2/21/2024 – The extensive supporting programme of the Freestyle tournament in Weissenhaus also included boxing training for the players and anyone interested. The training took place under the guidance of Denno Probst and his team from Chessboxing Cologne. Fabiano Caruana was not the only one to have fun. | Photos: Chessboxing Cologne

2/21/2024 – The German teams continue to dominate the Mitropa Cup in Apolda, Germany. In round 6 both German teams won against France, and with this win Germany defended its lead in the Open while the women's team took the sole lead. | Photos: German Chess Federation/Frank Hoppe

2/21/2024 – The 1st Dortmund International Chess Days will take place from 10 to 18 August 2024 at the Cultural Centre Alte Schmiede in Dortmund. Frederik Sane and Leon Mendonca have already confirmed their participation in the A-Open. Elisabeth Pähtz and Dinara Wagner will play a match to find out who is the number one in German women's chess. | (From left to right) Dirk Schaufelberger (CEO of Sparkasse Dortmund), Alexander Donchenko, Frederik Svane, Leon Luke Mendonca | Photo: Michelle Lassak

2/21/2024 – The 1959 Candidates Tournament saw an inspired Mikhail Tal emerging victorious with 20/28 points in a quadruple round-robin. On his way to victory, Tal, aged 22 at the time, defeated Bobby Fischer, aged 16, in all four of their confrontations. GM Daniel King analysed one of these games, where Tal fearlessly grabs material, allowing Fischer to create a dangerous attack. The game, along with Daniel King’s voice-over, was featured in an animation produced by Umang Mankodiya.

2/20/2024 – The Saint Louis Chess Club is excited to announce the return of the American Cup, one of the nation’s premier chess tournaments, to Saint Louis. Now in its third year, the event will run from March 12-21, 2024, at the iconic World Chess Hall of Fame, featuring sixteen of America’s top chess talents. With $400,000 in prize money up for grabs — an increase from 2023 — the competitors will prove their mettle under mounting pressure in the double-elimination knockout format. | Photo: Austin Fuller

2/20/2024 – On 19 February 2024 David Bronstein, one of the most creative players in the history of chess, who in 1951 missed the World Champion title by only a draw, would have celebrated his 100th birthday. Emil Sutovsky pays tribute to this outstanding grandmaster. | Photo: juegosdeajedrez.com

2/18/2024 – The FIDE Council awarded the title of Honorary Grandmaster to Andreas Dueckstein (Austria) and Iivo Nei (Estonia) for their consistently strong results in the 1950s-70s. Nei was an 8-time Estonian who tied for first with Paul Keres in Beverwijk (later Hoogovens). Dueckstein won the Austrian national championship three times and obtained victories over the likes of Mikhail Botvinnik and Bent Larsen. | Photos: Ron Kroon and Wim van Rossem / Anefo (Dutch National Archives)

2/17/2024 – The Jeddah Youth Chess Festival was held from 24 to 30 January in this Red Sea port in Saudi Arabia. It was a celebration of youth, chess and friendship. In the Young Masters tournament, a 10-players single round-robin for rising stars aged 18 or younger, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus from Turkey finished first with 6½ points. Volodar Murzin (FIDE), Raunak Sadhwani (India) and Andy Woodward (United States) obtained 6 points each.

2/17/2024 – One of the most effective ways to improve your chess understanding is to know where your pieces belong and how to adapt when the board situation changes. When there’s no forced tactics, one must formulate a plan for what to do. Instead of looking for a win or advantage, it’s often easier to identify a piece that can improve its position and function. Even improving your worst piece is a simple concept that avoids assessment insecurity.

2/17/2024 – Would you be kind enough to save the precious white passed pawn d6 in the diagram position? Many thanks in advance!

2/17/2024 – Magnus Carlsen defeated Fabiano Caruana with the white pieces to claim overall victory at the first edition of the Freestyle G.O.A.T. Chess Challenge. The Norwegian took home the US$ 60,000 first prize for his efforts. Levon Aronian grabbed third place after beating Nodirbek Abdusattorov, while Alireza Firouzja secured an invitation to the next edition of the event by beating Gukesh D in the fight for fifth place. | Photo: Nils Rohde / ChessBase

2/16/2024 – The second World Corporate Chess Championship will consist of a series of online events that will conclude with an over-the-board final in New York in June. The event is open to teams representing legally recognized companies from all around the world. Every team has a right to include one invited player who is not directly employed at the company or is a member of the board.