US Ch. Rd8: Akobian, Zatonskih create space

5/18/2014 – Rest days are meant for relaxation and preparation, a chance to collect one’s self and focus on the finish line. It’s a time to tighten up your stride for the home stretch. But nobody got the memo in Saint Louis. The players returned from the break for one of the most chaos-driven rounds, with both Akobian and Zatonskih increasing their lead to a full point. Brian Jerauld reports.

Capablanca Memorial: Wesley So takes command

5/17/2014 – The Capablanca Memorial, one of the greatest GM traditions, is now celebrating its 49th edition, once more bringing in elite players such as Vassily Ivanchuk, Wesley So, Francisco Vallejo Pons, and Zoltan Almasi, facing Latin America's two strongest players, Cubans Leinier Dominguez and Lazaro Batista Bruzon. Wesley So has taken a full point lead after a cataclysmic clash.

Bachmann leads with 6.5/7 in Iasi

5/17/2014 – Axel Bachmann Schiavo, 24, is a South American GM (of German-Italian extraction) who who studied in Texas and was named Sports Person of the year in Paraguay in 2007. At the Iai Open Axel started with a clean 6.0/6 points, until he was stopped by a draw against – a Hollywood superstar?! The second report from Romania by WGM Alina l'Ami is full of great portraits of the participants.

Mystery news item to appear soon

5/16/2014 – We are in the process of preparing a very special article for publication. It involves two correspondence chess games being played on our Playchess server, under unusual circumstances – to say the least. We want you to guess what is coming – the solution will be up as a featured article in a few days. No inkling, not a clue? Well, here are some more or less helpful hints.

XV Karpov-Poikovsky: Moro and Saric at 3.5/4

5/16/2014 – It was gratifying enough to fans, to see the players opt for the most combative openings there are, such as Sicilian Najdorfs (yes, that is a plural), Classical King's Indians, and a Dutch Defense, but what's more two players have had a blistering start with 3.5/4: Morozevich and Saric, each with 3000+ performances. All accomplished in chess full of guts and gore.

US Ch. Rd7: Akobian, Zatonskih in front

5/15/2014 – After the bloodiest day yet – eight fought-out decisions across eleven games, and another nail-biting escape with a draw by reigning women’s champion Irina Krush – both U.S. Championship races have new frontrunners as the tournaments turn down the home stretch: Varuzhan Akobian, with 5.0/7 in the Men's, and Anna Zatonskih, 5.0/6. Brian Jerauld reports.

Nakamura is world no.1 in Rapid and Blitz

5/15/2014 – FIDE Rapid and Blitz ratings is not new, allowing players who prefer more adrenaline-filled games to still achieve proper and measurable ratings. Until now FIDE had refrained from publishing Top 100 lists, since enough players had to be rated to mean anything, but not anymore. Here are the first Top 100 lists for both Rapid and Blitz ratings with more than a few surprises.

Trouble in Tromso: Olympiad underfunded

5/14/2014 – The Chess Olympiad is scheduled to begin in just two and a half months. Everything was looking great, with participants and fans expecting to see the biggest and finest team championship ever. But now, suddenly, the Norwegian media has sounded alarm: apparently there is a US $2.5 million hole in the budget, which the organisers need to fill at very short notice. Should we be worried?

US Ch. Rd6: Krush slips, lenderman Falls

5/14/2014 – After five rounds Aleksandr Lenderman was leading by a full point. But on Tuesday he faced a surprise opening and a fierce glare by opponent Sam Shankland. Alex dropped a point, while his close rival Varuzhan Akobian pulled off a fine win with the black pieces to draw level with him. Anna Zatonskih, too, scored a black win to catch up with Irina Krush in the women's section. Round six report.

International Chess Festival Iasi Open

5/14/2014 – It truly amazes: a €25,000 Open with 150 players (22 GMs, 25 IMs), playing in the Romanian town of Iași. It is pronounced YAsh and is arguably the most beautiful, friendly and hospitable places in the region. This is described by our reporter WGM Alina l'Ami, who hails from Iasi and implores us in a very passionate first pictorial report: Come to Romania!

US Ch. Rd5: Kamsky pessimistic

5/13/2014 – Gata Kamsky is the reigning Champion and has four US titles under his belt. But after another uneventful draw in round five he expressing frustration with his current inability to win: “Probably you’re going to see a new U.S. champion this year.” In the women's section Irina Krush is seeking a "three-peat" and her sixth title, leading the field alone with 3.5/4 points. Big round five report.

XV Karpov-Poikovsky starts with firebrand lineup

5/13/2014 – Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Karpov-Poikovsky tournament had never really begun as a series, but now it is one of the most powerful round-robin traditions in Russia, and brings together dynamic Russian players, with hard-hitting foreigners. This year the lineup includes Morozevich, Shirov, Bacrot, Eljanov, Motylev, and more, and in their games you will find no boring openings.

