11/19/2021 – Fritz 18 has been released, bringing a fantastic opponent so that now you have an engine that will adapt to your play, try to make it a fun and engaging opponent, and even set you up with a brilliancy or more if the situation allows. This is not merely hype, but the result of feedback from players who have tried it, from weak amateurs to grandmasters themselves.

1/25/2018 – With wild weather and even wilder results on the board, rounds seven and eight at the 4th Floripa Open saw a series of 'zebras', as Brazilians put it (explained in the report). The leaderboard was finally reduced to a handful, and Vitor Carneiro, Leandro Perdomo and Alexandr Fier seized the podium. Then in a spectacular game, Alexandr Fier fell to Neuris Delgado in a brilliant mating combination with bishop and knight. Not to be missed! | Photo: Albert Silver

11/11/2017 – Ding Liren, the Chinese number one and participant in the Candidates Tournament 2018 in Berlin, enjoys the reputation of being a solid positional player. But in round 18 of the Yingmei Cup — the Chinese Team Championship — he showed that he is also a world class attacking player by demolishing Bai Jinshi with Black in one of the most beautiful and most spectacular games of the year. Grandmasters Daniel King and Rustam Kasimdzhanov both had a closer look. Enjoy! And tell us about your favourite games of 2017. | Photo: Amruta Mokal

4/25/2017 – With a description such as “sacrificed the rook for some pawns and initiative”, a few players come to mind in the field at such as the current leader Mamedyarov, or Topalov, but Kramnik, in spite of his enormous ability, is not your usual choice. Yet in round four, in a dubious position against Harikrishna, the Russian took preemptive measures and turned the game on its head with a spectacular rook sacrifice. Illustrated report with enlightening analysis by GM Tiger Hillarp-Persson.

1/21/2014 – Garry Kasparov was recently in Muscat, Oman, at the personal invitation of Alawi Al Zawawi. He gave interviews and pushed for the creation of a chess federation in Oman, which is sadly lacking despite the enthusiasm demonstrated for the game. There he also promoted the royal game with a simul against nineteen players, in which one game stood out as a brilliancy.

8/14/2007 – This new selection from Chess Notes focuses on José Raúl Capablanca (1888-1942). The chess historian Edward Winter, who wrote a book about the Cuban genius in the 1980s (published by McFarland), discusses a miscellany of unresolved matters about him, including games, quotes, stories and photographs. Readers are invited to join in the hunt for clues.