2/13/2023 – There is no accusation that is more guaranteed to get under a chess player’s skin than dismissing his beloved game as a ‘waste of time’. There is no better way to antagonize a chess player than to say that. But many famous thinkers and writers have done so. In chapter two of his book "Chessays", a collection of thought-provoking essays about a wide range of chess-related issues, Howard Burton has compiled a list of statements by detractors and defenders. Now available: a four-part docuseries directed by Howard, which examines the remarkable impact of chess on culture, art, science, and sport.

2/13/2023 – In his Endgame Magic Show #227 Karsten continues to show endgame highlights of the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

2/13/2023 – From 1 to 13 February, Munich is hosting the second stage of the 2022-23 Women’s Grand Prix series. The two best players from four tournaments will qualify for the Candidates Tournament. The action kicks off at 15.00 CET. Follow the games live, with commentary by Stefan Kindermann and Veronika Exler. | Photo: Mark Livshitz

2/13/2023 – The British band Depeche Mode is preparing a new album and has just released the title track in which the remaining founding members David Gahan and Martin Gore say goodbye to their friend and colleague Andy Fletcher, who died last year. The chessboard images in the music video quote Ingmar Bergman's famous film "The Seventh Seal".

2/13/2023 – In round 10 of the Women's Grand Prix tournament in Munich, Koneru Humpy was close to winning against Alexandra Kosteniuk, but eventually had to settle for a draw and missed the chance to catch Kosteniuk at the top of the table. Now, Kosteniuk only needs a draw against Zhu Jiner in the 11th and last round to win the tournament. | Photos: Mark Livshitz (FIDE)

2/13/2023 – Although it should be well-known for everyone, as these situations appear over and over again during all kinds of events, most players – and unfortunately, many inexperienced arbiters – don’t know how to handle three or fivefold repetitions and 50/75 moves draw properly. The primary aim of this article by International Arbiter Tamas Gyomber is to shed light on these areas through some field examples.

2/12/2023 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books about chess training and chess strategy. In the 112th instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman continues to explain why it is good to study and to play the Sicilian. | Photo: Pascal Simon

2/12/2023 – In round 9 of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Munich, Alexandra Kosteniuk drew with Black against Nana Dzagnidze and now leads the tournament with 7.0/9. One point behind follows Humpy Koneru who won against Elisabeth Pähtz. In round 10 on Sunday Kosteniuk and Koneru will play against each other. The symbolic first move in the game between Zhansaya Abdumalik and Dinara Wagner was made by Maja Buchholz, German Champion U16 Girls 2022. | Photos: Mark Livshitz (FIDE)

2/12/2023 – The Slav has a reputation for being a (very) solid opening. But there are ways to play it for a win and give your opponent difficult problems to solve. Dutch Grandmaster Sipke Ernst shows how in his course "The Super Solid Slav Defence". Hedinn Steingrimsson took a look at the course and liked what he saw.

2/11/2023 – Rapid interviews are fun: interviewer and guest face each other in an epic rapid chess battle. The chess guest not only has to face the interviewer's questions, but also concentrate on the chess game at the same time. This leads to surprising answers and sometimes to curious chess positions. Leon Mendonca is now playing for the Schachbundesliga team HSK in Hamburg, just like Nihal Sarin. Leon visited us a couple of times already, and was brave enough to face Arne Kaehler in the Rapid Interview, using the legendary Garde chess clock. | Photo: Twitter Leon Mendonca with Frederic Friedel

2/11/2023 – In the 8th round of the Munich Grand Prix on Friday, Alexandra Kosteniuk won against Anna Muzychuk to increase her score to 6.5/8. Nana Dzagnidze, who was second to Kosteniuk before the round, lost to Elisabeth Pähtz and dropped to third place, where she is now level on points with Pähtz. The new runner-up is Humpy Koneru after her win over Alina Kashlinskaya. Kosteniuk's lead over Humpy is 1.5 points with three rounds to go. | Photos: Mark Livshitz (FIDE)

2/11/2023 – In the diagram position White just played 11.Qf3?, which allows Black to get the advantage. A 'petite combinaison' par excellence - I hope you enjoy it a little!