Ukrainian Grandmaster Sergey Fedorchuk grabbed the winner’s trophy at the Vladimir Petrov Memorial 2014 after narrowly edging GM Aleksej Aleksandrov in the race for the first place. Fedorchuk finished with 12 points from 15 games, while Aleksandrov had 11,5 points, leaving the next group a full point behind. Vladimir Petrov Memorial was organized by the [...]

Grandmaster M R Venkatesh (BPCL) with 8.5 points won the 66th Birthday celebrations of “Thanga Tharagai” Puratchi Thalavi AMMA Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu lightning chess tournament that concluded at Multipurpose Indoor Stadium, Chennai here today. In a three way tie to the top, Venkatesh (8.5) emerged the Champion in tie-break ahead of Grandmasters [...]

Η Ε.Σ. Αιγιάλειας πρωταθλήτρια του ΠΟΑ ΕΣΣΠ 2014.Τα αποτελέσματα και η τελική κατάταξη

There are certain opening lines which, although perfectly playable objectively, score much more heavily for one side or the other in practice. One such as the Exchange QGD, especially the Minority Attack. It is a fascinating structure, and I very much enjoy seeing Black handle it well, but in practice, White scores very heavily. The […]

Who is who in the ECU race

A 207 move thriller started Stage 1b

The other day I was reading an interview with the pianist Stephen Hough in which he was asked about his relationship with Vlado Perlemuter. (If you’re interested, the March 2014 BBC Music Magazine’s cover mount CD features Perlemuter playing Ravel and Fauré, and the album notes include the interview with Hough.) This got me thinking […]

A FIDE Seminar for International Organizers was held on 6-8 February 2014, Moscow, Russia. This seminar was organized during the Moscow Chess Open by the FIDE Events’ Commission (EVE), the Russian State Social University (RSSU) and the Moscow Chess Federation with the support of the Russian Chess Federation. The main lecturer was IO Alexander Kostyev. [...]

A FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar is going to be organized from 12 to 16 April 2014 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, by the Uzbekistan Chess Federation and under the auspice of FIDE. The venue of the Seminar will be Shodlik Palace Hotel, in Tashkent. The Lecturer will be IA Ashot Vardapetyan (ARM), FIDE Lecturer and Assistant Lecturer will [...]

FIDE Women World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2014 will take place on 23-30th April in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. The events will be both Swiss pairings tournaments and will be held over two days for Blitz and three days for Rapid. The Blitz will have fifteen rounds with each player playing with white and black against his [...]

The Ballarat Chess Club will host the 48th Begonia Open over the Labour Day long weekend from Saturday 8 March to Monday 10 March 2014, at the Ballarat Clarendon College: Sewell Pavilion, 1425 Sturt Street, Ballarat, Australia. This tournament promises to build on the success of previously held tournaments and is growing in popularity every [...]

The 12th Khazar International Open Chess Tournament was held on 11-18th February at the the Yadegar Imam Sport Complex in Rasht, Iran. The tournament was organized by Mr Kiumars Bayat and the Guilan Chess Association. Report by FA/WFM Shohreh Bayat There were over 500 players from sixteen countries, namely Iran (host), Uzbekistan, Netherlands, Germany, Georgia, [...]

When we first learn the game of chess, we’re taught the relative values of the pawns and pieces. Pawns serve as the basis for this system of valuation, having a relative value of one. The Queen, the most powerful of the pieces, has a relative value of nine while the Rooks have a relative value […]

Armenian Grandmaster Hrant Melkumyan convincingly won the 1st International Chess Open Casino Graz which took place on 14-21st February at the Casino Graz and Joanneum Quarter in Graz, Austria. Melkumyan concluded the Open A with 7,5 points from nine rounds, a full point ahead of the chasing pack. IM Rajpara Ankit from India, who drew [...]

Here - but please don't use them in tournaments.