7/4/2022 – The Candidates Tournament is the ultimate qualifier for the FIDE World Championship. Eight prominent grandmasters compete for the right to face reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen in a match for the crown. The event is a double round-robin held in Madrid, Spain, from 16 June to 5 July 2022. Rounds kick off at 15.00 CEST (09.00 ET, 18.30 IST). Follow the games live with expert commentary!

7/4/2022 – Our software with the database program, the chess programs, the chess server, numerous FritzTrainer MultiMedia courses and the numerous apps for the online functions is manifold, and naturally questions about the operation of the programs arise again and again. Besides the manuals we offer another important source of information for our users: the ChessBase Wiki.

7/4/2022 – On 1 July the FIDE published the new world ranking list. Magnus Carlsen and Hou Yifan continue to lead the "Top 100" and "Top 100 Women" by a large margin. Alireza Firouzja, who turned 19 at the beginning of the Candidates, is still the best junior, while Zhu Jiner from China continues to lead the "Girls'" list.

7/4/2022 – Ian Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates Tournament for a second time in a row on Sunday. The 31-year-old, much like in 2021, secured first place with a round to spare, and thus gained the right to challenge Magnus Carlsen in the next match for the World Championship title. Round 13 of the tournament saw Hikaru Nakamura beating Jan-Krzysztof Duda to grab clear second place. Nakamura is set to face Ding Liren, currently in third place, in a decisive final-round encounter on Monday. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage

7/3/2022 – Unlike in ancient times, in our (chess) world, the oracles are not priestesses but silicon based. For high grade but not necessarily perfect information, we turn to computer engines. The crucial thing is that, however splendiferous the software, it has to be we who control the process. We need to put the time to work through the lines with the engine to understand why we should play a specific move in a given position. | Pictured: Ganesha, a Hindu deity, the deva of intellect and wisdom

7/3/2022 – Anyone who hopes that he or she will one day succeed in playing a perfect game will, in principle, attach the same weight to every move in a game. After all, every move could be a mistake or - which would be just as bad - simply not the best move! In the first article of his new training series, Jan Markos explains, among other things, what consequences the pursuit of perfection can have on your time management. And he explores the question in which types of positions it makes sense to invest your time at all. You can watch an excerpt from his highly recommended video from ChessBase Magazine #208 here!

7/3/2022 – 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 86th instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman continues to explain why playing the Benko Gambit might be a good choice for club players. | Photo: Pascal Simon

7/3/2022 – Eight of the strongest players in the world are fighting in Madrid to get a shot in the next match for the world crown. Deep opening preparation and maximum focus often lead to slightly better (or worse) endgames. GM Karsten Müller aims his attention at the last stage of the game, as he compiles the most salient and instructive endings from the Candidates Tournament. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage

7/2/2022 – Between 1985 and 2000, Garry Kasparov played no fewer than eight matches for the World Championship title. The living legend is, without a doubt, an expert on the topic. During round 12 of the Candidates, the Russian joined the Saint Louis Chess Club webcast, and gave his opinions on Ian Nepomniachtchi’s performance, Alireza Firouzja’s bullet binge, and the likelihood of Magnus Carlsen agreeing to play the next match for the crown.

7/2/2022 – Chess legends Paul Morphy, Adolf Anderssen, Henry Bird, Ernst Falkbeer, and Johann Löwenthal were star sign cancer in the age of romantic chess. With Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Gelfand, Anish Giri, Alexei Shirov, Alexander Morozevich, and of course Ian Nepomniachtchi, we have the almost 200 year older equivalent in the present time. Of the players listed, their merciless attack is often in focus. Does cancer really feel most comfortable with fire on board, or does the aggressive strategy have other reasons? | Photo: Pixabay

7/2/2022 – In the diagram position, White's 37.Rd6 attacked the queen b6 which is guarding the Ne3. Now only one move puts Black on the winning track - perhaps you'll need to think for some time to find it!

7/2/2022 – In the one decisive game of round 12, Teimour Radjabov stopped Ding Liren’s winning streak by beating him from the black side of a Nimzo-Indian Defence. Much earlier, less than ten minutes after the round started, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Hikaru Nakamura signed a 14-move draw by repetition. The day’s results left Nepo two points ahead of his closest chasers with two rounds to go. The Russian is now a half point away from securing tournament victory. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage