Andrew Martin – major broadcasting event

9/30/2006 – We kick off with a game from the European Championship, show a nasty, brutish example from a European Open, an encounter between Agdestein and Carlsen, and game two from Elista. But note: this week's Radio Show by our Playchess lecturer Andrew Martin is on Sunday. See you there!

Ilyumzhinov: 'You are playing for the entire world!'

9/30/2006 – The President of FIDE returned to Elista from a summit with President Putin in Sochi. At midnight he met with Vladimir Kramnik, and the next day he spoke with Topalov's second Silvio Danialov. They agreed to postpone Saturday's game and resume the match on Sunday. But with which game, which result and what toilet status? These questions are still unresolved.

How a loud tie won a chess game

9/29/2006 – Almost eighty years ago, on Sunday, May 08, 1927, the newspaper Times Signal, published in Zanesville, Ohio, carried a chess story on the tricks of the great chess players. It talks about "goat-getters" such as wearing loud clothes or smoking cheap "stogies" (cigars) that chess masters use to put off the opponent. Amusing read.

FIDE decides: common toilet for both players

9/29/2006 – The Appeals Committee of FIDE has taken a decision on yesterday's protest by the Bulgarian delegation. After viewing the video tapes it was found that the frequency of Kramnik's visit to the toilet had been exaggerated, but that the private WCs would be closed and a common toilet opened for both players. They also decided against the publication of the tapes. Toiletgate.

Silvio Danailov: Players must be accompanied to the bathroom

9/29/2006 – Just two hours after the FIDE ruling on the Bulgarian appeal the Topalov team has fired off another protest, demanding that the players must be accompanied by an assistant arbiter when they go to the bathroom. If the match continues Topalov won't shake hands with Kramnik.

Kramnik may stop playing the match

9/29/2006 – The team of Vladimir Kramnik has issued a statement rejecting the decision of the Appeals Committee and demanding that it be replaced because of its obvious bias in favour of their opponent. "The protests of the Topalov team and the suspicions in the press release of Mr. Topalov are utterly disgraceful and are touching Mr. Kramnik’s privacy." Will the match be interrupted?

Elista Express: Game five abandoned

9/29/2006 – Two hours after the scheduled start the game was abandoned, after Kramnik failed to appear on the stage. He attended the press conference and accused the Appeals Committe of bias towards his opponent. Kramnik stated that he was willing to play game five tomorrow, according to the rules agreed prior to the match. Express report.

Psychological Warfare in Elista

9/29/2006 – After a dramatic start of the World Championship the play on the board has given way to heavy psychological warfare. Our past three reports bear testimony to that. In Elista our correspondent Misha Savinov saw it all developing, including the monitoring of the player's rest rooms and the restrictions of toilet use. Pictures and impressions.

Elista 2006: World Championship Crisis

9/29/2006 – Game five was not played, Kramnik foreited and all sides seem unable to give way to compromise. The World Championship and FIDE is in its deepest crisis ever. FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has interrupted his visit to a meeting in Sochi with Russian President Putin and is on his way back to Elista. Will he be able to break the deadlock?

Elista 2006: Open Letter II by Vladimir Kramnik

9/29/2006 – Silvio Danailov's protest was filed on a free day, it demanded changes in the event setup that according to the world championship contract requires the prior agreement of both players – these are the legal aspects of the decision taken by the Appeals Committee in Elista today. Kramnik agrees to proceed with the match, starting from game five, if certain conditions are met.

Seirawan: highly-charged situation calls for a compromise

9/29/2006 – GM Yasser Seirawan is the match commentator on Playchess.com, and as such deeply involved in the World Championship in Elista. In a letter to FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov he calls for a calming of nerves, the reversal of the forfeit and the resumption of the match from game five. Yasser's proposal is succinctly argued. Should he be sent to Elista to mediate?

How chess can sharpen your wits

9/28/2006 – Best-selling author David Shenk has written the definitive work on Alzheimer's – The Forgetting. Now he has published a book on chess, "The Immortal Game: How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain." ABC News invited him for an interview on the subject of chess and Alzheimer's.

