The Berlin Defense – a dangerous weapon in your arsenal

9/16/2007 – Today, players in world championship matches use openings like the Slav and the Berlin Defense. Back in 1886, when it all started, Johannes Zukertort, in his match with Wilhelm Steinitz, played – the Slav and the Berlin Defense! This Monday, on the break day in Mexico, our Playchess trainer Dennis Monokroussos shows us some trick you can add to your repertoire. Remember: nine p.m. ET.

The scent of a book

9/15/2007 – There are more than half a billion people on the planet who play chess. Obviously there is more to the game than grandmasters and super-tournaments. There are charming, ordinary people, there are engaging stories about the intriguing aspects in the game, all waiting to be brought to life in a book. That has happened in Engaging Pieces by Howard Goldowsky. Edwin Lam reviews it.

Anand: 'We found ...c5 here, just three days ago'

9/15/2007 – "The game revolved around this move 17...c5," says Vishy Anand in an interview with Indian TV journalist Vijay Kumar. "Sometimes if you can surprise your opponent it is worth almost as much as making a lot of good moves, because he has to deal with a lot of problems over the board." We bring you this video interview and, of course, the highly instructive comments of GM Mihail Marin.

Mexico Round one: Analysis of the games by GM Mihail Marin

9/14/2007 – Four draws – sounds boring. But there was a fair amount of tension during the first round of the World Championship in Mexico. And a lot to learn from the games played there yesterday. Mihail Marin dissects the games in his usual instructive style, giving chess amateurs and tournament players alike an insight into grandmaster thought and plans. An analytical lesson you will not want to miss.

Mexico R02: Anand draws first blood, Kramnik beats Morozevich

9/14/2007 – Round two is under way, with 7000+ visitors on Playchess, watching the games, and many listening to live commentary by GM Yasser Seirawan. Anand drew first blood in this world championship by beating Aronian with the black pieces. Vladimir Kramnik soon followed suit with a white victory over Alexander Morozevich. Express report with videos and pictures.

Andrews Alekhine

9/14/2007 – Hardly any author in chess shows as much productivity and creativity as the English IM Andrew Martin. His new training DVD in the ChessBase video format is a course in the Alekhine Defence (1.e4 Nf6), making it an excellent repertoire DVD against 1.e4. Carsten Hansen has checked it intensively and found a sound mixture of proven lines and surprising ideas. Buy the DVD now or read this review.

A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game

9/13/2007 – We have known Paul Hoffman for years. He turns up at chess events and spends a lot of time talking to players and fans. Often he tells us about his latest book projects, and can have a dinner table full of people glued to his every word. Now (at last) Paul has written a chess book, one we are reading with great fascination. We bring you a quick review.

Mexico countdown: Openings Ceremony, pairings

9/13/2007 – It starts today, at 14:00h local time in Mexico City, probably quite a bit later where you are located. Yesterday was the opening ceremony and drawing of lots, which lets us to create a full schedule and pairings of the world championship. The games will be broadcast on the official site and on Playchess. To get you in the mood here is another big pictorial report by our Mexico reporter Ali Nihat Yazici.

Mexico R01: All games drawn, comments by Seirawan and Kasimdzhanov

9/13/2007 – The first round of the World Championship ended with four draws. Transmission of the moves from Mexico to the rest of the world went smoothly. There are 7500+ visitors on Playchess, watching the games and listening to live commentary by GM Yasser Seirawan and former FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov. Express report with videos and pictures.

Mexico countdown: preparations and technical meeting

9/12/2007 – With just two days left to the first round of the World Championship tournament in Mexico City, preparations are in full swing, with the stage being built and decorated, and the players briefed on the technical aspects of the match. Watching it all unfold is our friend Ali Nihat Yazici, President of the Turkish Chess Federation, who has sent us a big pictorial report.

How to conquer the d-pawn openings

9/12/2007 – Whatever you prefer against 1.d4 you are always in danger of facing some annoying d-pawn opening like 2.Bf4. We all know that there is something wrong here, but who of us is ready to put the white player back in his place, off the top of our heads? Andrew Martin's new DVD shows you the way for no less than 12 Queen's Pawn Openings. Buy his DVD now or read this review with sampler.

Big press conference – live broadcast in doubt

9/10/2007 – The players have all arrived and settled down in Mexico City, the world championship starts on September 13 (round one), and today all eight participants are scheduled to give a press conference. This takes place at 1:30 p.m. Mexican time. A live broadcast was planned, but now is in doubt. In case it happens we give you all available information on how and where you can catch it.

