Fire on Board Trophy – you can win an invitation!

6/10/2005 – On June 25-26 two of the most aggressive players of our time, Alexei Shirov and Viktor Kortchnoi, will cross swords in four 90-minute games in Eschweiler, Germany. You can buy special attendance packages for €450 – or you can win them (including travel expenses) in this weekend's special Playchess Warm-up Blitz.

Live from Curaçao – Timman vs Bruzon

6/9/2005 – In 1962 a great Candidates tournament was held on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. It was won by Petrosian, ahead of Geller, Keres, Fischer and Korchnoi. Now, 43 years later, Dutch GM Jan Timman has written a book about it. As part of a promotional he will play a match against Cuban champion Lazaro Bruzon from June 11-17. You can watch it on Playchess.com.

A chess holiday in Thailand

6/9/2005 – From the dark and sometimes cramped conditions of Europe to a five-star resort on the East Coast of Thailand, – chess buffs took the opportunity live it up and do what they love to do: win a game or a tournament. This year the Bangkok Chess club is holding its 5th annual competition at the Regent Beach Resort Cha-am. Illustrated report.

Kasparov and kids take Manhattan

6/9/2005 – The best junior players in the United States came together in New York last weekend for a master class with Garry Kasparov. He went over their games, gave out plenty of advice, and surprised at least a few of the kids and parents by not living up to his "Ogre of Baku" reputation. We sat in and bring you a great pictorial report.

The Nunn Plan for the World Chess Championship

6/8/2005 – Chess is a game that is currently booming – but this trend has not been reflected in top-level chess due to organisational problems. Attempts are being made by FIDE to reorganise the World Championship, but are they getting it right? Not quite, thinks Dr John Nunn, and presents a comprehensive plan of his own.

A chess adventure in Colombia

6/8/2005 – Sergey Tiviakov went, saw and conquered. The Dutch GM took the Magistral Huila 100 Años in Neiva, Colombia with 8/9 and a performance of 2823. But Sergey is also a bit of an adventurer with an avid interest in exotic countries and mysterious phenomenon. He sent us this extraordinary pictorial report.

Neither war nor confrontation

6/7/2005 – There is hardly a person in the world who knows FIDE's plans for world chess better than deputy president Georgios Makropoulos. In fact he has developed many of them himself. Recently "Makro" spoke about them to Russian news magazine Sport Express, touching on many subjects that are of great interest to chess fans all over the world. We bring you excerpts.

Anand vs Grischuk at the Unzicker Gala in Mainz

6/7/2005 – The 2005 Chess Classic in Mainz will honour 80-year-old German grandmaster Wolfgang Unzicker. The gala event includes Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi. You can also catch Vishy Anand and Alexander Grischuk in a rapid match, plus a Chess960 special. Interview with organiser H.-W. Schmitt.

Esben Lund vs two minor pieces

6/7/2005 – In their Glasgow 3rd Floor Wednesday night Radio ChessBase lecture IM Jacob Aagaard and IM John Shaw will talk to FM Esben Lund about his recent publication Rook vs. Two Minor Pieces. This will include a clear explanation of what "the domination of the missing bishop" actually means.

Alexandra Kosteniuk takes Frascati

6/7/2005 – Remember when simultaneous masters were portly, balding and heavily bespectacled? That has changed. The grandmaster taking on twenty correspondence chess players in Frascati, Italy, arrived in a purple blouse and stylishly patched jeans. And she beat them 17.5 to 2.5. Illustrated report.

Monokroussos on all-time favourite Paul Keres

6/6/2005 – The Estonian GM, who died exactly 30 years ago, never became world champion. But he was very close for the longest period – a top-five player for almost thirty years. In our Monday night Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos examines a 1959 Keres victory over Mikhail Tal.

Leko vs Adams drawn 4-4

6/6/2005 – It began with high drama, with local hero Peter Leko hitting the canvas in horrible fashion. However, unfazed by the 3-0 lead taken by Michael Adams, Leko came back with a vengeance, winning three in a row himself. On Sunday the match in Miskolc ended in a 4:4 draw.

