FIDE World Chess Cup 2009 in Khanty-Mansiysk begins

11/21/2009 – Suffering from withdrawal after Nanjing and the Tal Memorial? Do not worry, the next top tournament has just started. It is the FIDE World Cup in Central Russia, a seven-stage knockout with 128 players in the starting ranks and a total prize fund of US $1.6 million. The event is an integral part of the World Championship Cycle 2009-2011. Participants and schedule.

Anand: Russia is still one of the strongest chess nations in the world

11/21/2009 – "For the greatest part of my life I have been fighting the three K’s – Karpov, Kasparov and Kramnik," says Vishy Anand on Moscow radio. "I have played no fewer than a hundred games with each of them." The World Champion talks about the Russian school, chess as an Olympic sport, computer cheating and the world championship format. Interview with WGM Elmira Mirzoeva.

World Blitz Championship: closeup video footage

11/20/2009 – Some watched it live in the GUM mall in Moscow. You probably followed the action on Playchess, perhaps with webcam images from the official site running as well (they had a strange two-minute lag to the game moves). Now you have a chance to see highlights of the World Blitz Championship close up in video with a JavaScript replay board. A unique experience – you don't want to miss it!

London Chess Classic 2009 – Korchnoi guest of honour

11/20/2009 – Viktor Korchnoi is an all time great of chess. He fought two world title matches against Anatoly Karpov and generously replayed a match he had won by default against Garry Kasparov. In December you can hear Korchnoi comments at the Chess Classic or play him in a simultaneous display. To get you in the mood tournament director Malcolm Pein has annotated a recent Korchnoi brilliancy.

World Blitz Championship: Pictorial impressions

11/19/2009 – It was a spectacular event, a three-day frenzy of blitz chess, with World Champion Anand finishing three full points ahead of the field – and one Magnus Carlsen, 18-year-old youth from Norway, three points ahead of him. Oh the excitement! We brought you the results and games of the third and final day. Here now is a photo report by Misha Savinov.

Carlsen: I am constantly in touch with Kasparov

11/19/2009 – "Until recently I was a schoolboy," says a candid Magnus Carlsen, "I am not very accustomed to rigid, hard and painstaking work. Only by working with Garry Kasparov have I become aware of just how important it is." The 18-year-old winner of the 2009 World Blitz Championship, and the inofficial world number one player, gives credit where it's due in this Vremya (Time) interview.

Kramnik: It is especially nice to win in Moscow

11/19/2009 – "I fell ill," the winner of the super-strong 2009 Tal Memorial tournament reveals. "But for some reason I achieved my best results when I had to take tablets to control my temperature." Vladimir Kramnik speaks about his chances in the Candidates tournament, the cooperation Carlsen-Kasparov, and Anand's chances in Sofia. We have added a brief Aronian statement to this Sport Express interview.

Wednesday night training on Playchess

11/18/2009 – He has never been the world chess champion or the #1 ranked player (though he has come close on both counts). But Vassily Ivanchuk is one of the world’s greatest and most original players for the past 20 years. The Ukrainian GM is the subject of the Playchess lecture at 9 p.m. ET by FM Dennis Monokroussos. Before that IM Merijn van Delft discusses current games. Schedule.

Trials and Tribulations of a Blitz Player

11/18/2009 – Three minutes for the entire game, two seconds' increment per move – this fast version of chess produces its own brand of drama, with wonderful chances and bitter tragedies going hand in hand. There was plenty of that at the World Blitz Championship in Moscow – you can watch it all unfold on the Playchess server. Here are some highlights from day two.

World Blitz Championship: Carlsen wins by three-point margin

11/18/2009 – Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian chess phenomenon, has won this event with 31.0 points from 42 games, three points ahead of World Champion Viswanathan Anand, who himself finished three points ahead of the next-closest rival (Sergey Karjakin). Carlsen's overall performance was 2894, Anand's 2835. In fourth place we find Vladimir Kramnik. Results, games and statistics.

Kramnik: I am counting on regaining the world title

11/17/2009 – A few days ago former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik won the brutally strong Tal Memorial tournament in Moscow, scoring 6.0/9 with a 2883 performance that increases his FIDE rating by 13.7 points. He is now on fourth place in the "live rankings" – and clearly striving for more. Kramnik talks about the event and his aspirations in this Interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

World Blitz Championship – pictorial impressions from Moscow

11/17/2009 – The Tal Memorial and the World Blitz are tremendously exciting events, followed with great enthusiasm by fans all over the world. But both have been characterised by an unusual dearth of pictures on our news pages. Put it down to the flu. But with our photographers recovered we can return to normal reporting and present you with a big photo report by Misha Savinov.

