Li Chao tops Reykjavik

3/13/2014 – After a disappointing first round the Chinese player has managed to to go on a rampage and his 8.5/10 was sufficient to earn him a clear first place. Van Kampen, Hansen, Olafsson and Rozentalis finished only half a point behind while a big pack followed with 7.5/10. We bring you a final report and pictures of the closing ceremony, finishing a very pleasant event!

Candidates 2014: what will it bring?

3/13/2014 – In 1948, two years after the untimely demise of the then world champion Alexander Alekhine, the chess world staged a five-player tournament to determine the new World Champion. There were great games played in The Hague and Moscow, but also a series of "imperfections", caused by the interference of the human mind. Will it be the same in Khanty-Mansiysk, Govindaseshan Srikanth asks.

All systems go for the 2014 Candidates tournament

3/12/2014 – The players have arrived and settled down in Khanty-Mansiysk, the technical meeting and the opening ceremony were conducted on Wednesday, the first round begins on Thursday, at 3 p.m. local time (10 a.m. Europe, 5 a.m. New York). The eight players are vying for the challenger slot to challenge reigning champion Magnus Carlsen later this year. Pictures and full tournament details.

TCF on "Armenian Exceptionalism"

3/12/2014 – Last week we published a portrait of Armenian World Championship candidate Levon Aronian. English journalist Dominic Lawson had interviewed him for the British cultural and political monthly "Standpoint". Lawson's article contained a reference to a very sensitive historical issue between Turkey and the Armenian minority in 1915. The Turkish Chess Federation sent us the following statement.
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2014 Euro-Ch Rd8: Unstoppable Motylev

3/12/2014 – It was an important round as Alexander Motylev faced his greatest challenge: second-seed Pavel Eljanov (2723), hoping to swap places with him on the leaderboard. Instead of playing it safe, the Russian attacked with great verve, perhaps deciding that to be a champion, one must play like one. With his win, Motylev increased his lead to a full point with a staggering 2918 performance.

Who will win the 2014 Candidates? (Part 2/2)

3/11/2014 – In this second part, in which top players and coaches were polled by the RCF and 64 Magazine on the Candidates tournament whose play starts on March 13, you can read the opinions by 2010 Russian Champion Ian Nepomniachtchi, Emil Sutovsky, and famed coaches Alexander Nikitin, Garry Kasparov's lifelong trainer, and Igor Zaitsev, who worked with Anatoly Karpov. Fascinating insights.

2014 Euro-Ch Rd7: The new kids on the block

3/11/2014 – After a welcome rest day, in which the players could recharge their batteries before a brutal sprint to the finish, came round seven. At the top, the leaders drew and were joined by three more, leaving Motylev still in the lead, trailed by six others. That said, the news was the young players with huge results, such as 13-year-old Martirosyan (2234) with a grandmaster performance.

Christmas Puzzles 2013 – the prizes

3/10/2014 – Our 2013 Christmas puzzle contest ended with a flood of entries, submitted by readers from around the globe. They were all vying for the valuable prizes: programs signed with a personal dedication by the participants of the strongest tournament in chess history. We bring you a small sample of letters and the names of the three lucky winners. Are you amongst them?

Who will win the 2014 Candidates? (Part 1/2)

3/10/2014 – The 2014 Candidates tournament is just around the corner, and while chess fans all over wait with bated breath, everyone has a favorite. The Russian media asked players and chess pros for their opinions on the Candidates tournament, and who their favorites were. Among those quizzed were Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, and several more. Read what they think before placing your bets.

Ivory Tower – the movie

3/10/2014 – It is a Canadian feature film and the directorial debut of Adam Traynor, a musician from the German based hip-hop group Puppetmastaz. The film was co-written in 2010 by Canadian pianist and rapper Chilly Gonzales, who also plays a lead, and revolves around a sibling rivalry between two brothers as they compete for a woman during a game of chess. Watch the trailer.

Yes2Chess ... with Felix Magath

3/10/2014 – Two weeks ago, as part of the "Yes2Chess" scholastic chess initiative, patron Felix Magath attended a discussion panel evening at a prominent location in Hamburg. Representatives from the fields of sports, education, politics and business talked about the further development of chess in schools in Hamburg. Afterwards, Felix Magath explained why he had chosen not to go to Hamburger SV.

Carlsen keeps smashing

3/9/2014 – The reigning World Champion continues annihilating competition the rapid events in Brazil. First he won a four-player knockout event, where he did concede a single draw (that qualified him to the final) and he was in trouble in just one game. At the end of the day he took the tournament, no questions asked. The open has started, and he is 5/5 but he is not alone.

