This year just bring your brains, gentlemen

3/12/2003 – The 16th Ciudad de León, June 5–9, will not be an Advanced Chess tournament (like the previous five), with the players using computers during the game. This year they will use their brains and nothing else. But at least these are of very high caliber. The participants are Topalov, Ponomariov, Vallejo and Karjakin, with Elos ranging from 2743 to 2547. Details are to be found here...

Grandmaster Ludek Pachman dies at 78

3/12/2003 – He was an icon of the times, a great chess player and a political activist, who after the Soviet invasion of his native Czechoslovakia was tortured almost to death in a Prague cellar. After this harrowing experience Ludek Pachman moved to Germany and started a successful career as a chess columnist and author. He was also one of the first GMs to play a game against a computer. Read all about it in our farewell to Ludek Pachman.

Kasparov's outburst over beauty prize in Linares

3/11/2003 – Justice should be blind, but should beauty? At the closing ceremony the prize for the most beautiful game went to Kasparov-Radjabov. The teen's win over the #1 was a landmark moment, but Radjabov had a losing position and it took a "??" move from Kasparov to create the upset. Kasparov erupted at the ceremony and went after the journalists who had voted. Who was wrong? Everybody...

Not long before the end

3/11/2003 – Here at chessbase.com we receive a lot of mail. Usually it is about general subjects and topical news. Occasionally we receive very personal messages from people asking for assistance. Today there was a message in our inbox from a very depressed grandmaster. We share his poignant missive with you. Perhaps someone out there will find some words of reassurance.

Ivanchuk slept here

3/10/2003 – No, not in the house on the right – that's where the dogs fall off the cliffs! In her closing report from Linares Nadja Wittmann finds proof that her room in the Anibal hotel was previously occupied by Vassily Ivanchuk, describes the unforgettable taste of fresh olives and shows you the banners Spanish mayors are putting up on their town halls. Curious? See it all in this remarkable picture gallery from Linares.

Hungary Rejoices! Leko Beats Anand to Rejoin Lead

3/9/2003 – It's all about the Leko in Linares. The former Schlechter Award winner bounced back from his loss in round 12 to defeat none other than Vishy Anand for the first time ever and moved back into a tie for first with Kramnik. Anand fell to a tie for 3-4 with Kasparov, who was held to a draw by Vallejo. Kramnik-Leko in the final round! More..

Kramnik-Leko, Anand-Kasparov Drawn. Leko Takes Title

3/9/2003 – According to the traditional Linares tiebreak system of 'fewest draws,' Peter Leko has won his first title of Linares champion! His game with Kramnik was a solid draw and both players finished with 7/12. Anand and Kasparov drew and finished 3-4 with 6.5/12. Ponomariov won against Vallejo. Report and games here.

It's in the news: teen beats Kasparov

3/8/2003 – It happened two weeks ago, but now the news has suddenly broken in the broadsheets: the world's strongest chess player Garry Kasparov was beaten by a mere teen! "The duel of David and Goliath – culminating in Kasparov's failure to shake Radjabov's hand afterward – was a highlight of the Linares Chess Tournament," more than a dozen newspapers wrote. You will find a click-list of them here...

Anand Moves Back Up, Leko Back Down

3/8/2003 – Just two more rounds to play in Linares and there has been another shake-up in the standings. Co-leader Leko lost to local player Vallejo to drop to +1. Anand beat Radjabov to rejoin Kramnik, who is still sitting on +2 like a mountain. Can anyone topple him? Ponomariov-Kasparov was a steady draw. Report, photos, and analysis here.

The Winner of Wijk

3/8/2003 – Before the super-tournament in Wijk aan Zee we asked you to predict who would win and how certain players would fare. We got hundreds of answers, many veritable essays on the strengths and weaknesses of the individual participants. We asked the wife of the Wijk aan Zee winner to select a recipient, and her husband dutifully commemorated the prize with his signature. Check quickly if you were the lucky winner.

Doesn't Anyone Want to Win Linares?

3/7/2003 – With three days to go the standings have remained unchanged for three consecutive rounds. The draw percentage in the tournament has now gone over two-thirds after three more piece treaties were signed today. Kramnik-Anand was the liveliest of the trio. Kramnik and Leko still lead with +2, Kasparov and Anand are right behind at +1. Who has a finishing kick? More..

Peace Now! At Least in Linares

3/6/2003 – We're out of draw jokes, but for the second round in a row all games finished without a winner. The organizers were checking their watches. Over so soon?! Leko was in a mess against Kasparov but solved the puzzle to draw. Radjabov abandoned the French and it almost paid off against Ponomariov. Vallejo-Kramnik gets the round's pollo award for lasting just 13 moves. More..

