Sofia Super-GM: Topalov beats Wang Yue

5/17/2009 – Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov beat Wang Yue from China in 33 moves. 18-year-old Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen drew against Alexei Shirov, Spain, in 39 moves. Cuban GM Leiner Dominguez-Perez was lucky to escape with a 49-move draw against Ukrainian GM Vassily Ivanchuk (e.g. 35...Rxg2 would have brought instant victory). Carlsen and Shirov lead. Games and standings.

US Championship: young guns battle for the US title

5/17/2009 – In the penultimate round 21-year-old Hikaru Nakamura beat the GM aspirant Michael Brooks to take the lead at the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center. He was joined at the top by Robert Hess, 17, who beat defending champion Yury Shulman. Kamsky, Onischuk and Akobian are half a point behind going into what promises to be a very exciting final round. Watch it unfold on Playchess!

Sofia Super-GM: Topalov beats Ivanchuk

5/17/2009 – Actually it was Vassily Ivanchuk who, in a completely drawn position, played a suicide move (37.Qxb7??) and gave up the whole point with white against Veselin Topalov. Wang Yue drew against Magnus Carlsen in 25 moves, Alexei Shirov drew Leinier Dominguez Perez in 43 moves. Topalov, Carlsen and Shirov lead after the first half of the tournament. Monday is a free day. Games and standings.

US Championship: young players take over the US Championship

5/16/2009 – On the free day of the spornsoring Scholastic Center appropriately staged a scholastic match. Students from two St. Louis schools experienced the thrill of playing chess on the same tables and in the same room where the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship is being contested. They even had their own name signs, just like the champs. The result: happy faces all around.

Areshchenko triumphs in Mayor's Cup – Jai Ho Mumbai!!

5/15/2009 – Six months ago the Indian financial metropolis was hit by a brutal terror attack, which accounted for nearly 200 casualties. It is very difficult to overcome such a trauma, but the city of Mumbai has a unique "Never-Say-Die" spirit to bounce back. And so it hosted the second editon of the Mumbai Mayor's International Chess Tournament, with a record 18,500 Euros prize fund. Slumdog report.

Hungary and Slovenia lead in Mitropacup 2009

5/15/2009 – It is larger than Hamburg and richer than Bill Gates. The Adriatic country that is now Slovenia was at various times part of a dozen empires and states. Today it is a fully integrated European country. And the gracious host of the Mitropacup invitational team championship 2009, where the Hungarian men are in the lead, and both Slovenian teams dominating the women's section. Illustrated report.

US Championship: Three top seeds plus rising star lead

5/15/2009 – Musical chairs: the two round six leaders, Yury Shulman and Varuzhan Akobian, lost their games (to Alexander Onischuk and Hikaru Nakamura). Gata Kamsky beat three-time US champion Joel Benjamin, to join Onischuk and Nakamura at the top of the table. But wait: 17-year-old Robert Hess defeated Josh Friedel to join them at 5.0/7 points. Report with great pictures by Betsy Dynako.

Sofia Super-GM: all games drawn

5/15/2009 – Magnus Carlsen drew a pawn-up ending against Vassily Ivanchuk after 54 moves; Wang Yue and Alexei Shirov drew their game in 39 moves; and Leinier Dominguez survived a fierce attack by Veselin Topalov to draw for a third time, with the black pieces. Carlsen, Shirov and Wang lead with 2.0/3 point, followed by Dominguez with 1.5. Games and standings.

US Championship: Shulman and Akobian hold the lead

5/14/2009 – As overnight leaders, defending Champion Yury Shulman and North Hollywood GM Varuzhan Akobian were matched up in round six. A win would have given the victor sole possession of first place, but the two drew in 33. They share the lead with 4.5 points, followed by a pack of six players, including Kamsky, Nakamura and Onischuk, half a point behind. Illustrated round six report.

Asian Chess Championship – Scandal in Kuala Lumpur

5/14/2009 – Two days ago five Uzbeks and one Kazakh set out to play in the Asian Championship in Subic, Philippines. Since the organisers had not arranged for visas to be made available at Manila Airport – there are no Philippine embassies in their native countries – the players flew to Kuala Lumpur to get their papers there. What then transpired is described in this harrowing letter by GM Anton Filippov.

Sofia Super-GM: Wang Yue beats Ivanchuk

5/14/2009 – In the Super-GM tournament in Sofia Leinier Dominguez vs Magnus Carlsen ended in a draw after 30 moves. Shirov vs Topalov lasted 27 moves longer and also ended in a draw. Top Ukrainian GM Vassily Ivanchuk lost his second game in a row with the white pieces, when Wang Yue from China defeated him in a nice pawn ending with Zugzwang. Results and games.

Hungary and Croatia lead in Mitropacup 2009

5/13/2009 – This popular team championship is being held from May 10–17 in the idyllic – and very healthy – Slovenian town of Rogaska Slatina. The men's section has four players per team, the women's two. Time controls are 90/40 + 30/rest with 30s increment per move. After four rounds the Hungarian and Croatian men lead, while in the women's section it is all about Slovenia 1 and 2. Illustrated report.

