8/19/2016 – 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.

8/19/2016 – In round ten of the World Junior U20 Championships in Bhubaneswar, India, 15-year old Jeffery Xiong scored his fourth win in a row. He beat Polish IM Grzegroz Nasuta with fine endgame play and now leads with 8.5/10. His closest rival is Vladislav Artemiev who won against Iraki Beradze. With 7.5/10 Artemiev is one point behind Xiong and with three rounds to go the direct encounter between these two will probably decide who will become World Junior Champion 2016.

8/19/2016 – The 48th edition of the Dutch Open in Dieren, Netherlands, was won by Sandipan Chanda. He faced stiff competition from Erwin l’Ami and Igor Khenkin, but the Indian grandmaster showed nerves of steel as he won his last round game to take the title by a clear half point. In this article we have some interesting training material for the readers of our newspage. Throughout the report you will be challenged, and at the end of it you are bound to become a stronger chess player.

8/18/2016 – The dynamic 4...Nf6 line of the Caro-Kann (after 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4) offers a golden opportunity to throw your opponents on their own resources. Nigel Davies examines both the Bronstein-Larsen (5.Nxf6+ gxf6) and the Tartakower (5.Nxf6+ exf6) systems and shows how the doubled f-pawn gives Black a range of aggressive plans and ideas. 4...Nf6 has been favored by great players such as Alexander Alekhine, Viktor Kortchnoi, David Bronstein, Bent Larsen, Nigel Short and Savielly Tartakower. Others are likely to join them.

8/18/2016 – Alina l'Ami has played tournaments all over the world but admits that "whenever I am asked the nearly-impossible-to-answer question: 'which tournament would you recommend?', my brain turns blank and my eyes start blinking. Besides the fact that we are all different, with a different set of needs and priorities, I'm afraid the perfect tournament doesn't exist at all." But Alina l'Ami liked the tournament in Lund, Sweden, she recently played in. In fact, she liked it a lot. And sent an illustrated report.

8/18/2016 – The World Junior Chess Championships U20 take place from 7th to 22nd August in Bhubaneswan, India. In a 13-round Swiss some of the world's most promising juniors play for the prestigious title of World Junior Champion. After nine rounds 15-year old US Grandmaster Jeffery Xiong has good chances to secure the title. After a wild attacking win in round 8 and a quiet positional victory in round 9 Xiong now has 7.5/9 and is sole leader with four rounds to go.

8/12/2016 – When he first came to Rio de Janeiro, Lennart Ootes explains he was very unsure of what to expect, with a mix of reports of safety issues and postcard views to take home. Needless to say, the truth lies somewhere in between, with a big city's realities and a unique meld with nature. Here he was able to see some of the best Rio has to offer and shares his impressions, some of the things he saw, with a vow to return soon to see more, and a panoply of breathtaking photos.

8/12/2016 – 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.

8/12/2016 – After the dearth of decisive games in rounds with plenty of action but not results, round six saw three wins that could easily have been four. Aronian missed a trick early in his game and could not save versus MVL, while Ding Liren got a decisive advantage early on in a King's Indian against Svidler. The game of the day was Wesley So’s win over leader Veselin Topalov, allowing him to take over the sole lead with 4.0/6. Here is the round six report with annotations by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

8/11/2016 – Facing a much higher rated opponent can always be a significant challenge, as much psychological as technical. The reverse is also true as playing as hard and focused can be a challenging proposition when our brains relax thanks to excess confidence. In this week's column, grandmaster Jonathan Speelman analyzes a game with just such challenges throughout. Enjoy this lesson and try your hand at the Training questions.

8/11/2016 – In the world of chess, Lennart Ootes is one of those names you might see crop up here and there, without fully appreciating his role in the grand scheme of things. Much like the arbiters, his name goes unsung for the most part, while having a vital role in helping make a great event what it is. He is a regular guest of top events as the man who runs their DGT boards, he also helps run live video commentary, is a web designer, and talented photographer. Here is an interview with many high-res photos.

8/11/2016 – Who is the youngest player to become the World Junior Champion in the history of the game? Kasparov? Anand? Karpov? No, none of them. It is the French grandmaster Joel Lautier. From his ten encounters against Kasparov Joel had a score of +1. He was instrumental in Kramnik winning the World title in 2000 and the formation of the ACP. In 2006, with a healthy Elo of 2656, he retired from chess. Sagar Shah met Joel Lautier in Moscow and brings to us an exclusive two-part interview with the man who excels in everything he does!