Masters: Le catches Aronian

Le Quang Liem, Biel and classical chess go well together: as in previous years, the Vietnamese star is showing his best chess in the long-time-control games at the Biel Chess Festival. After his win against Jose Martinez, he followed up in round two with another victory, this time against Matthias Bluebaum. Playing almost flawlessly, Le gave the Candidates Tournament participant no chances. After 60 moves, the German GM resigned.

The Bulletproof 1.b3 Repertoire

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Looking for an opening that gets your opponents thinking on move one? Grandmaster Andy Woodward has relied on 1.b3 for years in blitz and bullet, using it to defeat strong masters and grandmasters who underestimated its hidden venom. While many players dismiss the opening as harmless, they often find themselves caught in unfamiliar positions, tactical traps, and uncomfortable middlegames. This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas that matter most when the clock is ticking.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: King's Indian Setup

In two rounds of classical chess, Le has thus made up the five-point deficit he had to Levon Aronian after the rapid games.

Levon Aronian remains ahead on tiebreaks – but Le Quang Liem has caught him at the top of the standings | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Aronian was unable to beat Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. As in round one, the young Turkish player got into serious time trouble and did not always find the best move while under pressure. Aronian, however, was unable to make use of the resulting advantage, and the two players agreed to a draw. Thanks to his better score in the Accentus Chess960 tournament, Aronian remains at the top of the standings, but now level on points with Le.

The remaining game of the day in the Masters Triathlon also ended in a draw. Aydin Suleymanli and Martinez both failed to find a way to win, leaving Suleymanli third in the standings and Martinez still in last place.

Video recap by GM Arturs Neiksans

Day four impressions

Mastering Calculation - Think Clearly, Calculate Precisely, Improve Consistently

Chess is a concrete game. There is no way around training your calculation skills. Improve your visualization, pattern recognition and learn calculation techniques such as reciprocal thinking with this course.
Calculation is at the heart of practical chess. Every chess concept builds on proper calculation technique. Therefore, all chess players should continuosly train the fundamental techniques, concepts and patterns this course will present. The goal isn't only to teach you to calculate, but to give you the tools and insights to keep improving long after the final lesson.
Free sample video: Introduction

Free sample video: Quiet Moves

Round two results

Current standings

All classical games - Masters

Generations Challenge: Impressive Finek extends lead

The youngest player in the tournament, at 16, is dominating the Generations Challenge: Vaclav Finek extended his lead further with a win over Alexandra Kosteniuk, the oldest player in the field. The young Czech IM showed no weakness and was able to steadily increase the advantage he had obtained early on until the game was eventually won.

How to Avoid Mistakes and Boost Your Winning Rate

Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.

Vaclav Finek pulls away: the young Czech is the clear leader in the Generations Challenge | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

The duel between the two players at the bottom of the standings, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Carissa Yip, was exciting. In a tactical game, the Indian player sacrificed an exchange, but the four-time US women's chess champion managed to fend off the kingside attack and steadily build an advantage. Vaishali resigned after 43 moves. With the 4 additional points on her score, Yip caught Kosteniuk in fourth place.

After scoring a well-played victory with black against Vaishali Rameshbabu, Carissa Yip shared analysis of her game | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

The other game in the Generations Challenge ended drawn: Marco Materia and Xiao Tong, who were level on points in second and third place, agreed to a draw after 41 moves. This allowed them to secure their positions in the standings from the chasing players, but they are in danger of losing touch with Finek.

Video analysis by Carissa Yip

Understanding Material Imbalances

This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces.

Round two results

Current standings

All classical games - Generations Challenge

MTO: Peter Acs takes sole lead

Only one player in the MTO still has a perfect score of 3/3: after three rounds, Peter Acs leads the 94-player field. In the third round, the Hungarian grandmaster defeated IM Savitha Shri.

All the other top favourites had dropped points by the third round at the latest. Top seed Surya Ganguly could not get more than a draw with white against Chinese super-talent IM Lu Miaoyi. Acs and Ganguly will meet in round four. Third seed Diptayan Ghosh also managed only a draw with white against Lu's compatriot IM Cao Qingfeng. Both outsiders are rated almost 200 Elo points below the grandmasters.

Fritz 21

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Lu Miaoyi drew against grandmaster Surya Ganguly | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

After his draw in round two, German rising star Christian Gloeckler won his third-round game against WIM Ivana Maria Furtado (IND, 2182). Gloeckler is thus part of an 18-player chasing group on 2½ points. In round four, he will face WGM Lena Georgescu (SUI/2235), who obtained an upset victory over GM Krishnan Sasikiran in round two.

Current standings - MTO

All available games - MTO

Triathlons: Masters and Generations Challenge

How to Avoid Mistakes and Boost Your Winning Rate

Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.

Schedule