6/27/2025 – They are absolutely vital. Gukesh won the World Championship with one – or we could say Ding Liren lost his title because he misplayed it. So can you understand and play pawn endings proficiently? Take a look at this position: White has six legal moves, all with his king. But only one of them ensures the win. Which one? We have four instructive and entertaining positions that will test your skills. And hopefully leave you a better, more effective player.

6/27/2025 – European Championship 2025: Analyses by Bluebaum, F. Svane, Abasov, Alonso Rosell, Cheparinov, Grandelius, Lagarde, Navara, Ponomariov, Rodshtein, Sargissian, Suleymanli, Tari, Velten, Vogel, Volokitin, Wojtaszek and Yuffa – Raid in the Sveshnikov: Lars Schandorff shows that Black has to be extremely careful after 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Nb8 9.Qf3!? – ‘Queen sacrifice with dividend’: Oliver Reeh's tactical tests with over 30 current games + four interactive videos – Kramnik at his best: Dorian Rogozenco reviews the ‘Modern Classic’ Kramnik-Ehlvest (Tal Memorial 1995), including the novelty in move 16 and the impressive play by the former world champion, and much more.

6/27/2025 – From 2 to 10 August, the focus in Dortmund will not be on football, but on chess. As part of the 52nd Dortmund Chess Days in the Alte Schmiede, the Sparkassen Chess Trophy will be held, featuring European champion Matthias Blübaum, among others, and an international women's tournament. | Photo: Dinara Wagner (left) and Elisabeth Pähtz (right)

6/27/2025 – In the new episode of his Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft presents a real brilliancy: Richard Rapport's win against Praggnanandhaa at the UzChess Cup in Tashkent. Kasparov saw the game and was impressed. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

6/27/2025 – Four top Uzbek players will face six international world-class opponents in the 2nd UzChess Masters. The top seed is world number three, Arjun Erigaisi. The players are competing for prizes, prestige, and points in the FIDE Circuit. Alongside the Masters, a Challengers event (featuring living legend Vasyl Ivanchuk), a Futures and an Open are taking place - modelled after the Tata Steel tournaments. | The live coverage of the final round starts at 8.00 CEST (2.00 ET, 11.30 IST).

6/27/2025 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu reignited his chances at the UzChess Cup by defeating Arjun Erigaisi in round eight, bouncing back from recent setbacks to move within one point of the lead. With sole leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov drawing his game, the stage is now set for a decisive final-round clash between Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa — if the Indian grandmaster wins with black, he will catch the Uzbek star at the top of the standings. Javokhir Sindarov and Arjun are the two other players with chances of winning the event. Friday's final round starts four hours earlier than usual, at 8.00 CEST. | Photo: sports.uz

6/24/2025 – Round five of the Masters section in the UzChess Cup saw four decisive results, shaking up the standings. Nodirbek Abdusattorov reclaimed the sole lead by winning his third game with the white pieces, while Parham Maghsoodloo and Arjun Erigaisi moved into shared second place by scoring full points. Javokhir Sindarov also scored a win, as he bounced back from his round-four loss by defeating Richard Rapport. | Photo: sports.uz

6/23/2025 – FIDE’s latest transfer list reveals that several strong players have changed federations. The most prominent of them is Gata Kamsky (pictured) who is moving to France after decades of membership in the US Chess Federation. Olga Badelka is transferring to the Austrian Chess Federation, and Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova is returning to the Uzbek Chess Federation. | Photo: John Saunders

6/23/2025 – It might well be the world’s biggest scholastic chess tournament: the “Rechtes gegen Linkes Alsterufer” match, played every year in Hamburg. Schools from the right bank of the Alster – the river that runs through the city – compete in teams of eight against schools from the left bank. The event began in 1958, with the left bank winning 65–33 and taking a 1–0 lead. Today, the left bank leads with 40–22 in team points and 31,277.5 to 30,512.5 in board points. Over the years, a total of 123,738 students have taken part in the event. The most recent match took place on June 18, outdoors in the center of Hamburg. The left bank won 966.5 to 769.5. | Photos: Nils Rhode

6/23/2025 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu joined Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the lead of the UzChess Cup after defeating Javokhir Sindarov in round four. Both co-leaders stand on 3/4 points with one round to go before the tournament's rest day. Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo are half a point behind. Pragg's win came in a complex Semi-Slav, where queenside passers and accurate endgame play proved decisive in a game marked by time trouble and tactical subtleties. | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

6/22/2025 – Hans Niemann secured the tenth spot in the upcoming Las Vegas leg of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam by winning a competitive online Play-In tournament. The event featured a 9-round Swiss followed by a 16-player knockout, with Niemann defeating Denis Lazavik in a tense Armageddon decider. With nine invitees already confirmed, including Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, the full line-up for the 16-player July event continues to take shape. | Photo: Frans Peeters

6/22/2025 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer, and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In episode 235 of his "Understanding before Moving" show, Herman presents his favourite endgame studies. | Photo: Pascal Simon