6/11/2003 – This morning we published an open letter sent to us by participants of the European Championships in Silivri, Turkey. A few hours later we received a message from the President of Turkish Chess Federation Ali Nihat Yazici: "I have read the news on the site today. Thank you for covering event. I attach a letter and would be glad if you publish this as an answer." Here it is...

6/10/2003 – Meet the masters – yesterday it was the men's section of the European Individual Championships in Silivri, Turkey. Now by popular demand we bring you the women's section with 28 portraits of some of the finest female chess players Europe has to offer. You will admit that we will all have to abandon certain age-old prejudices we have held about chess-playing women.

6/9/2003 – It wasn't chess for the highlight reel but somehow his nerves were enough for Ruslan Ponomariov to pick up the winner's check. The Ukrainian FIDE champ won the final match when Veselin Topalov melted down in time pressure and let his flag fall with a repetition on the board. Diagrams and analysis of Topalov's missed opportunity plus photos here.

6/8/2003 – Ukrainian FIDE champ Ruslan Ponomariov continued his domination of Spaniard Paco Vallejo by routing him in their semifinal match 3.5-0.5. This set up a final of favorites between Topalov and Ponomariov. The good news for Vallejo is that he now has something in common with Spassky and Karpov. Report and games

6/8/2003 – The European Individual Championships is under way in Silivri, Turkey. After eight rounds five players tied for first with six points each, followed by 17 with 5.5 points. We bring you all the games and necessary links to follow event, plus a set of great new action pictures directly from the tournament site in Turkey. Today we start with the men's section...

6/7/2003 – They've put away the computers in León, Spain, and the only thing advanced are your feelings of age when you look at the face of 13-year-old GM Sergey Karjakin. The "advanced chess" experiment might be over but the Ciudad de León tournament is still going strong with this 16th edition. Topalov, Ponomariov, Vallejo, and Karjakin play. Report and games

6/6/2003 – What is this lovely young lady doing, standing in the water in front of a racy speedboat? Participating in the 4th European Individual Championships in Silivri, Turkey, that's what. We bring you results (Aleksandrov leads in the men's section, Galliamova and Skripchenko among the women), games, links and lots of new pictures.

6/5/2003 – The four-time Women's World Chess Champion Susan Polgar has just been named "Grandmaster of the Year" by the United States Chess Federation. This is the first time in history that a woman has won this most prestigious award. Susan is also to lead the US women's team at the next Olympiad. Here is the full story and some personal pictures from the past.

6/4/2003 – Our top programs are doing pretty well out there in the media scene. Europe's biggest computer magazine gave Fritz 8 the top place for board game software (Shredder 7 came in second), and the Bologna Children's Book Fair gave Fritz & Chesster the top children's media prize. More...

6/3/2003 – Twenty-eight years ago one of the brightest stars of chess, Paul Keres, unexpectedly died of a heart attack on his way back home from a tournament triumph in Vancouver, Canada. We take a look at the career of a man who beat nine world champions and use this year's Keres Memorial games to help you improve your tactical skills. More...

6/1/2003 – Ivan Sokolov picked up the biggest check at the 2003 Bosnia tornament, leaving big names like Shirov and Bareev in the dust. Sokolov long ago left his native Bosnia for the Netherlands, although he continued to play for the Bosnian team until last year. In 2002 he played for the Dutch squad in the Olympiad but in 2003 he came back to Sarajevo to win clear first in the annual supertournament. Crosstable, games to replay online, and key positions with diagrams and notes here.

6/1/2003 – The 4th European Championship has started in Istanbul and lasts from May 30 until June 14. The men's section has 164 GMs, 31 IMs – and one 13-year-old girl (guess who!). The prize sum is $192,000, in the women's section $44,000. We bring you information, links and lots of pictures of the participants at work and at play.