An important lesson in an unorthodox French

5/24/2007 – Vadim Zvjaginsev is one of the most original players on the chess scene, a man who introduced the improbable 1.e4 c5 2.Na3 into grandmaster praxis. Tonight our Playchess trainer Dennis Monokroussos takes a look at an attractive, picturesque, thematic and instructive Zvjaginsev game that started 1.e4 e6 2.f4. French and anti-French aficionados should check it out.

China and Ukraine lead in Women's Team Championship

5/24/2007 – After the traumatic 0:4 drubbing at the hands of the Chinese the main question of round three was whether the Russian team would be able to recover. They were, and the 3.5-0.5 victory over Vietnam set them back on track for the medals. In the meantime China and Ukrain conceded a draw each in round four, but still lead the field. Big illustrated report by WGM Elmira Mirzoeva.

Anand: 'I see a bright future for India'

5/24/2007 – And chess in general. The world's highest ranked player is currently in India, in his native Chennai. Vishy Anand is slowly starting his preparations for the World Championship in Mexico, and enjoying some of the best food in the world (South Indian vegetarian). He also took time to talk to Sportstar, a publication of one of India's largest newspapers, The Hindu. We bring you excerpts.

Andrew Martin: Secret Weapons

5/22/2007 – Clubs players are always on the lookout for ambush opening systems which will catch an unsuspecting opponent squarely on the nose. Our Playchess trainer shows us an unusual French that fits the bill. Also two GM games flesh out proceedings, and a chess puzzle for your enjoyment. Lecture at 22:00h CEST.

Young Stars of the World 2007

5/22/2007 – The tournament is being held in Kirishi, near St Petersburg in Russia. It brings together young talents, most 16 years or younger, from all over the world – Russia, India, Germany, Bielorussia, Armenia, Azerbajan and Ukraine. After five rounds of play 14-year-old Parimarjan Negi of India is in the lead, together with Andriasian Zaven of Armenia. Picture report.

China drubs Russia 4-0 in Women's Team Championship

5/22/2007 – It was certainly not on the agenda of the First World Women's Team Championship, which is taking place from May 19 to 30 in Yekaterinburg, Russia. After a festive opening, and an uneventful first round, the key pairing took place in round two. It was there that the unprecedented whitewash occurred. We bring you a big picture report by WGM Elmira Mirzoeva.

Alexander Borisovich Roshal dies at 71

5/22/2007 – He was a renowned chess trainer and one of the most famous and influential chess journalists of the Soviet Union. After its collapse he took over his magazine, "64 – Chess Review", and after a brief crisis, returned it to its old glory. Alik Roshal was a welcome visitor at chess events all over the world, entertaining us with his wisdom and humour. He will be sadly missed.

Edward Winter presents: Unsolved Chess Mysteries (6)

5/21/2007 – A further miscellany of mysteries from Chess Notes includes an alleged tournament game in which Black was mated at move three, the unclear circumstances of a master’s suicide, a chess figure who was apparently unaware of his year of birth, the book allegedly found beside Alekhine’s body in 1946, and the chess notes of the poet Rupert Brooke. Join in the hunt for clues.

Visualize search in Fritz 10

5/21/2007 – Planning is an important ingredient of chess -- possibly the most important one. A new Fritz10 feature focuses on this aspect of the game and lets you see what Fritz is "planning" in a given position. Learn more about the "Visualize search" feature in the latest installment of ChessBase Workshop.

Sofia 2007: All games drawn, Sasikiran leads

5/20/2007 – One round before the end nothing changed in the tables, with all three games ending in draws. Sunday is the final round, with the tournament leader Krishnan Sasikiran facing national hero Veselin Topalov with black. Topalov will do everything in his power to win the game and the M-Tel event. He has managed in the past – will he pull it off again?

Garry Kasparov detained, world leaders protest

5/20/2007 – The former world chess champion and current leader of the Other Russia opposition group, together with dozens of journalists and activists, was prevented from attending the European Union-Russia summit in Samara, Russia. The incident has dominated the international press, and led to protests by amongst others German Chancellor Angela Merkel and, yes, M-Tel organiser Silvio Danailov.

Sofia 2007: Topalov wins Third M-Tel Masters in Sofia

5/20/2007 – Our words were justified: after his disastrous start we cautioned our readers not to wager large sums on Topalov not winning the event. And the Bulgarian superstar pulled it off yet again. He defeated the tournament leader in the final round to take sole victory in the M-Tel Masters. Four players shared 2nd-5th, with Adams bringing up the rear, just a point behind the winner. Games and final standings.

