2/18/2019 – In this Simon Says we take a look at some very interesting examples where in the opening, Black sacrifices the Rook on a8. Sounds weird!? Well you will have to tune in to see! Simon is live this week at the usual time: 18:00 CET (17:00 UTC). If you miss the show, you can watch it in the archive with a ChessBase Account. Don't have an account? You can register a free 90-day account to watch!

2/18/2019 – 250 years ago, August 15, 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born. The statesman and military leader is said to have been a passionate chess player, and in France the opening 1.e4 e5 2.Qf3 is called "Ouverture Napoléon", Napoleon's Opening. The French emperor also founded the city of La Roche-sur-Yon which celebrated Napoleon's jubilee and his passion for chess with a match between Maxime Vachier and Jorden van Foreest. A campaign in which "MVL" was more successful. | Photo: La Roche-sur-Yon, Ville & Agglomération

2/18/2019 – In the first two sections of this series, originally published in Der Spiegel, Europe's largest (and most influential) news portal, Frederic Friedel described his decades-long involvement in computer chess. He was commissioned to make the story personal, and in part three he describes his encounter with the latest twist in this area of research: artificial intelligence and self-learning machines that are playing at the very highest levels of the game. Where are we headed and what will the future bring?

2/18/2019 – Tournaments for children have a certain tradition in Norway. In 1999, Carsten Opseth won one of these tournaments, Ørnulf Stubberud and Johannes Kvisla finished second and third. With 3 points out of 6 games a certain Magnus Carlsen was eleventh. Today, Stubberud and Kvisla are FIDE Masters while Carlsen is even more successful. | Photos: Holger Blauhut

2/17/2019 – This week, JON SPEELMAN takes a gander at two games played by Niels Engelen, a 37-year-old Dutch software developer from The Hague (pictured), who is enjoying chess more than ever. Niels says he has been playing more often after having found a couple of chess buddies at his town's club, but he has also started to focus on training endgames, an activity that has already borne fruit. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

2/16/2019 – The Cosmos Hotel, located in north-central Moscow, will host the 17th edition of the Aeroflot Open. Group A currently counts 39 registered players rated 2600 or above, with 19-year-old Wei Yi as the top seed. The event is a great chance for players that are vying to get a place in the elite to prove themselves against formidable opposition. Nine rounds will be played starting Monday, with no rest days in between. | Photo: Amruta Mokal (archive)

2/16/2019 – The critical game of the Cairns Cup finished drawn, but only after both players missed chances to get ahead. Nonetheless, a half point was all that Valentina Gunina needed to win the tournament and take home $40,000, while Alexandra Kosteniuk's performance was not too shabby either, as she got over thirteen rating points with her 6½/9 score. Irina Krush bounced back after two losses and defeated Harika Dronavalli to finish in sole third place. | Photo: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club

2/15/2019 – Live games and commentary beginning at 19:00 UTC (20:00 CET, 14:00 EST) by GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade. Ten of the world's top female chess players compete at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis from February 6th to 16th. The tournament is similar to the Sinquefield Cup, but for women. Official site: USChessChamps.com

2/15/2019 – Friday at 17:00 UTC (18:00 CET, Noon EST) Daniel King will go on air on playchess.com. You can watch the episode live for free! All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer. Puzzle and the live video...

2/15/2019 – In the diagram position the black pieces seem to be perfectly placed but he still has to find a way to make short work of White's position. Do you want some action? Please, do not hesitate!

2/15/2019 – Immediately after the Cairns Cup (February 5 to 16) the Saint Louis Chess Club hosts another top class event: the Champions Showdown. From February 20 to February 24 ten top players show their skills in five rapid and exhibition matches. Press Release. | Picture: Saint Louis Chess Club

2/15/2019 – The Russian participants are the only ones with a chance to take home the first prize of $40,000 at the Cairns Cup. Valentina Gunina will enter her final round game against direct rival Alexandra Kosteniuk a half point ahead…but she will have the black pieces. Both players drew their Thursday games in Saint Louis, albeit through very different paths: Gunina was close to lost against Abdumalik while Kosteniuk had the upper hand during most of her encounter against Dzagnidze. | Photo: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club