NIC’s Café Your Move The Spirit of Saint Louis Some knew, some thought they knew, and speculation was rampant during the Grand Slam Final in Sao Paulo and Bilbao. Is Garry Kasparov working with Hikaru Nakamura? Yes, he is. In a candid interview Nakamura tells the story. Carlsen Stars in The Big Chase Seemingly against all odds, Magnus Carlsen refused to think about anything else but first place when after only four rounds he was trailing Vasily Ivanchuk by 7 points in the Grand Slam Final. That was when the big chase started. Chess Hall of Fame The World Chess Hall of Fame re-opened across from the glitzy Saint Louis Chess Club. Hertan’s Forcing Moves One Cup, Three Candidates For the fourth time the Siberian town of Khanty-Mansiysk staged the FIDE World Cup. The all-Russian final between Peter Svidler and Alexander Grischuk ended in another triumph for the grandmaster from St. Petersburg. Interview Peter Svidler ‘I’m sure that as soon as I say out loud that my second spring has finally come (or third? or what are we up to now?), it will end precisely at that moment’, says the 35-year-old winner of the 2011 World Cup. Old Men Nigel Short explains why even in these modern days getting older need not mean the end of your career. Moscow on the Move The Russian Chess Federation celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Botvinnik with a long weekend of festivities, the main act being a rapid exhibition tournament with the four best players on the planet that was won with superior ease by World Champion Vishy Anand. WhyChess With the launch of their website, provocatively named WhyChess, Vlad Tkachiev and his brother Evgeny saw an old dream come true. Through the Luking Glass Luke McShane tells us what he’s been reading lately. Unsolved Mystery Hans Ree on Notes on the Life of Howard Staunton. Piece Sacrifices in the Sicilian Jan Timman made two of them in one tournament and presents them with lucid comments. A Movable Chess Feast ‘Hikaru’s talent is evident but he still must decide whether chess is more important to him than poker!’, writes Garry Kasparov. Just Checking What music does Jacob Aagaard like to listen to? Did They Play Your Opening? Sicilian Timman-Van der Wiel, by Timman Dominguez-Polgar, by Polgar Timman-Arakhamia-Grant, by Timman French Grischuk-Morozevich, by Grischuk Ruy Lopez Kamsky-Svidler, by Svidler Queen's Gambit Declined Nakamura-Aronian, by Nakamura Slav Aronian-Anand, by Anand Nimzo-Indian Carlsen-Ivanchuk, by Carlsen Aronian-Ivanchuk, by Timman Grünfeld Indian Ponomariov-Svidler, by Svidler English Opening Carlsen-Aronian, by Aronian