Ivan Sokolov is a Dutch chess grandmaster, national champion in 1995 and 1998. For more than two decades he has been an elite player who has beaten many of the strongest players in the world. Sokolov is th4 author of many popular chess books, but also the trainer behind a very successful series of remarkable […]
Monthly Archives: July 2023
In the longest game of the Women’s World Championship match so far, Lei Tingjie surprised Ju Wenjun in the opening. Ju struggled at first, but later got to put pressure on her opponent in the endgame. A fourth draw in Shanghai means the score remains tied in what has so far been a high-quality, tense […]
Kazakhstan, host of the World Championship match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren, has a lively and thriving chess scene and continues to organise attractive tournaments. The Uralsk Open (20-29 July) and the World Schools Team Championships in Aktau (3-8 August) are in the pipeline, but below is a report on the recently concluded Aktobe […]
Magnus Carlsen obtained a 3-point lead going into the final day of action at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz tournament after scoring a magnificent 9 out of 9 in the first half of the blitz section. After beating all of his opponents, an elated Carlsen told Anastasiya Karlovich: “I’ve had good days, but of course, […]
In the third game of the FIDE Women’s World Championship on Saturday, defending champion Ju Wenjun, playing black, briefly got an edge, but it quickly evaporated. Challenger Lei Tingjie was able to regain a balanced position in which the draw could no longer be averted. All three games have ended drawn so far in Shanghai. […]
Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana are tied in first place after nine rounds of rapid chess at the Grand Chess Tour in Zagreb. Former co-leader Vishy Anand failed to keep up with his colleagues, as he was defeated by Dommaraju Gukesh in their first-ever official confrontation. With 18 rounds of blitz to go, the one […]
The Dutch Championships and the Dutch Women’s Championships are played in parallel, but in different modes. The Open is a knockout tournament with mini matches and has reached the semi-finals. In the women’s tournament, Eline Roebers (pictured right) was the clear winner and became the new Dutch Women’s Champion. Last Wednesday’s hurricane also wreaked havoc […]
The finish of the 6th game of the World Championship match between Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi was impressive. In a tense and complicated position, Ding surprisingly advanced his d-pawn, and this small pawn advance was crucial to a spectacular mate that could have occurred in the game. The audience was impressed, the study composers […]
Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana and Vishy Anand are sharing the lead at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz tournament after two days of play. Anand finished day 1 as the sole leader, and saw Nepo and Caruana catching up with him thanks to outstanding performances in rounds 4-6. Nepo’s three consecutive victories were particularly remarkable, as […]
In the second game of the Women’s World Championship match in China, the reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun had White, but couldn’t get anything against the Tarrasch Variation of her challenger Lei Tingjie, who even managed to gain a slight initiative after the opening. The game ended in a draw after 41 moves. | Photo: […]