Sonas: The Deloitte/FIDE Chess Rating Challenge

6/8/2011 – The Deloitte/FIDE Chess Rating Challenge, a worldwide contest to determine the most accurate rating algorithm for predicting chess game outcomes, has recently concluded. The winner of the $10,000 first prize was Tim Salimans, a Ph.D. student in the Netherlands. Tim submitted the most accurate predictions, out of all 189 teams who participated, and so he won the big prize.

Kasparov on 25 Years of ChessBase

6/8/2011 – He was there at the start – actually before that, when a chess database was just an idea in the minds of a few enthusiasts. And when he saw the first prototype Garry Kasparov immediately pushed for its completion. For the 25th anniversary of ChessBase he sent us a very moving statement, recorded in his study in Moscow, describing the birth of what he calls the ChessBase generation.

ChessBase 25 Composing Tourney

6/8/2011 – Special occasions in the chess world are often accompanied by a chess composition tourney. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of ChessBase, the Israeli study composer IM Yochanan Afek, together with the Dutch-Flemish Association for Endgame Study, ARVES, has announced a commemorative tourney. All are invited to test their creative skills.

CBM Blog: Surprise mating attack + knight domination

6/7/2011 – Rook endings have a large drawish tendency, in sharp contrast to pawn endings. However, one mistake can be fatal, sometimes leading to an unexpected mate. In his second example our resident GM and endgame specialist Karsten Müller shows us how the normally dominating bishop can be dominated by a knight in pawn endings. Look and learn.

Cupa Romaniei – rapid team championship in a very beautiful place

6/6/2011 – This three-day event, with a number of strong players, took place in two sections: "masculin" and "femini". The location was Brasov, which claims to be "probably the best city in the world". Our author and photographer WGM Alina l'Ami, who recently sent us some wonderful impressions from Luanda, Angola, has sent us another wonderful pictorial, this time from her native Romania. Enjoy.

León 2011: Anand beats Shirov 4.5-1.5

6/6/2011 – Day three of the León Masters was a continuation of the previous days, which can only be considered a boon to chess lovers – with the exception of Shirov fans perhaps. It was more exciting fighting chess until the very last game, and Anand showed his irreproachable class by winning the León Masters for the eighth time. Final report.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (62)

6/5/2011 – Every collector likes multi-signed items. After presenting some from his collection, the Editor of Chess Notes offers readers the opportunity to acquire a stunning one: a programme inscribed by, among others, Anand, Gelfand, Grischuk, Ivanchuk, Karpov, Kasparov, Khalifman, Korchnoi, Leko, Morozevich, Ponomariov, Seirawan, Shirov, Short, Smyslov and Spassky. A grand total of 28 signatures...

Brilliance, drama and scandal at the German Championship

6/4/2011 – GM Igor Kenkin tied for first with GM Jan Gustafsson, winning the championship on the tiebreak score. In the women's section Sarah Hoolt took sole first with 7.5/9 points. In round six the defending champion, 19-year-old IM Niclas Huschenbeth played a delightful game against Gustafsson, and in the final round FM Christoph N. was disqualified for cheating. Big illustrated report.

León 2011: Anand and Shirov have exciting start

6/4/2011 – After a fairly ho-hum Candidates cycle, chess fans were famished wolves in search of excitement on the chessboard. True, neither Anand nor Shirov has a reputation for boring chess (knock on wood), but the proof is in the pudding. Thankfully they were rewarded for their faith, and the first two games were exciting battles. Anand's win in game two was annotated by GM Elshan Moradiabandi.

Caissa in Jamaica

6/4/2011 – Chess in the tropics or more isolated parts of the world can be harder to come by, but love of the game can go a long way. In Jamaica, they recently brought GM Timoshenko for a simul, shorty after which a qualifier for the Jamaican champ-ionship took place, won by recently-arrived Denton Cockburn and JCF President, Ian Wilkinson. Here is the enthusiastic report by Ian Wilkinson.

León 2011: Anand unleashes game-changing novelty

6/4/2011 – If the first day had already awoken the fans from their slumber, the second day was one to rewrite sections of opening manuals. Although one expects to see novelties in rapid games, they are most often slight permutations in known theory. In game three, a Caro-Kann Advance with 4.g4, Anand played a novelty on move six that changes the way the line will be evaluated. Not to be missed!

Few pieces

6/4/2011 – By giving up his passed pawn with 33.d6, White can force 33...Bxd6 34.Nxd6+ Qxd6 and make the black king vulnerable to checks. This... 

A) ... leads by force to the win of Black's rook or queen;
B) ... results in a balanced position/perpetual check;
C) ... ultimately just blunders a pawn.

