Anand delights in Corsica

5/22/2014 – Vishy Anand visited Porto-Vecchio in Corsica where he played a small exhibition match against local masters, as part of a children's chess festival that brought in over 600 children to participate. Anand enthralled the young players with his friendly accessible demeanor, and remained completely at the disposition of his fans, never turning a single one down.

Iasi – a Romanian chess city

5/22/2014 – Iasi (pronounced YAsh) is one of the largest cities in Romania, candidates for the very much sought after title of the European Capital of Culture. The first edition of the Iasi Open was held there, from May 10 to 18. But before she really digs into the chess, our reporter WGM Alina l'Ami, who hails from the city, tells us what it is like to live in a place that is in the process of being reborn.

XV Karpov-Poikovsky: Morozevich takes clear first

5/22/2014 – With a no-nonsense start, with fantastic ones by some, and disastrous ones by others, the course of the tournament seemed clear, but life had its own plans. Alexander Morozevich did indeed take first, but Ivan Saric collapsed and his runnerup status was grabbed by Dmitry Jakovenko. As to Viktor Bologan with his 0.5/4 start, he finished with 4.0/5 and more wins than anyone else.

National Challengers Dharamshala: nine qualifiers

5/21/2014 – The final round started with eight players on 9.0/12 points, and eight more at 8.5/12. They battled it out for the nine places reserved in the forthcoming National Premier Championship, where they are joined by the five highest rated playes in India. The Challengers brought some very exciting chess, even before the final round, as Sagar Shar describes in this final report.

US-Ch 2014: You were expecting someone else?

5/21/2014 – The playoffs started with Armageddon games: Varuzhan Akobian beat Aleksandr Lenderman, while Tatev Abrahamyan drew Anna Zatonskih with black and thus progressed to the final. There Gata Kamsky beat Akobian 1½-½, while Irina Krush did likewise to Abrahamyan. Gata is US Champions for the fifth time, Irina has won her sixth Championship. Full report with pictures.

Fressinet wins 22nd Sigeman Tournament

5/20/2014 – French GM Laurent Fressinet remained without defeat and won two of his five games to take first place in this round robin event. Meanwhile 27-year-old IM Axel Smith, who similarly had two wins and no losses, spoilt his chances with an unfortunate king move in his final game. But Axel finshed second with 3.0/5 points and a gain of 14 rating points. Final report from Malmö.

Wesley So with 2826 performance in Cuba

5/20/2014 – He was the eighth youngest chess grandmaster in history, and now at twenty he is soaring towards the very top. With his +3 score in a Category 19 event he has added thirteen points to his rating and is now number 15 in the world. Cuban GM Lazaro Batista Bruzon also gained twelve points with his +1 result, while Leinier Dominguez, numer ten in the world, lost eight. Final report.

US Ch. Rd11: Six player still fighting for titles

5/20/2014 – The two leaders, Aleksandr Lenderman and Varuzhan Akobian, drew their game against each other, while Gata Kamsky won his to join them on top of the scoreboard (all have 7.0/11 points). Similarly Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih drew in the women's championship, while Tatev Abrahamyan caught them with a win. The playoffs are on Tuesday will be positively nerve-racking.

US Ch. Rd10: Six player fighting for two titles

5/19/2014 – After Lenderman and Akobian both drew their round ten games, and Sam “the Spoiler” Shankland put an end to Josh Friedel's apsirations, it is Lenderman, Akobian – the two play each other – and Kamsky who will fight for the title on Monday. In the women's championship things will be settled between Krush, Zatonskih and Abrahamyan. It's going to be an incredibly exciting finish.

The archæology of chess positions

5/19/2014 – There are many basic motifs in chess, such as the knight fork of king and queen, the bishop sacrifice on h7, the back-rank mate, the pin. They are well known and may be found more or less obviously on the surface, thus standing out from the position. Or they may lie as yet undiscovered at some archæological level. Prof. Christian Hesse uncovers some entertaining examples.

US Ch. Rd9: Everything wide open again

5/18/2014 – What a round! Leader Varuzhan Akobian was downed by the dangerous and unpredictable Sam Shankland, while his main rival Aleksandr Lenderman pulled off a miracle win to catch him at the top of the score table. And in the women's section Irina Krush won a must-win game against Anna Zatonskih to join her at the top. Things in the two championships are getting really, really close.

Axel Smith leads Sigeman Chess Tournament

5/18/2014 – He is the rookie, the only IM in a field of three international players and three rising stars. But after three rounds 27-year-old Axel Smith leads (together with Laurent Fressinet) at 2.5/3. The 22nd Sigeman Tournament is taking place in the Hipp Theater in central Malmo, Sweden. You can watch the two final rounds on live video feed and on Playchess. With entertaining commentary.

National Challengers in Dharamshala

5/18/2014 – It is one of the most important open tournaments in the Indian Chess circuit, extremely strong – 14 GMs and 22 IMs taking part, 56 players above Elo 2200 – with a weirdly low prize fund ($3,300). The 52nd National Challengers Championship 2014 is being held in the mesmerizingly beautiful city of Dharamshala, home to the Dalai Lama. Illustrated report with analysis.

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.