10/25/2023 – India is beginning to seriously dominate the chess world, the country is on a path to becoming the super-power in the game. This is deeply gratifying – especially for the people involved in the training and advancement of the young stars. Frederic Friedel describes how the new group of super-talents is making its way to the very top. Other countries should take this as an example!

10/25/2023 – The Candidates Tournament and the Women’s Candidates Tournament will be played simultaneously next year in Toronto. Four spots are still up for grabs in the open event, while three participants remain to be decided among the women. In both cases, two spots will be decided in the upcoming Grand Swiss tournaments. Let us recap who already qualified, and who are the frontrunners to get the remaining spots. | Pictured: Elite grandmasters apparently discussing a position during the Grand Swiss opening ceremony. | Photo: Anna Shtourman

10/24/2023 – The recently completed Qatar Masters 2023 was a quite strong event and, as usual, a lot of interesting games and subjects were in the daily menu. In the first instalment of this series world leading chess trainer GM Efstratios Grivas showed us why the endgame of rook vs. two minor pieces is a difficult one to understand and master. Using games from the above event (one by Carlsen) he is showing us how to play the endgame, and understand the secrets hidden behind it.

10/24/2023 – The World Chess Federation has expanded the Women's Grand Prix series for the upcoming 2024-25 cycle. Instead of 16 players, there will now be 20. The number of tournaments has been increased from four to six, with ten players per tournament. The prize money has also been increased.

10/24/2023 – Playing with the knight is easy and enjoyable if the position of your opponent resembles a Swiss cheese. If his pawn structure is full of holes, you simply transfer the knight to the best possible outpost and then enjoy watching how it destroys your opponent's army. However, things get much more difficult when your opponent's position is compact, without weaknesses. What to do with knights in such a case? Jan Markos has some answers. | Photo: Pixabay

10/24/2023 – More than 200 Russian athletes have turned their backs on their homeland and left the country following Russia's attack on Ukraine. 150 of them are chess players. The Russian Chess Federation now wants to retain its talent through long-term financial support. In the summer, it signed a ten-year contract with Andrey Esipenko (pictured). | Photo: Niki Riga

10/24/2023 – Some people claim that it is the duel knight vs bishop that makes chess so interesting. True or not, the duel knight vs bishop is almost always fascinating, in the middlegame and in the endgame. In the diagram position the knight is better than the bishop and White has a hidden way to win. Can you find it?

10/23/2023 – The recently completed Qatar Masters 2023 was a quite strong event and, as usual, a lot of interesting games and subjects were in the daily menu. The endgame of rook vs. two minor pieces is a difficult one to understand and master. Using games from the above event, the world leading chess trainer, grandmaster Efstratios Grivas, shows you how to do the job, and help you understand the secrets hidden behind it.

10/23/2023 – In this video course you will learn about basic chess opening strategies, which can help you start your chess game. Become familiar with the most famous chess trap, winning in just four moves: Scholar’s Mate - and how to defend against it. But there is so much more! You will become acquainted with the Golden Rules of the Opening, and the importance of the centre - and what happens if you neglect these aspects.

10/23/2023 – Magdeburg is a city steeped in history, including a long chess tradition. Every year an international open is held, this year for the 28th time. Over 200 players took part. The victory went to the only grandmaster in the field, Oleg Korneev. Bettina Trabert reports.| Photo: A view into the tournament hall | Photos: Bettina Trabert

10/23/2023 – The Spanish Championships were held in Marbella this year, a nine round Swiss, in which men and women played in the same tournament. In the end, Eduardo Iturrizaga and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh won the titles. With 7.0/9 Iturrizaga shared first with Alan Pichot and Maksim Chigaev, but won the tournament on tiebreak. Khademalsharieh finished with 6.0/9, but had a better tiebreak than her rival Marta Garcia Martin. | Photos: Patricia Claros Aguilar (FEDA)

10/22/2023 – Magnus Carlsen’s disastrous loss to Alisher Suleymenov in Qatar has gone round the world, partly because it was an excellent game but mainly because it was so unusual: Carlsen’s first defeat by such a relatively “weak” opponent since the Norwegian Championship of 2006! Unusual but not really that shocking. Anybody can have an off day, and the truly shocking thing is that Carlsen has managed for nearly two decades to avoid losing at classical chess to such an opponent. | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy