5/5/2022 – “It is early night in Havana. A red retro Chevrolet convertible is taking us back to the iconic Hotel Nacional. The ocean is on our right, the lively streets of the old town on the left, and I can’t help thinking that it’s a dream I will soon wake up from”, writes Irina Bulmaga about her successful trip to Havana, where she got a remarkable victory in the Premier group of the Capablanca Memorial. | Pictured: A photo from the Morro Castle, a fortress guarding the entrance to the Havana harbour

5/5/2022 – Two rounds, two wins. Arjun Erigaisi won his second game at the Tepe Sigemann & Co tournament in Malmö. The Indian grandmaster’s victory over Saleh Salem was the only decisive game of the second round. The other three games ended in draws, with Alexei Shirov and Jorden van Foreest playing a particularly fierce battle. | Photos: Lars OA Hedlund

5/4/2022 – In his “Game of the Week” show #514, Merijn van Delft takes a look at the game between Erwin l’Ami and Frederik Svane from the German Bundesliga. With a steady hand, L’Ami outplayed his young opponent. | Merijn’s show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

5/4/2022 – The French Defence is one of the most popular openings — from club player to grandmaster. It’s a very solid opening against 1.e4, but it leaves room for counterplay and initiative. In this two-volume video course, former world champion and star trainer Rustam Kasimdzhanov shows you the ins and outs of this hugely complex opening.

5/4/2022 – Perhaps we have already heard the statement that all rook endgames are drawn. But even if this is the case, how to draw? And if it isn't the case, how to defend correctly, or transfer the position to a win? Svitlana explains the principles of rook endgames, with some examples by Alekhine, Capablanca, Firouzja, and Mamedyarov.

5/4/2022 – The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) is a very solid system for White. Logically, you have no chance to avoid it with Black, if you play the Sicilian. So you should be well-prepared when answering 1.e4 with ...c5. In the new ChessBase Magazine #207, Markus Ragger presents a complete repertoire against the Alapin: after 2...d5 3.exd5 he recommends the side line 3...Nf6, which leads to sharp play and completely different structures than one would expect in a normal c3-Sicilian. In CBM #207 you will also find two more opening videos: Rustam Kasimdzhanov puts the highly topical English Four Kinights Game with 4.e4 (Bc5) to the test and Mihail Marin presents a good old idea by Bent Larsen in the Sicilian Dragon Variation. You can watch an excerpt from Ragger's video analysis here!

4/30/2022 – The traditional TePe Sigeman & Co tournament will take place on May 3-9 as an 8-player single round-robin event. An exciting mix of veterans and rising stars is likely to make for an enjoyable tournament, as defending champion Jorden van Foreest will be joined by the likes of Michael Adams, Alexei Shirov, Arjun Erigaisi and Hans Niemann. | Photos: FIDE

4/30/2022 – Castling is a fascinating move. According to Wikipedia, "it originates from the 'king's leap', a two-square king move added to European chess between the 14th and 15th centuries, which took on its present form in the 17th century". The intricacies of the rules of castling have inspired many studies. Specialized columnist Siegfried Hornecker presents some of them. | Photos: Pixabay

4/30/2022 – Two world champions, Steinitz and Euwe; a chess family, the Cramlings; and plenty of 1.d4 practitioners, Moiseenko, Gaprindashvili, and Miles are born under the zodiac sign of Taurus. Their power lies in their calmness. A proper Taurus acts thoughtfully, prudently, deliberately. They calculate what they do, everything else is considered unreasonable. They may allow their opponent a refreshing nap while they think about the next move. It would be fatal to consider them limited for that reason. | Photo: Pixabay

4/30/2022 – Getting active when you are underdeveloped is rarely a good idea - in the diagram position Black has just played 9...Qc7? intending to capture on c4. Can you punish this move with White?

4/30/2022 – The 55th edition of the Capablanca Memorial took place on April 19-28 at the historic Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana. Hans Niemann from the United States dominated the Elite group, scoring 7½ points in the 10-player single round-robin. The Premier group, a women’s tournament, was similarly dominated by Romanian IM Irina Bulmaga, who also collected 7½ points to finish two points clear of her closest chaser. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

4/29/2022 – This week Robert Ris analyses how the young American talent Hans Moke Niemann turned the supposedly quiet line with 3.Bb5+ against the Sicilian into a dangerous weapon. | "Fast and Furious" is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.