Matthew Sadler's short but successful career

5/13/2009 – He won the British Championship at 21, but in his mid-20s GM Matthew Sadler turned his back on chess, preferring a larger and more stable income in the IT world to the vicissitudes of life as a chess professional. Our Playchess lecturer Dennis Monokroussos won't let him go without a look at a Sadler brilliancy in a QGA game against Spanish GM Illescas. Be there to watch at 9 p.m. ET.

Dortmund 2009: the category 20 line-up

5/13/2009 – The Sparkassen Chess-Meeting is the most important traditional chess tournament in Germany. It is also a favourite of former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, 33, who has won it a record eight times. This year the average rating is 2744 (and the average age 25.7 years), and Kramnik has the likes of Magnus Carlsen and Peter Leko snapping at his heels. Make a note: July 2–12 2009.

World Championship cycle: FIDE-UEP negotiations fail

5/13/2009 – In February the World Chess Federation announced that it had an offer from Universal Event Promotion GmbH to stage the 2009-2011 World Champion cycle – to the tune of 3.5 to 4 million Euros. Now FIDE has announced that the parties had "not reached a final agreement." UEP blamed it on "different agendas relating to organisational sovereignty and commercial rights." Press releases.

US Championship: Shulman and Akobian make their move

5/13/2009 – In round five defending champion Yury Shulman and Varuzhan Akobian broke from the pack to take the joint lead. Akobian easily outplayed GM Jaan Ehlvest, who tried a dramatic queen sacrifice but was foiled by the cool defence of his 25-year-old opponent. Gata Kamsky, Hikaru Nakamura Alexander Onischuk and Robert Hess are half a point behind the leaders. Big illustrated report.

Sofia Super-GM: Carlsen and Shirov win

5/13/2009 – The Super-GM tournament in Sofia with six players has started today. On the first day of this double round robin event Alexei Shirov beat Vassily Ivanchuk with the black pieces. 18-year-old Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen beat Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov in 36 moves. Wang Yue and Leinier Dominguez Perez drew their game. Results and games.

Five players lead in US Championship

5/12/2009 – The 2009 U. S. Chess Championship is being held, this year for the first time, in the beautiful new St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center. In round two the youngest player in the tournament, Ray Robson, 14, was victorious over the oldest player, GM Boris Gulko. Top seed Gata Kamsky leads, together with four GM colleagues. Big illustrated report after round four.

Rating and K-factor: wrapping up the debate

5/11/2009 – The discussions regarding the K-factor – the rate at which ratings go up or down when they are calculated – reaches its climax with a wrap-up article by Dr John Nunn, grandmaster and mathematician, who evaluates the arguments that have been presented by the different parties. After this it is up to FIDE, which has already initiated positive steps settle the matter. Final installment.

Open fight in the closed Sicilian

5/11/2009 – The closed Sicilian usually starts slowly – the first real clash of pieces may come in the middlegame. That is why understanding of strategies and knowledge of motifs is essential here. Nigel Davies' "Closed Sicilian" DVD proves by means of games by Spassky, Karpov, Smyslov etc. that this is a real fighting opening with lots of space for creativity. Buy his DVD now or read more.

FIDE World team beats Azerbaijan 21.5-10.5

5/10/2009 – The FIDE team playing in the President's cup in Baku was nominally 50 points stronger than its Azeri opponents. But even that could not lead anyone to anticipate the tonking (as the British would call it) delivered by visitors. Vladimir Kramnik was the lead tonker, with 6.5 points from eight games and a performance of 2977. Anand followed with 5.5/8 = 2850. Final report with video.

The first DVD by GM Ftacnik

5/9/2009 – For more than 20 years, Lubomir Ftacnik has collaborated with ChessBase - of course for ChessBase Magazine (over 4700 (!) annotated games in the Mega Database), but also as the author of CDs and above all as the most important editor of the player encyclopaedia and in the standardising of game references. Now the Slovakian GM has recorded his first DVD in Fritztrainer format - in both German and English. Video, interview and annotated game...

President's Cup – FIDE World leads after two rounds

5/8/2009 – The first round saw a well-prepared Shakhriyar Mamedyarov take a point from Alexei Shirov, who defeated Gadir Guseinov in round two. Anand defeated Vugar Gashimov to put the FIDE World team in the lead by 4.5:3.5 points. Before the games started the World Champion received his sixth Chess Oscar from the FIDE President. Live coverage was spotty. Illustrated report.

11th Dubai Open 2009 – a feast for the eyes

5/8/2009 – Chess players look more or less the same, in Beijing or in Dortmund. But step out of the playing hall and the picture changes. The locations where chess events are held range from the boring to the visually stunning. Dubai does not belong to the former category. Our report WGM Yana Melnikova has lovingly portrayed the city, while not neglecting the participants, in this spectacular pictorial report.