Nigel Short is back – in the Guardian

9/13/2005 – Just six weeks ago we reported that the conservative Sunday Telegraph had axed their star chess correspondent in favour of a second poker column. We received a lot of despairing feedback from readers and fans. So here's the good news: Nigel Short is back, this time working for a liberal newspaper, which will be carrying more chess than ever before.

From hell to paradise – Jude Acers found

9/12/2005 – For many days he was missing, the famous chess teacher whose workplace was a sidewalk in the French Quarter of New Orleans. After Katrina hit, friends and fans were deeply worried for his safety. A week later Jude reported back from a refugee center in Tennessee, shaken but alive. Here is his harrowing tale.

The Topalov-Leko torture in San Luis

9/11/2005 – The FIDE world championship in San Luis could concievably be decided in the mini-match Veselin Topalov vs Peter Leko. Topalov has a higher rating, but Leko has a long history of torturing him. In his Monday night Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos shows us the 17-year-old doing it back in 1996. Enjoy!

Evgeny Bareev wins Russian Championship

9/11/2005 – After a somewhat shaky start top seed Evgeny Bareev won the 58th Russian Individual Championship, beating Alexander Khalifman on tiebreak points. Both players won their final games in an exciting final. Seven players qualify for the Super-Final, to be held together with seeded players in December. Here are all games and results.

Nona Gaprindashvili wins BDO Chess Tournament Haarlem

9/10/2005 – She is a former world champion, now 64, but still in excellent shape. In the first six rounds she showed it to the local upstarts, scoring a resounding 5½/6. Then Nona Gaprindashvili lost her sense of danger and conceded two games. In the end, however, it was enough to take first prize. Big illustrated report by Frits Agterdenbos.

Almira Skripchenko: Discovering China – part one

9/9/2005 – China is a rising chess nation. They have a lot of extraordinary talents, and are doing more to help them than almost any other country in the world. Recently French women's champion Almira Skripchenko spent six weeks China, returing with a myriad pictures and impressions, which she has agreed to share with us. Here is Almira's first report.

'It will be even harder because of its status'

9/8/2005 – Peter Svidler, four times Russian champion, currently number seven in the world, is still somewhat of a dark horse in the FIDE world championship, which is due to start in San Luis, Argentinia three weeks from now. In the interviews conducted by the official web site Peter answers ten set questions. His comments are terse but telling.

Kobalia and Volkov lead in Russian Championship

9/8/2005 – The Russian Championship Qualifier, a nine-round Swiss, is being held in Kazan. After five rounds two players are in the lead with 4/5, followed by ten with 3.5 each. We bring you games, results and pictures. There are two ladies in this "men's" tournament, and one of them, Alexandra Kosteniuk, takes us on a tour of Kazan.

American chess icon hit by Katrina

9/7/2005 – He taught chess on a "Gazebo" sidewalk terrace in the middle of the French Quarter in New Orleans. With a rating above 2500 Jude Acers, 61, has been promoting the game for decades. Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent breach of the levees destroyed everything. At least, as we have just heard, the man himself appears to be alive.

Incredible!! Fantastic!! Sensational!!

9/6/2005 – All those words (on the tournament web site) cannot fully describe the stellar performance of China's young star Wang Hao in the 2nd IGB Dato' Arthur Tan Malaysia Open 2005. This kid, who only turned 16 in April this year, won this event two full points ahead of the GM field, with a performance of 2843. Read all about it in Edwin Lam's extensive report.

Areshchenko wins the Ukraine Championship

9/5/2005 – The 74th Ukrainian Championship was won by 19-year-old Alexander Areshchenko (2625) from Kramatorsk, who narrowly defeated his 20-year-old clubmate Zahar Efimenko (2643 – would you believe the ratings on these Ukrainian kids!). We bring you all the games and results, plus a big illustrated report by Olena Boytsun.

Radio ChessBase: Adams on the Attack

9/4/2005 – England's world championship candidate Michael Adams is generally regarded to be a positional player. But to reach 2700 one needs to possess a high degree of excellence in all aspects of the game. This is proven by Adams in an unusual game against Judit Polgar, which Dennis Monokroussos dissects on his Monday night Playchess lecture.

