Mikhail Tal – too complicated to analyse?

7/10/2005 – The legendary Latvian world champion was famous for his intricate games. In his Monday night lecture on Playchess Dennis Monokroussos examines one of the most excruciating examples, a game Tal himself did not dare to annotate. But it worth a try, since it exemplifies the magic and ferocity of Tal's chess.

London Terror: Twenty Minutes to Eternity

7/9/2005 – The Thursday atrocities in London left the world stunned, with terrorists hitting the nerve centres of the city's transport system. After the initial horror had subsided, and the phones were working again, we started contacting our friends. None had been harmed, but one escaped disaster by just twenty minutes. It is hard to believe who that was...

Dortmund R2– Kramnik loses to Sutovsky

7/9/2005 – The shocker of round two of the Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund was the loss of classical chess world champion Vladimir Kramnik to Israeli GM Emil Sutovsky. Topalov came back after yesterday's defeat to beat Naiditsch, and van Wely took the full point against French GM Etienne Bacrot. Games, pictures and analysis.

The Polgar Sisters' Las Vegas Triplex Simul

7/8/2005 – We promised that it was coming, and here it is, a big pictorial report of the reunion of the Polgar sisters, who appeared together in Las Vegas for the first time in 12 years. There were lectures, autographs, a TV special and an unusual triplex simul. What a promotion for chess!

Dortmund R1 – Four wins in five games

7/8/2005 – The Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund started with a bang Friday afternoon. Four games ended in white wins: Leko outplayed Van Wely, Adams defeated Topalov, Naiditsch beat Sutovsky and P.H. Nielsen took a point from Bacrot. Kramnik drew to his sometimes second Svidler. We bring you a full illustrated report.

Workshop: Into the mailbag again 2

7/8/2005 – He *definitely* thinks too much. In another trip to the ChessBase Workshop mailbag, columnist Steve Lopez looks at a short, insulting e-mail and somehow spins it into a philosophical discussion on life, love, learning, and the pursuit of twelve-ounce frosties...

Dortmund 2005 – with Internet TV coverage

7/7/2005 – On Friday the strongest tournament on German soil begins, a category to 19 with ten participants who include Topalov, Leko, Kramnik, Adams and Svidler. This year the games will not be transmitted live on the Internet, they will only become available after the games have ended. But then with live TV reports and interviews.

First British Internet Schools Championship

7/7/2005 – They got the Olympics, now they are taking on youth chess. British schools are invited to register for the first Internet Championship, which, if successful, will be widening out into Europe, and eventually all over the World. The organisers call this event a gateway to the future of chess in education.

Where a Hundred Cultures Met

7/7/2005 – Everyone who attended the Sixth ASEAN Age-Group Chess Championships took back memories. For ten days you could witness the meeting and blending of a hundred cultures – in a region with half a billion people, called Southeast Asia. It was staged in Pattaya, Thailand. Here's Leung Weiwen's illustrated report.

Anatoly Karpov speaks his mind

7/6/2005 – In August the twelfth world champion, now 54, will take part in a veteran's summit in Mainz (with Unzicker, Spassky and Kortchnoi). To promote the event he has given the organisers an extensive and very outspoken interview on Kirsan Ilyumzhinov ("dickhead"), Kasparov ("pitiful"), and the general situation in the chess world.

Live 8 and chess in Philadelphia

7/6/2005 – The World Open is a Philadelphia fixture each year during the week that includes July 4, Independence Day in the USA. This year it shared the spotlight with Live 8, but that didn’t deter 1025 chess players, from US Champion Hikaru Nakamura all the way down to rank beginners, from turning up and having a grand chess time. Pictures and impressions.

A Grandmaster in Beirut

7/5/2005 – It is not often that you can spot a veritable chess grandmaster in this war-torn region. But Nigel Short, who had made friends with Lebanese players on the Playchess server, undertook the trip to the Middle East, to give a simul, see the country and meet the people. Illustrated report.

North Urals Cup: Ladies Super-Tournament

7/5/2005 – For the third time the city of Krasnoturinsk in Central Russia is hosting the strongest women's tournament of the year, with a number of world and Russian champions, and an Elo average of 2490. We bring you a special report great pictures by Vadim Smalkov.

Monokroussos on Computer Chess

7/4/2005 – A week ago the chess machine Hydra demolished England's Michael Adams. In his Monday night lecture on Playchess.com Dennis Monokroussos takes a look at the first computer success, the 1996 version of Deep Blue's first-game victory over Garry Kasparov.

Ponomariov wins the Geller Memorial in Odessa

7/4/2005 – What is with the Ukraine? They have the best chess players in the world, but hardly any top-notch tournaments. However, this paradox is about to change. A bank in Odessa has just conducted a very successful event with a promise to continue the tradition. Read all about it in Olena Boytsun's spectacular pictorial report.

Two CDs on openings

7/3/2005 – In the new ChessBase Workshop we give you a sneak peek at what you can expect to find on two recent ChessBase opening training CDs: The Paulsen System and The Van Geet Opening. See the previews here...

In the news around the world: Alexandra Kosteniuk

7/3/2005 – One of the strongest female players in the world today is also one of the most popular. There can hardly be another chess star who has been featured in more articles, magazine covers, TV reports and advertisements. Alexandra Kosteniuk is showing the world that in chess there is a place for glamour and beauty.

Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu new European Champion

7/2/2005 – You may be forgiven if you don't know the name – or maybe not. Nisipeanu was a surprise semi-finalist at the FIDE knock-out world championship in Las Vegas 1999, and he has a string of remarkable tournament wins since then. Because of his style he is known as a modern-day Tal. Liviu-Dieter won the European title. Report and games.

Topalov catches Anand in FIDE rankings

7/2/2005 – Indian superstar Vishy Anand has been the number two in the world for a long time now. In the July 2005 FIDE rating list he has been caught, just barely, by the top Bulgarian Veselin Topalov. Vladimir Kramnik has slipped to place six, Michael Adams to 13. We bring you all lists and some interesting statistics.

Reactions to the Nunn Plan

7/1/2005 – Three weeks ago we published a comprehensive plan, drawn up by mathematician, chess grandmaster and publisher Dr John Nunn, to provide the game with an attractive world championship cycle. The letters – some in the form of veritable articles – poured in. We bring you a selection of the most interesting reactions, and a reply to the main points by John Nunn.

The Internet long-distance chess spectacle

6/30/2005 – On Sunday, July 10th, 2005, there will be a long-distance chess match between Russia and the USA – the first since the end of WWII. Two teams of grandmasters will face each other using electronic chessboards connected via the Internet. On July 24th the event will be shown in a worldwide TV spectacular.

'Hydra is the Kasparov of computers'

6/30/2005 – A lot has been said about the Man vs Machine match between Michael Adams and the Hydra super-computer. With the 0.5:5.5 drubbing Britain's top GM got, most of the comments were quite negative. But what does the human player himself think about the match and the result. We spoke to Adams, who gave us the following in-depth interview.

Breaking news: Kasparov assaulted again

6/30/2005 – The first time it was a chessboard smashed over his head. This time Kasparov was pelted with eggs covered in ketchup. It happened during a political meeting with residents of the town of Beslan, where a terrible massacre of schoolchildren took place last September. Kasparov blames the Russian Secret Service for the Egg Attack.

What is the world of chess coming to?

6/29/2005 – The new European Women's Champion is 15-year-old Kateryna Lahno, 15-year-old Karjakin leads the men's European Championships in Warsaw, Michael Adams was annihilated by the Dubai-based Hydra Chess Program and John Shaw could not beat a young girl in the endgame. Shaw and Aagaard lament.