Defending champion IM Anna Zatonskih continued her unparallelled recent success at the event by beating WGM Camilla Baginskaite. No other player in either tournament could string together a second win in a row.

Οι ετήσιες σκακιστικές εκδηλώσεις Ίκαρος συμπληρώνουν φέτος 35 χρόνια ζωής και με αυτή την αφορμή αλλά φυσικά και την εξαιρετικά δύσκολη οικονομική συγκυρία, οι διοργανωτές του τουρνουά θα συμμετέχουν κατά 20% στις...

6 players share the lead on 1.5 points after the second round of the US Championship of 2012. Robert Hess' poor opening ("I was never lost but it was pretty bad out of the opening." - Hess) caused Yasser Seirawan to overpress and get into serious time trouble when the position turned after he missed 18...Rxg4. Hess converted in 51 moves. Gregory Kaidanov beat Alexander Stripunsky (who blundered...

Here’s a must read article for anyone seriously interested in junior chess in which he explains why much of the accepted thinking is wrong. I’ve long admired Richard’s deep and thoughtful writing and have frequently turned to his Chess Kids site for insights into how and why to teach my own son. I have taught [...]

In addition to the ongoing U.S. Championship and the forthcoming World Championship, other notable events are underway. 1. The 47th Capablanca Memorial in Havana, Cuba: Today was a rest day; Ivanchuk leads at the halfway point. 2. Sigeman & Co. in Malmo, Sweden. The first round featured the marquee matchup between the world's top two teenagers: Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri, and Caruana won...

The following seems to be the list of commentators for the Anand-Gelfand world championship match, which starts this Friday: Games 1 & 2: Nigel Short Games 3 & 4: Jan Timman Game 5: Joe Lautier Game 6: Peter Svidler Games 7 & 8: ?? Games 9 & 10: Peter Svidler Game 11: Vladimir Kramnik Game 12: Peter Svidler Kramnik will also comment on game 12, but in Russian; I'm assuming and...

The 10th International Chess Tournament “World’s Youth Stars” Vanya Somov’s Memorial will take place from 11th to 24th May at the Palace of Culture KINEF in Kirishi, Leningrad region. The tournament is a 12-player, single round-robin event, according to the acting rules of FIDE. It is possible to obtain IM norms. Players: IM Belous Vladimir [...]

To put it in a sentence, all five of yesterday's winners drew while one of yesterday's "drawers" won. Thus Nakamura, Kamsky, Akobian, Lenderman and Onischuk (the last two with each other) all drew while Kaidanov won, and so all six lead the 2012 U.S. Championship with 1.5 points. Hess and Shulman have a point apiece, Ramirez and Robson each have half a point, and Seirawan and Stripunsky have...

GM Henrik Danielsen, author of lectures on Accelerated Dragon, Nimzo Indian, King’s Indian, Stonewall, and the famous Polar Bear opening brings the first preview of the World Chess Championship match Anand – Gelfand.

The Estonian Chess Championships for men and women were held concurrently on 1-7th May in Tallinn. Both groups were round robin events. Mark Lapidus, the lowest rated participant in the men’s section, is the surprising winner of the Championship having collected 6.5/9 points and leaving the opposition full point behind. Most of the Estonian top [...]

The US Championships started with the favourites in the men's and women's events all winning, indeed there was just one draw in the men's tournament and two in the women's. Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky both admitted to being rusty having last played seriously in the Wijk aan Zee tournament in January. Both had comfortable wins. Alexander Stripunsky was shocked by his opponent's surprise...

Vassily Ivanchuk leads the 47th Capablanca Memorial with 3.5/5 going into the rest day. Ivanchuk completely outplayed Viktor Laznicka in a complex Nimzo Indian. Vladimir Potkin beat Yuniesky Quesada Perez with a conversion to a winning King and Pawn ending that proved deceptive for his opponent. Ian Nepomniachtchi's disappointing play continues with a dull draw against Leinier Dominguez Perez.

The 20th anniversary of the first Sigeman and Co tournament takes place in Malmo 9th-16th May 2012. Fabiano Caruana, Peter Leko, Li Chao, Anish Giri, Emanuel Berg, Hans Tikkanen, Jonny Hector and Nils Grandelius play in the 7 round tournament.

The 2012 US Championships will again be hosted by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL). We will stay in touch with it intermittently as it clashes with the World Championship match at Moscow. Hikaru Nakamura will compete this year after sitting out the last edition. The CCSCSL is already a chess mecca and earlier this year, Susan Polgar moved her chess operation ...

Όλα δείχνουν έτοιμα λίγες ώρες πριν ξεκινήσει το μεγαλύτερο σκακιστικό γεγονός για το 2012, το παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα Σκακιού! Η αίθουσα είναι έτοιμη, οι αναπαυτικές καρέκλες είναι έτοιμες, η αίθουσα αναμετάδοσης είναι...