Café Batavia - Impressions from Amsterdam

3/4/2014 – Although the international tournament held at Café Batavia was an example of informal coziness, it was also a tribute to the love of chess by all concerned. It starts with the owner, Peter Tames, who made it possible, but consider the efforts of GM David Smerdon, who worked his day job, faced a five-hour commute every day, and played in the tournament. Here is a final illustrated report.

Remembering Werner Harenberg (1)

3/4/2014 – He was a senior editor of the prestigious weekly news magazine Der Spiegel – the German equivalent of Time and Newsweek. In the late 1970s he developed a lasting passion for chess, and over the decades did more for the game and its players than almost anyone else in the country. On February 14 Werner Harenberg died, at the age of 84. Eulogy by Frederic Friedel.

2014 European championship starts in style

3/3/2014 – In many ways, it is the greatest open of the year, with over 120 grandmasters, many vying for one of the most important titles of the calendar, and a 20 thousand Euro first prize. Others come for a chance to play against elite competition, the likes of which they are unlikely to find elsewhere. The event is taking place in Yerevan, Armenia, and was launched with a breathtaking ceremony.

30th Cappelle-la-Grande under way

3/3/2014 – One of the most traditional opens in Europe has begun. Despite the heavy competition in this busy March, with the European Chess Championship starting and the Reykjavik Open only a couple a day away, Cappelle-la-Grande, a minute city in France, keeps attracting hordes of grandmasters and amateurs to its playing hall. Standings after round three.

Psychological warfare and Einstellung effect (2)

3/3/2014 – In part 1 of this paper we saw that chess players are sometimes misled by familiar patterns and motifs. The "Einstellung" effect can potentially be overcome by conscious effort, but also put to use, in modified ways, to outwit your opponent. Chess trainer Rick Lahaye gives practical examples, some involving which part of the board to stare at.

Nunn wins British problem solving championship

3/2/2014 – It was a battle between GMs and pure problem specialists. The former scored heavily in the chess studies section, but the only three to solve a very difficult helpmate were all problem specialists. The overall winner was GM Dr John Nunn, a frequent contributor to our news page. John has selected some of the problems, which he explains, and describes the course of the event.

Chess during Mozart's time: "Nannerl"

3/2/2014 – If Austria's top female player, Eva Moser, ever writes a chess biography entitled "My Great Predecessors", she will be obligated to start with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's sister Maria Anna. Maria Anna ("Nannerl") Mozart is the first specifically documented female chess player in Salzburg, Austria. In fact, the game of chess had a significant presence in the home of the Mozarts.

Café Batavia led by David Smerdon

3/1/2014 – In the cozy confines of the Café Batavia, located in Amsterdam, Holland, a GM tournament is being held with a singular combination of good cheer and hard-fought competition. The Café is not merely the sponsor of the tournament, but the venue as well, leading to a relaxed atmosphere that is hard to imitate. The players can be seen enjoying themselves enormously in Alina L'Ami's pictorial.

Nakamura has open forum Q&A with fans

3/1/2014 – Hikaru Nakamura recently participated in a public Reddit AMA with fans. What is an AMA? It means "ask me anything", and the Reddit format allows anyone to drop in and join the interview. The top American answered questions on a wide variety of topics, from how to study, what to study, his favorite chess works, as well as his thoughts on emotional growth. Read more from this public interview.

March 2014 ratings: Carlsen does it again with 2881

2/28/2014 – The latest and greatest FIDE ratings list has been published, and the big news is quite obviously Magnus Carlsen's new record of 2881, achieved after his result at Zurich. The question of 2900 looms closer and seems very achievable. Levon Aronian kept him in sight with a personal best of 2830. French GM Vachier-Lagrave climbed to the Top Ten for the first time. Tables, results, and more.

Café Batavia celebrates 6th International

2/28/2014 – Café Batavia in Prins Hendrikskade next to the central station in Amsterdam is not your typical chess café. It is a very popular “normal” lively café that hosts various cultural events and where chess players are especially welcome in large part thanks to the owner, Peter Tames, and his enormous love for the royal game. For the sixth year it is hosting an international tournament in the café.

Coming in March: Carlsen in Brazil

2/27/2014 – It is a full program: on March 6th and 7th Magnus Carlsen participate in a four-player rapid knockout tournament, and on the same days take part in a blindfold simul (against visually impaired players), hold a chess conference and give a 35-player simul. On the 8th and 9th he will play in the XIII International Open "Festa da Uva". Here are the details of his Brazilian binge.

