3/25/2024 – Take a look at this picture. It is not a Hollywood star, but a chess celebrity. Can you recognize him? Capablanca, Nezhmetdinov, Frank Marshall? No, not any of them! The answer is Andor Lilienthal, an extraordinary chess grandmaster, born in Moscow, but moved to Hungary. In his career, he played against ten world champions, and defeated six of them. Retrospect by Himank Ghosh. | Photo: Edward Winter's Chess Notes archives.

3/25/2024 – We owe the vast majority of chess knowledge available to us today to the masters of the past, no matter whether it's about opening theory, strategic concepts or techniques in the endgame. Former German national coach Dorian Rogozenco honours the achievements by these masters in his "Modern Classics" series in ChessBase Magazine. In each issue he familiarises you with a selected brilliancy. This week we offer you Nezhmetdinov-Chernikov (1962) from the current CBM #218 as a free sample - you can even watch and enjoy the video analysis on your smartphone in ChessBase book format. Have fun!

3/25/2024 – Dutch IM Robert Ris is a much sought-after coach in his home country and is also a very prolific author. Mario Ziegler took a look at his latest FritzTrainer — one focused on tactics — for Glarean Magazine. “Calculation Training - Sharpen your Game” is a nice collection of new tactics exercises. The reviewer concluded: “Robert Ris has a pleasant style of presentation and responds to the reader’s probable solution suggestions”.

3/24/2024 – The most important tournament of the year begins on April 3 in Toronto, Canada: the Candidates Tournament. Eight participants, 14 rounds, the winner plays for the World Championship. Two of the eight participants have already won one or more Candidates Tournaments, four have already played one or more Candidates Tournaments, the youngest candidate is 17, the oldest is 36 years old. But who will win? | Photos: Official website / FIDE

3/24/2024 – We have all been there: after a win in an open tournament, it is time to face a stronger opponent, and we struggle to figure out how to play the opening. Our recently launched Opening Encyclopaedia can be of great help in these situations. GM Dorian Rogozenco, a well-known and experienced chess trainer, demonstrates how to employ this excellent tool to prepare an effective strategy — and face the game confidently!

3/24/2024 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In the 170th episode of his ChessBase show "Understanding before moving" Herman continues his series "Chess history in a nutshell" and continues to take a look at the unique style of Tigran Petrosian, World Champion fro 1963 to 1969. | Photo: Pascal Simon

3/21/2024 – Judit and Sofia Polgar joined last Thursday (March 14) to play in a simultaneous exhibition in the German parliament (Bundestag) in a moving tribute to the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The aim of the initiative is to strengthen the ties between countries and to promote solidarity between people. The prestigious initiative has been recognized by UNESCO for promoting interracial dialogue through the game of chess. | Press Release by Yochanan Afek, photos: Judit Polgar/Chess 4 All

3/20/2024 – We just witnessed beautiful chess in Weissenhaus, Germany, played by the top players, which may have led you to start believing you can do the same! But openings can be a great challenge when dealing with Chess960, since one may not know where to start. Thus, we share five tips which may help in battling through the hazy storm of displaced pieces.

3/20/2024 – Be well-prepared with the new Opening Encyclopaedia 2024! Whether you want to build up a reliable and powerful opening repertoire or find new opening ideas for your existing repertoire, the Opening Encyclopaedia covers the entire opening theory and is the ideal start for your opening training. Many new articles enrich the current theory with new or revisited ideas. The Encyclopaedia can help you learn openings quickly and give you a head start on your next opponent. Each article contains explanations and annotated games illustrating typical plans to deepen your understanding.

3/20/2024 – The first day of the Grand Finals in the American Cup saw Levon Aronian and Wesley So signing back-to-back draws, while Alice Lee got the lead by winning the rapid game against Irina Krush. One classical game and one rapid game remain to be played in each match, with blitz tiebreakers to follow in case of a draw. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

3/19/2024 – The Philidor Defence is an old but very solid defence against 1.e4. However, Black can also play very actively in various positions. French grandmaster Christian Bauer is an expert on this opening and presents here a repertoire that is easy to master. Christian Hoethe has reviewed the course.

3/19/2024 – The centre of the chessboard is a crucial area that significantly impacts the game. The centre consists of the four squares in the middle of the board: d4, d5, e4, and e5. Control over the centre often provides a decisive advantage in chess. Why? Because every piece (except the rook) controls more squares when it is centralised. Remember, whoever dominates the centre often gains an advantage. So, keep an eye on those central squares during your games!