Throwback Thursday: Vugar Gashimov’s brilliant legacy

7/9/2020 – Soon after rapidly climbing to the top of the chess elite, Vugar Gashimov sadly passed away at the young age of 27 on January 11, 2014. The Azerbaijani grandmaster was known for his joyful personality and his uncompromising style on the chessboard. We look back at a testimonial made about him and three of his greatest achievements as a chess player. | Photo: Nadja Wittman

“Game Changer” wins the Averbakh-Boleslavsky Award 2019

7/9/2020 – “Game Changer” by Matthew Sadler and Natasha Regan, published by New in Chess, won the Averbakh-Boleslavsky Award to the best book of 2019. Artur Jussupow, who was a member of the jury, said of the book: “It is a unique project that combines human achievements with remarkable development in AI and opens a new approach to our beloved game. We could not choose a more deserving winner”. Books by Sam Shankland and Davorin Kuljasevic were shortlisted. | Photo: Alina l’Ami

Are you smarter than a chimpanzee?

7/8/2020 – This provoking title has some truth in it. Humanbenchmark.com specializes in measuring human brain abilities with games and cognitive tests. One of their exercises states that chimpanzees consistently outperform humans — the Chimpanzee Test. Interestingly enough, some games are strongly related to chess. For pattern recognition, the “Visual Memory Test” is helpful, while for online chess purposes the “Aim Trainer” might do the trick.

Getting the most out of ChessBase 15: a step-by-step guide #8 – Reference Database

7/8/2020 – ChessBase 15 is the most powerful chess database management software on the planet, but to get the best out of all that potential, the first thing you need is a large, up to date Reference Database. Nick Murphy takes you step by step through setting and updating your reference database.

On the origins of chess (5/7)

7/8/2020 – After presenting the Indian, Chinese and Egyptian theories of the origins of chess, researcher Sergio Negri takes us through hypotheses based on myths, legends and the fictional world — many of which are better known than those based on historiographical data.

Bamberg, Round 15: Keres wins tournament and final round!

7/7/2020 – Paul Keres' tournament victory was already certain before the final round. Nevertheless, the Estonian once again played uncompromisingly to win. This was not the only decisive game of the day, which ended with a wonderful closing ceremony. At which a budgie also changed hands. | Photo: SC Bamberg

Solution to the historical riddle Botvinnik vs Bronstein 1951: Bronstein could have drawn

7/7/2020 – One draw in a crucial game and David Bronstein would have been World Champion. After losing a difficult ending in the crucial 23rd game Bronstein drew the World Championship Match 1951 against Mikhail Botvinnik which allowed Botvinnik to keep the title. Now Karsten Müller wanted to know whether this ending was indeed lost or whether Bronstein had a draw. Karsten Müller asked the ChessBase readers for help to solve this historical riddle, and now, after long and difficult analyses and a debate about the 50-move-rule he has an answer: Bronstein indeed missed a draw in this historically important game!

A lot of ways to improve: the ChessBase Magazine #196

7/7/2020 – To improve in chess you need to practice. But what do you do when you have little time, e.g. just a few hours before going to work? Davide Nastasio uses this time to study his favourite chess magazine to keep in shape. In a review he takes a look at the latest issue of the ChessBase Magazine.

Running for shelter

7/7/2020 – In the endgame the king often gets active – after all, when only a few pieces remain on the board mate is less likely. However, the king often still needs protection from checks and attacks. But sometimes it can use enemy pawns as an "umbrella" to run for shelter.

Grandmaster Battle: Mamedyarov vs. Sanal

7/7/2020 – The Turkish Chess Federation is organizing online matches in which the best players from the country face international stars. Starting July 7, Turkey’s number four Vahap Sanal will face Shakhriyar Mamedyarov on the PlayChess platform. They will play sixteen 15-minute games (with 10-second increments) over the course of four days. | Photo: Turkish Chess Federation

Jubilee Tournament Bamberg 1968, Round 15 - Live

7/6/2020 – To celebrate its 100th birthday the German Chess Club Bamberg organizes a big international jubilee tournament. Paul Keres won the tournament smoothly and before the last round he leads with 11.0/14 and is 1½ points ahead of World Champion Tigran Petrosian who is sole second with 9½/14. In round 15 Keres plays with Black against Helmut Pfleger and might want to finish the tournament with a win. The transmission of the last round starts 18.00 local time (14:00 UTC, 10:00 EDT).

Remembering Ennio Morricone (November 10, 1928 – July 6, 2020)

7/6/2020 – Initially, Ennio Morricone wanted to become a chess professional. But then he realized that his musical talent was much greater than his talent for chess and he became a composer, whose music added a special touch to many famous films. But Morricone was always passionate about chess. On July 6, 2020, he died in Rome at the age of 91. | Photo: Comune Turin

Bamberg 1968, Round 14: Keres wins tournament with one round to go

7/6/2020 – With an energetic win against Roman Toran Paul Keres also won the jubilee tournament in Bamberg. After 14 of 15 rounds Keres has 11.0/14 and is 1½ points ahead of World Champion Tigran Petrosian, who was lost against Jürgen Teufel but saved himself with a well-timed draw offer. The German players Wolfgang Unzicker, Lothar Schmid and Rudolf Teschner share places three to five.

