Winning against Magnus

8/12/2014 – Beating Magnus Carlsen is difficult. Especially in the endgame. However, Arkadij Naiditsch managed to do just that, even if he needed a bit of luck to reach a good endgame against the World Champion. But could Carlsen have saved himself at the very end? Or was he lost anyway? Karsten Müller took a closer look and discovered hidden possibilities.

Tromso 09: No changes at top

8/11/2014 – The top match in the Women's section could have gone either way. Armenia held a strong advantange in three boards at a certain point, but they could not hold on to them and at the end Russia even won the match and keep their lead. In the Open section China and Ukraine drew while Azerbaijan was also held to a draw by a very surprising Romania. One report, many quickchats.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov remains FIDE President

8/11/2014 – In a very hostile environment today's General Assembly was held. With all the votes counted the official tally is Kirsan Ilyumzhinov 110. The current FIDE President will maintain his position until the next General Elections. It seems as if the Kasparov Campaign simply did not reach the votes they needed, and it certainly was not as close as expected. More to follow.

Round Nine Preview

8/11/2014 – We are in the final stretch in Tromso; the last three rounds are upon us and the battles for the medals are starting to line up. China leads in the men but they face a vicious Ukrainian team. In the Women's section Russia leads by a match point, but there are many teams that are still trying to position themselves in medal contention. Preview and top players so far

Marin on Tromso R8 – Lasker's Copyright

8/11/2014 – Back in 1889 Emanuel Lasker played a game of which Garry Kasparov wrote: "It contains one of the beautiful combinations which created a blueprint for future similar double bishop sacrifices" The though loomed on the mind of our GM commentator Mihail Marin: Would any reasonable strong player overlook the bishops' threats so easily nowadays? Here is his answer.

King talks with Kirsan

8/11/2014 – Just one day before the FIDE presidential elections, Daniel King caught up with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov for an interview. In it, the FIDE President explains the status of the 2014 World Championship, his plans for office if re-elected, and the zero tolerance rule for all events. We also discover that among those lobbying for Kirsan votes are Russian embassies all over the world.

Tromso 08: It's all about China

8/10/2014 – The match was close, and for a long time it looked as if it would end in a 2-2 tie. The top two boards in China-Azerbaijan ended in a draw, with both White players pushing for a win on the lower ones. However Guseinov overestimated his chances and ended up losing, while Yu Yangyi did convert his position. China leads! Also, is it possible that there is cheating in the Olympiad?!

More quickchats and preview from Tromso

8/10/2014 – The Russian women's team is in a great position and they simply have to defend their lead to cruise to victory, but with many strong teams at their heels it is easier said than done! Today they face Hungary. In the Open things are quite hot, but with Azerbaijan having the lead it will be up to China to stop them. Plus quickchats with Ipatov, Giri and Ponomariov!

Marin on Tromso R7 – Through Steinitz' glasses

8/10/2014 – You have probably heard of Wilhelm Steinitz' abstract theories on static and dynamic elements of a position. They were considered naive and dogmatic by some, but when our star commentator Mihail Marin looked at two crucial games from round seven in Tromsø through Steinitz' glasses he was surprised to notice how simple and logical things suddenly became! Learn and enjoy.

Tromso 07: Russia Wins, Russia Falls!

8/9/2014 – A very eventful round seven! The Russia Women's team beat top-seeded China and are now the leaders of the event. In the open section Azerbaijan defeated Cuba despite Dominguez's demolition of Mamedyarov. Meanwhile the Russian men were defeated by the Czech Republic! Oh, and just by the way, Carlsen lost, costing his team the match! Report of a dramatic round seven.

Round seven preview

8/9/2014 – The Open section has many tough matches today; but the top board is the contest between Cuba and Azerbaijan, a close duel that will determine who leads the Olympiad after today. In the Women's section there is a decisive match as Russia takes on China, both teams on perfect scores. A little further down USA faces Armenia a match in which five Armenians will be playing!

Marin on Tromso R6 – Originality at the Top

8/9/2014 – After each round of the Olympiad our special commentator GM Mihail Marin picks out one to three games and annotates them, quite extensively, in his own inimitable didactic style for you – making sure you understand the spirit of the game. In round six, looking at the pairings, he was sure there would be a lot of originality on the top boards. Turns out he was absolutely right.

