7/29/2023 – Two years ago, we had a collection of “random” endgame studies, a small kaleidoscope, in January, and then again in July. With the vast number of different possibilities in endgame studies, many creations wouldn’t fit into a coherent article, so let us take this approach again. | Pictured: Mikhail Botvinnik during his match for the world crown against David Bronstein in 1951

7/29/2023 – Johannes Zukertort played the first “Competition for the World Chess Championship” against Wilhelm Steinitz in 1886. He lost the match, fell ill during the match and never recovered. He died two years later in London. His grave in Brompton Cemetery in London was forgotten until Stuart Conquest rediscovered it. This is the story about it. | Photos: Stuart Conquest, Helmut Pfleger

7/29/2023 – In the diagram position 32.Bf6! seals the deal for White, but seeing in advance how she checkmates by force after 32...Bxf6 might well be a challenge. Your call!

7/28/2023 – In his new Power Play Show, GM Daniel King goes over a brilliant attacking game played by Michael Adams at the British Championship. Extreme precision was shown by the English star! | Power Play is on air most Fridays. Watch it on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account. All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer.

7/28/2023 – Astronaut Woody Hoburg, a chess enthusiast, is currently on the International Space Station (ISS) with his team. Amid their dense schedule, they manage to find some time for chess. Hoburg plays a remote game against the control centre in Houston and sometimes against his Russian colleague Sergey Prokopyev. Never has it been so important for the pieces to be magnetic. | Photos: NASA

7/28/2023 – ... and calculations like a Super Grandmaster – which he is. Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, born 1994, attained the GM title at the age of nineteen. In August 2022 he became the second highest rated player in India (behind Viswanathan Anand), crossing the Elo rating threshold of 2700. Today we are releasing his latest Fritztrainer, one in which he shares his secrets of success at the pinnacle of the chess world.

7/27/2023 – There is a new celebrity chess couple: Atousa Pourkashiyan and Hikaru Nakamura announced their wedding and now join the list of prominent chess couples. Given their playing level, they are surely near the top of the unofficial couples’ rating list. | Photo: Atousa Pourkashiyan’s Instagram profile

7/27/2023 – In his Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris looks at 2...Nf6 in the Sicilian, the Nimzowitsch Variation. By analysing games played by Aleksandr Rakhmanov, we learn about Black’s objectives — and how things could easily go wrong for White as well! | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

7/27/2023 – Explore the mysteries of the powerful Janowski Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined with this brand-new video course! Immerse yourself in this fascinating chess opening and learn how to exploit it to destabilise your opponents. To approach the Janowski Variation, which arises after the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 (or 3.Nc3) a6, it is essential to understand the stakes of the position rather than accumulate a large amount of theory.

7/27/2023 – FIDE had given Vasyl Ivanchuk a wildcard to take part in the upcoming World Cup, but the Ukrainian grandmaster did not, initially, receive permission from the Ministry of Sport to take part. Six top grandmasters, including former world champions Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand, signed a petition. Now the Ukrainian Ministry of Sport has granted permission — with conditions. | Photo: FIDE

7/27/2023 – The junior chess championships of various age categories serve a very important purpose. The talented medal winners get the limelight they need — with the adequate amount of support, these kids can go on to do great things in the chess world! One such example is 2014-born Thehas Rithmitha Kiringoda, gold medallist in the Under-9 World Schools Championships 2023. Starting off as the 21st seed among 61 players, Thehas went on to score a dominating 7½/9 and win the event! In this article, we ask Thehas a few questions about his chess journey so far, his performance in the World Schools, future goals and much more. Get to know the mindset of a young chess talent.

7/27/2023 – Going into the final round of the Grandmaster Triathlon, three players still have chances to win the event: Vincent Keymer, the sole leader, Le Quang Liem and David Navara. Two rounds are still left to go in the Master Open. | Follow the games live with expert commentary from 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST)