Jesús Medina Molina talks to Eric van Reem about ‘Urban chess’

10/26/2020 – “Let’s talk about chess” is a podcast hosted by Dutch writer and photographer Eric van Reem. After reading an article entitled “Bringing chess to public spaces” in a FIDE newsletter, Van Reem decided to invite Jesús Medina Molina, the man who initiated a national program in the Netherlands which promotes the placement of public chess tables in open spaces.

A must-watch: The Queen’s Gambit

10/26/2020 – On Friday, October 23, Netflix started the "The Queen's Gambit", a new series, in which chess plays a major role. The series is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, and caused enthusiastic reactions from chess players and non-chess players alike. Conrad Schormann has collected some of them.

The 10-year-old who loves miracles

10/26/2020 – Tanitoluwa 'Tani' Adewumi is a boy who was forced to move to a new country. He saw chess at the age of six and knew what he had to do. This is a book about his inspiring story of finding his passion, pursuing it, and never letting go no matter how difficult things are. Despite the troubles of a power-hungry terrorist group looming over his family, and the struggles of being a refugee in America, with the help of his family and mentors Tani stayed strong and won the New York Championships in his age group after playing for a single year. This article is a review on his autobiography, read on for more! | Photo: Nicholas Kristof

Michael Adams: My most memorable game

10/25/2020 – “Mickey” Adams needs no introduction. For over 30 years, he has been a feature among the very best players in the world. At 48, he is still the highest-rated player from the United Kingdom and is still competing on equal footing in top-notch competitions. The seven-time British champion now shares with us his most memorable game, his tiebreak win over Sergei Tiviakov at the 1994 PCA Candidates Tournament in New York.

Irina Krush wins her 8th U.S. women’s title

10/25/2020 – Irina Krush won her eighth national women’s title on Saturday after scoring a perfect 2 out of 2 on the last day of action to edge second-place Carissa Yip by a half point in the standings table. 17-year-old Yip, born in Boston, is the youngest female player to ever defeat a grandmaster. Dorsa Derakhshani finished in sole third place.

Herman Grooten explains: How to design a concept in the opening

10/25/2020 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books about chess training and chess strategy. In his new ChessBase show that will appear two or three times per month he will regularly tackle topics that are of great value for the practical player. In the first episode of his show Herman presents a game by the English GM Julian Hodgson and explains "How to design a concept in the opening". | Photo: Hans Hoornstra

The memorable 4th edition of the Capablanca Memorial in 1965

10/24/2020 – It has been 55 years since the largest island in the Antilles staged an event that over time would increase its importance and significance. The 4th edition of the Capablanca Memorial became, in its own right, a highly memorable competition. An article by Romelio Milián González with historical photographs.

U.S. Women’s Championship: Krush still on top

10/24/2020 – It was a volatile day at the top of the standings as GM Irina Krush first lost the lead before regaining it during a dramatic third day at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Championship. Things were looking good for the recent U.S. Girls’ Junior Champion, WGM Carissa Yip, who grabbed the lead after winning her first two games of the day, but a critical Round 9 loss to WIM Ashritha Eswaran left Carissa in a tie for second with IM Dorsa Derakhshani. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

Daniel King's Power Play Show: Attack while getting attacked

10/23/2020 – In this Power Play Show Grandmaster Daniel King looks at a nice chess problem, shows why it is indeed good advice to look for hidden resources, and shows an extraordinary game between Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana from the Altibox Norway Chess Tournament, where both sides conducted a kingside attack - simultaneously. | Power Play is on air most Fridays at 17:00 UK (18:00 CEST, 11:00 EST) on playchess.com. All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Checks and counter checks

10/23/2020 – In the diagram position, that shows a study but did not occur in a real game, White's King on h8 is in danger and White needs to act quickly. Things start with 1.g4+! Kh6 - enjoy!

U.S. Women’s Championship: Krush tops the standings

10/23/2020 – On the second day of action at the online U.S. Women’s Championship, Irina Krush scored 2½ out of 3 to take the sole lead of the event. Krush was not the only player to collect 2½ points on Thursday, as Dorsa Derakhshani and Carissa Yip achieved the same score to join the chasing pack a half point behind the leader. Meanwhile, Annie Wang, who was in the lead after day 1, lost three in a row and is now two full points behind Krush in the standings. | Photo: Austin Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club

Learn from this study-like endgame

10/23/2020 – In the online era, we play matches in such a short period of time, compared to what we would have played when over-the-board events were possible. And while it is true that blitz games are usually not worth analyzing, we often encounter positions which definitely warrant some deep analysis as well. Here's a very instructive endgame that is comprehensively analysed by a dedicated chess trainer. Take a look at the diagram: can you see the key first move?

