The last decade has seen a remarkable growth in our knowledge of solarflares. This includes the discovery of "sunquake" seismic waves in the solar interior, perhaps launched by Lorentz forces originating in the coronal field; it also extends to GeV gamma-ray emission and the detection of energetic neutral atoms. I review some of the novelties and argue that the chromosphere - the transition layer between the corona and the photosphere - hosts the essential physics.