7/3/2025 – The winner of the last three editions of the Masters tournament in the Biel Chess Festival, Le Quang Liem (photo), withdrew from the event for personal reasons. He will be replaced by Vladimir Fedoseev. Another tournament has been presented at the Chess Festival, a blitz event for players aged 20 years old or younger - with a new format.

7/3/2025 – The SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia tournament kicked off in Zagreb with three rounds of rapid chess played on the opening day. Magnus Carlsen, a three-time winner of the event, began steadily with two draws and a win to share the lead with Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Wesley So (pictured) and Gukesh Dommaraju. The tournament features seven from the world's top ten players. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/2/2025 – FIDE's Ethics and Disciplinary Commission has confirmed that the one-year suspension imposed by the United States Chess Federation on GM Christopher Yoo will now apply globally. The sanction, effective from 15 November 2024 to 14 November 2025, follows an incident at the US Chess Championship involving physical assault. GM Yoo is barred from all FIDE-rated events during this period and will remain under a five-year probation through 2030. | Photo: Niklesh Jain / ChessBase India

7/2/2025 – The strategic advantage of a good bishop vs. an inferior knight is determined by the pawn structure. Specifically, the bishop is superior to the knight when no pawns exist in the centre, but there are pawns on both flanks. International trainer GM Efstratios Grivas shows us how this kind of ending can best be handled, and does it with a game recently played in a top-level tournament.

7/1/2025 – The Elo ratings were introduced by the World Chess Federation as the official system to rank players on 1 July 1971. Robert "Bobby" Fischer led the rankings by a huge margin a year before his memorable World Championship match. The rating formula was developed by mathematician and chess enthusiast Arpad Elo.

7/1/2025 – Alexey Sarana triumphed in the 2025 Aktobe Open, held from June 22 to 30 in Kazakhstan, securing the title with 7 points. The tournament, named in memory of Vladimir Dvorkovich, saw a strong international field compete for a guaranteed prize fund of 78,000 USD. Sarana's consistent performance, including key victories in endgames, earned him the top spot, while five players tied for second place. | Foto: FIDE

6/29/2025 – International Chess Day 2025 will be celebrated on 20 July under the theme "Every Move Counts", as FIDE continues its Year of Social Chess. This global initiative highlights the power of chess for inclusion, education and well-being. Celebrations include a 24-hour online blitz tournament, creative chess challenges and inclusive over-the-board events worldwide. Players of all levels are invited to take part and share how chess connects and empowers communities.

6/29/2025 – In his new Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris takes a look at a candidate for the "Game of the Year" 2025: Richard Rapport's creative attacking win against Praggnanandhaa at the UzChess Cup in Tashkent. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

6/28/2025 – Born in 1994, Anish Giri turns 31 years old today, on 28 June 2025. Anish is a player whom we have known for almost a decade now. In this article, we go down memory lane with some selected images that tell the story of what a gem of an individual Anish is. Amruta and I first met Anish in 2015 at the London Chess Classic. The then young GM has turned into an experienced player - as he remains at the top of the world rankings! | Photos: Amruta Mokal

6/28/2025 – The 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship match between Gukesh D and Ding Liren has been named Best Sports Event of the Year (Exhibition/Competition) at the 2025 Singapore Sports Awards. Held in Singapore, the match crowned the youngest undisputed World Champion in history and captivated global audiences. The award recognises not only the thrilling contest but also the exceptional organisation and community engagement that made the event a landmark moment in chess history. | Photo: FIDE

6/28/2025 – In this episode, Svitlana offers a comprehensive guide on how to play against the King's Gambit, an aggressive and historic opening that begins with 1.e4 e5 2.f4. While it's less common in high-level chess today, it still appears in club-level play and can lead to sharp tactical battles. Svitlana walks through multiple lines, including sideline traps and the main variations with 3.Nf3 and 3.Bc4, emphasising key defensive setups for Black, such as the flexible ...Nf6 line and the importance of early counterplay. She highlights thematic tactics, development priorities, and typical traps, ultimately showing how to neutralize White's initiative and even seize the advantage with correct preparation.

6/28/2025 – In the diagram position White has to fight. Your first challenge is to make 27.Qc2! Bxe1 work for him. And then two moves later you can reveal a knockout for Black that he missed in the game - enjoy!