Gibraltar to host the final stage of FIDE Women’s Grand Prix

10/23/2020 – The International Chess Federation announced that Gibraltar will host the final stage of the Women’s FIDE Grand Prix, to be played in January 17-29, 2021. The best female chess players in the world will be competing in a crucial event in the race for the World Championship title, since the two best players from the Women Grand Prix Series qualify directly for the Candidates Tournament. | Photo: David Llada / FIDE

Endgame Riddle: Is Smyslov right or is he wrong?

10/22/2020 – Vassily Smyslov, the 7th World Champion, was an endgame specialist, and for generations of chess players Smyslov's book about "Rook Endings", which he wrote together with Grigory Levenfish, was the "Bible of Rook Endings". However, is everything in this "bible" really true? Karsten Müller and Zoran Petronijevic have doubts - and ask the readers to help analysing a fascinating endgame, which Smyslov presented in the third edition of his classic. | Photo: Dutch National Archive

New: Mihail Marin – The English Opening – Tactic and Strategy Toolbox

10/22/2020 – The English Opening (1.c4) might not be as popular as 1.e4 or 1.d4, but if White knows what he is doing the opening is powerful and dangerous. This DVD is a good way to refresh your repertoire or to start with the English and get an idea of how to play this fascinating opening without learning tons of theory.

U.S. Women’s Championship: Wang takes early lead

10/22/2020 – IM Annie Wang grabbed the early lead in the 2020 U.S. Women’s Championship, scoring 2.5/3 points on the first day of play. Defending champion WGM Jennifer Yu earned 2.0/3, tied for second with top seed GM Irina Krush, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, and WIM Emily Nguyen, with eight more rounds to go in this 12-player round-robin event. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

World Online School Chess Tournament Expo Dubai 2020

10/22/2020 – To promote chess in schools and education, the Spanish Pavilion at the Universal Expo Dubai 2021 is organizing a large online chess tournament. Schools from all over the world can participate and the best teams qualify for the final in Dubai. But the registration for this attractive scholastic tournament ends November 12, 2020. Interested schools should register now!

Master vs Amateurs on Playchess

10/22/2020 – On Thursday, October 22nd, at 4:00 p.m. European time (CEST) IM Elisabeth Pähtz will take on members of the Playchess community in a special blitz challenge. Elisabeth is a former World Junior Girls Champion, and is the current German no. 1 female player. The games will be commented by host IM Sagar Shah, who will also be analyzing them with Elli after they are over. You too can play against her, or simply watch how others fare.

Grandmaster Chef: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

10/21/2020 – Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, often referred to by his initials MVL, is the top-ranked chess player in France. To show appreciation for MVL on his 30th birthday, National Master Mike Walder presents a recipe for a dish MVL likes and annotates one of MVL’s wins from the 2020 Candidates Tournament. WIM Alexey Root tells why MVL is a Grandmaster Chef honoree. | Pictured: MVL and fans at the 2019 GCT Finals in London | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Chess is good for you!

10/21/2020 – Though it might be hard to believe after a bitter loss science indicates that chess is good for you. The "Healthline" website took a look at the "The 10 Best Benefits of Playing Chess" and explains why chess is good for your health, your mind, and the development of your personality. | Photo: Magnus Carlsen | Photo: Lennart Ootes (Archive)

Game of the Week: Alireza Firouza vs Jan-Krzysztof Duda

10/21/2020 – In his "Game of the Week" show, Merijn van Delft takes a look at a highlight from the Altibox Norway Chess Tournament: Alireza's convincing win Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the final round. | Merijn's show is freely available at 15.00 UTC (17:00 CEST, 11:00 EDT) for a limited time, and on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Sixty years ago: The Chess Olympiad in Leipzig

10/21/2020 – Sixty years ago, the 14th Chess Olympiad began in Leipzig. It was a great international festival with the best players in the world. The tournament was presented in the German Democratic Republic in a very dignified manner. For many, it was an unforgettable experience. Dagobert Kohlmeyer spoke with some of the witnesses. | Photo: Bundesarchiv

Play the Rossolimo Sicilian with GM Jan Werle

10/21/2020 – In this day and age, it is not so important to get an opening advantage - it is more important to get a playable position that you understand better than your opponent. With the Sveshnikov all the rage at the top, and the Open Sicilian no longer guaranteeing White his birthright opening advantage, top players have moved on to exploring lesser known but sound systems, and one such opening is the Rossolimo. Almost all the top players play this opening with both colours, its chief advocate being the American No.1 Fabiano Caruana. Jan Werle recently authored a DVD on the subject, and Tanmay Srinath takes a closer look at the Dutch GM's debut offering for ChessBase, along with a brief interview with the author about these DVDs.

The Weekly Show: Joel Benjamin vs Patrick Wolff

10/20/2020 – In his weekly show IM Lawrence Trent takes a look at the U.S. Senior Championship, which was won by Joel Benjamin. Lawrence will particularly focus on the game between Benjamin and Patrick Wolff, a "nice old school grind!". | Lawrence’s show is available at 17:00 UTC (19:00 CEST, 13:00 EDT) on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.