9/13/2023 – MegaBase 2023 is Chess History in action. Regularly updated every month, the Main Database currently offers 10 million games, many of them annotated. Our columnist offers a review with focus on modern master play. There is a lot more to discover in this treasure trove: grand battles, opening novelties and exemplary endgames.

9/13/2023 – During a visit to the ChessBase office to record his latest Fritztrainer, Grandmaster Nick Pert was interviewed. In a conversation with Arne Kaehler, Nick delved into his background, sharing stories of his upbringing, his introduction to chess, and the competitive dynamic with his twin brother. He also discussed his decision to follow a chess career over pursuing his field of study, and touched upon his achievement of becoming a world champion in 1998.

9/13/2023 – 150 years ago, from 21 June to 29 August 1873, the “First International Vienna Chess Congress” was held in Vienna. Some of the best players in the world accepted the invitation and played mini-matches against each other. In the end, Wilhelm Steinitz and Joseph Blackburne tied for first place. A play-off match decided the tournament’s winner.

9/13/2023 – The Armageddon Championship Series Finale is set to start in Berlin, Germany. An eventful year of chess rounds up with the most exciting format of them all — Armageddon. Taking place from September 14th to 20th, this high-stakes series will be broadcast across a network of 17 international television channels, making it an event of unparalleled magnitude.

9/13/2023 – Thanks to his tournament wins in the American Cup and Norway Chess this year, Hikaru Nakamura moved up to second place in the FIDE world rankings (August 2023). In the "Special" of ChessBase Magazine #215 our authors analyse their favourite games of the top grandmaster - an exclusive collection of 19 great encounters from the period 2007 to 2023 awaits you! In addition, Mihail Marin sheds light on "Nakamura's strategy in practice" with videos + many training exercises. And Karsten Mueller presents a selection of the most beautiful endgames from "H-Bomb". As a sample from the "Special" you can watch Michal Krasenkow's analysis of his game against Nakamura from 2007 here. Have fun!

9/13/2023 – The FIDE World Cup was a complete success, as top players fought for spots in the Candidates, both in the open and in the women’s section. Magnus Carlsen and Aleksandra Goryachkina were the winners. As ever, GM Karsten Müller compiled the most interesting positions from the tournaments. Find here five more instructive endgames from the open category! | Photo: Stev Bonhage

9/10/2023 – Are chess players ice-cold creatures who always make their decisions at the board out of pure calculation? Of course not, even Magnus Carlsen is not emotionless, says GM Jan Markos in his contribution to the current ChessBase Magazine #215. In fact, very different emotions can influence decision-making in chess - often to one's own disadvantage. Markos presents three examples of this from his own practice and explores the question of how the influence of emotions can be counteracted. You can watch an excerpt from his video contribution here.

9/10/2023 – The nine best players of the USA and Garry Kasparov are showing their skills in Fischer Random Chess (Chess 960 or "Chess 9LX") at the Saint Louis Chess Centre. The action starts at 14.00 ET (20.00 CEST, 18.00 GMT). Follow the games live, with commentary.

9/10/2023 – Levon Aronian and Sam Sevian managed to overtake the lead after an exciting day 2 in the 2023 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX, going into Sunday’s final rounds with 4½/6. A full point behind the leaders are Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, and Sam Shankland, each with 3½/6, while former World Champion Garry Kasparov stumbled after leading day 1, scoring only ½/3 to end the day on 3/6. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

9/10/2023 – The quarterfinals of the World Women’s Team Championship took place on Saturday. Georgia got the better of China; the United States eliminated Ukraine; France knocked out Poland; and Kazakhstan beat Germany. In the semifinals, Georgia will face the United States, and France will face Kazakhstan. | Photo: Michal Walusza

9/10/2023 – The Tata Steel Chess India Blitz tournament came to an end after rounds 10 to 18 were played on Saturday. Russian grandmaster Alexander Grischuk was the outright winner with a 12/18 score. Grischuk finished ahead of Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who both collected 11/18 points. Arjun Erigaisi and rapid-tournament winner Maxime Vachier-Lagrave were the two remaining players to end with a plus score. | Photo: Vivek Sohani

9/9/2023 – The former Ken Whyld Association has since been renamed the Chess History and Literature Society. Its members meet regularly for exchange, most recently in Belfort, a magical place for bibliophiles and chess historians. The city library administers the 27,000 volumes chess library of the famous collector Dr Jean Mennerat (1917-2007). | Photo: From left to right: Clémence Tariol (curator) and a staff member, Dr Hans Ellinger (Germany), Henri Serruys (Belgium), Dr Jurgen Stigter (Netherlands), Jean-Olivier Leconte (France). ©Herbert Bastian