CBM Endgame training: the octopus, Kosteniuk's combination, races

10/25/2011 – This edition of GM Karsten Müller's endgame instructions is devoted exclusively to the ladies. Three former women's world champions feature in the games he has selected for our attention, two from the recently concluded Grand Prix in Nalchik. Studying examples like these in the regular deliveries of ChessBase Magazine will do your practical playing strength a world of good.

European School Championship 2011 in Antalya

10/25/2011 – Turkey has has adopted FIDE's Chess in Schools program and has been successfully running championships for the past few years. The European School Championship 2011 was staged in Kemer, Antalya, last week and saw 204 players from five countries participating in twelve different categories. Anastasiya Karlovich and Fatma Ozturk have sent us a thoroughly charming photo report.

Political problems at the 15th Corsican Circuit

10/25/2011 – The event is fifteen years old and thriving – this year it has a record number of participants (over 800) and a great prize fund (95,000 Euros). Everything went smoothly until round four, when GM Ghaem Maghami from Iran refused to play against Israeli FM Ehud Shachar, demanding a re-pairing. The organisers refused, the game was forfeited. Video reports and background.

Wijk aan Zee: Tata Steel tournament breaks records

10/25/2011 – This is the second tournament named after the Indian Steel company. But it has been played in the wind-swept Dutch sea resort since 1938. Group A is this year the strongest ever, with a rating average of 2752 (Category: 21). There are eight female players in the three groups, also a record. The event takes place from January 13 to 29. Pre-tournament information with history and statistics.

Sonas: what exactly is the problem of draws – Part 2

10/24/2011 – Recently chess statistician Jeff Sonas showed us that short draws in top-flight chess are on the decline. But what are "short draw"? John Nunn suggested that one should target draws that barely leave known theory, so Sonas decided to analyze every move in Mega 2011 to show us the current trends in elite play. Don’t miss this very important article – or the very challenging quiz at the end.

Valeri Lilov: Tactics: From Basics to Brilliance, Vol. 1

10/24/2011 – "Initially, my impression of this DVD was that many of the discussions were just too lengthy to hold the attention of viewers," writes Chess Cafe reviewer Steve Goldberg. "But then, around half a dozen segments into the DVD, I couldn't help but find myself attracted to Lilov's presentations. He continually finds especially interesting examples to demonstrate the themes." A slightly different DVD.

Hoogeveen: Kramnik wins by 1½ points, rejoins the 2800 club

10/23/2011 – In round five of the 15th Unive Tournament both Anish Giri and Vladimir Kramnik scored full points – the former after a blunder just before the time control by his opponent Judit Polgar, the latter after Vachier Lagrave cracked under intense pressure. Kramnik produced a plus three and 2900+ performance, which puts him back into a very illustrious club. Final report with Let's Check analysis.

Nalchik GP: Zhao Xue loses final game, wins event by 2½ points

10/22/2011 – It was her first and only loss in this tournament, and cost her an entry as the best performance of all time in chess. But GM Zhao Xue of China easily won the third Women's Grand Prix 2011-2012, gaining 42 rating points in the process! Second was compatriou WGM Ju Wenjun, who defeated Zhao in the final round and will soon bear the IM and GM titles. Closing report.

CBM Endgame training: Mikhalevski's Majorities, breakthroughs, exchanges

10/22/2011 – ChessBase Magazine excels with a world-class endgame section. Our resident expert GM Karsten Müller keeps a watchful eye for interesting examples from current tournament play. Here for your weekend study are three examples, all derived from games played this month. You can study Dr Müller's analysis or download the games for later review. Look, learn and enjoy.

Maurice Ashley: What Grandmasters Don't See

10/21/2011 – "Maurice Ashley scores again as favorite teacher with this DVD," writes Steven Dowd. "Ashley teaches with a entertainingly fast pace, is quick to crack a good joke, and simply relates well to the audience. If there really were a ChessBase University, Ashley would be a candidate for teacher of the year, and would be my hands-down choice to win." Review in Chess Cafe.

Magnificent Morozevich fulfills 2900 promise

10/20/2011 – It was a fantastic beginning in the face of such a tough field, and the question was whether Alexander Morozevich could fulfill the unspoken promise of such a start. The answer was 8.5/11 and a 2917 performance, with a superb final win, taking him back to the Top Ten in the next list. Evgeny Tomashevsky came in second, with a 2800 performance, and Peter Leko in third. Illustrated report.

Hoogeveen: Kramnik beats Polgar, leads by a full point

10/20/2011 – In round two Vladimir Kramnik beat Judit Polgar – as usual, we are tempted to say. In twenty classical encounters Judit still has to win a single one. At the end of this game Fritz 13 surprised people on Playchess by announcing mate in 45 moves – on a super-fast spectator machine. In rounds three and four all games were drawn, but some of them quite interesting. Report and commentary.

