25.02.2010– Located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains, the Kingdom of Bhutan used to be one of the most isolated nations in the world. Today the country has embraced modernization while retaining its ancient culture and traditions. The President of the Asian Chess Federation sent a delegate to promote the game in schools and support the Olympiad team. Pictorial report by IM Ravi Kumar.
25.02.2010– Francisco Vallejo held Alexander Grischuk to a draw in the final round, and for a while it looked as though Topalov had spoilt a very good position against Boris Gelfand to a draw. But the Israeli played the endgame inaccurately, allowing Topalov to take the full point and tournament victory. In the world live rankings he is now one point behind Magnus Carlsen. Illustrated report with commentary.
24.02.2010– The position in the diagram is from the game Bu Xiangzhi-McShane. Black will soon have to give up the rook for the a-pawn and when that happens the decisive question is whether the duo of black king and f-pawn are favourably enough placed to draw against the rook and the king. Amongst the weapons in Black's arsenal, there is above all the bodycheck in order to keep the white king at a distance. White, on the other hand, can get to work with a barrier. Sharpen up your analytical abilities by trying to work out the solution and comparing what you find with GM Karsten Müller's analysis. It's well worth the effort! CBM Online.
24.02.2010– With Alexander Grischuk sharing first in Linares (as of this writing), poised
to win Linares for the second straight year and at an all-time career high rating
(2770), it seems an auspicious time to feature him in this week's Playchess
presentation by Dennis Monokroussos. Watch him deal with the likes of Gata Kamsky in Khanty-Mansiysk back in 2005.9 p.m. ET Wednesday night.