Croatian talent Lara Stock makes WGM

9/10/2007 – She is just fifteen, and well on her way to becoming Croatia's strongest female player. At the Ninth International Chess Festival in Trieste (Italy) she scored 5.5 points in seven games, defeating two GMs and chalking up a 2550 performance. That was enough for her final WGM norm – a draw in the last round would have made it a full GM norm. Meet Lara Stock.

China beats the UK by 28-20 points

9/10/2007 – Who, 25 years ago, would have imagined this possible? The decisive factor in this defeat was undoubtedly the Chinese players' tenacity and staying power. Time after time, the British players saw precious half points slip through their fingers in the fifth and six hours' of play, bowing to the time-limit and the incredible resourcefulness of their opponents. Illustrated report with an historical picture.

Kasparov in DNA: Anand is the favourite in Mexico

9/10/2007 – Today the Indian news portal DNA asked former world champion Garry Kasparov to predict who would win the world championship in Mexico. "I'm not trying to please your readers by saying that Vishy Anand is the clear favourite," he replied. Kasparov also takes the blame for the decade-long split in the chess world, calling his 1993 decision to break with FIDE "a mistake". Excerpts from the interview.

Who is this chess player – it was the Vish!

9/10/2007 – We asked you to guess who this smart young boy was, and provided some more or less helpful clues. Turns out it was Vishy Anand at six, depicted in an interesing article written by Manisha Mohite for the Indian news portal Sify, which printed a retrospect for the 60th anniversary of Indian Independence. Today, of course, Anand is the world's number one. The Story of Indian Chess

Second International Women's Tournament in Baku

9/9/2007 – This event, in a country that truly loves chess, features three local talents and seven international stars from seven different countries. The venue is Baku, the Pearl of the Caspian Sea, where our reporter Ali Nihat Yazici feels at home, because one can get around very nicely in Turkish. He has sent us a big report on the start of the event, which includes pictures and video impressions.

Edward Winter presents: Unsolved Chess Mysteries (14)

9/8/2007 – The latest selection from Chess Notes consists of ten positions, including fragments from games ascribed to Capablanca and Nimzowitsch. Was an alleged Bernstein victory a composition? What is known about a position in which Black resigned despite having an immediate win? Can more be discovered about the classic Fahrni pawn ending? Readers are invited to join in the hunt for clues.

Start your powerplay now

9/7/2007 – Not so long ago, Daniel King recorded the first parts in his exciting "Powerplay" series, which is intended to end up in a comprehensive video chess course on no less than nine DVDs. Bob Long has watched all four DVDs that have come out so far and found the latest one, 'Start right – start now', to be the best. Why don't you buy it now now or read Bobs review.

China leads the United Kingdom by 18-14

9/7/2007 – It's déjà vu all over again. After defeating Russia in Nizhniy Novgorod a week ago the Chinese team – four top GMs, two juniors and two ladies – is well on its way to do the same to the United Kingdom team, headed by Mickey Adams and Nigel Short. After four of six rounds they lead by four points. WGM Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant is the highest scorer with 3.5/4. Big illustrated report.

Birthday celebrations with live chess in Odessa

9/6/2007 – It has become a good tradition – once again chess events became an integral part of Odessa City’s birthday celebrations. There was blitz tournament for everyone in the Passage trading center, a mega-simul on 213 boards and a Living Chess display near the Vorontsov’s Palace. GM Mikhail Golubev and Lena Ivanova (photos) have filed a big illustrated report.

Mexico preview: Levon Aronian, the great Armenian hope

9/6/2007 – Last week our Playchess trainer Dennis Monokroussos examined two encounters between Kramnik and Anand; this week he continues his preview of the participants in the upcoming World Championship tournament in Mexico City with a portrait of the young and very much up and coming Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian. Be there and watch.

Aroshidze wins Banyoles, Nigel Short talks about chess

9/6/2007 – It was Georgian GM Levan Aroshidze who took first prize at the Tenth Banyoles Chess Festival, which ended in late August. Top seed Nigel Short had to retire from the event after five rounds (having scored 4½ points) due to an acute back ailment. But not before he gave fans a highly entertaining two-hour lecture on his chess career. We have videos thereof.

Private Pähtz on the attack at the NATO Championship

9/5/2007 – The 18th NATO Chess Championship is taking place in Beytepe-Ankara, Turkey. Combat dress uniforms are discouraged, the soldiers play in civilian clothing. The top seed is IM and former Junior World Champion Elisabeth Pähtz, who is leading with 13 other players after three rounds. But is this wisp of a girl a real soldier in the NATO forces? You better believe it.