4/1/2023 – In today's episode, we will delve into an astonishing upset from the first round of the Reykjavík Open 2023, where a relatively unknown Norwegian with the Black pieces defied all odds by defeating an opponent with a staggering 400 Elo rating advantage. IM Robert Ris will expertly dissect the game, revealing the critical moments and ingenious strategies that led to this David versus Goliath victory. Get ready to be inspired by the power of perseverance and the beauty of the unexpected as we explore this thrilling upset together.

4/1/2023 – In the diagram position White seems to have his back to the wall in the face of Black's threats ...Bxf2 and ...Rg1 . You have to keep a cool head and skilfully go on the counterattack - you're good at that, aren't you?

3/31/2023 – When they hear ‘Reykjavik Open’, many chess players spontaneously express the wish to be there. Our author Gerd Densing belongs to this group: he is currently in the Icelandic capital, playing in the tournament, writing and taking photographs. In the first three rounds, he has met not only the rating favourite, Vasyl Ivanchuk (photo), but also many other interesting personalities.

3/31/2023 – In his “Game of the Week” show #561, Merijn van Delft focuses his attention on Leon Luke Mendonca, who recently scored a perfect 9 out of 9 in Slovenia. In one of his wins, against Sabino Brunello, the youngster successfully combined his positional approach with tactical alertness. | Merijn’s show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

3/31/2023 – I had the incredible opportunity to interview R.B. Ramesh, one of the world's most renowned and accomplished chess coaches. Ramesh has trained many of India's top players, including former World Champion Vishwanathan Anand, and has helped mold the country into a chess powerhouse. In our interview, Ramesh shared his insights on a range of topics, from his early days in chess to his coaching philosophy and techniques. He also discussed the challenges of coaching at the highest level and the importance of mental preparation in chess. With his vast knowledge and experience, Ramesh provided invaluable insights into what it takes to become a successful chess player, both on and off the board. Overall, the interview provided a fascinating glimpse into the mind of one of the greatest chess coaches of our time.

3/31/2023 – Middlegame secrets are revealed - in a series of articles featuring videos by Jan Markos. We'll begin with the Queen, exploring things to avoid when playing with the most powerful chess piece! If you wish to know more, we recommend the full course by Jan Markos: Middlegame Secrets Vol.1: The Power of the Queen | Photo: Alexis Fauvet/Unsplash

3/29/2023 – The European Women’s Chess Championship is taking place on March 17-30 at the Hotel Palas in Petrovac, Montenegro. The event features 136 players from 34 federations. The top 9 players in the final standings will get a spot in the next edition of the FIDE Women’s World Cup. | Follow the games from the final round live with computer analysis starting at 13.00 CEST (7.00 ET, 17.30 IST)

3/29/2023 – The third round of the Grand Prix in New Delhi was played on Tuesday. Three of four games finished drawn for a second day in a row, and also for the second day running, Bibisara Assaubayeva was the only player to collect a full point. The 19-year-old beat Nino Batsiashvili with the white pieces. With only two games played, Assaubayeva has a half-point lead over five chasers — who have all played three games so far. | Photo: FIDE / Ismael Nieto

3/28/2023 – Close to 250 games were played daily for 11 rounds at the European Championship that came to an end two weeks ago. The players were fighting for an entrance to the World Championship cycle via the World Cup, which made for very competitive struggles. Karsten Müller kept an eye on the games, and sent us many notable endgames with instructive analyses. Replay here ten of his finds! | Pictured: Bulgarian grandmaster Ivan Cheparinov | Photo: European Chess Union

3/28/2023 – 16-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh is one of the brightest talents of India and World Chess. He is now World no.18 with a FIDE Rating of 2730. The current India no.2 graced the ChessBase India Chess Club with his presence on Saturday, 18th March 2023. There was a big challenge in front of him – he was to give a simultaneous exhibition to 21 players, with the top five seeds having an Elo rating of over 2000. The spectacular even simul was held at the Phoenix Marketcity Mall in Mumbai. | Photo: Abhyudaya Ram

3/28/2023 – The "Ginger GM" Simon Williams enjoys playing the Dragon a lot, but is an even bigger fan of the Dragadorf. But, what happens if the opponent plays the interesting 6.f4 Levenfish variation for White? Simon Williams knew the answer and dominated his opponent. Chris Ward analysed the game closely, and found some interesting options for Black and White to take care of!| Photo: John Upham

3/28/2023 – Castling in endgame studies is a rich and entertaining topic - be it real castling, the threat of castling, or even just retroanalysis that proves that castling is impossible. Last year we began a new series in which we chronologically explore the most interesting endgame studies with castling ideas. We aim at a mix between informative and interesting endgame studies again this month, a mostly light-hearted article without too much text. | Photo: Pixabay