World Blitz Championship day two: Carlsen takes over

11/17/2009 – Yesterday World Champion Vishy Anand was leading Magnus Carlsen by two points, today the Norwegian caught and overtook his Indian friend, finishing with 21.0 points from 28 games, with just two draws on his account. Both lost a game to Alexandra Kosteniuk. Anand is now second, one point behind, followed by Sergey Karjakin, 1.5 points below Anand. Results, games and statistics.

German Team Championships – second weekend

11/16/2009 – The German Schachbundesliga – team chess championship – is the strongest in the world, with 273 players from 34 countries in 16 teams. The top female player is IM Anna Musychuk of Slovenia. The 2009/10 season went into its second weekend with rounds three and four. Werder Bremen, had to play without their top Azeri players owing to visa problems. Pictures, results and games.

Edward Winter's Chess Explorations (30)

11/16/2009 – Another pot pourri is presented by the Editor of Chess Notes. A prediction about Garry Kasparov made when he was only 11, a curious Lilienthal reference in a chess poem, an almost unknown player who reportedly challenged Alekhine for the world title in 1927, and an oft-published nineteenth-century miniature which is spurious. A further visit to the wonderful world of chess lore...

World Blitz Championship day one: Anand leads

11/16/2009 – World Champion Vishy Anand, who turns forty in just under a month, is leading this event with 12.0/14 points, two more than his nearest rival Magnus Carlsen. Behind the Norwegian we find a big surprise figure (hint: he is almost twenty years older than Anand), followed by Vladimir Kramnik and Alexander Grischuk. A photo report will follow, here for now are the results and games.

Tal Memorial 2009 – impressions from Moscow

11/15/2009 – We received a number of baffled letters asking us why we did not, as is usually our habit, include large numbers of pictures in our daily reports on the Tal Memorial. Well, our usual photographers unfortunately took ill, and it was only in the final round that WGM Yana Melnikova arrived at the venue and sent us a bunch of photos from the end of the tournament. Here is her report.

Kramnik wins Tal Memorial 2009, Carlsen number one

11/14/2009 – Aronian beats Anand with the black pieces, Carlsen did the same to Leko, Ponomariov beat Morozevich, while Kramnik drew against Ivanchuk. The result: Kramnik wins the tournament, with 6.0/9 and a 2883 performance. Ivanchuk and Carlsen share 2nd-3rd, with the young Norwegian trainee of Garry Kasparov going to number one in the world in the unofficial live rankings. Final round report.

Tal R07: Ivanchuk beats Gelfand

11/13/2009 – Four draws today, in 23, 31, 36 and 40 moves, with Morozevich holding Anand to a draw and preventing the World Champion from catching up with his predecessor Kramnik. The game of the day was Ivanchuk-Gelfand, two winners of round six. There was only one winner today: Vassily Ivanchuk, who moves up to share second with Anand. Report plus an interview with Alexander Morozevich.

White squares and diagonals...

11/13/2009 – ... were the issue in this position where the first player had sacrificed an exchange to occupy the 7th rank and drive the black king to g6. Yet after 25...Rad8 an idea was required. What do you think, is the best continuation a move...
A) with the queen; 
B) with a bishop; 
C) or with a pawn?

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

All Saints in Stockholm

11/13/2009 – Sweden is not really the most romantic place on earth in November. It is quite cold already and the days are getting shorter and shorter. Nevertheless, two brave chess players from Hamburg/Germany did not mind all the weather circumstances and came to Stockholm to play chess. Cheap flights and Swedish hospitality made it possible. Pictorial report by Andreas Albers.

Tal R08: Carlsen beats Ponomariov, moves to sole fourth

11/13/2009 – Feeling better? At last the top seed Magnus Carlsen, 18, has scored a win in this tournament. It came in the form of an explosive English Attack in the Scheveningen, which floored the former FIDE world champion Ruslan Ponomariov in 31 moves (actually with a mate in three). With plus one Carlsen now occupies fourth place alone, behind Kramnik, Anand and Ivanchuk. Full report with annotations.

Interview with the World Junior Champion 2009

11/12/2009 – On November 4th the World Junior Championship in Patagonia, Argentina, ended, with a final-round surge by the French participant (and top seed) Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who caught his main rival, Sergei Zhigalko from Belarus, to take the title. Maxime has given us an exclusive English language interviews, while we use the opportunity to take a nostalgic look back at past events.

Tal R05: Anand beats Leko, joins Kramnik in the lead

11/11/2009 – Almost exactly a year ago the two were playing for the title of World Champion. Now Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand are battling each other for the lead in the Tal Memorial in Moscow. Kramnik worked very hard in an 81-mover against Boris Gelfand, but had to concede a draw. Anand beat Peter Leko in a Semi-Slav and joined Kramnik in the lead. Round five report.