Topalov threatens to abandon the World Championship Match

9/28/2006 – Breaking news: Veselin Topalov, through his manager Silvio Danialov, has cast suspicion on the behaviour of Vladimir Kramnik, who is leading 3-1 in their world championship match. The Bulgarian team has examined the video recordings from the rest rooms and notes that Kramnik is visiting the bathroom, which has no video surveillance, unreasonably often. Press release.

Elista 2006: Game four drawn, Kramnik leads 3-1

9/27/2006 – Once again Veselin Topalov came out fighting, sacrificed a pawn, gnawed away at Kramnik's defence and pushed hard in an advantageous endgame. But after five exhausting hours of play he had to concede a disappointing draw, leaving the classical chess world champion his two-point lead. Full report with analysis by GM Mihail Marin.

FIDE proposes Candidates tournament 2007

9/26/2006 – Originally 16 players were scheduled to play a series of matches next month to fill four places in the 2007 World Championship. But FIDE officials have admitted that they have run into trouble organising the matches. So President Ilyumzhinov has proposed staging a 16-player round robin in Elista next year instead. GM Boris Gelfand protests.

'All you need is luck!'

9/26/2006 – Two games have been played, discussed and dissected, Vladimir Kramnik is leading by an unprecedented 2-0 in the World Championship match. Our correspondent in Elista, Misha Savinov, may be exhausted from the excitement and the strain of producing the official bulletin, but he found time to send us some very interesting pictures and impressions.

Elista 2006: Game three drawn

9/26/2006 – The third game between Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov ended in what one could call a short uneventful draw, says our commentator GM Mihail Marin, considering the very high standards of this match. But compared with other top events it is a very interesting game. We bring you Marin's commentary and extracts from interviews with the players.

Elista R2: Kramnik wins, takes 2-0 lead

9/25/2006 – The second game between Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik was one of the most exciting games anyone has seen in years, with both players going at each other without compromise. 8000+ visitors were on the server to see the drama unfold, accompanied by live audio commentary by GM Yasser Seirawan. Full annotated report.

Topalov vs Kramnik on the day off

9/24/2006 – Can't get enough of the world championship in Elista? Monday is a free day, but our Playchess lecturer Dennis Monokroussos has an earlier confrontation of the two players in store for you: Belgrade 1995, where Kramnik proved that he could pull a Topalov against Topalov.

The Nimzoindian Defence – The Easy Way

9/24/2006 – Jacob Aagaard is on the verge of become a grandmaster, mainly by using the Nimzoindian Defence. But here's a secret: Jacob knows very little of the theory of the opening. He does it by understanding general structures and where to put his pieces. The secret is revealed in his entertaining and instructive DVD. Buy it now or read this review by Steve Giddins.

Quest on Kasparov – catch it if you can

9/24/2006 – In a program called "Quest for Genius" CNN presenter Richard Quest takes a journey into the human mind, exploring the concept of genius. "When it comes to cerebral challenges," he says, "few can match the majesty of chess. And when it comes to grandmasters, nobody is more regal than Russia's Garry Kimovich Kasparov." Catch it on CNN.

Elista 2006: The games can begin

9/23/2006 – The World Chess Championship in Kalmykia is about to start. But before it does there are a number of things to attend to. Tables, chess sets, chairs need to be examined, then an opening ceremony in a football stadium, with thousands of spectators, with the drawing of colours (Kramnik gets white in game one). Big illustrated report.

Viktor Korchnoi wins World Senior Championship

9/23/2006 – This man has been a candidate for the world championship since the sixties, and although he never actually won the title (in spite of three finals against Karpov) he remained in the world elite for decades. At 75 he still plays in top events, but now has taken part in a Senior Championship, which he naturally won. A world title for Korchnoi!

Trophy vs Trophy

9/23/2006 – It's FIDE champion versus the classical champion, a golden trophy versus a silver cup, Topalov's fire versus Kramnik's ice. We're sneaking in yet another preview before today's game one in Elista. The career score heavily favors Kramnik while Elo rating is on Topalov's side. But what does Kasparov think? The answer might surprise you.