The traditional International Chess Festival is taking place from 17th-29th July 2005 in Biel/Bienne, in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. The main event features six strong GMs in a double round robin with a category of 16 (average Elo 2637).

After seven rounds the US champion Hikaru Nakamura still leads, with plus two (five draws and two wins), followed by Volokitin and Gelfand, who have six draws and one win each. The draw average in this event is very high, with 71% of the games ending without a result, with 19% white and 10% black wins. The shortest game was a fifteen move win by Pelletier against Magnus Carlsen in round seven, the shortest draws were 20, 24, 25, 25 and 26 moves long.

The cross table for the Grandmaster Tournament after seven rounds is as follows:

• All the games played so far in PGN

At the same time and location the Accentus Ladies Tournament is being held, with a number of strong international female participants. In round seven Almira Skripchenko won a tough, 69-move battle against Ekaterina Korbut to join Inna Gaponenko in the lead. In the ladies section only 47% of the games were drawn so far, with 29% white and 24% black wins. Here are the current standings:

• All games played so far in PGN

Picture gallery

The idyllic lake-and-river scenery of Biel

The GM section of the International Chess Festival in Biel, with chess prodigy Magnus Carlsen in the foreground. Live coverage is provided by Playchess (in German "schach.de")

On the stage in Biel – the ladies' section under way

Carlsen vs Nakamura in round one: draw in 25 moves

The Swiss countryside with lake and vineyards around Biel

Photos by André Schulz