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

León: Anand, Shírov… and a secret character

6/3/2011 – Viswanathan Anand is the reigning World Champion, and leads the FIDE world rankings. The Indian is also a well-known specialist in fast time controls. His opponent in the 14th edition of the traditional Ciudad de León Rapid Chess Match is the tremendously imaginative and combative GM Alexei Shirov of Spain. The match will be accompanied by a mysterious "Restless Player". 4:30 p.m. on Playchess.

Bartel wins King’s Gambit in Radom

6/3/2011 – For the fourteenth time, Polish chess players came to Radom to take part in a very unusual tournament dedicated to the most romantic of all chess openings. All the games in the tournament started from the very well known position after moves 1. e4 e5 2. f4. This year, the winner was Polish champion GM Mateusz Bartel, who kindly annotated one of his games for us. Enjoy.

Can population or GDP explain chess success?

6/2/2011 – How much of a country’s chess success can be explained in terms of its size? There is a positive relationship between the population of a country and the average ratings of its top players, but size is certainly not the only factor. But adjusting for population and GDP shows that some smaller countries can have considerably above-expected ratings. Can you guess which ones top the list?

CBM Blog: Fortress or Not? + Knight endings

6/1/2011 – Against a bishop the defender can often try to construct a fortress, as it can visit only half the squares of the chessboard, as our resident GM and endgame specialist Karsten Müller demonstrates. The themes of outside passed pawn and zugzwang play a major role in knight endings as well, where, due to the tactical abilities of the knight, great care is often required. Learn and become stronger.

ChessBase is 25: Birthday greetings from Anand

6/1/2011 – Our company was born on May 19, 1986, twenty-five years ago, and on May 19, 2011 one of our most loyal friends, World Champion Viswanathan Anand, logged into the Playchess server and sent us a ten-minute birthday greeting. It was quite moving to be reminded of the early days by one who was present at the time – and who has remained a close friend ever since. Must-watch historical video.

Brand new: 60 Minutes – Chess theory compact and to the point

5/31/2011 – How about this: world class grandmasters teach you how to play systems in which they are supreme experts. In the ChessBase Media format, which means full video and a synchronised board. In sixty minutes per lesson. For less than ten Euros ($14.25). The lessons are available as downloads, so you can start working immediately. Interested? Here are all the details and sample videos.

Kramnik: Reflections on the Candidates Matches

5/31/2011 – He called to congratulate us on our 25th anniversary, but we used the opportunity to discuss the results of the Candidates matches in Kazan with Vladimir Kramnik. Two resident GMs analysed critical games with him, after which Frederic Friedel interviewed the former World Champion on the more general subject of the format of the event itself. Kramnik insists it must be changed.

Brady – Bobby Fischer's Game of the Century

5/29/2011 – We recently published a review by Sean Marsh on Frank Brady's new biography of Bobby Fischer. In the meantime we have received the handsome volume from the author and are actually reading it – with immense pleasure. To give you an impression of the quality of this book we bring you a short excerpt of a story you know. Read how wonderfully Dr Brady weaves the well-known tale.

Short and Alina l'Ami win CUCA International

5/29/2011 – British GM Nigel Short won this GM Open in Luanda, with a resounding 8.0/9 points, but he was outshone by Romanian WGM Alina l'Ami, who took the women's section with a perfect 9.0/9 points. Equal second in the open section was Dutch GM Sergei Tiviakov, who together with Alina has been sending us photos from the Angolan capital. Final report with an unusual picture of Nigel Short.

CBM Blog: One diagonal, and to exchange or not to exchange?

5/28/2011 – Pure opposite colored bishop endings have a very large drawish tendency. If the defender is dug in on squares of his own bishop his fortress usually cannot be stormed. In his second example our resident GM endgame expert has a serious admonition: before trading down into a pawn ending you should calculate it to the end. Useful lessons for tournament success.

Italian National Scholastic Team Championship set a new record

5/28/2011 – This year the annual event attracted 1480 players from 286 schools from all over Italy. It was staged from May 12-15 in the beautiful city of Spoleto in Umbria, the center of the country. The large number of participants relied to a great degree on support from the FIDE Chess in Schools initiative and its Chairman Ali Nihat Yazici, as we learn from this illustrated report by IM Martha Fierro.

Feedback on Kazan – how should the Candidates be conducted?

5/28/2011 – The opinions range from joke to disaster, to a more balanced "Don't insult the players, they are not there to entertain us, they are there to win." As usual we received a large number of messages on the Candidates Matches in Kazan, while they were running, and on the controversy between the ECU President and the FIDE World Championship Chairman. Food for thought.