An interview with Merijn van Delft

7/6/2020 – Merijn van Delft has been giving chess training for many years, and has a regular show at ChessBase. He now published an interesting book on "Positional Sacrifice". In an interview he talks about the book, his work and his passion for positional sacrifices.

Jon Speelman: “Play your own moves”

7/5/2020 – “The most important thing is to choose the moves you want to play — not somebody else, let alone an engine. They may not ‘theoretically’ be the best, but unless they can palpably be refuted you will do better with them than something ‘better’ which makes your stomach turn”, concludes star columnist Jon Speelman after exploring a number of instructional examples, including a couple of his games against Garry Kasparov!

Bamberg 1968, Round 13: Draws on top boards

7/5/2020 – In the thirteenth round of the Bamberg Jubilee Tournament, almost all games ended drawn — and some of them were very short. Only the Bulgarian grandmaster Milko Bobotsov (photo: Dutch National Archive) achieved a victory against Jürgen Teufel from Bamberg. But, since these two players are in the bottom half of the standings table, their decisive result had no influence on the fight for first place: with two rounds to go, Paul Keres still has a one-point lead over World Champion Tigran Petrosian.

East German programmers in Budapest

7/5/2020 – Looking back: in 1983 Frederic Friedel was in Budapest for the third Microcomputer World Chess Championship. There he made first acquaintance with the Polgar family, but also met the East German chess programming team. His description of this memorable encounter tells us what things were like in the fading years of Eastern European communism.

Dubov's Tarrasch

7/5/2020 – In the new ChessBase Magazine #196 eleven opening articles with exciting repertoire ideas are waiting for you. IM Robert Ris scrutinizes an almost forgotten line with which Daniil Dubov recently brought fresh wind into the Tarrasch Defence and tried at the highest level. Ris' conclusion: 7.cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5 is "very hot and deservedly so."
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Carlsen beats Giri, clinches Chessable Masters

7/5/2020 – Magnus Carlsen won the Chessable Masters online tournament by scoring a straight-set victory in the final against Anish Giri. In Saturday’s second set of the deciding match, Carlsen got an impressive win in the first game, while Giri missed chances to tie the score in games 2, 3 and 4. This was the third event of the Magnus Carlsen Tour — and the second one that sees the world champion taking first place! | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Bamberg 1968, Round 12: Teschner beats Ivkov!

7/4/2020 – The editor of the chess periodical “Deutsche Schachzeitung” Rudolf Teschner is an International Master and thus a strong chess player. Yesterday at the Bamberg Jubilee Tournament, Yugoslavian grandmaster Borislav Ivkov confirmed this was the case when he lost to Teschner — in fourth place, Teschner is now half a point ahead of Ivkov. At the top of the table, World Champion Petrosian and Bamberg’s Lothar Schmid have moved closer to Paul Keres: both won their games, while Keres signed a quick draw against Wolfgang Unzicker. | Pictured: A view of Bamberg from Michelsberg

Independence Day

7/4/2020 – In our review of the movie The Coldest Game in March we also mentioned the cult classic science-fiction film "Independence Day". What's a better time to take a look at the chess game played in that movie than the Fourth of July - Independence Day?

Chessable Masters Final: Carlsen clinches

7/4/2020 – Magnus Carlsen won the Chessable Masters online tournament by scoring a third consecutive straight-set victory in the final against Anish Giri. In Saturday’s second set of the deciding matchup, Carlsen got an impressive win in the first game, while Giri missed chances to tie the score in games 2, 3 and 4. This was the third event of the Magnus Carlsen Tour — and the second one that sees the world champion taking first place. Full report to follow shortly. | Photo: FIDE

Chessable Masters Final: Carlsen wins close first set

7/4/2020 – A thrilling first set of the Chessable Masters Final saw Magnus Carlsen clinching a crucial win by defeating Anish Giri in the second blitz game of tiebreaks. Giri played enterprising chess throughout, getting what at some point seemed to be an unlikely win in game 4 to tie the score and take the set to 5-minute games and a potential Armageddon. The Dutchman now needs to win on demand on Saturday to keep his chances alive. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Bamberg 1968, Round 11: Miss Mar del Plata and a bank robbery

7/3/2020 – At the Bamberg jubilee tournament, the arrival of Boris Ivkov's wife Olga Kesic (pictured), Miss Mar del Plata 1955, and a bank robbery in nearby Nürnberg provided opportunities for conversation. The bank robbers in Nürnberg were soon caught but Ivkov lost his game. Lothar Schmid fared better.