2/23/2022 – Underdogs Vincent Keymer and Eric Hansen qualified to the knockout stage of the Airthings Masters on Tuesday. On the other hand, the likes of Anish Giri, Levon Aronian and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov did not make the cut. Ian Nepomniachtchi was the clear winner of the round-robin with a commanding score of 29/45 points.

2/22/2022 – Today, the German chess historian Michael Negele celebrates his 65th birthday! Negele published widely about a variety of topics but his main focus was and is the life and work of Emanuel Lasker, and he was one of the driving forces in editing an extensive three-volume biography about the German World Champion. | Photos: German Chess Federation

2/22/2022 – Are you looking for a simple, easy-to-learn repertoire against 1.e4? Then the Scandinavian with 3…Qd8 is yours! After 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 the retreat 3…Qd8 leads to a very solid type position for Black. At the expense of two tempi, the pawn structure has been defined, and hence a clear developing plan can be made for our minor pieces.

2/22/2022 – A fierce battle to reach the knockout awaits on day 4 of the Airthings Masters preliminary stage. Only Ian Nepomniachtchi has secured a spot in the quarterfinals, as he has an overwhelming 7-point lead going into the final three rounds of the all-play-all stage. Magnus Carlsen is one of three players sharing second place. The world champion recently contracted Covid and confessed to a lack of energy. | Photo: Niki Riga

2/22/2022 – The Master Section of the 13th Annual Southwest Class Championships, February 17–21, ended in a tie for first between International Masters Christopher Yoo and Zurab Javakhadze, with 7.5 out of 9. Woman International Master Alice Lee made an International Master norm. Alexey Root reports from Fort Worth, Texas. | Photo: Courtesy of the Lee family

2/22/2022 – In rook endings, rooks usually belong behind passed pawns. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule but it is still a good guideline to find good moves in rook endings. In the diagrammed position it is White to move. How can she get her rook behind a passed pawn and win the endgame?

2/22/2022 – Werner Keym is a teacher (of French and Latin) and a musician who has organised more than 300 concerts in his town. In 2010, he ran for Mayor of Meisenheim and won in a landslide. Now in retirement he devotes his time to the family — he has six grandchildren — and to his hobbies. The foremost of them is problem chess, where he is the is one of the most creative problemists we know. Today he turns 80, and we celebrate with samples of his work. Prepare for an hour of fun.

2/21/2022 – Ian Nepomniachtchi is almost certain to reach the knockout stage at the Airthings Masters, as he grabbed a 4-point lead after a strong performance on the second day of the preliminaries. Sharing second place are Ding Liren and Eric Hansen, while Magnus Carlsen stands two points behind the chasers after losing his round-8 game against 16-year-old Praggnanandhaa. | Photo: Maria Emelianova / FIDE

2/21/2022 – In an exclusive interview with Tatiana Flores, Carissa Yip talks about her chess career, her studies, some of her most important games, memorable chess moments, and shares her chess schedule for this year! | Photo: Austin Fuller (Saint Louis Chess Club)

2/20/2022 – Star columnist Jon Speelman continues to link chess positions with Monty Python sketches. Readers pitched in with further suggestions, and in particular one noted the unexpected absence of the expectedly ‘Unexpected Spanish Inquisition’!

2/20/2022 – 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 67th instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman reveals why it is important to play against strong opponents to improve and shows how important it is to keep a flexible mindset. | Photo: Tommy Grooten

2/20/2022 – The Grandmasters Dr. Karsten Mueller and Luis Engel have set a ball rolling in Germany with their latest Fritztrainer. GM Lars Bo Hansen designed the four-player model in 2005, and was perhaps ahead of his time. In the 5-part interview with Dr. Karsten Mueller, all four player types are discussed in detail. Today - The Theorist.