11/26/2025 – Today marks the final day of the World Cup in Goa, which began on October 31. But the key question of who will play in the Candidates Tournament in March and April 2026 has already been settled: Wei Yi, Javokhir Sindarov and Andrey Esipenko are in. Now it’s “only” a matter of deciding who wins the tournament. That will be determined today in the tiebreak between Wei Yi and Sindarov. The winner takes home the title and 120,000 USD, the runner-up receives 85,000 USD. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 10.30 CET (5.30 ET, 15.00 IST)

11/26/2025 – A decisive result in the match for third place marked Tuesday's action at the FIDE World Cup in Goa, as Andrey Esipenko secured qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. The Russian grandmaster completed a 2–0 victory over Nodirbek Yakubboev with another confident performance in the rematch, while the second classical game of the final between Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov ended in a short draw, sending their title contest to rapid tiebreaks. | Photo: Michal Walusza

11/25/2025 – In this episode, Arne briefly “takes over” the Monthly Dragon and, together with Chris, uses ChessBase 26’s new Opening Report to explore the history and current relevance of major Dragon and Dragadorf setups, checking how fashionable they are today across different rating levels. They showcase the tactics feature on Dragon positions, with Chris solving sharp combinations live and demonstrating how ChessBase automatically extracts tactical exercises from large databases. The show culminates in an instructive 1951 Averbakh Dragon game, where a dynamic pawn sacrifice and queenside pressure lead to a superior rook endgame. | Photo: John Upham

11/25/2025 – In Larnaca, Europe’s small chess nations met for the 9th ESNA Team Chess Championship – and delivered a full week of excitement, fierce games, and genuine team spirit. A tournament that shows: greatness isn’t measured on a map, but on the board. | Photos: European Small Nations Chess Association (ESNA)

11/25/2025 – In the latest episode of his Power Play Show, GM Daniel King looks at the technique and calculation from recent FIDE World Cup Goa 2025 games.| Watch Power Play on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account. All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer.

11/25/2025 – In his new Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris looks into the FIDE World Cup which has seen a lot of interesting games, featuring spectacular openings as the KO-format forces players to take a lot of risks.| Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

11/23/2025 – ChessBase’s October releases cover everything from chess history to opening repertoire and calculation training. In episode 19 of the Master Class series, the expert team of Dorian Rogozenco, Karsten Müller, Mihail Marin and Oliver Reeh presents the first World Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz. Robert Ris’ new opening course also reaches back to that era, as the opening he examines in depth is named after two classical masters: the Colle & Zukertort System. And who doesn’t enjoy looking into the thought processes of grandmasters and world-class trainers? Discover calculation techniques at the highest level — Surya Ganguly’s “Calculation Step by Step” is sure to climb the ChessBase bestseller list quickly. | All photos: ChessBase

11/23/2025 – FIDE has opened its new Global Survey on Chess in Education, inviting federations, schools and partner organisations to contribute before 28 February 2026. The initiative will inform FIDE's Educational Strategy for 2027–2030, building on the findings of the 2021 survey and the rapid growth of educational chess since. With results to be shared with major international institutions, the survey aims to support policy development and prepare for the 2026 Year of Chess in Education.

11/22/2025 – Svitlana dedicates the episode to the memory of Daniel “Danya” Naroditsky, whose impact as a player, coach, and communicator reached far beyond the chessboard. She explores one of his favourite ideas in the Four Knights Opening - the powerful Nd5!, a move Danya loved to highlight for its elegance and instructional value. This episode blends clear educational insight with a heartfelt tribute, showing how Danya’s creative spirit continues to inspire players through the ideas he championed.

11/22/2025 – The quarterfinals of the Women's World Team Championship in Linares marked the start of the knockout phase, bringing four tightly contested duels and a number of notable shifts in momentum. China and Kazakhstan advanced only after blitz tiebreaks, while Russia and Azerbaijan secured their places more directly. With the semifinal pairings now confirmed, the event moves into its final weekend, where the remaining teams will compete for a place in Sunday's title match. | Pictured: Hou Yifan | Photo: Pavel Dvorkovich

11/22/2025 – The concept behind Chessbase's "60-minute" courses is simple: a one-hour video course for just under 10 Euros. There are also courses on middle game and endgame topics, but most courses focus on quite "specialised" opening variations. In the second instalment of a short series, Jochen Schwarz presents the most important 60-minute courses for 1.e4 players against the French Defence.

11/21/2025 – Friday’s opening games of the FIDE World Cup semifinals offered balanced results but no shortage of depth. Both encounters were drawn, yet Wei Yi and Andrey Esipenko (pictured) produced an intricate tactical sequence, while Nodirbek Yakubboev and Javokhir Sindarov explored a queenless middlegame full of subtle decisions. With three Candidates spots at stake, every nuance now carries considerable weight as the matches head into their second classical games. | Photo: Michal Walusza