ChessBase Magazine Online

Chess Classic: Nakamura's comeback
30.07.2009 – On the first day of the Chess960 World Championship in Mainz a somewhat jet-lagged Hikaru Nakamura had scored a disappointing 1.0/3 points. On the second day the American GM fought back, winning all three games and bringing Levon Aronian into the danger zone of not qualifying for the final. But the Armenian did and Thursday will bring a clash between the two.
 

Biel 2009: Morozevich beats Ivanchuk, Vachier leads
30.07.2009 – Alexander Morozevich continues his roller coaster play with a win over tournament leader Vassily Ivanchuk (who essentially dropped a rook). The Russian GM has single-handedly contributed to the low 63% draw ratio in this event, having drawn only two games in nine rounds. French GM Maxime Vachier Lagrave drew his game against Boris Gelfand and is now alone in the lead. One round left.
 

6000 chess players took part in our beauty contest
29.07.2009 – We recently conducted a test: you had to choose a number between 0 and 100, and could win prizes if your number was closest to 2/3 of the average of the numbers given by all participants. The experiment is known as the "Beauty Contest" and goes back to John Maynard Keynes, one of the most influential economists who ever lived. Did chess players score above or below average?
 

Biel 2009: Vachier Lagrave and Ivanchuk lead
29.07.2009 – After eight of ten rounds two players are in the lead by a full point: French GM Maxime Vachier Lagrave and Ukrainian perennial Vassily Ivanchuk. Russian GM Alexander Morozevich has been doing a roller coaster, with Caissa frowning on him in round six, smiling in round seven and frowning again in round eight. Illustrated round seven/eight report.
 

Monokroussos analyses Topalov-Kramnik, Wijk 2008
29.07.2009 – In a recent poll on the Russian website chesspro.ru they picked their ten best games of 2008. The winner was Topalov-Kramnik, from Wijk aan Zee – an explosive game between two mortal enemies. This game is the subject of Dennis Monokroussos' Playchess lecture this week. If you don't know it, you'll love it; if you do, you'll enjoy a second, closer look. 9 p.m. ET.
 

Chess Classic: Aronian dominates in Chess960
29.07.2009 – It is a form of chess, originally proposed by Bobby Fischer, in which the position of the pieces – not the pawns – is shuffled randomly before the start of each game. This eliminates deep opening preparation and fosters a new form of creativity. Armenia's top GM appears to have plenty of that. After the first day he leads with 3.0/3 – after a 40-board simultaneous display. Illustrated report.
 

Simple positions...
28.07.2009 – ... can actually be full of venom, particularly when they feature a weak back rank. Here White had just attacked the enemy rook with 34.Bxa5 and now Black had the choice between three moves: 
A) 34...Ra6
B) 34...Rb7
C) 34...Rxb3.
What would you advise? Only one continuation doesn't lose!
The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.
 

US Junior Championship: IM Ray Robson, 14, victorious
27.07.2009 – The US Junior Invitational Championship was hosted by Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 12-17th. The top seven American juniors under the age of 21 were joined by last year’s Junior Open champion for this eight-person round robin event. The tournament drew one of the strongest fields ever with one GM, three IMs and three FMs. It was won by a 14-year-old, with a 2751 USCF performance!
 

Rating inflation – its causes and possible cures
27.07.2009 – Thirty years ago there was one player in the world rated over 2700. Fifteen years ago there were six. Today there are thirty-three. What is the cause of this "rating inflation". A general improvement of chess skills? A larger number of players in the rating pool? The way the initial ratings are conducted? In this clearly written article statistician Jeff Sonas addresses these questions. Must read!
 

Aronian on Mainz: I wish chess could always be like this
26.07.2009 – The 2007 Chess Classic starts on Monday, with a simul on 40 boards by GM Levon Aronian. The Armenian Olympic Champion and world number four goes on to defend his Chess960 title and then play in the Rapid World Championship against World Champion Vishy Anand. What does he think about the Mainz event? Levon clearly thinks it is great fun. Light-hearted interview.
 

GM Chao Li gunning for a historic win next month!
26.07.2009 – Of all the events in the Asia-Pacific region, the IGB Dato' Arthur Tan Malaysia Open is establishing itself, not only as an annual tradition, but as a location for chess tourism and tough over-the-board battles. For those looking for a reason to take part, consider the tourist options, and the strong contingent of players converging on the area. Pictorial report by Edwin Lam.
 

Giri on a rampage at the Dutch Open Championship
26.07.2009 – The Open Netherlands Championship is taking place in Dieren, Holland. Jan Timman is playing here for the first time in several decades – he was Open Champion in 1970, when still a junior! But the talk of the town is Anish Giri, just turned fifteen, currently the world's youngest grandmaster. Anish has won every game in the first five rounds. His performance: a stunning 3164!