7/30/2025 – The Chess Esports World Cup is taking place from 29 July to 1 August in Riyadh. Sixteen elite players are competing for a total prize pool of $1.5 million. A group stage will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by the final knockout stage on Thursday and Friday. | Matches starts daily at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST). Follow the games live with computer analysis and expert commentary.

7/30/2025 – Since 1986, we’ve been developing chess software that inspires millions of players around the world - and honestly: it’s a blast to spend every day working with chess, technology, and creative people! Our founding team set new standards with ChessBase and Fritz - now it’s your move to continue this success story!

7/29/2025 – The winner of the 2025 Women's World Cup was decided in an exciting play-off between Humpy Koneru and Divya Deshmukh. Divya Deshmukh ultimately emerged victorious. Tin Zhangyi won the match for third place against Lei Tingjie. The awards ceremony took place on Monday evening in a festive atmosphere. | Photos: Anna Shtourman

7/28/2025 – The best way to play a good (and successful) game is to start with a strong opening. Svitlana Dimchenko demonstrates how to succeed with the versatile King’s Indian Attack—a dangerous weapon that’s easy to learn. For those who want more, there’s ChessBase Magazine—the best and most comprehensive digital chess magazine, featuring analyses by top players. Get it at a special price during this week’s Summer Special (July 28 to August 3)!

7/25/2025 – Vladimir Fedoseev fought back after his painful defeat the day before and defeated Saleh Salem in the last round of the Biel GMT-Masters in commanding style. Since Aravindh missed the victory needed to win the tournament against Murzin and only played to a draw, Fedoseev secured victory in the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon. | Photos: Schachfestival Biel

7/24/2025 – Aravindh Chithambaram has taken the lead of the GMT-Masters in the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon with a victory over the previous leader Saleh Salem. Aravindh has thus not only overtaken Salem, but also Fedoseev, who lost his game against Murzin after a rollercoaster ride and thus falls back to 3rd place. The final round on Thursday must now decide the outcome. The decision in the GMT-Challengers has already been made one round before the end: Nikolas Theodorou celebrated a start-to-finish victory over the entire tournament and can no longer be caught in the final round. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/25/2025 – The opening is tricky. If you don't know what you are doing, you can quickly find yourself on the losing side, but if you know what you are doing, you can also quickly gain an advantage. ChessBase offers help! The Opening Encyclopaedia offers a complete overview of all openings, and with Fritz 20 you can try out and practise all of them. This week (21–27 July), the strong duo is available as a Summer Special at a special price!

7/22/2025 – While the finalists of the Grand Master Triathlon took a day off on Monday to prepare for the final rounds, the participants of the Master Open played their seventh round. Thirteen-year-old German talent Christian Glöckler was among the leaders but lost the top match against Pranav. | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

7/21/2025 – The first decisions have been made at the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon: today's blitz chess matches marked the end of the qualification phase. Svane and Wojtaszek were unable to make up their deficit and are the last two players to be eliminated from the Masters. In the Challengers, the blitz games brought another change: Navara proved to be the stronger blitz player than Ma Qun and was thus able to push past the Chinese player into fourth place. In the coming week, the remaining players will now play for victory in Biel 2025. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/20/2025 – The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam continues in Las Vegas from 16 to 20 July with a 16-player invitational event featuring a round-robin followed by a double-elimination knockout stage. Top players including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana are taking part. All games will be broadcast live with commentary, and eliminated players will contribute to coverage. | Follow the games live starting at 20.00 CEST (14.00 ET, 23.30 IST)

7/20/2025 – With a third consecutive win, Saleh Salem has taken the sole lead in the Biel Masters Triathlon. After defeating Vladimir Fedoseev, the Emirati grandmaster also beat Aravindh Chithambaram, who now shares second place with Fedoseev. In the Challengers, all games ended in draws, consolidating the lead of Nikolas Theodorou and Aram Hakobyan. Sunday's blitz section will be decisive in determining the finalists of the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/19/2025 – Aravindh Chithambaram has reclaimed the lead in the Biel GMT-Masters Triathlon following his draw with Radoslaw Wojtaszek, aided by Vladimir Fedoseev's defeat to Salem Saleh. The Emirati grandmaster, now in third place, secured his second classical win with a convincing performance. In the GMT-Challengers, all games ended in draws, a result that benefits Nikolas Theodorou and Aram Hakobyan, whose progression to next week's final phase now looks increasingly likely. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/18/2025 – How should a positional player begin with White - 1.d4 or 1.Nf3? In his Fritztrainer course, Sipke Ernst presents a practical 1.d4 repertoire. And in his Grandmaster course on 1.Nf3, Felix Blohberger also focuses on teaching ideas rather than memorizing lines. It's a tough choice! Stay flexible and take a look at both courses — this week (July 14–20), they’re available at a Summer Special price.

7/18/2025 – With a victory over Radoslaw Wojtaszek, Vladimir Fedoseev took the lead in the overall standings of the Biel Masters Triathlon. Aravindh is tied for second place after a draw against Volodar Murzin. Frederik Svane suffered his second defeat in a row against Saleh Salem. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/17/2025 – Chess is very popular in Sri Lanka. Well over 500 players, mainly children and young people, took part in the 12th Dhamso International Chess Festival in 2025. A A C B Amarasinghe scored 9 points from 10 rounds to win the tournament. | Photo: From left: Mr Nuwan Karunakalage, Mr Chamin Dennis Livera, CM A A C B Amarasinghe, Mr Yasindu Vithanage (organiser)

7/15/2025 – After playing the Accentus 960 tournament and the Rapid tournament, the grandmasters of the Masters and Challengers could enjoy a rest day before they start to play classical chess on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the players in the Masters Open began their tournament. Murali Karthikeyan is the Elo favourite and started with a win. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/12/2025 – After 34 years of continuous development, ChessBase has released Fritz 20, marking the twentieth iteration of one of the most influential chess programs in history. This latest version represents a significant evolution in chess software, combining cutting-edge artificial intelligence with innovative human-like playing concepts that promise to transform how players train and improve their game. | Text and Photos: Paul Harwood (betterchess.net)

7/10/2025 – This week only (7–14 July), take advantage of ChessBase's Summer Special with major discounts on top training material. Ivan Sokolov's full "Understanding Middlegame Strategies series (Vol. 1–11)" is available for €209.90, down from €299.90. Also on offer: Martin Breutigam's German-language "1.d4! A Modern Repertoire (Vol. 1 & 2)", now €49.90 instead of €69.90. Ideal resources for serious club and tournament players looking to improve!