Review: The Chebanenko Slav According to Bologan

Finally, a great chess player has written an entire book on one of the most fascinating opening variations of modern chess theory: Slav with 4…a6, or the Chebanenko Slav. And the author, GM Victor Bologan, is not just a great player, he’s also a great analyst, as he proved last year with his excellent debut called Selected games 1985-2004. full story »

Chess Informant no. 100

Exclusive interview with editor-in-chief Aleksandar Matanovic

Recently, the famous Chess Informant reached a milestone: edition no. 100 was published. Facts, figures and an exclusive interview with 77-year-old editor-in-chief Aleksandar Matanovic. full story »

Fischer’s My 61 Memorable Games

This week a remarkable story on Bobby Fischer appeared on the net: a new edition of the American chess legend’s famous games collection was published, and put on eBay: My 61 Memorable Games. It was said to be a revised edition of My 60 Memorable Games, with “improved analysis and commentary” and a 12-page foreword by the Man himself (the 61st game being the first match game from the Fischer-Spassky 1992 match). full story »

Review: From London to Elista

In my previous review I discussed last year’s World Championship match between Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov according to the book On the Edge of Elista by the Bulgarians Topalov and Ginchev. About the same time as the review, From London to Elista by the Russians Bareev and Levitov, was published. full story »

Jan Timman at the John Watson Show

Already for a few months now, IM John Watson hosts a weekly show on Chess.FM. The well-known chess writer and reviewer has had guests of different calibers but the focus is always on chess books. Tomorrow night Watson has a very special guest in his weekly 60+ minute show: GM Jan Timman. full story »

Kasparov: “Kremlin obstructs book publication”

How is Kasparov doing these days? Busy with his crusade against Putin and co, of course, but he hasn’t made the headlines for a while. Which isn’t really helping. He still hasn’t left the chess scene completely; I saw he’ll be doing a simultaneous display at the Wch for pensioners, where he might feel at home in a strange way. But now there’s something rotten in Russia again; Kasparov accuses the Kremlin of obstructing the publication of the Russian translation of How Life Imitates Chess. full story »

Alexei Shirov 35

Regular visitors are well aware of the fact that Alexei Shirov is one of our favorite players here at ChessVibes. Congratulations to Alexei, because the current number 11 in the world turned 35 today. We pay a small tribute to the man who’s known for setting the chess board on fire. full story »

Recensie: Matten II

This is a review of the Dutch chess magazine Matten. The magazine is completely in the Dutch language and therefore we decided to publish this review only in Dutch too. full story »

What’s your favourite opening book?

Everyone has a favourite chess book, and if you ask strong players they will probably mention Bronstein’s book on Zürich ‘53, the games collection of Tal or perhaps Fire on Board by Shirov. Today a small variation on this theme, because I suspect that many players also have a favourite opening book. An opening book that had a great influence on their play. To me that’s Beating the Sicilian 2 by John Nunn. Nunn, who turns 52 today, doesn’t write opening books anymore, as he told me in August last year. Sadly, because his books are great. full story »

‘The Kid’ strikes with the KID

Perhaps it was the combination of the storm that was hitting the Dutch coast with 10 bft and the fact that there were no amateur games, that made it awfully quiet yesterday at the Corus Chess Tournament. The visitors who made the trip to Wijk aan Zee were paid for their efforts as there were some interesting games again. Of course there was the first victory of Loek van Wely and the third win with Black for ‘The Kid’ Teimour Radjabov. As I think this is quite unique I would like to pay some attention to this game. full story »

Book review: ‘The Chigorin Defence’

What’s the first thing you do when you see a new opening book? Look up the variation you know most about and check what is said about it. Surprisingly enough, this is often a disappointment, and usually you don’t even buy it because of this first impression. “This will never work.” But it’s wrong to think like that. full story »