Sriram, Venkatesh win Indian Rapid and Blitz

5/12/2014 – Inspired by the decades of chess excellence by Anand, the noble game has all but exploded in India, and the number of masters, grandmasters, and prodigies, seems to grow almost daily. Held in the city of Ahmedabad, the Indian Rapid and Blitz championships were recently held, with exciting play and a large turnout. Here is an illustrated report with GM analysis by the players.

US Ch. Rd4: Lenderman wins again

5/12/2014 – 24-year-old GM Aleksander ("Alex") Lenderman has won his third game in this event, this time against rising star Ray Robson, who is just 19 but rated fifty points higher. Lenderman leads the field alone with 3.5/4, for which we calculate a rating performance of 2934. Second seed Timur Gareev follows half a point behind, Kamsky is third after his first win. Round four report.

Final Four Nations League Weekend

5/12/2014 – The 4NCL is a team tournament over three divisions. With over 850 players registered to take part and over £10,000 in cash prizes on offer it is the most prestigious team chess event held in the United Kingdom. It takes place over various weekends from October to May 2013/14, in several venues. The 2013/14 season ended last week. John Saunders reports – with annotated highlights.

2014 US Ch. Rd3: Lenderman takes lead in men's

5/11/2014 – It has been an unusual championship so far, with top seed Gata Kamsky unable to break free from his winless rut. Timur Gareev beat Naroditsky, but Lenderman was the star of the round as he beat Ramirez and is in the lead with 2.5/3. In the women's section, Krush drew, allowing her close rival Anna Zatonskih to level with her, but the eyes were once more on the youngest player.

Kasparov in Malaysia

5/11/2014 – He was mobbed, but in a good way: a large number of chess fans and autograph hunters sought close contact to the legendary World Champion, who officiated the opening of the PMB National Age Group Championship 2014, and took time to discuss a variety of topics with an expert on aesthetics-recognition technology in chess, our author Dr Azlan Iqbal – who sent us a big pictorial report.

Clash of Generations: Portisch-Rapport

5/10/2014 – The concept of a clash of generations is one that has gained traction all over the world. These matches are less about winning or losing than promoting talents on the rise and paying homage to a former great player who himself once defended the colors of his nation. Recently Hungary held such a match between young Rapport and veteran Portisch. Report by Diana Mihajlova with GM analysis.

US Ch R02: All games drawn

5/10/2014 – That is all games in the men's section – but most well-fought and interesting. In the women's championship it was the usual bloodbath, with three decisive games and two draws. Irina Krush defeated yesterday's hero Ashritha Eswaran and leads together with Sabina-Francesca Foisor at 2.0/2. We bring you games and results, and for the first time pictures from the event.

Quest for a first GM norm – part two

5/9/2014 – It was an Invitational in the hallowed halls of the Marshall Chess Club in New York, with four players vying for a GM norm. One of them succeeded: fourteen-year-old Akshat Chandra scored 6½ points to achieve his goal – for which he, like other youthful players before him, receives a special prize from ChessBase. In the second part of his report Akshat has annotated two interesting games.

Bilbao: bringing together the chess elite

5/9/2014 – An ambitious chess spectacle is planned for September in the Basque city of Bilbao: the European Chess Club Cup, with around 70 men’s and women’s teams, and the Grand Slam Masters Final, which will bring together the elite of world chess. Special promotional events are planned in Turkey and Norway, and Garry Kasparov has spoken about it in a video interview.

US Ch. Rd01: 13-year-old steals the thunder

5/9/2014 – The US Championship certainly had its share of fanfare preceding it: St. Louis was declared the US Chess Capital by a Senate resolution, days after a Congressional Chess Caucus had been formed to promote the educational benefits of chess. Despite all this, and world class players such as Kamsky and the US's first female to become a grandmaster, a teenager stole the show.

Magnus vs Norway – with a little help

5/9/2014 – On Thursday World Champion Magnus Carlsen played a very special game of chess. He took on the entire Norwegian nation, from a shopping center in Oslo via the Internet. Three experts (grandmaster) proposed moves, the nation voted on them. At three points the opponents were allowed to consult a computer. The game has been described and annotated in a video by Daniel King.

GMs Kamsky and Krush: please return your crowns!

5/8/2014 – The 2014 US Championship and the US Women's Championship begin today at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. At the opening ceremony the reigning champions Gata Kamsky and Irina Krush will try to regain their titles and a lion's share of the $172,000 prize fund. The competition is twelve male and ten female players. Watch it live with GM commentary.