Aram Hakobyan on Passion, Pressure and Modern Chess - Interview

5/18/2026 – Aram Hakobyan speaks about his journey from a passionate chess obsessed child in Armenia to becoming a world under 12 champion, studying at Webster University in the United States, and eventually returning home to continue pursuing professional chess. He reflects on the importance of passion over pressure, explains how mentors like Levon Aronian shaped his mindset, and shares honest thoughts about sponsorship struggles, modern chess preparation, and why enjoying the process matters more than chasing rating goals. Aram also discusses his upcoming ChessBase training course on the Ruy Lopez Opening from Black’s perspective, while offering practical advice on studying openings, experimenting with different training methods, and developing genuine curiosity for chess.
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FIDE elections 2026 announced

5/18/2026 – FIDE has confirmed that its 2026 Congress will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 20 to 27 September, with the General Assembly and elections scheduled for the final two days. The announcement sets out the application deadlines and endorsement requirements for candidates seeking the positions of President and Deputy President, elected Vice President and Zonal President, while also reminding applicants of the rules governing campaigning during the electoral period.
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Super Chess Classic Romania - Live!

5/18/2026 – The second event of the 2026 Grand Chess Tour is the Super Chess Classic Romania, which is taking place on 14-23 May in Bucharest. Vincent Keymer is the sole leader after four rounds. On Monday, he faces Anish Giri, who stands a half point back in the standings, with the black pieces. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 15.00 CEST (9.00 ET, 18.30 IST) | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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The pawn outpost on d5 in the Dragon

5/18/2026 – In the latest issue of ChessBase Magazine #231, Mihail Marin examines a structure that is important for both the Sicilian Dragon and the English Opening: when White plays the knight to d5, Black exchanges it, and White takes back with exd5, an outpost is created on d5. Is this an advantage for White? How does this change the overall situation? Could the pawn become a target for attacks, or is it Black who needs to worry about his pawn on e7? Our strategy expert explores these and many other questions in his article. Check out the new CBM sample “Space advantage: yes – one-sided game: no!”
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Super Chess Classic Romania: Keymer beats MVL's Najdorf, leads

5/18/2026 – Vincent Keymer took the sole lead at the Super Chess Classic Romania in Bucharest after defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in round four, while the other completed games were drawn. Fabiano Caruana v. Alireza Firouzja was postponed after Firouzja was unable to play for medical reasons. Keymer now stands half a point ahead of the field, though Caruana still has a game in hand. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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ChessBase´26 – Tips for Beginners, Part 15: Setting up and analysing positions

5/17/2026 – You want to analyse a position without having to enter all the moves first? No problem: with ChessBase´26, the position is quickly displayed on the board and you can analyse it with or without an engine, or import other game positions using FEN code. Learn how to use the “Position Setup” menu to start immediately at the point that interests you, and find out what FEN is all about...
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Review: The Ultimate Antidote against the London System

5/17/2026 – The London System is no longer a fringe opening on the margins of chess theory, but has developed into a serious and widely tested weapon — an assessment recently confirmed by Magnus Carlsen in an interview. Against this backdrop, Mihail Marin presents an approach that confronts London players with concrete problems at an early stage and demands a high degree of flexibility — a requirement that can prove particularly uncomfortable for unprepared adherents of the system. In his review, Lukas Köpl takes a closer look at this antidote for Black.
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Super Chess Classic Romania: Giri and Van Foreest grab wins

5/17/2026 – Despite being a pawn up, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu was unable to defeat Vincent Keymer in round three of the Super Chess Classic in Bucharest. Wesley So v. Fabiano Caruana and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave v. Javokhir Sindarov also ended drawn. Anish Giri defeated Alireza Firouzja, who, under time pressure, failed to find the way to a saving draw. Jorden van Foreest scored a remarkable win with black against Bogdan-Daniel Deac. After round three, five players share the lead: Giri, Keymer, Praggnanandhaa, Vachier-Lagrave and Van Foreest. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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The history of Grand Chess Tour by CEO Michael Khodarkovsky

5/16/2026 – As the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) enters its 11th edition, it has become a cornerstone of the professional chess world. With a $2 million prize fund and a reach spanning four continents, the tour is often described as a "well-oiled machine". In an exclusive look at the tour's history, CEO and Executive Director Michael Khodarkovsky shares the philosophy that has sustained this elite circuit for over a decade. | Photo: Grand Chess Tour
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Review: New releases in April!