India's Sasikiran Wins Asian Championship in Doha

3/5/2003 – Fine, you say, but where is Doha? We're glad you asked. The capital city of Qatar hosted the Asian Championship from Feb.22 to Mar.2. India's Krishnan Sasikiran, by far the top seed at 2664, won clear first place and $12,000 with 7/9. Clear second went to Iranian GM Ghaem Maghami. The top ten finishers qualified for the next world championship cycle and both Vietnam and Yemen will be represented. All the games and results here.

Three Draws Before the Final Rest Day

3/3/2003 – After eight rounds of brutal brain to brain combat, all three games were drawn for only the second time. None of the draws were of the Grandmaster variety; they were all played out to simplification. With five rounds to play after Tuesday's rest day, Kramnik and Leko remain in the lead at +2 and Anand and Kasparov trail at +1. More...

The grudge round

3/2/2003 – Round eight of the 20th Linares tournament was the start of the second half of this very strong round robin. It was a grudge round with the two ex world champions playing against the reigning world champions who had taken away their titles. Both Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand were eager to teach Vladimir Kramnik and Ruslan Ponomariov a lesson. More...

Leko Rejoins the Lead with Sweep of Radjabov

3/2/2003 – It was a deja vu round in Linares. Leko beat Radjabov again. Kasparov and Kramnik drew again. Anand lost a half-point in an endgame again! Radjabov's lines the French are looking very Maginot so far in Linares and he took another beating today. Vishy was in mop-up mode against Ponomariov when the mop slipped from his hand at the final moment. Full report and analysis here.

Pork chops at half price

3/2/2003 – The grand tournament in Linares began on the 21st of February, and we have been reporting faithfully on each round of this "Wimbledon tournament" of chess. Only one thing was really missing: pictures from the provincial capital of Andalusia. There was only a trickle coming out of Linares, so we decided to pack our cameras and embark on the journey to the south of Spain. We bring you our first Linares picture gallery here.

The Giants Awaken, Kramnik and Anand Take the Lead

3/1/2003 – After six rounds the heavyweights have taken their rightful places at the head of the crosstable. Vishy Anand defeated Peter Leko and Vlady Kramnik demolished Radjabov to claim his share of first place. Vallejo-Kasparov was a draw with a few twists. The stage is set for two big clashes tomorrow: Kasparov-Anand and Leko-Kramnik. Come watch live at Playchess.com! More..

Kasparov beats Anand, Kramnik Leads Alone

3/1/2003 – After yet another Linares endgame course, Garry Kasparov defeated Viswanathan Anand in round seven. The current verdict? Anand should have drawn the ending. Kramnik is in clear first at +2 after drawing in 25 moves against Leko in, finally, a Sveshnikov Sicilian. Ponomariov got his first win by beating Vallejo in yet another endgame. Kasparov-Kramnik in round eight! More..

'My next goal is to defeat everyone else'

2/27/2003 – He is one of the brightest young stars on the chess horizon. Teimour Radjabov hails from Baku (just like you-know-who) and at fifteen has scaled the very highest pinnacles of chess. In fact just a few days ago he scored an incredible black victory against Garry Kasparov. David Llada spoke to the chess prodigy in this exclusive interview.

Leko Takes the Lead, Kasparov Strikes Back

2/27/2003 – Hungary's Peter Leko broke his streak of epic draws with a positional crush of Vallejo. Kasparov got his first win with a kingside attack against Ponomariov, who gave up a pawn to get the queens off the board. The endgame offered no relief and Kasparov quickly pushed his king up the board to collect the full point in person. Radjabov-Anand was a 25-move draw. More..

Age difference between the players: 92 years!

2/26/2003 – 2,000 hot dogs and over 3,000 cans of soft drink. Those are the numbers served and consumed at the Chess Festival held at the Reykjavik Art Museum, which was as crowded as a shopping mall on Christmas Eve. There Julia Ros Hafsteinsdottir, 10, played a match agains Gudmundur Dadason, still pushing pawns at the age of 102! In the main tournament Alexei Shirov, 30, is in the lead.

Isn't life wonderful, Sanya?

2/26/2003 – It's almost a week sind the Aeroflott Open finished in Moscow – time to look back and take stock. The organisers were delighted and have decided to keep the "GM Super-Swiss" going, indefinitely. "Let's make it 300 GMs next year," they said (instead of the 150 this time). Read all about it in Eugeny Atarov's final report from Moscow, which is full of personal pictures of the players.

800 Wins at 32 Years Old!?

2/25/2003 – It's chess all right, but Japanese chess, or shogi. The popular sport has its own icon, Yoshiharu Habu, whose games are regularly on TV in Japan. On Sunday Habu became, at 32, the youngest player ever to reach 800 career victories, breaking the record by six months. Kasparov has yet to reach that number in competitive play. More..