Karsten Müller on the 1st match game Kramnik-Deep Fritz

During the Christmas celebration in our chessclub HSK I asked the well-known endgame expert & grandmaster Karsten Müller whether he would be interested to occasionally & spontaneously contribute to the interesting project Doggers-schaak (about which he had read in one of the German chess magazines!). Müller is the author of Fundamental Chess Endings and Secrets of Pawn Endings (both together with Frank Lamprecht). Below you find his first contribution: how Kramnik could have beaten Deep Fritz in their first match game. full story »

Torre too got his Memorial

One of the more boring opening lines is the Torre Attack: 1.d4, 2.Nf3 and 3.Bg5. If the Mexican chess player Carlos Torre Repetto (23 November 1905 - 19 March 1978) finds out he’s mainly remembered for these opening moves, he’ll turn around in his grave (can you say this in English?). This was probably what the organizers were thinking when setting up the Torre Memorial which is held this week. full story »

In Memoriam: David Ionovich Bronstein

“For the sake of brilliance it is worth taking a risk!” That is how Bronstein played, even in his advanced years. After Tarrasch and Nimzowitsch he is perhaps the most outstanding populariser of the game, a genuine teacher of the chess world.â€? – Gary Kasparov

David Bronstein was both an outstanding chess player and an excellent writer. Furthermore he was one of the most beautiful players of the twentieth century, always looking for the beauty in chess. Where Botwinnik saw chess as science, Bronstein considered it to be art. And of course it was Bronstein who wrote one of the true classics in chess literature: Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953. Enough reasons to pay tribute to David Ionovich Bronstein. full story »

The Pawn was Poisened again in Cap d’Agde

Yesterday a very old variation decided the Cap d’Agde rapid tournament. It was the Poisened Pawn of the Najdorf (6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Qxb2) and after 9.Rb1 Qa3 not even 10.f5 but the older move 10.e5. Radjabov had already played this before (two months ago against Anand in a blitz game) so Karjakin was warned. Still, he hit one of the many land mines Radjabov had placed at home. Today an extensive analysis, including coverage of theory. full story »

From Russia With Love

Tonight at Dutch television (Veronica, 20.30 hrs): From Russia With Love. One of the best Bond movies of all time, at least the favourite of Sean Connery himself. Why do I mention this? Because of the opening scene, in which a game of chess is being played. full story »

In the kitchen of three young Dutch grandmasters

Yesterday night, after the second round of the Essent Tournament, the grandmasters Erwin l’Ami and Jan Smeets were having dinner in the canteen of the tournament hall, and I asked them if I could have an interview with them sometime during the tournament. “Now seems a perfect moment,�? Erwin said. Jan agreed. Later GM Jan Werle joined us. full story »

Fischer’s Game of the Century

It was one of the first books I really loved: The Games of Robert J. Fischer, edited by Robert G. Wade & Kevin J. O’Connell, Batsford 1972. All of Fischer’s games were in it, including his match against Spassky in ‘72, and also lots of fascinating stories of the rise of the American prodigy, by people such as Arthur Bisguier, Harry Golombek and Paul Keres. I played through the majority of the more than seven hundred games at least once, and I guess I’m one of the few that prefers to take this book to a desert island, instead of My Sixty Memorable Games. A few games in the book come with annotations, and one of them is a game played exactly fifty years ago today. full story »

Van Perlo’s Endgame Tactics wins Book of the Year Award

The book Endgame Tactics by the Dutchman Ger van Perlo, published by New in Chess, has won this year’s English Chess Federation Book of the Year Award. This ‘Booker Prize of chess literature’ is a wonderful decoration for 72 year old Van Perlo and his publisher. As far as I can see it’s the first time that somebody from The Netherlands has won this prize. full story »

Milner-Barry and his Attack

Today it’s hundred years ago that Philip Stuart Milner-Barry was born. His name seems to have been attached to the line 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 Nc6, but obviously he’s still known because of the Milner-Barry Attack, a way to play against the Indian Defences: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.e3 O-O 6.Be2. full story »

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