7/25/2025 – Vladimir Fedoseev fought back after his painful defeat the day before and defeated Saleh Salem in the last round of the Biel GMT-Masters in commanding style. Since Aravindh missed the victory needed to win the tournament against Murzin and only played to a draw, Fedoseev secured victory in the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon. | Photos: Schachfestival Biel

7/25/2025 – In early July, the Norwegian Chess Championships were held in Bergen. The Landsturneringen is a lively chess festival that features events not found at other national championships, such as bughouse chess and the chaotic team blitz known as "Team Talk Blitz." Holger Blauhut reports. | Elite podium: IM/GM Aksel Bu Kvaløy (2nd), GM Jon Ludvig Hammer (1st), and GM Aryan Tari (3rd) | Photo: Anniken Vestby

7/24/2025 – Humpy Koneru defeated Lei Tingjie in a closely contested tiebreak match to join Divya Deshmukh in the final of the Women's World Cup in Batumi, marking the first all-Indian final in the event's history. After two drawn classical games, Humpy prevailed 5–3 following rapid and blitz stages. Both finalists have secured places in the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament, while Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi will compete for third place and the final qualification spot. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

7/24/2025 – In his Fritz Trainer, Grandmaster S.P. Sethuraman presents a modern repertoire for the classical Sicilian. Reviewer Lukas Köpl, an experienced tournament player and licensed trainer with over 15 years' experience, introduces the course and shows how ambitious players and Sicilian fans can benefit from Sethuraman's work.

7/24/2025 – Aravindh Chithambaram has taken the lead of the GMT-Masters in the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon with a victory over the previous leader Saleh Salem. Aravindh has thus not only overtaken Salem, but also Fedoseev, who lost his game against Murzin after a rollercoaster ride and thus falls back to 3rd place. The final round on Thursday must now decide the outcome. The decision in the GMT-Challengers has already been made one round before the end: Nikolas Theodorou celebrated a start-to-finish victory over the entire tournament and can no longer be caught in the final round. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/24/2025 – Divya Deshmukh became the first finalist of the Women's World Cup after defeating Tan Zhongyi in a dramatic 101-move game, securing both a place in the final and qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. The second semifinal between Humpy Koneru and Lei Tingjie ended in another draw after a complex rook endgame, and will be decided in tiebreaks on Thursday. The third-place match also offers a remaining spot in the Candidates. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

7/21/2025 – Levon Aronian won the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas by defeating Hans Niemann 1½–½ in Sunday’s final, securing his first title and the $200,000 top prize. Magnus Carlsen beat Hikaru Nakamura to finish third and maintain his lead in the overall tour standings. Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu claimed fifth and seventh place, respectively, as the first Freestyle Chess event held in the United States came to a close. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/21/2025 – The first decisions have been made at the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon: today's blitz chess matches marked the end of the qualification phase. Svane and Wojtaszek were unable to make up their deficit and are the last two players to be eliminated from the Masters. In the Challengers, the blitz games brought another change: Navara proved to be the stronger blitz player than Ma Qun and was thus able to push past the Chinese player into fourth place. In the coming week, the remaining players will now play for victory in Biel 2025. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/21/2025 – In the Endgame Magic Show #304, Karsten Müller shows two recent rook endgames.| You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

7/20/2025 – The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam continues in Las Vegas from 16 to 20 July with a 16-player invitational event featuring a round-robin followed by a double-elimination knockout stage. Top players including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana are taking part. All games will be broadcast live with commentary, and eliminated players will contribute to coverage. | Follow the games live starting at 20.00 CEST (14.00 ET, 23.30 IST)

7/20/2025 – Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura advanced to the third-place match of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas after winning their lower bracket encounters on Saturday. Carlsen defeated Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Arjun Erigaisi, while Nakamura overcame Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana. Sunday's final day will also feature Hans Niemann vs. Levon Aronian for the title, as well as placement matches for fifth and seventh place. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/20/2025 – With a third consecutive win, Saleh Salem has taken the sole lead in the Biel Masters Triathlon. After defeating Vladimir Fedoseev, the Emirati grandmaster also beat Aravindh Chithambaram, who now shares second place with Fedoseev. In the Challengers, all games ended in draws, consolidating the lead of Nikolas Theodorou and Aram Hakobyan. Sunday's blitz section will be decisive in determining the finalists of the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival