Μόσχα, 5 Οκτωβρίου 2011. Ο πρώην παγκόσμιος πρωταθλητής Γκάρι Κασπάροβ και ο εκ των ηγετών του Αριστερού Μετώπου Σεργκέι Ουνταλτσόβ δίνουν συνέντευξη τύπου με αφορμή τις βουλευτικές εκλογές στη Ρωσία που θα γίνουν στις 4...

In the Huffington Post Lubosh Kavalek has been describing how he taught Nigel Short to play the Gruenfeld Defence which then helped him beat Jon Speelman. But I feel duty bound to issue a warning lest anybody with a job and family think this could be their own dream defence. It’s one of those openings [...]

“To σκάκι τον περίμενε πάντα, το γωνιακό τραπέζι ήταν πάντα κρατημένο γι’ αυτόν. Ακόμα και όταν το καφενείο ήταν γεμάτο, το τραπέζι ήταν όλο δικό του, γιατί κανένας άλλος δεν ήθελε να κάθεται τόσο κοντά του. Μελέτησε...

John Nunn's two volume examination of the Endgame became the 10th winner of the ECF Book of the Year award. The judges RB Edwards, Julian Farrand and David Friedgood were not only impressed by the detailed analysis and clear explanations but that this book contains much that is original and so actually advances our knowledge of the game. Read more below with their full comments, the other...

Το γράμμα διαμαρτυρίας που στάλθηκε στην FIDE και αφορά το θέμα της αξιολόγησης των παρτίδων που παίχτηκαν στο Open του Καρπεννησίου. UNION of CHESS CLUBS of CENTRAL GREECE Head office: M. Botsari & Drosopoulou , LAMIA 351 00   GREECE www.esske.net            e-mail...

Computer Chess Notes #1 (09/02/2011)Computer Chess Notes #2 (31/03/2011)Το γεγονός που έχει ταρακουνήσει όλους όσους ασχολούνται είτε ως επαγγελματίες είτε ως χομπίστες με τις software σκακιστικές μηχανές ήταν η απόφαση της Διεθνούς Ομοσπονδίας Σκακιού...

Malcolm Pein reports on the European Club Cup and looks at a quick win for Peter Horspool of e2e4.

Americans whose chess careers go back to at least the late 1980s may remember International Master Jay Whitehead, who apparently passed away on Monday from cancer, eight days before his 50th birthday. Whitehead was a talented junior who became a Hare Krishna and would often appear at chess tournaments in the flowing robes characteristic of that sect. At some point in the late 1980s he, like many...

Tournaments like this help make the case for the Sofia/Corsica rules - not because all the games were drawn, but because two of today's games were drawn in under 20 moves and overall five of the ten games have been drawn in 30 moves or less. I still prefer my solution, which is to disinvite consistent offenders from participating in elite round-robins for a year or so. What kind of sponsor wants...

Last night I made my début for the Drunken Knights in the Surrey Border League. I actually played a couple of rapid games for them last year while I was filming the  Killer Grand Prix DVD. Be sure to check out Simon’s website; his recent releases are here while to purchase the one I did for gingergm then [...]

Τα ζευγάρια για τα 4 τουρνουά του ΣΑΧ-Μικρόπολις που ξεκινούν από την Παρασκευή είναι τα ακόλουθα:1ο Τουρνουά 1 Σταμούδης Χρυσ.(2065) - Τσικρικώνης Παν(2015)2.Τσιοτρίδης Π.(2024)-Πρεζεράκος Δημ(2042)3.Γαλόπουλος Νικ(2348).-Βλάσσης...

The news that Vassily Ivanchuk and his wife were robbed at gunpoint in Sao Paulo is a reminder of how important it is for a chess player to have good nerves. A lot of the battle in chess is with ourselves, the ups and downs of intense competition plus travel related trauma affecting all but [...]

This apparently took place as they were leaving the hotel on their way to the airport from Sao Paulo to Bilbao. It has been suggested that the thieves thought Vassily Ivanchuk had won the tournament, as it was well-publicized locally, and assumed they would make a big score. A complication is that his wife's passport was also stolen, and Ivanchuk has said that he would not play unless his wife...

The 12th Karpov International takes place in Poikovsky 4th-13th October 2011. A strong 10 player field headed by Sergey Karjakin competes. Players Karjakin, Jakovenko, Caruana, Bacrot, Laznicka, Motylev, Bruzon, Rublevsky and Onischuk. Play starts at 10am each day.

The 12th Karpov International takes place in Poikovsky 4th-13th October 2011. A strong 10 player field headed by Sergey Karjakin competes. Players Karjakin, Jakovenko, Caruana, Bacrot, Laznicka, Motylev, Bruzon, Rublevsky and Onischuk. Play starts at 10am each day.