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

7/20/2025 – Working with ChessBase 18 is so enjoyable because it builds on the experience of the developers from 17 previous versions. But you don’t have to wait for the next release — you’ll receive ongoing improvements directly to your computer through the free update service. And don’t worry: staying up to date with the latest updates takes just a few clicks. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how.

7/19/2025 – The first games of the Women's World Cup quarterfinals saw wins for Lei Tingjie and Humpy Koneru, who now lead their respective matches. Lei defeated Nana Dzagnidze in a game which saw the Georgian GM losing on time after a scoresheet miscount, while Humpy overcame Song Yuxin with the white pieces. Divya Deshmukh drew against Harika Dronavalli, while Vaishali Rameshbabu missed a chance to press against Tan Zhongyi. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

7/19/2025 – Hans Niemann and Levon Aronian advanced to the Grand Final of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas after winning their semifinal matches on Friday. Niemann defeated Fabiano Caruana in tiebreaks, while Aronian overcame Arjun Erigaisi in two classical games. In the lower bracket, Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu stayed in contention for third place. The final weekend will decide the tournament's champion and remaining podium positions. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/19/2025 – Aravindh Chithambaram has reclaimed the lead in the Biel GMT-Masters Triathlon following his draw with Radoslaw Wojtaszek, aided by Vladimir Fedoseev's defeat to Salem Saleh. The Emirati grandmaster, now in third place, secured his second classical win with a convincing performance. In the GMT-Challengers, all games ended in draws, a result that benefits Nikolas Theodorou and Aram Hakobyan, whose progression to next week's final phase now looks increasingly likely. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/19/2025 – All four round-four tiebreak matches at the Women's World Cup were won by Indian players, completing the lineup for the quarterfinals. Humpy Koneru and Divya Deshmukh advanced with wins in the 15+10 games, while Harika Dronavalli and Vaishali Rameshbabu needed additional rounds to progress. The quarterfinals will feature four Indian players alongside Lei Tingjie, Tan Zhongyi, Nana Dzagnidze and Song Yuxin. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

7/16/2025 – The fourth stage of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam will take place in Las Vegas from 16 to 20 July, featuring 16 players and a structured mix of round-robin and double-elimination knockout formats. Top US players including Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana will compete alongside international stars headed by Magnus Carlsen. All participants will play for final placement, with varying time controls and tiebreak systems used throughout the five-day event. | Photo: Stev Bonhage

7/16/2025 – The ninth edition of the Abierto Sesc Caiobá turned the Brazilian city of Caiobá into a prime destination for chess enthusiasts. With over 200 participants and a diverse program, the event combined classical tournaments, rapid and blitz competitions, training sessions, and community activities—all set against the backdrop of a stunning seaside location. Brazil’s Alexandr Fier emerged as the winner of the main event, while Argentina’s Sandro Mareco and the USA’s Conrad Holt claimed victories in the rapid and blitz sections, respectively. | Photos: CEX Paraná

7/16/2025 – In every issue of ChessBase Magazine, our experts present new opening ideas and trends in the video. In the current CBM #226, Luis Engel delivers part I of his analysis of the increasingly popular 6.Bd3 against the Sicilian Najdorf Variation. Daniel King examines the remarkably successful move 5...h5 in the Czech Benoni. And Mihail Marin summarises the current state of theory in the French Advance Variation with 5...Bd7 6.Ne2 Nge7 7.0-0. You can watch all three videos in this week’s CBM reading sample. Enjoy!

7/16/2025 – In chess, escaping with the king is a well-known way of parrying an attack. On the first rest day, the organisers invited the grandmasters from the two invitational tournaments to test their escape skills in the Biel Adventure Rooms. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/16/2025 – The opening round of classical chess at the Biel Chess Festival's Triathlon produced contrasting fortunes across both sections. While the Masters section saw all three games conclude in draws, maintaining the standings from the rapid phase, the Challengers section delivered three decisive results. David Navara's victory over Daniel Dardha marked the day's most significant development, propelling him from last place to third overall. | Pictured: Vladimir Fedoseev and Aravindh Chithambaram. | Photos: Official website

7/15/2025 – The third round of the Women's World Cup concluded with six matches decided in tiebreaks, completing the round-of-16 lineup. While most favourites advanced, 19-year-old Song Yuxin upset Anna Muzychuk to join fellow rising stars Meruert Kamalidenova and Umida Omonova in the next stage. All three had already secured impressive victories earlier in the event. A rest day now follows before the tournament resumes in Batumi with the final sixteen players. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE