The Team Chess Championship Croatian Cup is taking place from 14th to 18th May, 2014 at Bluesun Hotels & Resorts in the town of Bol on Island Brac, Croatia. The event is organized by the Croatian Chess Federation in collaboration with Bluesun Hotels & Resorts and consists of 26 teams, including nearly 20 GMs. The [...]

Like the Greek Gift and Windmill, the Double Bishop Sacrifice (Known as Lasker’s Double Bishop Sacrifice) is a typical attacking pattern against a castled king. But here too there are some guidelines which should give you an idea about whether or not it will work: - The opponent’s king must not be able to run […]

The 23rd Annual Chicago Open will be held May 22-26, 2014, at the Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel, 601 North Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, Illinois. The event has 9 sections: Open, Under 2300/Unrated, Under 2100, Under 1900, Under 1700, Under 1500, Under 1300, Under 1000/Unrated and Unrated/Provisional. The Open Section will be a 9-round event held [...]

It wasn't a great day for the leaders in the U.S. Championships, though both Alex Lenderman and Irina Krush maintain a share of first place in their respective competitions. For Lenderman it was an especially bad day, as something went awry in the opening against Sam Shankland. Despite having the white pieces he seemed to get something goofed up, and after 20 moves he was down a pawn for sketchy...

The Norwegian Chess Federation has announced the lineups for the 41st Chess Olympiad in Tromso. As a hosting country, Norway has the right to register two teams in each Open and Women section. World Champion Magnus Carlsen will spearhead the local challenge in the Open. Open 1: GM Magnus Carlsen (Stavanger Sjakklubb) GM Simen Agdestein [...]

It's not a surprise that Irina Krush is leading the women's championship, but Alex Lenderman's sole first in the U.S. Championship most definitely is. While surprising, however, it is clearly deserved. While he was a bit fortunate to survive in round 2 against second-seed Timur Gareev, his impressive wins in round 3 and 4 against Alejandro Ramirez and Ray Robson, respectively, weren't fortunate...

Στην ανάρτηση αυτή θα δούμε δυο βοηθητικά προβλήματα και ένα άμεσου ματ, που προέκυψαν από συνεργασίες Ελλήνων συνθετών. Στις συνεργασίες σκακιστικών συνθετών υποχωρεί ο εγωισμός. Οι συνθέτες συνεργάζονται και...

After two rounds of the Capablanca Memorial Wesley So enjoyed unshared first by virtue of being the only player to win a game. Three rounds on play has loosened up, but he continues to lead the field by half a point or more. In round 3 he drew very easily against Leinier Dominguez on the black side of an 8.a4 Anti-Marshall; in fact, he was the one pushing the play throughout. In round 4 he was...

This strong 10 player round-robin tournament began on Sunday in Poikovsky, Russia, and features an elite field comprised of six 2700s, three ex-2700s, and one up-and-coming upper-middle 2600 who is currently tied for first. That's Ivan Saric, who along with Alexander Morozevich has bolted out of the gate with 2.5 points in three rounds. Dmitry Jakovenko has 2 points; Alexei Shirov, Pavel Eljanov...

That quote from Levon Aronian about the current world champion sounds more provocative than it really is. It's still surprising, but not an insult in context.

Την Κυριακή 11 Μάιου 2014 ολοκληρώθηκε για αυτή την χρονιά το πρόγραμμα Παίζω Σκάκι - Μαθαίνω Σκάκι, με την συμμετοχή 12 μαθητών. Νικητής ο Γκάνας Θεόδωρος από το 7ο Δημοτικό Πατρών...

While the U.S. chess king questioned who might bear his crown next, America’s queen began resizing hers. Four-time champion Gata Kamsky walked through another uneventful draw on Monday afternoon – his fourth split in five rounds – while Varuzhan Akobian, Alejandro Ramirez and Daniel Naroditsky each gained traction in the standings by notching their first [...]

Russian Grandmaster Boris Savchenko emerged winner of the 2014 Nakhchivan Open that was held on 4-12 May at the Chess Center in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. Savchenko, Aleksandr Shimanov (Russia), Eltaj Safarli and Rauf Mamedov (both Azerbaijan) finished with 6,5/9 points each, but Savchenko took the winner’s trophy on best tie-break. The Russian also added 21 points [...]

Stockfish 300414 continues winning and leading in the strongest computer competition TCEC Season 6 – Stage 4 with 18.5/29 points, maintaining a 1,5 point lead. Critter 1.6a upset Houdini 4 in the twenty-ninth round, outplaying the latter in 85 moves. It was Critter’s first win at this Stage of the competition. Thus, Komodo 1223, collecting 18.5/29 points, [...]

Players who have moved beyond the beginners stage and have reached the stage where they wish to improve their play, need to do a lot of work on tactics. This will improve their board vision and help to eliminate mistakes such as leaving pieces en prise. Of course, mistakes  never get completely eliminated from one’s game - even […]