From Chess Challenger to Deep Fritz 14

2/27/2014 – Those were the day: back in the 1980s Ken Blake played Sargon, a chess-playing program that ran on the Apple II. He beat it easily – as he did Chess Challenger and Battle Chess. The general consensus was that computers will never play chess well, right? Wrong. Ken has encountered Fritz, which in its current incarnation is 269 Elo points stronger than the World Champion. Review.

Chess, Beach and Controversy!

2/27/2014 – Mexico has many tourist destinations and is famous for having beautiful beaches. It is not often that international events are held in these areas, but last weekend in Mazatlan was certainly the exception. The beaches were breathtakingly beautiful, the chess was hard fought and full of controversy. During the event, in the same city, the most wanted man in the world was captured!

Chess For All Challenge in South Africa

2/25/2014 – This weekend there was an unusual chess tournament in South Africa, sponsored by a movie production and the Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa. It was run by Reuben Salimu and his African Chess Lounge, a community project that is doing extraordinary work in Cape Town. The ACL even taught chess to 360 inmates of a rehabilitation centre. Pictorial report by Graham Jurgensen.

Chess makes a difference in rural Brazil

2/25/2014 – Though chess in schools is nothing new, the projects that revolve around it usually take place in or near large metropolitan areas. However, as posted at the official site of the Brazilian government, a phys ed teacher in a remote part of Mato Grosso state, one of Brazil's largest but least populous states, started a chess class as a tool for social inclusion that has been a huge success.

Garry Kasparov's Next Move

2/25/2014 – We know he is running for FIDE President. But what does Garry Kasparov think about the Sochi Olympiad and Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule in the country he can no longer vist? And for chess fans more relevant: what does Kasparov think about World Champion Magnus Carlsen, with whom he has worked, or about computers playing chess? It's all revealed in this must-read Smithsonian article.

Casino Graz Intenational is won by Melkumyan

2/24/2014 – Over the course of the winter vacation as it is known in the northern hemisphere, and summer vacation in the southern, the first edition of the Casino Graz Open was held in the plush Casino Graz in Graz, Austria. The first edition had a good draw, with a strong contingent of titled players, inlcuding top seed Li Chao (2697 FIDE). Armenian Hrant Melkumyan took the gold. Illustrated report.

Müller: Endgames from ChessBase Magazine

2/24/2014 – Ready for this? Five instructive endgames, which appeared on the board at the 76th Tata Steel Masters, are explained to you by our resident expert GM Karsten Müller. That should easily fill your weekly training schedule. There is a lot to learn and many a rating point to pick up if you go through Dr Müller's clear and precise instructions. And best part: it's all free of charge.

Psychological warfare and Einstellung effect (1)

2/23/2014 – When confronted with a decision in chess, people are sometimes misled by familiar patterns and motifs, which cause them to miss better solutions. This is known as the "Einstellung" effect, and it has been systematically studied by a team of researchers. Their results have direct implications for practical playing strategy. Part one describes the basic research, including eye-tracking experiments.

Joys of Chess – Selfmate activists

2/22/2014 – The Darwin Awards "honour" people who have improved the human gene pool by removing themselves from it by an involuntary death in a particularly grotesque manner. In chess, where danger is always lurking, there are some remarkable examples of Freud's thanatos (death) drive in action. They are uncovered by Professor Christian Hesse in his very enjoyable book: Joys of Chess.

An Indian Chess Wedding (2)

2/21/2014 – Sagar Shah, rated 2304 with two IM norms, is a regular contributor to our news page. Amruta Mokal, 2041, four WIM norms, will hopefully also write chess stories for us in the future. On February 5th, after over five years of friendship, the two got married. In part one of his pictorial report Sagar gave us the background of the wedding; today he describes the Vedic rituals and the chess tournament.

Computer-resistant chess variants

2/21/2014 – As you know from recent articles, there has been a spate of board games specifically designed to be difficult for computers, making it impossible for them to beat the strongest human players. One such game, Arimaa, has resisted computer assaults for more than a decade. Here is some general advice for anti-computer game inventors, provided by a two-time Arimaa World Champion.

Three winners in Minsk

2/20/2014 – Today would have marked the 90th birthday of the legendary David Bronstein. Arguably the strongest player to have ever lived to not obtain the World Champion title, Bronstein's legacy is unquestionable. He died in Minsk, and this city has held a tournament in his memory. Oleksienko, Fedorchuk and Jobava finished at the top with 7.0/9, but the Georgian edged them out on tiebreaks.