"Sunny" Reykjavik

3/8/2014 – The sun finally came out for one day in Reykjavik. A nice respite from the cold and harsh weather that has been terrorizing the players. Over the board leaders have emerged: L'ami, Amin Bassem and Van Kampen are all tied for first with 5.5/6. However there are still four rounds left and anything can happen. Overview of the last three rounds.

2014 Euro-Ch: Motylev seizes lead at midway point

3/8/2014 – By now, six rounds out of eleven have been played, the midway point has been reached with a rest day for Sunday. The rankings have shown non-stop swings and changes, and not one player has been able to keep the lead for more than a round. Still, the leading group can now be pointed out as the clear tournament favorites, with Alexander Motylev the sole leader. Report, pictures, and games.

2014 Candidates - Players, event and schedules

3/7/2014 – The time is approaching, and we are on the threshold of a new Candidates tournament. The last one qualified Magnus Carlsen for a shot at the world title, and we know what happened after that. A fresh lineup, with new players and old, promises exciting battles, and we bring you a preview of the players, the tournament, and the schedules for Playchess GM commentary.

Caxias do Sul: Carlsen in form in Brazil

3/7/2014 – Actually the World Champion was stopped: by GM Gilberto Milos, 50, Elo 2583, six times Brazilian Champion, who got the only draw conceded Magnus Carlsen in the six game of the four-player double round robin. Carlsen, who had spent the morning playing blindfold against blind players, scored 5.5/6 in the semifinal stage. Big illustrated report with pictures from the Brazilian venue.

Zurich Chess Challenge 2015 announced

3/7/2014 – Good news: after the resounding success of the Category 23 tournament in February this year the sponsor Oleg Skvortsov, on his 45th birthday, has announced that a new Category 22 or 23 super-tournament will take place in mid-February 2015 in the same location. Oleg is not just a successful business man who loves chess, but a seriously strong player. Birthday portrait.

2014 Euro-Ch: New leader, missed masterpiece

3/7/2014 – Entering the fourth round, five players still held impeccable scores, followed by a platoon right behind. Two of the leaders faced each other with a decisive outcome, the only among them, and Russian Evgeny Najer took the sole lead with 4.0/4 after his win over Ilya Smirin. It is almost a cliche to discuss the brilliancies hidden in the notes, but do not miss this masterpiece of domination.

Reykjavik: Fire on the Board

3/6/2014 – Rounds two and three have finished in Iceland as the only double round of the tournament has come to a closing. Most GMs are still unscathed but the top seed of the event, Naiditsch, went for too much fire in his game and got burned. A strange attack almost worked but he miscalculated and lost his way and the game. Speaking of fire, it created an unusual halftime in round two.

Lawson in 'Standpoint': Armenian Exceptionalism

3/6/2014 – Next Thursday will bring the first round of the Candidates Tournament for the World Championship 2014 in Khanty-Mansiysk. Hottest contender for the privilege of challenging World Champion Magnus Carlsen is Levon Aronian, who towers 43 points above the next-strongest candidate. English journalist Dominic Lawson interviewed the 'diabolically talented' Armenian.

2014 European ch. led by 16-year-old Artemiev

3/6/2014 – After two rounds, 28 players had perfect scores, and after three rounds only five. At the top is IM Artemiev, who turned 16 today for a perfect birthday as he beat Khismatullin (2714). The competition is warming up and the zero-tolerance rule has already been a factor, but not as you think, as the organizers showed that fair-mindedness prevails. Report, pictures, and video.

British problem solving championship – solutions

3/5/2014 – We recently reported on this championship, which was won by our favourite author Dr John Nunn, who selected four highly entertaining problems from the competition for our readers to solve. Today John provides the solutions – annotated in his inimitable clear and precise style. Even if you are not a problem enthusiast you can, with his help, enjoy a very special section of chess.

Reykjavik Open round one

3/5/2014 – The third of the big tournaments in Europe, the others being the European Championship and Cappelle-la-Grande, has started in Reykjavik. The classic open named after the capital of Iceland has attracted two 2700s and a slew of grandmasters to compete for its top prizes. Grandmasters all faced an opposition of about 2000 in rating, but not all of them went unscathed.

Hindi and the origins of chess

3/5/2014 – You may recall during the coverage by ChessBase of the Anand-Carlsen world championship match, our daily reports included detailed reports in Hindi appended to the main reports in English. The author, Niklesh Jain, brings detailed explanations on the importance of the Hindi language in the origins of the game and its composition. Naturally there is a Hindi version of this history lesson.