In the 1971 Candidate Matches Bobby Fischer faced Mark Taimanov In Vancouver, Canada. The American defeated his opponent from the Soviet Union with a “dry” 6-0 score. But matters could have started differently. In the first game it was Taimanov who put on the pressure, and even had winning chances. He played 27.h3, which nobody […]
Monthly Archives: May 2024
All three classical games ended drawn in round 1 of the Norway Chess super-tournament. In the subsequent Armageddon tiebreakers, Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and R Praggnanandhaa (pictured) prevailed to become the early co-leaders. The much anticipated clash between Carlsen and world champion Ding Liren saw the contenders agreeing to a 14-move draw in the slow […]
The 12th edition of the Norway Chess super-tournament is taking place from May 27 to June 7 in Stavanger. An open event and a women’s event are being played concurrently with an identical number of players, the same format and an equivalent prize fund. Both world champions — Ju Wenjun and Ding Liren — are […]
Most of the time, chess pieces can rely on the pawn structure. Pawns serve as a shelter, as a support, and as a natural barrier. However, sometimes all the central pawns get exchanged. The pawn structure evaporates, and the pieces are hovering in an open, empty, pawnless space. What does change in the lives of […]
The 2024 Mindsports International Festival returns to the London Mindsports Centre this July. There will be an International Open with title norm opportunities up to Grandmaster for players with a FIDE standard rating of 2000+ from the 18th – 23rd July (six days consisting of three single round and three double round days). Limited to […]
The 12th edition of the Norway Chess super-tournament will take place from May 27 to June 7 at SR-Bank’s main building in Stavanger. A noteworthy addition is the introduction of the world’s inaugural equal female tournament, the Norway Chess Women’s Tournament, with an identical number of players, the same format and an equivalent prize fund. […]
The 8th Youth Chess Composing Challenge is on the way! The youngest contributors to chess art (born 2001 and younger) were offered three different sections to inspire their creations till June 10, with five special prizes of 500 Euros vouchers each for the best representatives of the five most successful countries. The tradition of YCCC […]
Ruslan Ponomariov scored back-to-back wins on Saturday to leapfrog former sole leader Kirill Alekseenko in the standings and win the Salamanca Masters. Alekseenko would have at least tied for first had he not lost his final-round game against Michael Adams. The Austrian representative finished in sole second place, while Eduardo Iturrizaga grabbed clear third place. […]
The FIDE 100 Torch Relay, marking the centennial celebration of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), is set to light up Latin America. A nine-day event in Medellin, Colombia’s second-largest city, will bring together FIDE officials, players and chess fans from the continent. The central ceremony will take place on May 26, when the Torch Relay […]
If you want to improve your chess, you need a repertoire, but developing a repertoire on your own can be tedious. This is where recommendations from GMs can help. In a new ChessBase course, Dutch GM and FIDE Trainer Sipke Ernst has developed a repertoire for anyone who plays or intends to play 1.d4. Christian […]

