5/15/2025 – The Pirc Defence is a dynamic opening strategy that temporarily allows the opponent to control the centre, enabling you to attack more aggressively there later on. This creates complex and often imbalanced positions in the middle game, offering many opportunities for counterplay, even against well-prepared opponents. In a recent course, French grandmaster Fabien Libiszewski explored Black's possibilities in the Pirc. Bahne Fuhrmann took a look and was impressed.

5/15/2025 – The seventh round of the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov scoring his first win of the event, defeating Jan-Krzysztof Duda to join the chasing pack standing a half point behind the four co-leaders. The remaining games ended drawn, with Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu missing a chance to press for a win against Alireza Firouzja after an imprecise bishop retreat. With two rounds to go, eight players remain in contention for the title in a tightly contested event. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/14/2025 – In the fourth world championship match between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, played in Seville in 1987, the score was 12–11 in Karpov’s favor, putting Kasparov in a must-win situation to retain his title. This game was the subject of our previous article. We invited our readers to analyze with us, to solve a historical riddle. Here are the results.

5/14/2025 – The city of Barlinek ("Berlinchen") and the LASKER Chess Club in Barlinek invite all chess enthusiasts to the birthplace of Emanuel Lasker, Barlinek. For the sixth time, a rapid chess festival will be held in memory of Emanuel Lasker. Date: August 23, 2025. Here's the invitation...

5/14/2025 – Zhu Jiner's fifth consecutive win against Nana Dzagnidze propelled her to co-leadership alongside Anna Muzychuk, both with five points, as the Women's Grand Prix in Austria enters its final two rounds. Tan Zhongyi is just half a point behind after defeating Lela Javakhishvili, while Alexandra Kosteniuk secured her second straight win by beating Vaishali Rameshbabu. Mariya Muzychuk claimed her first victory, capitalising on Olga Badelka's mistakes in a chaotic encounter. | Photo: Przemysław Nikiel

5/14/2025 – Following round six of the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest, Alireza Firouzja joined the group of co-leaders with a win over world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a complex struggle from an Italian Opening. With three rounds remaining, Firouzja, Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave share the lead with 3½ points, while Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Bogdan-Daniel Deac are just half a point behind. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/14/2025 – In this episode of Svitlana’s Smart Moves, Svitlana Demchenko introduces the Hedgehog pawn structure, a strategic setup common in the Sicilian Defense, featuring black pawns on a6, b6, d6, and e6. She emphasizes the educational value of understanding pawn structures for overall middle-game improvement, using a Kasparov–Kramnik game as a case study. Svitlana explains typical plans for both sides: white often uses space advantage and looks for a queenside breakthrough with moves like b4 and c5, while black prepares central or queenside pawn breaks like d5 or b5, and, much to Arne's delight, may even launch a kingside attack with …g5. But it might be better to stick to the queenside pawn advancing!

5/13/2025 – In the Endgame Magic Show #297, Karsten Müller continues to analyse endgames from the Women's World Championship match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi. Defending champion Ju Wenjun won the match 6.5-2.5 and impressed with her endgame skills. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

5/13/2025 – 2025 is a year of farewells. After Robert Huebner, another great player and outstanding personality in the world of chess has passed away: Vlastimil Hort. Vlastimil Hort was one of the best players in the world in the 1970s. After moving to Germany he entertained television viewers with his subtle humour on the programme 'Schach der Großmeister'. | Photo: Alina l'Ami

5/13/2025 – FIDE's Ethics and Disciplinary Commission has imposed a provisional 60-day suspension on GM Christopher Yoo, effective from 9 May 2025, following a second complaint alleging harassment. The suspension relates to two separate complaints, including one filed by the US Chess Federation (USCF), which previously banned Yoo for a year and placed him on five years' probation. The USCF has requested that FIDE recognise and enforce its sanction globally, a matter still under investigation by the EDC. | Photo: Niklesh Jain / ChessBase India

5/13/2025 – In the diagram position it is Black to move - how should he parry White's check and how should he use his pawns to defeat White's bishop?

5/13/2025 – The Taliban government has banned chess in Afghanistan, citing concerns that the game is associated with gambling and may conflict with Islamic law. The suspension, announced by the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, includes the dissolution of the national chess federation. While some officials claim the ban is temporary, the decision aligns with broader efforts to curtail recreational and cultural activities under the Taliban's strict interpretation of sharia law. | Photo: Xinhua / Mohammad Jan Aria