ANAND AND KRAMNIK TOO STRONG NOT TO WIN The adeptly played first move by Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander added lustre to the opening ceremony of the 60th Hoogovens tournament. In the days to follow two other crown princes stole the show. Quite naturally Vishy Anand and Vladimir Kramnik soared to the top of the ranking list to share the spoils.
ANDALUSIAN ADVENTURES At the beginning of the year two consecutive open tournaments are held in the Andalusian towns of Linares and Ubeda that draw a big number of strong players. Among the favourites to do well was Sergey Tiviakov, who won one and reports on both events.
THE STAKEHOLDER Remarkably little is known about the practice of our game in the Middle Ages. Delving into new sources Michael Ehn filled in a spot that so far remained totally blank when he began investigating the role of Der Pfandner, or stakeholder.
THE ATTRACTION OF HASTINGS IN WINTER An ANGRY Matthew Sadler went down to Hastings to shake off his world championship trauma. That was exactly the right frame of mind. A report by the winner.
OPENING PROBLEMS What risks are grandmasters running when preparing in the Information Age? Jan Timman presents telling examples from recent tournament practice.
