Russian Paul and Little Daddy – the NYC chess scene

9/18/2007 – September is a time of rebirth for chess. With schools back in session, students are returning to their chess clubs. Some of those students may be dreaming of vying for the title, now held by Vladimir Kramnik. More likely is that they will someday vie for a few dollars in Union Square Park in Lower Manhattan against the likes of a man known as Russian Paul. The New York Times reports.

Time pressure (and other maladies)

9/18/2007 – Time pressure got you down? Maybe the problem isn't really the clock. Our ChessBase Workshop columnist takes a look at the psychology behind time trouble and offers a possible remedy in his latest column. Workshop...

Monika Socko wins International Women's Tournament in Baku

9/18/2007 – It was a close finish, with two players – former women's world champion Antoaneta Stefanova and Monika Socko of Poland leading the field with 6/8 points. Stefanova faced top seed Pia Cramling with black, and drew in 23 moves. Socko fought for 70 moves against Nargiz Umudova, winning the game, point and event. Spectacular photo report by Zahir Ahmadov.

From cover to cover: Vladimir Kramnik – My Path to the Top

9/17/2007 – He did what Karpov, Short and Anand had failed to do: defeat the almighty Garry Kasparov in a match for the world title. Today he is the reigning world chess champion, defending his title in a world championship tournament in Mexico. On the latest ChessBase DVD Vladimir Kramnik describes his arduous path to the top of the chess world. Review by Edwin Lam.

GM Mihail Marin on missed opportunities in Mexico

9/17/2007 – Kramnik showed excellent home preparation in an almost non-existent variation, gaining a decisive advantage. But Grischuk defended accurately and managed to draw. Anand won a pawn and was more or less winning against Morozevich. But he could not bring home the point. Leko lost his patience, a piece and the game against Aronian. GM comments and video interviews.

Mexico R04: Aronian beats Leko, Anand and Kramnik lead

9/16/2007 – It was a long night, with Vishy Anand pressing hard with the black pieces against Alexander Morozevich, and Vladimir Kramnik trying to win a pawn endgame against Alexander Grischuk. In spite of the fight it was, in the end, only Levon Aronian who scored a full point against Peter Leko. Meanwhile outside the country was celebrating Independence Day – Grito de Dolores.

Mexico R03: Morozevich beats Svidler, Anand and Kramnik draw

9/16/2007 – Another very tense round, with Alexander Morozevich outplaying Peter Svidler in a Scotch Game, and Vladimir Kramnik causing some problems for Anand in a rook ending. Leko vs Gelfand is still running (at 2:45 a.m. European time), with the latter trying to win a Q+P ending. We close down our news service for the night with an Express report with videos and pictures.

ACP demands standardizing time controls in chess

9/16/2007 – In July 2005 the Association of Chess Professionals (ACP) met with the World Chess Federation (FIDE) to discuss new time controls for official FIDE events: 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for remaining moves, with an increment of 30 seconds per move. Now the ACP is demanding action on FIDE's part, with a proposal for comprehensive and binding regulations.

GM Mihail Marin: 'A day of curious moments'

9/16/2007 – Morozevich fell behind against Svidler, who allowed his opponent to come back and win. Aronian tried to sacrifice a pawn against Grischuk, but found himself a pawn up and under attack. Anand got nothing out of the opening against Kramnik and had to fight for a draw. Leko vs Gelfand went for 100 moves. Here are comments by GM Mihail Marin and postgame video interviews by Vijay Kumar.

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.