5/16/2026 – Strategy, repertoire work and modern trends: five current ChessBase products provide fresh inspiration for training and tournament practice. From Ivan Sokolov’s structural middlegame understanding to Isaac Garner’s practical repertoire ideas, as well as compact solutions against the London System and data-driven Powerbooks, the result is a versatile selection for modern chess training — well-founded, practice-oriented and tailored to different playing styles. | All photos: ChessBase
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Live Lecture with IGM Elisabeth Paehtz

5/16/2026 – KCF Academy is thrilled to announce the upcoming live lecture featuring IGM Elisabeth Paehtz, one of the most accomplished female chess players from Germany, with a distinguished career marked by numerous titles and significant contributions to the game. The online masterclass will take place on May 17, 2026, at 17:00 CET. This exclusive event offers KCF participants a unique opportunity to learn from one of the sharpest strategic minds in women's chess.
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Super Chess Classic Romania: Keymer, Pragg and MVL score

5/16/2026 – Vincent Keymer, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave became the first co-leaders of the Super Chess Classic Romania after winning in round two. Keymer punished Bogdan-Daniel Deac's kingside weakening, Vachier-Lagrave outplayed Alireza Firouzja in a Najdorf Sicilian, and Praggnanandhaa ended Javokhir Sindarov's 53-game unbeaten streak in classical chess. Fabiano Caruana v. Anish Giri and Jorden van Foreest v. Wesley So were drawn. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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Robert Ris' Fast and Furious: Pawn Sacrifice in the Sicilian Kan

5/15/2026 – I have a look at the game Caruana-Firouzja from Superbet Rapid and Blitz in Warsaw. White chose quite an aggressive line against the Sicilian Kan by sacrificing a pawn for a dangerous initiative. Due to its lack in development and weakened dark-squares, Black is having a hard time neutralizing White's attacking aspiration. Caruana eventually transformed his attack into a winning endgame with an extra exchange but failed to convert his naterial plus. In this episode, I'll give you an update on the current theoretical state of this variation and share some illustrative examples.

Game of the Week #722: Carlsen vs Erdogmus

5/15/2026 – Last week we saw how Magnus Carlsen lost against Jorden van Foreest, which put him at 2 out of 4 at that point. But then he managed to win his remaining three games, and 5 out of 7 was just enough to share first place with Erigaisi. Eventually, Carlsen won the blitz tiebreak with 2-1, so he did it again. Our Game of the Week is the historical last round encounter between Magnus Carlsen and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, the 14-year-old that may very well be his successor one day. Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.
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Amateur beats world champion: Wolfram Hartmann beats Anatoly Karpov in Hannover (1983)

5/15/2026 – In 1983, 21 years after Wolfgang Uhlmann's victory over Mikhail Botvinnik at the 1962 Chess Olympiad in Varna, a German player once again managed to defeat a reigning world champion. In the first round of the International Mephisto Chess Tournament in Hanover, Wolfram Hartmann, then a 27-year-old law student from Bamberg, achieved one of the most astonishing underdog victories in German chess history against Anatoly Karpov (pictured). | Photo: V. Savostianov, Novosti Press (via Douglas Griffin)
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Attacking like Chigorin

5/15/2026 – In the diagram position Black can't yet strike, but after 34...Rh7! 35.Rh1 the time has come. The motto is forward - have fun!

Super Chess Classic Romania: All draws, Pragg escapes against Firouzja

5/15/2026 – All five games ended drawn in the first round of the Super Chess Classic Romania, though several players had chances to grab full points. Alireza Firouzja missed the clearest opportunity against defending champion Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (pictured), while Fabiano Caruana failed to make the most of an extra pawn against Jorden van Foreest. Wesley So v. Vincent Keymer was a double-edged, remarkable battle. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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The Times explores chess revival at Simpson's in the Strand

5/14/2026 – Simpson's in the Strand has reopened with a nod to its origins as a chess venue, a detail explored by Harry Wallop in The Times. Wallop's article uses the London restaurant's history to examine a wider revival of over-the-board chess, from social clubs and café events to rising sales of physical chess sets, and considers why the game's face-to-face appeal has endured in a screen-heavy age. | Photo: Matt Brown via Wikimedia Commons
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Wadim Rosenstein and his intensive plan to promote chess

5/14/2026 – Wadim Rosenstein came into prominence when he organised the first edition of WR Chess in 2023. He then came up with the idea of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Teams - an event that has become a mainstay in the chess calendar. In recent times, if you follow Rosenstein on his X account, the number of activities that he is doing for chess has grown exponentially! In this interview, we ask him about these events, his vision for chess and whether he is planning to become the FIDE President. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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