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Young Grandmaster-to-Be Bows to Formidable Older Foe
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Lajos Portisch, 72, can still be a formidable opponent, as he showed Richard Rapport, a 13-year-old from Hungary, in the final round of the Gotth’Art Cup.
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A Player’s Attacks Pay Off, Even When They Shouldn’t
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Veselin Topalov’s aggressive style (some would call it reckless) was on display in his victory at the Linares Tournament in Spain.
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Weekend of Fun and Friends Between Battles on the Board
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Every year, four amateur team championships take place on Washingtoni??s Birthday weekend, and the most popular of the events is in Parsippany, N.J.
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At Gibraltar Event, Women Begin to Close Gender Gap
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Led by Humpy Koneru of India, women had one of their best showings ever at the Gibtelecom Chess Festival.
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World’s No. 1 Player Widens Lead Over His Biggest Rivals
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Magnus Carlsen of Norway defeated his rival Sergey Karjakin at the Corus tournament in the Netherlands.
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Modern Players Prove Bobby Fischer Was Wrong
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Fischer once said that “Chess is dead.” But young players like Anish Giri are using databases and other tools to re-energize the game.
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Settlement in Dispute That Riveted the Chess World
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The dispute began with accusations over Internet postings and evolved into a series of lawsuits in several states.
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Movie and Book Explore Link Between Board and Bedroom
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The film “Joueuse,” starring Jennifer Beals and Kevin Kline, and a book by Natalia Pogonina, a top player from Russia, attempt to make chess sexy.
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Israeli’s Blunder Sets Up a Surprising Finish
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A bad move by Boris Gelfand at the World Team Chess Championship led to a victory by Hikaru Nakamura that even the winner himself didn’t expect.
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Texas and Maryland Teams Dominate the College Ranks
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The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, won the Pan American championships last month, and two teams from the University of Texas at Dallas tied for second.
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A Year With No New Champs but Plenty of Big Winners
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There was no world championship tournament in 2009, but the rise of a 19-year-old from Norway to No. 1 in the world rankings gave the chess world plenty to talk about.
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Victory Caps Breakout Year for a Player From Brooklyn
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Alex Lenderman, a 20-year-old who qualified as a grandmaster this year, was the runaway victor at the 93rd Marshall Chess Club Championship in Manhattan.
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In Tucson, Women and Girls Are Finding a Place at the Chessboard
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 A nonprofit organization, 9 Queens, is encouraging women, girls and students from low-income families to take up chess.
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Veteran Has Staying Power, but 19-Year-Old Will Be No. 1
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Magnus Carlsen, with London Chess Classic victory, and Boris Gelfand, the new World Cup champion, will be climbing the rankings.
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A Game Lasts 163 Moves, and That’s Not Even a Record
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At the London Chess Classic last week, Ian McShane and Nigel Short battled for seven hours before Short resigned.
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An Ill-Timed Cigarette Break Trips Up Two Grandmasters
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At the World Cup, Wang Yue and Li Chao showed up late for tie-breaker games in their third-round matches and had to forfeit because they had been smoking.
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World Cup Offers an Opening for Players With Ambitions
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With a field of 128 and prize money totaling $1.6 million, the tournament is giving second-tier players a chance to compete against the elite, and perhaps to join them.
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Despite a New Top Player, an Old Champ Is a Winner
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Last week, Magnus Carlsen of Norway became the world’s No. 1 player, but in the Tal Memorial tournament in Russia, Vladimir Kramnik emerged victorious.
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Norwegian, 18, Is Youngest to Be Ranked No. 1 at Chess
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Rankings are based on cumulative performances, measured by something called a rating, but the new top-rated player is not yet the world champion.
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Fight Over Fischer’s Estate Is Taking Shape in Iceland
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Bobby Fischer died in January 2008, but his long, strange story is not over.
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Leaving a Bank for a Foundation Proved Rewarding
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 A disenchanted banker traded a six-figure salary for less than half the pay but a more rewarding career.
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Paced by a 19-Year-Old Star, France Revives Its Reputation
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France has returned to prominence in the chess world in recent years, and its best player is now Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who is No. 23 in the world.
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Another Norwegian Teenager Emerges as a Threat
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Jon Ludvig Hammer, 19, was the most impressive player at the European Team Championships, which has helped him escape the shadow of his countryman Magnus Carlsen.
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An Often-Shunned Opening, for Good Reason
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The dangers of one unpopular opening, the Smith-Morra Garmbit, were illustrated in a game last month between Marc Esserman and Tom Bartell.
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Reclaiming a Championship, With a Nod to Motherhood
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The United States women’s champion, Anna Zatonskih, easily defended her title last week and joked, “I am trying to prove that motherhood did something good.” She has a 2-year-old daughter.
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After Training With a Legend, a Teenager Grabs a Big Win
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Magnus Carlsen, 18, dominated the Nanjing Pearl Spring tournament with a little help from his new mentor, the legendary champion Garry Kasparov.
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A Long Overdue Promotion After a Strong Finish in Texas
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Benjamin Finegold has finally shed the stigma that has haunted him for more than a decade: that he was the strongest international master in the United States.
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An Old Rivalry Is Revived, This Time on Friendlier Terms
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Garry Kasparov defeated Anatoly Karpov in a 12-game exhibition match in Valencia, Spain, last week.
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Valencia: Kasparov starts with 2-0 crunch
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Twenty-five years and still going strong: Garry Kasparov started his commemorative match against eternal rival Anatoly Karpov with two quick wins. The first game was over in 24 moves, when Karpov overstepped his time; and the second ended in 28 moves after a flashy kingside attack by Kasparov.
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Chinese Women Remind the World of Their Prowess
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The Chinese A team won the Women’s World Team Championship, edging out Russia and Ukraine for the title.
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