10/1/2016 – A relatively quiet day in Moscow, as we had been spoiled with about three decisive games per day in the Tal Memorial. The only win today was by Vishy Anand against the completely luckless Boris Gelfand. It was an interesting affair in a Rossolimo Sicilian, but White with good preparation always had the edge. Priyadarshan Banjan brings a full transcript of Anand's post-game interview.

10/1/2016 – A month ago, we published an article discussing the topic of machine creativity entitled “Machine creativity: What it is, and what it isn’t”. Naturally, this was not meant as the final word on the topic, but rather an invitation to discuss and deliberate on it. In the pursuit of that discussion, author and programmer Dr. Ofer Shamai, a PhD in Philosophy of Science, sent a thoughtful reply to it, expounding his thoughts on the subject with a slightly different definition of 'creativity'. Food for thought.

10/1/2016 – What a month! There was no shortage of results with the Baku Olympiad taking place with players ranging from World Champion Magnus Carlsen to the lowliest amateur. It was a time to shine, and some players did just that to blinding extremes, such as Georgian Baadur Jobava's result good for 33 Elo, or Ukraine's Andrei Volokitin whose performance was almost beyond 3000! Vladimir Kramnik's gold medal result took him to a personal best of 2817 Elo and world no.2 once again. Here are the results, stats and more!

9/30/2016 – With his third straight victory it is Anish Giri that is stealing the show in Moscow. He leads with 3.5/4, half a point ahead of Ian Nepomniachtchi who drew against Levon Aronian. Two other games were decisive: Vladimir Kramnik returns to 50% by defeating Vishy Anand, while Li Chao came with strong preparation and beat a luckless Gelfand with the black pieces. Report of round four.

9/30/2016 – Chess globetrotter Alina l'Ami had a problem: she was continually losing rating points but had no idea why. As she loves chess and travelling she felt that the best cure to fight her Elo-disease would be a tournament in an inspiring country and gladly accepted the invitation to the Copa Independencia 2016. Mexico indeed inspired her and the result of the tough tournament once again showed that it is good to trust your feelings.

9/30/2016 – Tactics can seem deceptively simple, particularly when seeing an engine analysing grandmaster games. Strange, however, how difficult it is to find the right move and to calculate variations properly when playing yourself. It is easier if you solve tactical puzzles regularly. In the ChessBase Magazine and his tactics column Oliver Reeh helps you to do so.

9/30/2016 – The World Youth Championships U14, U16 and U18 are played from 20th September to 4th October in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. More than 400 players travelled to the Siberian city, accompanied by more than 260 parents and coaches. David Koetsier is coach of the Australian team and sends a report about the adventures of the Australian team that reflects on the unique atmosphere of youth tournaments.

9/30/2016 – Judit Polgar was a chess prodigy and is the only woman who has ever made it to the top ten in chess. After the Chess Olympiad in Tromso 2014 Judit Polgar retired from tournament chess but of course remained faithful to the game she loves. At the Chess Olympiad in Baku 2016 she was captain of the Hungarian team that played in the Open and she is the driving force behind the Global Chess Festival in Budapest, a fine celebration of chess. Manuel Weeks spoke with the "first lady of chess".

9/29/2016 – During the Chess Olympiad 2016 in Baku the General Assembly of FIDE made two important decisions which concern major tournaments. FIDE decided to play the Chess Olympiad 2020 in Khanty-Mansiysk and to let the Iranian Chess Federation organise the Women's World Championship 2017. This decision caused furious protests because in previous tournaments in Iran the women participants were forced to wear a headscarf.

9/29/2016 – A relatively bloody day in Moscow, as three white victories significantly change the standings. All of them came in very different ways: Mamedyarov annihilated Gelfand with a powerful attack, Nepomniachtchi was able to defeat Kramnik with excellent positional maneuvers while Giri ground down Tomashevsky in an extremely long endgame. Report, GM commentary and even a transcript of Vishy's analysis!

9/29/2016 – French chess trainer Xavier Parmentier was a passionate and caring coach. He helped many young chess players in difficult situations to find a way to develop self-confidence and to have success in chess and in life. Thanks to his help the 12-year old Fahim Mohammad, an immigrant from Bangladesh, was able to become French Champion U12 and later World Champion of his age group though he was forced to live as a homeless illegal in France. In April this year Xavier Parmentier died at the age of 52. Now a foundation continues his work.

9/29/2016 – Many foreigners wait for a chance to visit India. Filled with diverse landscapes, historic and cultural background, various cuisines and landmark structures – a trip to India can be a life transforming experience. If you are a chess player, here's some good news for you: you not only get to play in three back to back strong tournaments with a hefty prize fund, but you get to see the country. And if you are an IM or a GM you get some excellent conditions.