4/2/2024 – The strong A-Open, played alongside the Grenke Chess Classic, saw Hans Niemann becoming the outright winner after scoring 8/9 points. A victory with black in the final round, over Velimir Ivic, gave the rising star clear first place. Nine players finished a half point behind the winner, with Ivan Saric and Vladimir Fedoseev grabbing second and thid place on tiebreaks. | Photo: Angelika Valkova

4/2/2024 – We asked you this question before. Now two highly qualified experts, both multiple World Champions, weigh in. And you have one more chance to tell us what you think. In the meantime, Sagar Shah of ChessBase India has arrived in Toronto and will be filing daily reports from there – with video impressions and interviews, in his inimitable style. It is going to be exciting, believe you us!

4/2/2024 – Passed pawns are often very valuable in the endgame. In the diagram position, it is White to move. How can he make the most of his passed pawn on the d-file?

4/2/2024 – The international chess championship "Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial - Aktobe Open 2024" is scheduled to be staged from May 23 (arrival day) - June 2 (departure), 2024, in the western Kazakh metropolis. The event is dedicated to the memory of the leading chess arbiter and organizer, who was a member of the teams of Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov.

4/1/2024 – Magnus Carlsen defeated Richard Rapport 1½-½ on Monday to win the seventh edition of the Grenke Chess Classic. This was Carlsen’s sixth consecutive tournament victory. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave grabbed third place after beating Vincent Keymer in blitz playoffs, while Ding Liren beat Daniel Fridman 1½-½ to claim fifth place. | Photo: Angelika Valkova

4/1/2024 – The unforgettable City of Mar del Plata International Chess Open, one of the oldest tournaments in South America, celebrated its 53rd edition from March 23-30 at the Hotel Provincial. After nine exciting rounds, GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen, a member of the Norwegian Olympic team, was crowned undefeated champion. Four participants finished a half-point behind the champion, with GMs Diego Flores and Leonardo Tristán completing the podium thanks to superior Buchholz scores. | Photos: Official website

3/29/2024 – All chess players aspire to create a lasting masterpiece over the board. And if sacrifices appeal to the artistic side of a chess player, what can be a better way than to sacrifice the most powerful of all pieces, the queen? GM Sundararajan Kidambi presents three games featuring remarkable (positional) queen sacrifices! | Pictured: Karthikeyan Murali | Photo: Niklesh Jain / ChessBase India

3/29/2024 – In his new Fast & Furious episode, Robert Ris shows how Levon Aronian surprised Wesley So in a classical line of the Nimzo-Indian. Aronian’s 5...c5!? worked out perfectly as he went on to win the game. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

3/29/2024 – If you want to make progress in chess, sooner or later you will have to deal with your opening repertoire. It is better to approach this complex subject systematically than to get lost in a mass of videos, books and clever tips. To help with this, the Opening Encyclopaedia 2024 informs about the latest opening developments and provides basic knowledge.

3/29/2024 – Magnus Carlsen scored back-to-back wins on Thursday to take the lead at the Grenke Chess Classic in Karlsruhe. Carlsen defeated Vincent Keymer and former leader Richard Rapport to go into the rest day a full point ahead of Rapport, Ding Liren and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The remaining four rounds of the double round-robin will be played during the weekend, with the final playoff set to take place on Monday. | Photo: Angelika Valkova

3/28/2024 – What to do against 1.e4? Many players choose to open with the Sicilian to play for a win with Black and get interesting positions, but they are afraid of the long forced variations in the Najdorf, the Dragon or the Sveshnikov. The Kalashnikov Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6!?) is an interesting alternative. The positions offer a wealth of tactical and strategic possibilities, but the theory is straightforward. In a new course, French GM Fabien Libiszewski shows how to score in the Kalashnikov Variation.

3/28/2024 – It is quite difficult to find the right trainer for a chess player. More so when there are so many lucrative options available. While some prefer to work on their own, others need a chess coach to guide and help them improve their game. Peter Long shares his experiences and thoughts as a trainer. Instead of focusing on gaining more knowledge, attending camps and playing tournaments incessantly, creating a structure will help students to fix their gaps and become stronger players.