The first issue of 2009 looks back to the great events at the end of last year. The Chess Olympiad, the object of great excitement and expectation in Germany, constitutes, not only because of the number of games and analyses, the major theme of the DVD. Other highlights include the FIDE Grand Prix in Elista, the continuation of which is today something about which we must be anxious and the super-strong tournament in Nanjing in China. Amongst the star authors in this issue you will find Magnus Carlsen, Teimour Radjabov, Boris Gelfand, Loek van Wely, Vugar Gashimov and Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu.