3/29/2017 – "Knight on the rim is dim!" Dr. Tarrasch knew right from wrong in chess. Indeed, knights on the edge of the board often lead a miserable life and can easily make life miserable for their colleagues. But no rule without exception. Which former U20 World Champion Ahmed Adly showed in round 3 of the Sharjah Masters by playing a little masterpiece with a knight on the rim.

3/29/2017 – There is a bit of a sense of 'finally' upon seeing only two players actually at the top of the hill now. Both Baskaran Adhiban and Martyn Kravtsiv scored important wins, taking them to 5.5/6. They are trailed very closely by a group of six at 5.0/6, and with three rounds to go, the final laps promise to be thrilling. Illustrated report with videos and GM analysis.

3/28/2017 – We reported yesterday: the official International Chess Federation web site announced the resignation of its President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, followed within hours by emphatic denials from Ilyumzhinov. Today there are new letters on the FIDE page, describing the circumstances of his alleged resignation: "During the Presidental Board Meeting in Athens, you several time threatened to resign, and at the end of the meeting three times you repeated 'I resign' before leaving the room." In a press conference of the Russian Chess Federation Ilyumzhinov explained his position.

3/28/2017 – Sam Collins is an International Master (with two grandmaster norms) and a prolific author. He was born in Dublin in 1982 where he now works as a barrister. In an interview he talks about his latest DVD about ...Bc5 in the Open Games, his career, how to study openings and his favorite games.

3/28/2017 – "All rook endings are drawn" is a popular saying. But it is only partly true. While rook endings indeed often have drawish tendencies you still have to find the right moves. Which even in seemingly simple rook endings is difficult enough. Today on the playchess server, 4 pm: Endgame Magic with Karsten Müller and Adrian Mikhalchishin.

3/28/2017 – Rounds four and five of the Sharjah Master open saw the final confrontations between hugely disparate ratings, with top boards still facing as much as 600 Elo differences. It wasn’t all fun and games for the favorites though, with Gawain Jones tweeting about ‘near perfect defense’ from his 10-year-old opponent. Illustrated report with videos and analysis.

3/23/2017 – Maik Naundorf, 36, from Germany, is a player who likes the artistic touch, and reading about the history of the game and biographies of chess players. In his games he prefers ECO-codes mainly in the A- or B-region. He submitted a game which cost him the chance to qualify for national championships, and the Extasy game was at the Dortmund Open, and allowed him to firmly cross the 2100 barrier. Jonathan Speelman has provided some good advice for Maik's play.

3/22/2017 – The final rounds of the Winter Classic, for both the ‘A’ and ‘B’ events were true nail-biters. In the ‘A’ tournament, Vladimir Fedoseev surged to catch up and pass David Howell, but in the end, after 129 moves, Howell took sole first. Andrey Baryshpolets who had been running away with the ‘B’ event nearly stumbled, but recovered and also won. Illustrated report with analysis by the winners.

3/22/2017 – "There have been many instances in history when an inspired cavalry charge disrupts the momentum of a battle," writes International Master Srinath Narayanan who thinks Tigran Petrosian is one of the greatest players of chess, ever. He dissects the play of the former world champion in the first of his planned series of articles on chess history. He tees off with an ode to the Iron Tigran. Enjoy.

3/22/2017 – He gained fame a few years ago, by playing in GM tournaments and crushing players many categories above him with flawless tactical play. Then Borislav Ivanov, who has been the subject of at least a dozen articles here, was disqualified and suspended – for not allowing the organisers to check his shoes for electronic signaling devices. That finally ended his chess career. Now Ivanov is in the news again, this time for selling counterfeit drivers licenses. He faces eight years in prison.

3/21/2017 – If there is one player in chess, whose mystique and fascination know no bounds, it is the legendary Bobby Fischer. Ask GM Daniel King, chess author and video maker extraordinaire, who asked the patrons of his channel what they most wanted to see him look at. The result is a series analyzing games by the former World Champion, Bobby Fischer and starts with a positional masterpiece he played when he was 16.

3/21/2017 – Being a pawn down in the endgame is rarely a pleasure. However, you can sometimes save the game by eliminating all enemy pawns. Or at least the most dangerous. Karsten Müller shows how to do this.