5/7/2021 – Lawrence Trent and Arne Kaehler talk about what happened chess-wise last week. They give their opinions on various topics, and encourage you to think about the subject, analyse games, or read the articles thoroughly yourself. This week we discuss chess in prison, analyse a game by Fat Fritz 2.0, take a look at some past Grandmasters, and finally find out, why noodles and spring rolls cost a fortune in Iceland, if the timing is wrong.

5/7/2021 – Constant tactical training is vital if you want to improve or just maintain your playing strength. In his ChessBase Magazine column "Tune your tactics", tactics expert IM Oliver Reeh regularly presents about 30 tactical tasks, from opening, middlegame and endgame, from simple to super-difficult, with questions far beyond the scope of the conventional "X to play and win". Moreover, Reeh presents his personal favourites in interactive Fritztrainer videos. In ChessBase Magazine #201, these favourites include three classics and a recent example. Take the test and enjoy!

5/7/2021 – Rapid interviews are fun: interviewer and guest face each other in an epic rapid chess battle. The chess guest not only has to face the interviewer's questions, but also concentrate on the chess game at the same time. This leads to surprising answers and sometimes to curious chess positions. Cécile Haussernot is probably one of the most attractive titled chess players. I asked her if this ever lead to jealousy from other players, or hate comments, and how she deals with these factors. Furthermore, I wanted to know how it is for the French WIM to live in Tbilisi, Georgia, and what her future goals are in chess. | Photos: Cécile Haussernot

5/7/2021 – The International Chess Federation will hold an online conference dubbed “Chess for Freedom” on May 11th at 15:30 CET (8:30 US Central Time). The conference will present a newly launched project focused on introducing chess to prisons. This conference will feature FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, the 12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, and other invited guests.

5/6/2021 – In this week’s show, well-known Dutch trainer Robert Ris shows how White can play the Sicilian Rossolimo in an aggressive way. | "Fast and Furious" is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

5/6/2021 – Ian Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates Tournament 2020/2021, and in November he will play against Magnus Carlsen for the world title. In an extensive interview with Eteri Kublashvili after the Candidates, Nepomniachtchi talked about his preparations for the second part of the Candidates and revealed why he once was so frustrated during his preparations that he threw his "iPhone into the wall". He also talked about his key to success, Magnus Carlsen - "a very nice dude" - and why "there is never enough time to prepare". | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/6/2021 – Wesley So has proven to be capable of beating any player from the elite, including world champion Magnus Carlsen. The Filipino-born grandmaster, currently representing the United States, obtained his highest-ever live rating in April 2017, following a streak of remarkable results in the elite circuit. We look back at the successes that helped the ever-humble star to reach the second spot in the world ranking. | Photo: South African Junior Chess Championship Facebook page

5/6/2021 – The Mitropa Cup 2021 is the first major team tournament that is played as a hybrid tournament. The players of the ten teams that take part in the tournament play from their home countries but meet in a central place where they play online, watched by arbiters. For the Italian team the Mitropa Cup is already a success: they play in a very modern, almost futuristic location - an eGaming house.

5/6/2021 – In May 2018 the Chinese Grandmaster Ju Wenjun became Women's World Champion by defeating her countrywoman Tan Zhongyi in a match. Later the same year Ju Wenjun defended her title in a knock-out tournament, and in 2020 she defended her title again, this time in a match against Aleksandra Goryachkina from Russia. In 2022 Ju Wenjun will face her next challenger, the winner of the Women's Candidates Tournament 2022, will take place in the first half of 2022. And recently, the FIDE approved the "qualifying path" for the Women's Candidates.

5/5/2021 – The 2021 Icelandic Championship took place on April 22-30 in Kópavogur. It was a 10-player single round robin. Rating favourite Hjörvar Steinn Grétarsson finished in sole first place with a 7/9 score. Jóhann Hjartarson came second with 6½ points, while defending champion Guðmundur Kjartansson got third place after collecting 6 points. | Pictured: Grétarsson during round 7 | Photos: Official site

5/5/2021 – This week Merijn van Delft takes another look at the Candidates and presents a game by Ian Nepomniachtchi, the winner of the Candidates, who will challenge World Champion Magnus Carlsen in November. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

5/5/2021 – In the Russian Team Championship in Sochi, Mednyi Vsadnik St. Petersburg defended its lead by defeating KPRF Moscow in round 4. In the women's tournament, Chess Team Moscow, with Kateryna Lagno, Polina Shuvalova and Alexandra Kosteniuk on the top boards, won its fourth match in a row and is clear first. | Photos: Russian Chess Federation