3/11/2026 – Last Sunday, on 8 March, Serbian grandmaster Slavoljub Marjanovic passed away. In the 1980s he was one of Yugoslavia’s strongest players and won a team bronze medal at the 1980 Chess Olympiad. After the end of his professional career, he made a name for himself as a coach. | Photo: ECU

3/11/2026 – Ashwin Subramanian is a technology evangelist: a software engineering manager at Intel, but also a brilliant photographer, who fortunately for us is very enthusiastic about chess. Ashwin uses his free time visiting major tournaments and sends us marvellous pictures that capture the atmosphere at the events. We will share them with you...

3/11/2026 – The Grand Finals of the American Cup began with the first classical games in Saint Louis. In the open section, Wesley So defeated Levon Aronian to take the lead in the match after a convincing performance with the white pieces. Meanwhile, the women's Grand Final between Carissa Yip and Alice Lee ended in a draw, with both players obtaining promising chances at different stages of the game. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

3/10/2026 – Success in world-class chess is built long before the game begins. With the "Federation Package", developed specifically for national federations, players and coaches gain access to the complete professional ChessBase software, the world's largest chess database, and powerful cloud analysis – at a price that provides up to five times more computing power than individual solutions! A long-term investment that will measurably enhance the performance of the entire team.

3/10/2026 – In his latest column, Jon Speelman reflects on the career and personality of Dutch GM Jan Timman following the news of his passing. Speelman recalls their encounters over the board, including games from their 1989 Candidates' match in London. "Away from the board, Jan was always excellent company and I always thought that he was one of the very nicest of the generation just a few years older than me". | Pictured: Jan Timman at the 1996 Hoogovens Tournament in Wijk aan Zee | Photo: Fotopersbureau De Boer / Noord-Hollands Archief

3/10/2026 – Deep domination duel: The fight rook against bishop can be very subtle: White to move and win.

3/10/2026 – The contenders of the Grand Finals in both sections of the American Cup were confirmed in Saint Louis after the conclusion of the Elimination Bracket finals. In the open section, Levon Aronian joined Wesley So in the Grand Final after defeating Fabiano Caruana. Meanwhile, in the women's event, Carissa Yip secured a rematch with defending champion Alice Lee by overcoming Tatev Abrahamyan. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

3/9/2026 – We all know about the explosive growth of Indian chess: super-talents springing like mushrooms in the rain. But have you noticed that there are first signs of a similar development in Turkey? Is that going to be the next great chess hub? Well, yes, if things go the way investor and entrepreneur Evren Üçok has planned. Here's what he is doing for Turkish – and international – chess talents.

3/9/2026 – Can you stop the black pawn on a2 from promoting – and in fact win this position for White? Today we have a new challenge that will tell you if you can handle pawn promotions like a master. Test your skills on four tricky positions. The solutions, with full video explanations, will come in a week. Learn and enjoy.

3/9/2026 – Many club players do it automatically: they make "luft" for their castled king at the some moment – pure prophylaxis, it can't be wrong! But this can in fact have a tactical catch. In his column ‘Practical tips for the Tournament Player’ in ChessBase Magazine #230, Jan Markos shows how seemingly harmless pawn moves in front of the castled king can become a strategic goal. In his article ‘The hook’, he uses master games by Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Peter Leko, among others, to demonstrate how to deliberately lure your opponent into advancing a castling pawn – in order to then use it as an anchor point for your own attack. Take a look at this week's reading sample and learn about an exciting strategic tool!

3/9/2026 – On Sunday, March 8, Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy will host a lecture by Vladimir Tukmakov. Drawing from his remarkable career spanning decades at the highest levels of chess, Tukmakov will guide participants through some of his most memorable and instructive victories against legendary opponents. Chess enthusiasts can look forward to an intimate journey into the grandmaster's decision-making process, revealing the ideas and insights behind his finest achievements at the board.

3/9/2026 – The Championship Bracket finals at the American Cup concluded on Sunday at the Saint Louis Chess Club. In the open section, Wesley So recovered from a first-game loss to defeat Fabiano Caruana in blitz tiebreaks and advance to the Grand Final. In the women's event, defending champion Alice Lee beat Carissa Yip in blitz to continue her streak of appearances in the deciding match, while the Elimination Brackets will determine their challengers. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Crystal Fuller