Sofia 2007: Kamsky beats Sasikiran with black

5/19/2007 – He may not have his notebook, but he is in fighting spirit. Top US grandmaster Gata Kamsky defeated the tournament leader Krishnan Sasikiran to move into joint second place, together with Topalov, Mamedyarov and Nisipeanu. On the free day there was a soccer match between the chess players and a selection of the Bulgarian champions. Pictures and videos.

Radjabov wins 'Match of the Hopes' in Corsica

5/19/2007 – Having staged “The Match of the Legends” in May 2006 between Karpov and Spassky, the Corsican Chess League today organized "Le Match des Espoirs" between the two top juniors of the world – 20-year-old GM Teimur Radjabov of Azerbaijan and 16-year-old GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway. After tying two rapid and two blitz tie-break games Radjabov won the match in the Armageddon playoff.

The outspoken Mr Danailov

5/19/2007 – He is the manager of Veselin Topalov, the main organizer of the M-Tel tournament in Sofia, the creator of the Grand Slam. IM Silvio Danailov is also one of the most controversial figures in world chess. In an interview with the Russian site Chesspro he talks about his colleagues, chess professionalism, M-Tel invitations and about why Kramnik will lose his title in Mexico.

Sofia 2007: India's Sasikiran in the lead

5/18/2007 – With a critical black-piece victory over co-leader Shakriyar Mamedyarov Indian GM Krishnan Sasikiran took the sole lead in the M-Tel tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. The other games were drawn, so that "Sasi" now leads with a full point ahead of Topalov, Mamedyarov and Adams. Half a point behind are Nisipeanu and Kamsky who round up the field. Games and standings.

Sofia 2007: Sasikiran, Kamsky and Topalov win

5/17/2007 – Veselin Topalov continued his predicted second-half comeback with a precision victory with the black pieces over Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu, who had beaten him in their first-round encounter. Tournament leader Shakriyar Mamedyarov lost to Gata Kamsky, while Krishnan Sasikiran beat Michael Adams to join Mamedyarov in top position. Games and standings.

ChessBase Light 2007 - part 3

5/17/2007 – Our ChessBase Workshop series on the new ChessBase Light 2007 continues with a column about opening searches. Learn how to search a database for games of a specific opening, even if you don't know the opening's proper ECO code, in the new ChessBase Workshop

Oxford vs Cambridge vol. 125 – the never ending game

5/16/2007 – The rivalry between the two great English Universities, Oxford and Cambridge, goes back for hundreds of years. In chess hostilities began in 1873, and since then, interrupted by the odd war, the chess clubs of both universities have been meeting anually to settle the score. This year for the 125th time. Exchange PhD student Olena Boytsun, WIM from Ukraine, helped make it memorable.

Mexico World Championship: Anand or Kramnik?

5/16/2007 – If we ignore you-know-who, the two best chess players in the last ten years have consistently been Vishy Anand and Vladimir Kramnik. They are the co-favourites in the Mexico City World Championship this September. Our Playchess trainer Dennis Monokroussos evaluates their chances.

The 2007 Ashgabat International School Championship

5/15/2007 – You may be forgiven for not knowing where Ashgabat is, less so for not being able to locate Turkmenistan on a map. The capital of this Central Asia Republic, just across the border to Iran, has an International School, with chess on its curriculum and a WGM as a trainer. Mahri Geldiyeva sent us a picture report of the first school chess championship and other activities. Read and learn.

Sofia 2007: three draws, Mamedyarov leads at the halfway stage

5/15/2007 – As is often the case, the day before the rest day produced quieter chess than usual – nobody wants to risk losing, when they will have an extra 24 hours to ruminate on it. Kamsky’s accurate defence thwarted Topalov’s ambitions, whilst the top two, Adams and Mamedyarov, fought down to bare kings. Tuesday is free, so you have an extra 24 hours to enjoy some defensive heroics.

Andrew Martin: Two from Topalov

5/15/2007 – There can be little doubt that former FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov is a crowd-pleaser. His games invariably contain fireworks and are full of points of interest. With such a sharp style he is bound to encounter fluctuations, but this adds to the pleasure. Our Playchess trainer takes a look at two games from Sofia, and one of his own efforts a few days ago. Enjoy.

The long way of ChessBase Magazine

5/14/2007 – Do you remember the shoes you wore ten years ago? Porbably not, but probably there is little to be called progress here. Michael Jeffreys went back a decade and gives us some (surprising?) impressons of what ChessBase Magazine looked like once and now. Buy the new CBM 117 right away or step back into history first.