6/4/2020 – The preparations for the 53rd International Chess festival Biel continue and take into account the Corona requirements. In a press release the organisers said that they are preparing for the key event, the Grandmaster Tournament (GMT), a main tournament (C-HTO) and a youth tournament, including Swiss championships. However, some tournaments and events including the Master Open (MTO) will be cancelled. | Photo: Biel International Chess Festival 2019

8/3/2019 – Iran no.3 Mohammad Amin Tabatabaei scored 7.0/9, finishing a half point ahead of a pack of ten players who finished with 6½/9, and won Biel Master Tournament 2019. Tabatabaei did not have the perfect start as he lost his third round game against GM Athanasios Mastrovasilis of Greece. Gata Kamsky of USA and Alexander Donchenko of Germany shared 2nd position as they had all their tie-break scores same. | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival

7/31/2019 – After winning a tournament, players usually take a quick draw in the last round to go and celebrate. Not Vidit! He fought tooth and nail and managed to outplay Maghsoodloo in a reversed King's Indian as Black to end the tournament a whopping 6 points clear of his nearest competitor (using Biel's weighted scoring system)! Shankland was lost for the majority of an exchange-up endgame against Leko, but somehow survived to take second and relegate Leko to third. Georgiadis thumped Cori's indecisive play with a piece sacrifice and won an attacking beauty. | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival

7/30/2019 – He's done it! Vidit Santosh Gujrathi dominated the Biel Chess Festival 2019, winning with a round to spare! On Monday he pressed for 41 moves against Abdusattorov, but decided to take a draw after his tournament victory was assured by Shankland's draw against Bogner. The American was considerably worse out of a Gruenfeld, but his opponent Bogner seemed to be in a peaceful mood, and they ended up splitting the point. Leko took no time in recovering from yesterday's loss, crushing Cori with an elegant exchange sacrifice in the late middlegame. Georgiadis missed a huge chance to put Maghsoodloo under pressure, and had to fight to split the point. | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival

7/29/2019 – Change is never pleasant, but when one succeeds in expanding his skill set the results are often staggering - ask Vidit Gujrathi! His attacking masterclass over Bogner sees Vidit just 3 points away from his 1st Biel title! Sam Shankland was a surprise victim today - Jorge Cori played splendidly in a reversed French structure to hand the American a potentially decisive loss and come closer to the coveted 2700 mark. Abdusattorov came back from the brink to stun Georgiadis, while Leko blundered deep into the endgame to switch places with Maghsoodloo in the points table.

7/28/2019 – After the rapid tournament, one felt that Vidit was not playing his best chess. But his play improved towards the end of rapid and in the classical event! After dominating the first four rounds of the classical, he now razed the field in Blitz with a powerful 11.0/14! His victory in this section followed a well-known pattern: ruthless against the bottom half with 8.0/8(!) and holding his own against the remaining three by breaking even (3.0/6). Sam Shankland played superbly as well, but a last round loss from a completely winning position ruined his chances, and he now trails the two-player race by a point with three Classical games left to play. TANMAY SRINATH has an exhaustive report. | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival

7/27/2019 – The Biel Grandmaster tournament has entered its only rest day, after five gruelling days of chess. Along with this flagship event, a nine-round Masters Tournament is being organized for players above 2000 Elo. The top seed is newly minted member of the 2700 club Jeffery Xiong, who faces stiff competition from fellow American Gata Kamsky and Israeli Tamir Nabaty. With 34 GMs and 22 IMs there are a lot of norm chances as well! After five rounds, Croatian surprise package Ante Brkic and German Alexander Donchenko lead the tournament with 4½ out of 5, followed by a host of players on 4 points. | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival

7/26/2019 – Really? Game of the year? You heard it right! After an opening mistake from Vidit Gujrathi, Nico Georgiadis turned on beast mode and made it to an endgame a pawn up. However, instead of a routine piece capture, he had a chance to end the game with a spectacular piece sacrifice! Vidit survived by the scruff of his neck, and is now joined at the top by Sam Shankland, who produced a Sicilian miniature consisting of temporary piece and exchange sacrifices to down Maghsoodloo in only 26 moves. Friday is the tournament's rest day, so play resumes on Saturday with blitz!

7/25/2019 – Vidit Gujrathi didn't play perfect chess, but his slow and steady build-up was too much for Peter Leko to take, and the Indian GM now takes over sole lead in the tournament. Nodirbek Abdusattorov handed Sam Shankland a defeat in the 4.d3 Anti-Berlin after the 2018 US Champion lost his objectivity and overextended his queenside. Parham Maghsoodloo's loss of form turned worrying, as an overestimation cost him a sure draw, with Jorge Cori being the lucky beneficiary. | Photos: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival

7/24/2019 – One doesn't lose forever! Sebastian Bogner, the current Swiss Champion, taught us all how to get out of a rut by clinically destroying Parham Maghsoodloo's weak opening play to get himself back into contention. Sam Shankland had the (missed) chance of the round against Vidit, but the American failed to assess properly the best continuation available to him. Peter Leko continued his remarkable fable by turning over a new leaf yet again — his game against Georgiadis lasted an epic 101 moves!

7/23/2019 – With the prestigious title of Biel Champion on the line, the players produced one of the most energetic rounds of classical chess in recent times, and produced a decisive result on all four boards in round one of the Biel GM 2019! Peter Leko and Vidit Gujarathi channelled their inner Karpovs and slowly squeezed the life out of Bogner and Cori respectively, while Shankland and Maghsoodloo beat back their opponents, Georgiadis and Abdusattorov, in contrasting Sicilian victories to maintain their spots in the standings.

7/22/2019 – The 2019 edition of the Biel Chess Festival began with the rapid tournament. Three formats being used to determine the overall winner, and rapid wins earned 2 points with 1 point for a draw. Peter Leko turned back the clock with a commanding performance to take the tournament by storm, finishing sole first with 10/14! His subtle endgame play granted him a trio of wins, enough to finish ahead of the top seed Sam Shankland and his nearest competitors Vidit Gujrathi and Parham Maghsoodloo. | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival