Ο γνωστός μπασκετμπολίστας Λάζαρος Παπαδόπουλος την ώρα που παίζει σκάκι. Δεν συναντάμε συχνά έλληνες αθλητές μεγάλων ομαδικών αθλημάτων που ασχολούνται με το παιχνίδι του σκακιού. Η σχέση του Παπαδόπουλου με το...

Συνέντευξη στον Τκατσίεβ, για λογαριασμό του whychess, έδωσε ο Ρώσος GM Αλεξάντερ Γκριστσούκ μετά την επιτυχία του, την κατάκτηση της 1ης θέσης στο παγκόσμιο πρωτάθλημα μπλιτς που διεξήχθη πριν λίγες μέρες στο Καζακστάν.  Ο...

Anish Giri had already secured first place going into the final round and he drew with Jan Smeets in the final round for a huge 6/7 score. Ivan Sokolov started with a loss to Giri and some early draws before winning his last three games to take second place alongside Erwin L'Ami a point behind the winner. Tea Lanchava had secured first place in the women's event too and could afford to lose to...

The 45th edition of the Biel Chess Festival is taking place July 21 – August 3 in Biel, Switzerland. The main Grandmaster Tournament will be a category 21 event with the participation of the USA Chess Champion GM Hikaru Nakamura, the Russian top 10 player GM Alexander Morozevich, the Chinese N1 GM Hao Wang, the [...]

The 14th International Open Sant Martí took place from 13th to 21st July at the Centre Cívic Sant Martí in Barcelona. The tournament is part of the 9th Catalan Chess Circuit. There were two groups – Open A, for players with FCE, FEDA, FIDE elo higher than 2000, and Open B for players with FCE, [...]

Anish Giri had already secured first place going into the final round and he drew with Jan Smeets in the final round for a huge 6/7 score. Ivan Sokolov started with a loss to Giri and some early draws before winning his last three games to take second place alongside Erwin L'Ami a point behind the winner. Tea Lanchava had secured first place in the women's event too and could afford to lose to...

Istanbul Beşiktaş Jimnastik Club won another match in the 12th round of the Turkish Isbank Chess League to maintain a one point lead heading into the last round. Beşiktaş scored 6.5:3,5 against Antalya Çallı Sport Club. The top board of the team GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov won against GM Baris Esen. Another Besiktas player, Maria Muzychuk, [...]

FIDE rights holders Agon will stage the first FIDE Grand Prix 2012-13 at Simpson's-in-the-Strand, the spiritual home of British chess, from September 20 to October 3. The Grand Prix series of six tournaments will kick off a World Chess Championship Cycle that will lead to a title contest in 2014.

FIDE rights holders Agon will stage the first FIDE Grand Prix 2012-13 at Simpson's-in-the-Strand, the spiritual home of British chess, from September 20 to October 3. The Grand Prix series of six tournaments will kick off a World Chess Championship Cycle that will lead to a title contest in 2014.

One game I enjoy playing from time to time, especially with young students, is progressive chess. It's one of the more "normal" variants, and while there are some different versions the way I've learned it is this: 1. White starts by making one move, Black responds with two, White with three, etc. 2. A player doesn't have to give check, but once he does his turn is over. 3. When a player is in...

On his bye day at the ACP Golden Classic, Vassily Ivanchuk gave a lecture in which he presented a game and a game fragment for the gathered spectators. It's a bit awkward at times watching him drop the pieces on the demo board or generate feedback squawks on the mic, but the chess is so good and interesting that it's all more than made up for. It's definitely worth a look! P.S. I'm not sure who...

The death of Jacqueline Piatigorsky, after reaching a century, marks the passing of one of the twentieth century’s most influential chess figures. A member of the Rothschild banking family she married the cellist, Gregor Piatigorsky, in 1937. She played chess for the US in the 1957 Women’s Olympiad, taking a bronze medal, and played in [...]

Our expeditious series on the Ruy Lopez continues in its brisk way; we're up to episode XXVIII now! There's a lot of material in this episode, as I present no fewer than four variations associated with the Marshall Gambit. First, there's one final anti-Marshall line: 8.c3 d5 9.d4. Some players might try this rather than an 8th move Anti-Marshall if they want to check to see if Black was only...

Sadly, a 10-way tie for first won't be possible at the 2012 edition of Dortmund, but a 6-way tie is a theoretical possibility! Recapping today's action, let's start with the draws. Daniel Fridman played a fun gambit line of the Catalan against Arkadij Naiditsch. After 10 moves he had sacrificed three pawns, then "lent" a knight and gave away a further exchange to boot. It was a known position...

All the (legal, chess-related) fun in Amsterdam is coming to a close, and the favorites are coming out on top. The Dutch Championship ended today with Anish Giri coasting in with a draw. He had already clinched clear first before the round started, and finished with 6/7, good enough for a full-point margin over Ivan Sokolov and Erwin L'Ami (both of whom he defeated and both of whom won their...