8/30/2023 – The Chess Federation of Russia has lost another top player. Nikita Vitiugov, who played under the FIDE flag after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has transferred to the English Chess Federation, where he now occupies the first place in the federation’s ratings list.

8/30/2023 – In the last episode, Chris introduced the Hungarian Dragon. This time, the British GM will continue with some deviations of the popular variation. Beware, the following game is intense! It is definitely worth it to check out the full analysis. | Photo: John Upham

8/30/2023 – The Indian edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament returns for a much-anticipated fifth edition. Once again, a women’s event and a men’s event will take place one after the other. World champion Ju Wenjun will head the women’s field, while five international grandmasters will face the likes of Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa in the men’s tournament.

8/29/2023 – The WR Chess team went into the third and final day of action at the first-ever World Rapid Team Championship with a 3-point lead and had little trouble keeping the top spot in the standings. Two wins and two draws were enough to get a clear victory. Freedom and Team MGD1 finished second and third respectively. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga

8/29/2023 – Readers may remember when the Hans Niemann controversy broke out that the world's richest man, Elon Musk, decided to dip into his vast fount of wisdom and offer his own explanation. But this was neither the first nor last time he would proffer opinions for the chess world, and has suggested ideas to revolutionize the millenary game.

8/29/2023 – In pawn endings the opposition is crucial. In the diagrammed position White is a pawn down, but he can still save the game. How?

8/25/2023 – The World Cup in Baku produced some exciting games and surprising results. But also a number of remarkable engames which it is well to study. What better way than to receive the assistance of a great trainer who shows us were some of the players went wrong, and what was needed to get a positive result. Learn more about the endgame from the instructive commentary provided to us by grandmaster Efstratios Grivas. Enjoy and learn.

8/24/2023 – Magnus Carlsen has won it all. The world number one beat Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in tiebreaks to win the FIDE World Cup for the first time in his career. After his victory, the Norwegian noted that he will not attempt to recover the World Championship title unless there is a major change in the format, especially regarding the shortening of time controls. Meanwhile, third seed Fabiano Caruana beat Nijat Abasov in the match for third place to secure a spot in the 2024 Candidates Tournament. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage

8/24/2023 – The Arkhangelsk Variation of the Ruy Lopez is a dangerous weapon. For both sides - Black can lose quickly, if he does not know what he is doing. In his Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris shows you a nice opening trap in this popular line. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

8/24/2023 – In his Game of the Week show #582, Merijn Van Delft looks at a crucial game Praggnanandhaa won against Fabiano Caruana in the World Cup. | Merijn’s show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

8/24/2023 – Former World Champion Magnus Carlsen has accomplished a significant milestone in his illustrious chess career by capturing his inaugural World Cup title, the only tournament that was missing from his immense collection of victories. All three top-placed players have qualified for the 2024 Candidates tournament, which is due to take place next April in Canada. Full report to follow.

8/24/2023 – Chess is the most delightful and truly comes to live, when you can sit across from each other, engaging in a face-to-face match with a physical chessboard in between. The thrill of an evening at the club, playing blitz chess, maneuver the pieces, and indulge in lively conversation with your club-mates, surpasses the quiet solitude of playing online, isolated in front of a computer screen. However, the Playchess chess server offers a refreshing alternative. It introduces video and audio features that can be effortlessly activated, bringing the essence of in-person play to the virtual realm. With just one click, you can generate a private virtual gaming space, packaged as a simple URL, and swiftly share it with your friends. Embracing this method couldn't be more straightforward. Allow ChessBase expert Martin Fischer to walk you through the mechanics in this short tutorial!