Nyzhnyk nails it

7/13/2018 – At the annual World Open in Philadelphia, 21-year-old, Webster University student Illya Nyzhnyk from Ukraine scored one of the biggest wins of his young career, by taking clear first and the USD $20,500 first prize with an impressive tally of 7½ from 9 games in a field of 32 GMs and 24 IMs. Among the GMs was RUIFENG LI, who filed this report with games and photos from the massive 1,223 player open (over nine sections).

Light summer mate V

7/13/2018 – No time to waste! 36.Rc7!! in the diagram position is the only move to give White an advantage, although Black's counterplay on the back rank might send a shiver down one's spine. However, after 36...Ng3+ 37.Kh2 Nf1+ 38.Kh3 Qg1 you are to checkmate in 7 - enjoy!

Yermo's travels: Dresden, old and new

7/12/2018 – The United States sent a strong squad to the World Team Championship 50+. ALEX YERMOLINSKY is playing, spending time with good old friends and sending some pictures and stories for us to enjoy. The account until round six includes images of the team's trip to Dresden and, as Yermo calls it, the German Grand Canyon.

Tiviakov: "You have to work hard on chess"

7/12/2018 – A few days ago Sergei Tiviakov became Dutch Champion 2018 and added another victory to his impressive list of successes. In an interview with ChessBase the former World Junior Champion and successful coach talks about his career, his style, about training, and his series of 110 games without defeat. | Photo: Harry Gielen

Seniors triumph in a natural paradise

7/12/2018 – Grandmaster MIHAIL MARIN reflects on the attractive environs, inside and outside the playing hall, at the 10th Capo d'Orso International ACP Open. GM Karen Movsziszian took top honours with 7½ / 9. | Pictured: From left to right: International arbiter Laurent Freyd, Mihail Marin (2nd), Karen Movsziszian (1st), Vladislav Nevednichy (3rd) and organizer/the tournament's factotum Yuri Garrett | Photo: Caissa Italia

Chess on the move in Hong Kong

7/12/2018 – The 9th Annual Hong Kong Scholastic Championship took place on June 10 at Kellett School. The activity was a great success, as more than 150 children participated. Individual and team winners received awards after struggling during seven hours of rapid play. A big pictorial report shows that Hong Kong might have a bright future in chess, if these initiatives take root. | Photos: Official website

GM tutorial: Learn to play the Evans Gambit

7/11/2018 – Looking for something new to play in your next tournament? Or in your next club game, or against your traditional holiday opponent. Here's a recommendation by a world-class grandmaster and leading chess author. GM JOHN NUNN explains the ideas behind the daring Evans Gambit and the strategy you should use to play it successfully. Most importantly: you can try out everything right there in your browser against an engine that matches the playing strength of your opponent.

The Chess Train rolls again

7/11/2018 – The chess train continues this year, with the great route Prague-Ostrava-Warsaw-Krakow-Hradec Králové and back to Prague. During the ride, a rapid chess tournament is played. In the afternoon there is enough time to see the cities. Find out about this now-traditional and quickly-becoming-legendary tournament. | Photos: Pavel Matocha

Perpetual chess guests, part 1

7/11/2018 – ChessBase co-founder Frederic Friedel was cajoled into a conversation on Ben Johnson's Perpetual Chess podcast by summer guest-host Macauley Peterson. Here we bringing you some photos and other visual aids, video highlights and transcription of some of the stories and quotes for posterity. In this first part, Frederic talks about his introduction to chess players, meeting Nigel Short and Garry Kasparov, how he came to know his co-founder, ChessBase CEO Matthias Wullenweber, and got the project off the ground, with Kasparov's help.

Chess on the beach

7/11/2018 – Would you be able to sit in a dark quiet room for, say, two months, with nothing to read, nothing to do, nothing but your own thoughts? According to (I think it was) Goethe, that's the veritable test of a true man. But as a chess player, and under the influence of Stefan Zweig's "Schachnovelle", my surmise is that we could all do it! Philosophers should rebuild their furnace because the supreme test for a grandmaster — and an amateur alike — is to play (and play well!) at the Hersonissos Open. | Photos: Alina l'Ami

The Weekly Show with Lawrence Trent

7/10/2018 – Tuesdays at 18:00 CEST (5:00 pm UK time, Noon EDT) Lawrence Trent goes on air on Playchess.com. In his show, Lawrence will be dealing with the latest trends, games and combinations from elite chess tournaments. This week featuresgames from the Porticcio Open and Dutch Championships!

A light-footed knight

7/10/2018 – Knights are generally unable to cover a lot of ground in a hurry, but sometimes they can get a boost from tactical stricks and hustle across the board.

Chess alive by the Dead Sea

7/10/2018 – The "Gideon Japhet Cup" ended in Jerusalem on Friday, July 6th. Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi slipped into the lead in the double-round rapid tournament finishing ahead by a full point over four other protagonists with equally well-known names: Peter Svidler (Russia), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Boris Gelfand (Israel) and Georg Meier (Germany) finished with 5 points each. The Ukrainian Anna Muzychuk came sixth with 4.0 / 10. In the parallel open Arkadij Naiditsch won with 6.0 / 7 in front of five players with 5½ points respectively. | Pictured: Gelfand and Ivanchuk relax after the tournament | Photo: Ritvo Photography