1/31/2021 – 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 twelfth part of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving" Herman looks at examples of material sacrifices while ahead in development. | Photo: Hans Hoornstra

1/31/2021 – Even passionate chess players often have difficulties to appreciate the beauty of chess problems. Bizarre positions and terms such as albion, aristocrat, dual, duplex, uncapture, or Zepler doubling, to name just a few, are just not very inviting. But Sam Loyd, perhaps the most famous chess composer and puzzle author of all times, had a knack to present his chess problems in an attractive way: with humour, wit, and embedded into stories. Sam Loyd was born 180 years ago, on January 30, 1841.

1/31/2021 – Anish Giri failed to convert a superior position against Alireza Firouzja in the penultimate round of the Tata Steel chess tournament. The Dutchman nevertheless goes into the final day of action as the sole leader, with three players standing a half point behind. In case of a tie for first place, a blitz tiebreaker — and Armageddon, if necessary — will decide the winner. | Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021

1/30/2021 – In his first column of the year, Siegfried Hornecker tells a few interesting — and real — stories, a kaleidoscope of sorts. The “colourful hodgepodge”, as he describes it, includes references to Alex Trebek, fairy-chess’ grasshoppers, optical illusions and a practical chess endgame between Daniil Dubov and Vladislav Artemiev. | Pictured: A kaleidoscope drawing by Kara Wilson

1/29/2021 – Spanish playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist, and poet Fernando Abarral is locked down in Paris. Noting that he plays ten chess games online per night, he sent us a poem filled with tragic yet inspiring remembrances. Arrabal writes, “Except for the first few days, the rest was bearable”.

1/29/2021 – In this Power Play Show, GM Daniel King is focusing on the stylish game between Radoslaw Wojtaszek and Fabiano Caruana from round 9 of the Tata Steel Tournament, where the World #2 employed a daring and surprising strategy in the King's Indian. | Power Play is on air most Fridays at 17:00 UTC (18:00 CET, 13:00 ET). All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer.

1/26/2021 – Is a knight on the rim always dim? Well, in chess there are no rules without exceptions, and though knights on the rim often make a poor impression there are still countless examples in which they prove to be powerful. The diagram position is one such example: Black to play and draw.

1/26/2021 – In the Spanish region of Extremadura, there are a number of centres dedicated to the care, treatment and overcoming of addictions: addictions to substances (alcohol, drugs, pills) and others (gambling). The centres that treat these problems in a comprehensive manner are known as Therapeutic Communities. Many were set up in rural areas, where they functioned as real communities. One of the activities used to help the recovering addicts is chess. | Photo: Juan Antonio Montero

1/25/2021 – Magnus Carlsen only rarely loses a game, and his defeat against 18-year-old Russian Grandmaster Andrey Esipenko in round 8 of the Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee was a big surprise. In his Power Play show Daniel King took a closer look at this game. | Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021

1/25/2021 – In the third part of the "Wijk aan Zee Storytellers" series, Eric van Reem, host of the "Let's talk about chess" podcast, talks to GM Ian Rogers, the well-known and popular player and chess writer from Australia. In the podcast Rogers remembers how he first played in Wijk when he was 16 years old. And he reveals what he thinks is the most spectacular game ever played in Wijk. And no, it is not Kasparov vs Topalov but Bellon vs Jamieson, played in group B, in 1977! | Photo: Ian Rogers 2014 | Photo: Macauley Peterson

1/25/2021 – In the first round of the Tata Steel Tournament 2021 Alireza Firouzja lost against Magnus Carlsen, but then he scored 5½/7, and with 5½/8 and an Elo-performance of 2882 he is now sole leader. In round 8 Firouzja won an interesting game against Pentala Harikrishna in which he showed how powerful the bishops can be. Karsten Müller had a close look. | Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit - Tata Steel Tournament 2021

1/25/2021 – About two years ago, Austrian Woman Grand Master Eva Moser passed away. Michael Ehn, Kurt Jungwirth and Markus Ragger have now published a beautiful and impressively detailed book to honour the memory, life and chess career of this outstanding player.