The people behind Accoona Chess

6/6/2005 – On June 21st Rustam Kasimdzhanov will play against a computer. There are still a bunch of free tickets available for the gala event, staged by the Accoona, in the ABC Times Square Studios in New York. But why is a search engine company involved in chess, we hear you ask. The answer is Armand Rousso.

Leko equalises match against Adams

6/5/2005 – After his shock 0-2 start Peter Leko lost game three as well. But just when it looked like he was heading for the biggest disaster of his career the Hungarian chess hero turned the tide and won the next three games in succession. The score is now 3:3 with no draws, tomorrow is the super-exciting "penalty shoot-out". Here's a big illustrated report.

Guess who is New In Chess

6/4/2005 – He might be gone from the chessboard but it's clear he's not leaving chess. Starting this month Garry Kasparov will have his own column in each issue of the illustrious magazine New In Chess. We caught up with the retired world #1 at his meeting with NIC publisher Allard Hoogland in New York City. What can we expect from Kasparov the columnist?

An evolutionary explanation for chess excellence

6/4/2005 – Do Ashkenazi Jews, by virtue of their history, have higher IQs than the rest of society? The fact that they make up 3% of the American population but have won 27% of its Nobel prizes, and account for half the world chess champions, would seem to suggest that. A study by the University of Utah claims it might be a result of natural selection.

FM Fabio Bruno wins Frascati

6/2/2005 – The GM tournament in the beautiful Italian town was won by a "young talent": Italian Champion Fabio Bruno, a 44 years old who only recently returned to chess after a 15-year pause. Other real juniors also showed great promise, like 15-year-old Daniele Vocaturo, who beat GM Igor Khenkin with the black pieces. Illustrated report by Roberto Balzan.

Bush’s Buddy in Moscow

6/2/2005 – Is the West – and specifically US President George Bush – coddling the current regime in the Kremlin? Is the US supporting dictators just because they are considered important allies in the war on terror? Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion and contributing editor at the Wall Street Journal, answers this question with a blistering “yes”.

Disastrous start for Leko in beautiful Miskolc

6/2/2005 – We have to look back to 1991, when the eleven-year-old Peter Leko lost a white game in 27 moves. He did it in 25 against Michael Adams today in their rapid chess match in Miskolc, eastern Hungary. Worse still: in the first game he allowed mate in one in a drawn position. No, we don't know what is wrong with Peter Leko.

Back to the 1970s?

6/1/2005 – Bobby Fischer to play chess again. Liverpool winning at football. Are the 1970s really back in fashion? IMs Jacob Aagaard and John Shaw discuss this and many other vital issues while demonstrating some of the most interesting chess played in the last week. Flares optional.

Nigel Short turns forty

6/1/2005 – He was a classical child prodigy, qualifying for the British men's final at eleven and winning it at fourteen. He matured into a very strong grandmaster, eliminating Karpov and Timman in the 1992/93 Candidates to challenge Garry Kasparov for the world championship in 1993. Today Nigel celebrates his 40th birthday. Here are some pictures and stories.

Eleven qualify for main Freestyle Tournament

5/31/2005 – 48 players from 20 different countries got together on the Playchess server last weekend to play in the PAL/CSS Freestyle Chess Tournament. Using computer assistance, which is not forbidden in Freestyle, eleven qualified for the main tournament starting on Friday. There they will have to battle it out with scores of computer-assisted GMs.

Miss Mitropa Muzychuk scores 8/9

5/31/2005 – The Mitropa Cup, a yearly championship for European teams, was won in a breath-taking finish by Slovenia this year. They did it both in the men's section with a last-minute victory over Hungary. In the women's section it was mainly due to an 8/9 score by 15-year-old Anna Muzychuk. Illustrated report.

Sergey Karjakin, the Wizard of Kirishi

5/31/2005 – The exciting Young Stars tournament in Kirishi ended in a most predictable way – top seed Sergey Karjakin, 15, secured victory with a round to spare. After an understandably shaky start (he had been in a car crash in Greece) Serge picked up speed, winning six of the last eight games to take the title with a round to spare. Beautiful illustrated report by Misha Savinov.