Raising money to help friends and colleagues

9/3/2005 – Much of the US Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Alabama is obliterated in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Millions of people are suffering from the devastation and desperately need water, food, shelter and medical care today, and for a massive long-term recovery effort. Former Women's World Champion Susan Polgar is raising money for the victims.

Dima’s Defence – you can help!

9/2/2005 – He is a bright young lad, a candidate chess master who turned 19 last week. But Dimitriy Zemlyanskiy has been struggling to simply stay alive since he was 14. At the beginning of this year the doctors gave up on him. As a final wish Dima got to play a game against Garry Kasparov. Now it looks as though he might recover. But he needs our help.

Test your chess

9/2/2005 – It's not "just another training CD". The new release Test Your Chess lets you do just that and in a wide variety of areas, too: threats, tactics, attacks, defenses, and even overall positional evaluation. Take a sneak peak at this unusual new offering in the latest ChessBase Workshop.

Russian Individual Championship starts in Kazan

9/1/2005 – It doesn't have Kasparov or Kramnik, but there are 66 strong players, 20 over 2600. They are gathering together in the Tatar city of Kazan for the semi-final phase of the Russian Individual Championship and a prize fund of $100,000. The seven top players proceed to the Super-Final in December. You can watch the games on the official site and on Playchess.com.

Mark Dvoretsky – this time for real

8/31/2005 – He was unable to make last week's Radio ChessBase show, due to a problems of the British airspace authorities. But now the world's best chess trainer is safe and sound in Scotland and will be able to appear as a guest on tonight's lecture. Do not miss it.

74th Ukraine Chess Championship under way

8/31/2005 – The prestigious event in Rivne boasts 18 GMs, nine IMs and the European women's champion. However, our reporter Olena Boytsun prefers to go to the beautiful Schevchenko park, photograph butterflies and read the Da Vinci Code. On the other hand she did find time to send us a report, an interview with Kateryna Lahno and lots of lovely pictures.

Feedback and opinions on the Needleman case

8/30/2005 – As you probably know that Gastón Needleman, the chess prodigy from Argentina, who was eliminated in the tiebreaks of the Continental Championship, was given a special ticket to the World Cup by FIDE President Ilyumzhinov. Since publishing the story last week we have received a lot of critical feedback, arguing both sides of the issue.

Budapest Gambit - 2nd edition

8/30/2005 – Vienna's a long way from Austin and Luckenbach, but they have something in common: outlaws. Learn the connection and catch a preview of the new ChessBase training CD, the Budapest Gambit - 2nd Edition, in the latest ChessBase Workshop.

Morozevich wins Moscow Blitz with 1.Nc3

8/29/2005 – It took place without some of the previous champions, but fine weather in Moscow meant it could be held outdoors, in the Muzeon park. With 20 participants in the finals, top seed Alexander Morozevich was victorious, even though he was forced to play "nonsense openings". We bring you an extensively illustrated report and even some games.

A lesson for budding Sicilian players

8/28/2005 – World championship participant Peter Svidler has superb credentials. He is #6 on the current FIDE list and won three Russian championships before his twenty-second birthday. In his Monday night Playchess lecturer Dennis Monokroussos shows us a Svidler brilliancy in a Sicilian against firebrand Alexei Shirov. Very exciting, very instructive.

Chess for fun and (a college) education

8/28/2005 – Imagine a chess tournament where the first three players win full tuition to the University of Texas in Dallas, and a total of $155,000 is available in prizes, stipends and scholarships. Sound fair? Well, eat your hearts out, men, this one was only for girls under 19. Welcome to the Susan Polgar National Invitational.

Top Hat's Race

8/26/2005 – Do you have any idea what it feels like to be a pawn in a game of chess? Does he want to be there or does he wish he was back in the box? Does he enjoy the game, hate it, or is he indifferent? If you capture him, will he not hurt? If you promote him, will he not rejoice? Designer and playwright Alex Shternshain brings chess to life in this remarkable short story.