Tromso 06: Two top Olympiad

8/8/2014 – Six teams entered the sixth round of the Open section with 9/10, but only two teams moved to 11/12. Cuba thrashed Kazakhstan while Azerbaijan did the same to Georgia and they will face each other in a very important match in round seven. Bulgaria meanwhile could only draw against Serbia. Russia almost drew Uzbekistan, but they squeezed a win at the end. Report of round six.

Rest Day in Tromso

8/8/2014 – After five grueling rounds it was time for the players to relax a little and enjoy the city of Tromso. Most players preferred to take a walk around the city and explore some of the beautiful views this place has to offer; a common activity was for players to go "up the mountain" and take pictures. However some teams were more adventurous, especially the Italian national team!

Tromso: Female chess stars at the Olympiad

8/8/2014 – Remember when top women chess players were stereotyped as elderly matrons? Well, times have changed, and today they look more like film or sports stars. And we can prove it: there are many wonderful video interviews conducted by GM Daniel King with top women from our Olympiad studio in Tromsø. Many of the interviews are online for you to watch. Enjoy.

Seemingly solid but actually weak

8/8/2014 – Three major pieces behind a knight on the fifth rank on an open file - what could be more solid? But in chess things are not always as they appear on first sight. Which one of the world's best players had to find out in a recent game from the Olympiad in Tromso. Oliver Reeh has the details and invites you to take a second or third look.

Kasparov interviewed by King

8/7/2014 – Playchess viewers have been treated to more than the expected dose of grandmaster commentary of the games. Daniel King has been on-site conducting interviews each and every day, live on Playchess. When Garry Kasparov sat at the table, days before the elections on August 11th, King quizzed him on everything from the world championship, the campaign, and even what he taught Magnus.

Quickchats and R6 preview

8/7/2014 – It is a rainy free day in Tromso and most people are catching their breath, especially after the Bermuda Party. There are many matches that are particularly interesting in round six, and there are many that will be crucial to the standings. Azerbaijan has a great chance of increasing their lead while the relatively weak team of Kazakhstan plays Cuba. We bring you a preview and some interviws.

Marin on Tromso R5 – Taking a break

8/7/2014 – Wednesday was an unusual day at the Olympiad: the famous (or infamous) Bermuda party was scheduled, which our main reporter of course had to attend. That has led to a delay in our full round five report. Back in Bucharest our expert annotator Mihail Marin had a football match to watch – the first in thirty years. For this reason he restricts himself to one key encounter, the top game on the top board.

GM Helmut Pfleger turns 71

8/6/2014 – Seventy-one? So why this report, we hear you ask. Because a year ago we missed his 70th birthday – quite unforgivable, he being one of our earliest friends in chess. So we make it up today with a portrait and some personal stories – of which there are more than we can tell. Pfleger has done more for chess in Germany than anyone we know. Happy birthday Helmut!

Tromso 05: Shocks

8/6/2014 – Kramnik absolutely crushed Topalov. Mamedyarov had destroyed Ivanisevic's position within the first hour. Yet none of these were decisive for the matches. Iotov surprised Karjakin, an opponent 200 points higher rated, and beat him without problems drawing the match. Perunovic tied the Serbia-Azerbaijan match by beating Radjabov. Speaking of Serbia, their women's team beat Ukraine!

Tromso R5 Preview

8/6/2014 – The fifth round is under way in Tromso with many magnificent games, several of which are 2700+ in their average rating... one of them is even over 2800! Russia plays Bulgaria on the second board while Armenia plays Norway in the third. Additionally, we bring you several bite-size interviews, and a view of the live action from Norway!

Karsten Mueller: Chess Endgames 14

8/6/2014 – "There is both good and bad news about GM Karsten Mueller's Fritztrainer series "Chess Endgames". The good news is that a new volume has just been released but the bad news is that it will be the final volume." It is subtitled The Golden Guidelines of Endgame Play and rounds off the whole series with general advice, backed up by well-chosen illustrative examples. Review by Sean Marsh

Marin on Tromso R4 – battle of the kings

8/6/2014 – In team events often the top games end in rapid draws, while it is left to the lower-ranked players to decide the ultimate outcome of the matches. Our commentator GM Mihail Marin knows the feeling from his early youth. He prefers it when, just like medieval hero kings, the players on the top boards decide the matches – which happened in some of the top encounters of round four.