Candidates R07: Nakamura beats Topalov

3/19/2016 – It was the last round of the first half of the tournament, and the pairings were surprisingly very evenly matched based on the standings – the two leaders Levon Aronian and Sergey Karjakin faced off against each other and so did the two tail-enders Hikaru Nakamura and Veselin Topalov. We had one decisive game and three draws. On show today was really high class opening preparation by the players. Round seven report with postgame video interviews.

Proposal for new forms of correspondence chess

3/18/2016 – The increasing strength of computer engines is a challenge for correspondence chess. And challenges can provoke productive and creative responses. Arno Nickel, chess book editor and International Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess, has a lot of ideas to react to the challenging computers. He wants to introduce elements of classical chess into correspondence chess.

Jon Speelman: The Candidates after round six

3/18/2016 – Six rounds are played at the Candidates Tournament 2016 in Moscow, eight more are left. L. Aronian and S. Karjakin lead with 4.0/6, V. Anand is half a point behind with 3.5/6, while F. Caruana and A. Giri follow with 3.0/6. Will Karjakin and Aronian keep their nerves and will Giri or Caruana start a run? And what will Anand do? Jon Speelman takes a look.

What's up?

3/18/2016 – 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.

ChessBase Account - Guided tour of Videos

3/17/2016 – Of all of new web apps in ChessBase Account, the one that undoubtedly offers the greatest value would be the Videos section. Available only to Premium subscribers, it literally offers hundreds of hours of viewing material with dozens of commercial videos from the ChessBase Shop available for free. To see what goodies there are, watch this video guided tour.

Candidates R06: Anand beats Svidler, Aronian wins

3/17/2016 – The sixth round finally saw more than one decisive result in a round. Anand knocked out Svidler in a fast paced kingside attack. Caruana had Karjakin on the ropes but the Russian escaped thanks to some tenacious defending. Topalov and Giri drew. The last game to end Aronian-Nakamura had a lot of action in it – the touch-move rule coming into the picture and Aronian’s entertaining press conference.

Kids interview Magnus Carlsen

3/17/2016 – In February Magnus Carlsen was in Hamburg, Germany, to play a simul. Henrike and Luis, two young chessplayers were invited by "Dein Spiegel", a magazine for children between the age of 8 and 14, to interview the World Champion. They used the chance to ask unusual and open questions, e.g. whether Carlsen cries after losing a game or why chess is better than the gameboy.

Computer predictions of Candidates after round five

3/17/2016 – Readers will no doubt recall the fascinating statistics produced on the Candidates with millions of simulations and weighted data, to get a feel as to the statistical favorites, the probable score needed to win, and more. Five rounds have passed, and you might wonder how the numbers will have changed. Here are the updated results of the computer simulations.

ChessBase Account - Tactics Solver video tutorial

3/16/2016 – In this video tutorial, you will learn about the Tactics solver, designed to allow you to test and work your tactics, and raise your game to a higher standard. It will keep track of your results, give you a rating, and adjust the difficulty to your performance. It has been used extensively by amateurs and top players. Learn all about it in this video presentation.

Candidates R05: Fabiano’s Benoni!

3/16/2016 – All games of round five of the Candidates Tournament 2016 ended in draws. Anand vs Nakamura was a dull draw, Giri and Topalov had chances against Svidler and Karjakin respectively, but their opponents defended quite well. The game of the day was surely Aronian’s attack against Fabiano Caurana’s Benoni! Yes you read that right, not the Berlin – the Benoni! Report with pictures, videos, analysis and more!

Daniel King on the Candidates Tournament 2016

3/16/2016 – Four rounds are played at the Candidates Tournament 2016 in Moscow, Karjakin leads with 3.0/4 and a 2966 performance, Topalov is last with 1.0/4. Four of the 16 games played so far were decided, one in each round. And after each round Daniel King looks at the highlights and analyses them. Here are his videos from the first four rounds.

Fischer second Lombardy faces eviction

3/16/2016 – The New York Times has a big story on William Lombardy, a former catholic priest and strong chess grandmaster, who coached and seconded Bobby Fischer from the age of eleven to the World Championship in 1972. Lombardy, now 78, faces eviction from his apartment in New York, over rent arrears that he hotly disputes. Here are details and a video appeal by his student David Siudzinski.

