of Boris Spasski”. 16-year-old Daniël Stellwagen defeated his 15-year-old counterpart from Germany, David Baramidze, in the computer-assisted match in Maastricht. The final score in the four-game match was 2.5-1.5. Here's a report, pictures and annotated games...

Watch Yannick and Almira online

2/13/2004 – Remember our last Radio ChessBase broadcast, with stunning video images of Elisabeth Pähtz? Well, tonight (16:00h GMT) we have another visual feast: Swiss GM Yannick Pelletier will appear live on the show! Oh, yes, he will be joined by Almira Skripchenko, France's top female grandmaster. Here are full instructions on how to tune in.

Computer assisted chess in Maastricht

2/12/2004 – Two of Europe's brightest young talents, Daniël Stellwagen (16, Holland, Elo 2487) and David Baramidze (15, Germany, 2456) are playing a four-game match in Holland – with a twist. Both opponents are allowed to use computer assistance during the game. Here is a half-time report, pictures and annotated games...

A weapon against Caro-Kann

2/12/2004 – The Caro-Kann Defence is one of the most solid weapons against 1.e4. Tonight our GM trainer Dorian Rogozenko will talk about a very good way to fight it – with the Panov Attack. Learn more on our Thursday Playchess lecture.

Annotation and language tabs

2/12/2004 – In this week's ChessBase Workshop, we show how to add color to the annotations in your Notation pane and offer an important tip to annotators who are writing for worldwide electronic distribution. You will find it all explained in plain English in Steve Lopez's weekly ChessBase Workshop...

Watching the stars at the Dutch Blitz Championship

2/12/2004 – Last weekend there was an interesting blitz championship. It was held for the 19th year in succession in the Dutch town of Dordrecht (near Rotterdam). What makes it interesting is that there were many international stars present – Sokolov, Short, Dreev –, but also our reporter Jeroen van den Belt, who sent in a pictorial report.

Open Letter from the ACP to the ECU

2/12/2004 – The Association of Chess Professionals, which has been holding board meetings in Wijk aan Zee and Paris, has just released an open letter to the European Chess Union, a branch of FIDE. In it they criticise past practices and demand specific and substantial changes. We bring you a summary and the original letter.

Bad girls go to Laguna Beach

2/10/2004 – What are these chess players doing? They are playing a game against an Uzbek grandmaster. While Saidali Yuldashev sits in freezing Tashkent, some of his opponents are enjoying a beach-side think in sunny California. For our TV match Jamshid Begmatov has received a beautiful photo report from the opposite side of the globe.

MegaDataBase 2004 - review

2/9/2004 – In the last of a series of previews of the new ChessBase DVDs, we rip the shrinkwrap off of Mega Database 2004 and look at not just the database but the other goodies included on this DVD. Steve Lopez supplies the details in the latest edition of his ChessBase Workshop...

Live from the US of A – it's Radio ChessBase!

2/9/2004 – Tonight is the second lesson by Dennis Monokroussos on ChessBase Radio. The subject is Paul Keres, one of the greatest players never to become world chess champion. The free audio lecture starts at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (3 a.m. for European insomniacs) on the Playchess.com server. Here are the details...

Chess on the Beeb – Kasparov vs. the Kremlin

2/8/2004 – We recently reported on the foundation by Garry Kasparov and prominent liberals in Russia of a group to oust Vladimir Putin in the 2008 presidential elections. Today BBC News aired a remarkable six-and-a-half minute report, in which the situation in Russia is described. The situation is described, not the least by Garry Kasparov, in very outspoken terms.

Nigel Short: 'Economically I am right wing'

2/6/2004 – After winning the Commonwealth Championship Nigel Short has now taken the strong Gibraltar Open. In an interview with the winner we spoke less about chess and more about the historical and political background of British colony – and the conservative Nigel Short.

The Brain in Bahrain passes

2/5/2004 – Yousuf Ahmed Al Shirawi was one of the best-respected personalities in Bahrain. He was a scientist and minister in the government, responsible for many pioneer projects in the Arabian island state. He was also a dedicated chess player who in 2002 organised the Kramnik vs Deep Fritz match. Yousuf al Shirawi died on Tuesday at the age of 76. Here's a portrait of an unforgettable man.

A premiere for Radio ChessBase

2/4/2004 – Last Friday, in a relatively impromptu session, Radio ChessBase staged a premiere. Instead of the usual voice commentary on the weekly broadcast we switched on a high-quality video feed. About a hundred visitors saw some pretty spectacular images. The special guest in the studio was world champion Elisabeth Pähtz.

The Gambit Challenge: How to Become a Pawn Star

2/4/2004 – Three weeks ago the Gambit Publications started a competition on our site for eye-catching titles for chess books. The "Guide to Beating the English" by Kunte and Ramesh is one cute example, "Play and Pronounce the Scheveningen" a practical one. The three winners are announced by Dr John Nunn.

Maurice Ashley appears in PBS documentary

2/4/2004 – GM Maurice Ashley will appear in a TV documentary entitled America: Beyond the Color Line, which will be broadcast in two parts on Public Television in the US beginning at 9 pm New York time, Tuesday, February 3. GM Ashley appears in the second installment which will be broadcast at the same hour on Wednesday, February 4. Here's the full story...

Tudo bem! Vescovi wins Fourways International in Bermuda

2/3/2004 – The one phrase you must know if you go to Brazil is "Tudo bem!" Often accompanied by a thumbs-up this is the universal expression for "okay", "cool", and "a Brazilian just won a category 16 tournament!" In dramatic fashion Giovanni Vescovi defeated Boris Gelfand in the final round to pass the Israeli and hoist the winner's trophy for the second year in a row. Full report and games.

ChessBrain world record attempt

2/2/2004 – It sounds quite terrifying: a Danish grandmaster faces over two thousand computers, all working together in a gigantic network of distributed machines. The event duly broke the Guinness World Record attempt, but the GM (Peter Heine Nielsen) did not have as much trouble as we would have expected. Here's a report and the game...