Nalchik GP: Zhao Xue with 9.5/10 with 3016 performance

10/20/2011 – This is becoming one of the most amazing results of all time. Chinese GM Zhao Xue is three and a half points ahead of the field, and stands to gain 46 rating points from a single tournament. She is playing short games, often being the first to finish. But they are not draws but lovely wins. Xue's plus nine results dwarfs that of second-placed player, Ju Wenjun, on plus two. Friday is the final round.

Takeable?

10/20/2011 – White is a bishop up, but of course must act most carefully due to his edge king on h3. The strike 30.Rxf7 leads him to what?

A) victory
B) unclear position despite plus piece
C) defeat

The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

Gary Kasparov in Brazil – The new man in charge

10/19/2011 – Garry Kasparov is different. However, it's neither his physical appearance nor his way of walking into a wave of applause that is changed in the former world champion. Seven years later, he has returned less arrogant and less self-sufficient and, for the first time, demonstrates a subtle feeling of gratitude and humility, never seen before in his public career. A thoughtful piece by Tiago Santos.

Daniel King: Power Play 16 – Test Your Rook Endgames

10/19/2011 – "Too often, one may learn something of value but not have the opportunity to use that knowledge right away," writes Steven Dowd. "In such cases the knowledge fades quickly into the recesses of our brains." So what can we do about that? How about two new ChessBase training DVDs? Here's a Chess Cafe review of the first, which gets five out of six stars.

The Rio de Janeiro State Team Championship – An 83-year-old tradition

10/18/2011 – To most outsiders, Rio de Janeiro would never be linked to a deep tradition in chess, yet the very first club was co-founded by legendary author Machado de Assis, who also took part in the first tournament in 1880. The first State Team Championship was held in 1928 and this year the Tijuca Tênis Clube won its 17th title since its first in 1941, 70 years ago. A large pictorial by Albert Silver.

Nalchik GP: Zhao Xue with 7.5/8 points, 2968 performance, +38 rating points

10/18/2011 – This is definitely her tournament: Chinese GM Zaho Xue conceded one draw, against the bottom seed in round seven, and went on to beat the top seed in round eight. This gave her a three-point lead over her nearest rival, compatriot Ju Wenjun, who could bury her hopes of catching the leader after a painful loss to tail-ender Batkhuyag Munguntuul. Big illustrated report after round eight.

Romanian Chess Leagues – Home Sweet Home

10/18/2011 – Brasov was the host of the Romanian League, one of the strongest editions so far. The event brought in a number of world-class players, such as Gata Kamsky, Jobava Baadur, Anna Muzychuk and Pia Cramling. Above all, it was a return to Home Sweet Home for our correspondent who lavishes her report on Brasov and Romania with love. Enjoy this illustrated report by Alina L'Ami.

Early chess cheating story by Martin Gardner

10/18/2011 – American writer Martin Gardner anticipated current cheating woes in chess with his short story Nora Says 'Check'. In it a world champion called Sierpinsky alleviates his chess boredom by guiding a not very bright waitress named Nora to chess fame with the help of a confederate and some electrical trickery. You should not miss this visionary jewel of a tale, written in 1948!

Light-squared issue

10/17/2011 – White threatens 37.Qh5. After the sequence 36...Be6 37.Bxa6 Bxb3 (intending 38.cxb3 Qxa6) Black ...

A) equalizes the game; 
B) gets a slight edge due to White's misplaced rook; 
C) loses a piece

The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

15th Unive Tournament 2011 in Hoogeveen begins

10/17/2011 – This double round robin tournament in Holland brings four 2700+ players to the boards: Vladimir Kramnik, Anish Giri, Maxime Vachier Lagrave and Judit Polgar, with an average rating of 2732, making it a Category 20 event. In the first round Kramnik beat Giri, while Vachier Lagrave came close to doing the same to Judit Polgar. Illustrated report.

Second International Alpine Tournament – Livigno Open 2011

10/16/2011 – This tournament is staged at an altitude of 1,816 meters, making it the highest chess tournament in Europe. The little pretty Alpine town of Livigno was swarming with 22 GMs and 14 IMs, in all 90 players who competed in two Opens. 24 nations were represented from all over the world: Europe, Asia (India), Northern and Southern America. Big pictorial report by Diana Mihajlova.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (71)

10/16/2011 – Which is the most difficult form of chess writing? Of course, each kind presents its own problems and pitfalls, but the Editor of Chess Notes focuses here on a genre which hardly anyone ventures upon nowadays although it used to be highly popular: an attempt to capture the essence of a chess master’s appearance and demeanour with some well-crafted words, in a pen-portrait.