Women's WCh. G9: Hou Yifan wins and is champion

3/15/2016 – It was certainly a curious match in terms of openings choices, with neither player opting for their pet Sicilians... until today. In a do or die situation, Mariya Muzychuk knew that a symmetrical opening held little hope, and chose the Classical Sicilian. After a lengthy a fascinating battle on both wings, Hou Yifan emerged victorious and is the new World Champion. Full report with analysis.

ChessBase Account - a video overview

3/15/2016 – With the arrival of the latest web apps for ChessBase account subscribers, the biggest challenge for users has been in trying to make the most of them. Although written tutorials have been published on all of them, some people just respond better to a visual presentation. As such, a new series of video tutorials on each will be created, starting with a general overview.

Candidates R04: Super Sergey!

3/15/2016 – The pattern of three draws and one win continues at the World Championship Candidates 2016. But it was very close to two decisive games today, as Fabiano Caruana squandered a huge advantage against Veselin Topalov. Nakamura-Giri and Svidler-Aronian were sharp and fighting draws. But the game of the day was definitely Karjakin's first classical victory over Vishy Anand. Big report with pictures, interviews and analysis.

When running ahead backfires

3/15/2016 – Every week ChessBase magazine author and renowned endgame expert Karsten Müller presents a remarkable or particularly instructive endgame in his blog. A click on the diagram opens a larger board. Test your endgame skills, improve and have fun!

Jon Speelman - Overview of Candidates so far

3/15/2016 – A massive tournament like the Candidates is a tapestry with individual moves the threads that are woven together into games, rounds and eventually the complete picture. Early on, it's impossible to guess what form that finished article will take, but there are many indications of the form and state of mind of the players under a degree of tension they will have seldom experienced.

Two leaders in Reykjavik

3/14/2016 – With more than 230 participants and many top grandmasters the Reykjavik Open can boast of a strong field. The Harpa Hall, where the tournament is played, is another attraction. After seven of ten rounds Abhijeet Gupta and Sergei Movsesian share the lead with 6.0/7 each. Half a point behind follow ten players, among them chess legend Alexander Beliavsky.

Attacking with the Benkö Gambit - Part 2

3/14/2016 – The Benkö is an attractive weapon against 1.d4. GM Alejandro Ramirez (photo) has used this opening successfully for years. In part 1 of his two volume series on the gambit he explains what Black should do if White enters Benkö lines. In part 2 of the series he shows how Black should react if White avoids the Benkö. Good to know - not only for Benkö players.

Women's WCh. G8: Hou Yifan half point from title

3/13/2016 – After battles with both players booked to the teeth, game eight steered away from hypertheoretical debates with an offbeat Catalan. The position culminated in a blocked center with a space advantage for White, and chances for a kingside buildup, but an inaccuracy allowed Black to gain a valuable tempo, and after the queens left the board, so had the fight. Illustrated report.

Candidates R03: Aronian beats Topalov

3/13/2016 – The tradition of one decisive game per day continues at the World Championship Candidates 2016 in Moscow: with a black win Levon Aronian joined the leaders at 2.0/3. It was by far the most interesting day so far – all the games had some or the other critical moment in them. Let’s take a closer look – we have extensive Elo-boosting analysis and some exclusive pictures from the venue in our Round Three report.

AlphaGo vs Lee Sedol: history in the making

3/13/2016 – It was history in the making, and considerably sooner than anyone expected, whether players or programmers. AlphaGo, the Go program by DeepMind, has effectively won a five-game match after a 3-0 start against one of the world’s best players, Lee Sedol. The match will be played out to the end, and in the meantime here is a look at the match, AlphaGo, and what makes it so special.

Candidates R02: Nakamura implodes, Karjakin strikes!

3/12/2016 – Svidler against Topalov was a sedate draw. Anand and Aronian played a theoretical battle where both of them were excellently prepared. Giri and Caruana’s game promised quite a bit, but in the end also finished in a draw. The game of the day was surely Sergey Karjakin’s victory over Hikaru Nakamura. The Russian put on the slow stove pressure and Nakamura simply self-destructed. Detailed game analysis.

Women's WCh. G7: Long fight, but no winner

3/11/2016 – Possibly the most apt description of the seventh game was a mutual war of attrition. For the third time an Open Spanish was the battlefield of choice, and the preparation of both players was suitably deep. A very long fight ensued in which chances appeared for both sides, but nothing decisive, and after 81 moves they called it a day. Report with analysis by GM Mikhalchishin.