5/9/2022 – The legendary grandmaster Yuri Averbakh passed away in Moscow. Yuri Averbakh was the world’s oldest living Grandmaster. In his prime, he was one of the strongest players in the USSR and the world, and in 1953 he took part in the legendary Candidates Tournament in Zurich. Our deepest sympathy goes out to Yuri Lvovich’s family and loved ones. Video added. | Photo: Maria Emellianova

5/9/2022 – After the fourth round of the Superbet Chess Classic, Wesley So is leading the standings table with 3 points. With his win over Ian Nepomniachtchi, So single-handedly put a previously tied rival at a distance, while Bogdan-Daniel Deac, the third member of the pre-round leading trio, had to settle for a draw against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. There were also wins for Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (over Fabiano Caruana) and Levon Aronian (over Leinier Dominguez). | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/9/2022 – The traditional TePe Sigeman & Co tournament took place on May 3-9 as an 8-player single round-robin event. An exciting mix of veterans and rising stars made for an enjoyable tournament, as defending champion Jorden van Foreest was joined by the likes of Michael Adams, Alexei Shirov, Arjun Erigaisi and Hans Niemann. | Photo: Lars OA Hedlund

5/8/2022 – 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 78th instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman continues to talk about pawn majorities. | Photo: Pascal Simon

5/8/2022 – Some of the most regrettable chess stories are those of great players leaving the game at the peak of their powers. First, there was Paul Morphy, then, more than a century later, Robert Fischer. Very few probably know or remember that shortly after Morphy left, another brilliant player took his talents elsewhere. He was not of Morphy’s stature, certainly, but all the same, it was a pity that the world saw no more of his chess. That man was Ignatz von Kolisch.

5/7/2022 – For a third day in a row, we got to see one of five games ending decisively at the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest. Bogdan-Daniel Deac, the clear underdog in the field, joined Wesley So and Ian Nepomniachtchi in the lead after making the most of Richard Rapport’s one-move blunder. Meanwhile, Levon Aronian escaped against Alireza Firouzja, who could not convert his advantage in a double-edged endgame. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/7/2022 – Bent Larsen is the "hero" of the new issue of ChessBase Magazine. In CBM #207 our authors — among others Emanuel Berg, Jan Markos and Yannick Pelletier — comment on their favourite game of the great Dane. CBM readers can expect a collection of 19 special encounters from the period 1956 to 1998. In addition, Mihail Marin presents Larsen as a "universal player" in his strategy column and Karsten Mueller analyses a selection of Larsen's best endgames. You can watch the Larsen-Andersson game (1982) with Jan Markos' analysis here. Enjoy!

5/7/2022 – In the diagram position, White found a stunning way to strengthen his attack decisively. Your call!

5/6/2022 – Lawrence thought about showing us some tactics of one of the greatest chess players in the world. The world champion from the US was excellent with everything that chess has to offer. Obviously, Bobby Fischer played some tremendous tactical combinations during his career. We start with a game from 1961 against Mikhail Tal!

5/6/2022 – The Appeal Chamber of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission has announced its decision to dismiss the appeal presented by Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin, confirming the 6-month ban that was imposed by the EDC on March 21. This decision is appealable to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 calendar days following communication of this decision. | Photo: FIDE

5/6/2022 – In a review published in Chess Life, John Watson looks at a number of titles that explore the Jobava London System. He notes, “It’s remarkable that 2.Nc3 was considered a marginal and even anti-positional move for most of chess history. It is now played by the world’s elite and creates fresh and interesting play”.

5/5/2022 – Wesley So grabbed the first win at this year’s Superbet Chess Classic, the inaugural event of the Grand Chess Tour. The Filipino-born star beat defending champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov to get the sole lead in Bucharest, as the four remaining round-1 games finished drawn. | Photo: Lennart Ootes