Chess Olympiad in the paradise of Calvià
03.09.2004 The first was in held in Paris, 80 years ago. The 36th edition of the Chess Olympiad will take place from October 14th to 31st on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Mallorca. There are events is for professionals and for amateurs. Who knows, you may even decide to move there after you have seen our spectacular pictorial report.

Going for Gold in Calvià
13.10.2004 The 36th Chess Olympiad begins tomorrow in Calvià. 135 men's and 91 women's teams are participating, with 782 male and 353 female players. We bring you some interesting lists of the strongest players and teams, including a picture report of a very ambitious women's team that you want to watch.

Let the games begin in Calvià
16.10.2004 Actually they have already begun. Round one brought with no big surprises, as the top seeded teams rampaged through the bottom ranks. But before that the 36th Chess Olympiad was opened with an evening ceremony and a giant marionette on the beachside of Santa Ponça. David Llada sent us some photographic impressions.

Calvià Olympiad: Ukraine leads after round 5
20.10.2004 When will Peter Svidler arrive? Without him Russia fell to Ukraine and is two points behind the leaders. Several other teams are awaiting late arrivals. The same rivals are battling in the women's event, but they are doing it well behind the as-yet-unstoppable Chinese. We have a report, analysis, and plenty of photos.

Calvià Olympiad r6: Red-hot Ivanchuk; Russia on the move
21.10.2004 The heavyweight bout of round six was a blowout. With Peter Svidler flying in to take over board two, Russia crushed Israel to move into second position. Ukraine kept the top spot thanks to yet another win by Ivanchuk. China kept their lead in the women's event while the United States moved up after a battle of world champions. Report, games, and pictures.

Superb performances by Vallejo and Ivanchuk
23.10.2004 Seven rounds are over at the Olympiad in Calvià, Ukraine is in the lead in the men's section, China is rampaging in the women's. The best results so far are by local boy Paco Vallejo Pons, who scored 5.5 points in six games for a performance of rating, 2990, followed by Vassily Ivanchuk at 2947. We bring you games, results, statistics and an illustrated report by Vijay Kumar.

Calvià: Ukraine and China unassailable?
24.10.2004 After nine rounds of the Chess Olympiad everything looks like a start-to-finish victory for Ukraine in the men's section and for the Chinese women, who are six points ahead of their nearest rivals. From Calvià on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca we bring you games, results and a spectacular pictorial report.

'It was a very painful decision for me'
27.10.2004 At the Chess Olympiad in Calvià, Spain, the US "Dream Team" is poised to take a medal in the Women's section, which would be a great boost for chess in USA. But team leader Susan Polgar is in distress. Today she must fight it out against the Hungarian team. Susan is originally from Hungary and tells us her feelings in an exclusive interview.

Calvià: Double defeat for Chinese women
28.10.2004 After twelve (of fourteen) rounds the gold medals look pretty safe in the hands of the Ukraine men and the Chinese women, even though the latter lost two rounds, against the US and Georgia. In the men's section Russia and Armenia are striving for Silver. Here are the games and results, and a video report with impressions of Calvià.

Going for the silver in Calvià
29.10.2004 Heading into the final round on Friday Ukraine has locked up the men's gold and China has done the same in the women's event. But the battle for the less precious medals is at fever pitch. Russia, USA, Armenia, and Israel are in the hunt and nothing is certain. A big win in the final round will mean glory. Who can pull it off?

Dresden to host the 2008 Olympiad
29.10.2004 At the FIDE General Assembly there were two countries bidding for the 2008 Chess Olympiad: Estonia, represented by the Minister of Interior and super-model Carmen Kass; and Germany, who put up the Lord Mayor of Dresden and the Prince of Saxony. The latter won 69:29. Picture and video report.

Ukraine and China (and Professor Elo) win in Calvià
30.10.2004 The underdogs will have to wait for another day. The exact order wasn't perfect, but the favorites followed through. Ukraine and China took gold. In a thrilling final round scramble the Russian men finished ahead of Armenia by a single tiebreak point. The American women nipped Russia for the silver by a half point. Flash report with results and standings.

The Turkish Federation wants the match
30.10.2004 Yesterday we published an open letter by Garry Kasparov, demanding that the FIDE leadership show guarantees for his reunification match against Kasimdzhanov, announced for January in Dubai, or to ask the General Assembly for authority to quickly seek a new bidder. Now the alternate is on the table, presented for the Turkish Chess Federation by its president Ali Nihat Yazici.

The Olympiad ends with a bang
30.10.2004 The 36th Chess Olympiad is over, the players are departing, some with medals, all with interesting memories and many exciting games. Before the players all leave Calvià, the beautiful island of Mallorca and the gigantic tournament staged there, we bring you pictorial impressions of the participants at work and at play.

Scandal in Calvià, FIDE vice president arrested
31.10.2004 The 36th Chess Olympiad ended with a bang. But not the fireworks we displayed in our previous report, but with the arrest of FIDE vice president Zurab Azmaiparashvili, who tried to get the attention of the organisers on the stage and was wrestled to the floor and dragged to jail by a group of security agents. Hard to believe, but unfortunately true.

Azmaiparashvili in the news; released from jail
01.11.2004 The bizarre scuffle during the closing ceremony of the Calvià Olympiad made various mainstream reports. We have press releases from the organizers and FIDE. Azmai has been released and an interview is forthcoming. For now we have some alarming pictures.

Zurab Azmaiparashvili's two days in prison
04.11.2004 FIDE vice president Zurab Azmaiparashvili was attacked by security guards. Two days later he was released by a Spanish judge and was able to return to his native Georgia. We spoke to the battered GM immediately after his release. Let us know your opinion or express your support. Here is Zurab's harrowing story.

The chess continues – for a thousand years
05.11.2004 The 36th Chess Olympiad ended on the 31st of October, and hundreds of players left Mallorca. But 122 players from 34 different countries remained to take part in the International Open of Calvià – the first, we are told, of a thousand. Here's another look at the ruggedly beautiful Mediterranean island, including fledgling pictures by a world champion

Smoking gun in Azmaiparashvili case
05.11.2004 We've seen the before and after photos. Now we have some brutal "during" photos of the altercation between the FIDE VP and the Spanish police from Diario de Mallorca. Will this scandal lead to punitive action by FIDE against the Spanish organizers or federation? Time will tell. For now you can see these disturbing pictures.

The Azmaiparashvili Saga – your views
10.11.2004 The events at the end of the closing ceremony of the 36th Chess Olympiad stunned chess players all over the world. A FIDE vice president beaten and arrested? We returned from Calvià to find a barrage of letters from concerned readers – most in support of "Azmai", but some critical of his conduct in the affair. Take some time for a long but interesting read.

Susan Polgar's dream comeback
11.11.2004 The US women's team made history at the Chess Olympiad by capturing Silver, the first ever Olympic medal for the United States. The player and driving force behind this success was Susan Polgar, who came out of a seven-year hiatus with a stunning performance. Here's the full story and part two of our interview with Susan.

From Momentoo: Faces of Calvià
24.11.2004 At the Chess Olympiad in Calvià we met the Dutch photographer Fred Lucas, the man with the Big Lens. The man who disdains flashes and works mainly with available light. As usual Fred took some of the best pictures we have seen from the event. Here is a small selection of the Faces of Calvià.