Bundesliga

The German Team Championship is nearing the halfway mark after the third double round in Bremen last weekend. Defending champions Porz have a very narrow lead, with Solingen and Delmenhorst breathing down their necks.

Further details and annotated games here: Bundesliga

Results, games and some pictures at: http://www.gm-schach.de/news/news.html

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York Vikings

The York Viking International Chess Festival, organised by Adam Raoof, runs from December 13 to December 22 at Lady Anne Middleton's Hotel in York. The top group is a double round all-play-all contest between grandmasters Julian Hodgson, Emil Sutovsky, Alexei Barsov, Jonny Hector, Tiger Hillarp Persson and Jonathan Rowson. Barsov beat Sutovsky with the white pieces in round one, while Hector-Rowson and Persson-Hodgson ended peacefully.

Daily coverage at: http://www.circuit.demon.co.uk/

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Supertournament in Belfort

This year's annual GM-tournament in Belfort boasts an Elo-average of 2615 and sees local IM Arnaud Hauchard fighting for the grandmaster norm in an exceptionally strong field. Alexei Fedorov of Belarus goes in as the heavy favourite.

Live coverage at: http://www.belfort-echecs.asso.fr

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Ho, Ho, Ho!

Get into the Christmas spirit by watching Dutch IM Manuel Bosboom light his Danish colleague Jacob Aagaard up like a Christmas tree in round one action of 5th Gudmundur Arason International, currently underway in Hafnarfjordur, Iceland.

Check out this barn-burner here: Arason International.

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TWIC TV

The Week in Chess have started to broadcast their fortnightly chess program "Diagonal" in English.

Further details at http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic.html

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Man vs Machine

Despite being three pawns down at one point, Irish GM Alexander Baburin managed to draw his exhibition game against the strong chessplaying program REBEL Century. The event was broadcast live on ICC on December 4. Further details about this game and earlier GM Challenges at: http://www.rebel.nl/gm07.htm

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Upcoming events:

Hastings

The traditional Hastings Premier will run from January 4-12, 2000. This promises to be an interesting event, with teen stars Luke McShane and Irina Krush facing off against grandmasters Alexei Dreev, Ivan Sokolov, Jonathan Speelman, Emil Sutovsky, John Emms, Klaus Bischoff, Bogdan Lalic and Murray Chandler.

Groningen Chess Festival

http://www.homepages.hetnet.nl/~johan-z/

Rilton Cup (Stockholm)

http://home2.swipnet.se/~w-21958/stock.html

- Einar Gausel