4/26/2025 – With three out of eight events completed, the race for a spot in the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament is intensifying. Ju Wenjun leads the standings with 86.5 points, closely followed by Humpy Koneru on 84, after strong performances in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships. Former champions and rising stars, including Tan Zhongyi, Kateryna Lagno and Afruza Khamdamova, remain in contention. The series resumes in May with the final Women's Grand Prix leg in Austria, keeping qualification hopes alive for seventeen players.

4/26/2025 – In the diagram position, which occurred in a game between Sidney Paine Johnston and Frank Marshall, White demolished Black's centre and a few moves later was able to checkmate his famous opponent - I hope you enjoy this classical game!

4/25/2025 – We are thrilled to announce an exclusive live lecture with IGM Athanasios Mastrovasilis at KCF Academy on April 27. He will be focused on one of the most crucial and underappreciated aspects of chess mastery: defending tough and even lost positions. Come watch and learn!

4/25/2025 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace, and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world’s best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?

4/25/2025 – At the U.S. Championship in October 2024, Christopher Yoo—one of the greatest talents in U.S. chess—seriously damaged his career. After losing to Fabiano Caruana in round five, he struck a videographer from behind while leaving the venue. As a result, he was banned from the St. Louis Chess Club, faced a charge of fourth-degree assault, and was suspended by the USCF for one year. Yoo later publicly apologized, explaining that he had lost his temper after the defeat. He subsequently hired mental coach Ebru Ceylan. During the Grenke Open in Karlsruhe, Arne Kähler took the opportunity to speak with her.

4/25/2025 – In his new Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris looks at an interesting, surprisingly tricky line in the Reti. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

4/25/2025 – Looking for a very nice gift for a dear friend? Someone special who really love chess. Then the Rolls-Royce set is definitely something you should consider. It is magnificently designed, elegant as they come, and certainly something that will billionaires like yourself to play a game. Take a look.

4/25/2025 – FIDE has launched the Social Chess Storytelling Challenge 2025, inviting filmmakers, federations, and changemakers worldwide to share short films that showcase the social impact of chess. Under the theme "Every Move Counts", the competition seeks stories of resilience, inclusion, and opportunity inspired by the game. Open to all, with professional and grassroots categories, submissions run from 24 April to 25 October. Winning entries will be honoured at the 2026 Olympiad and featured across FIDE’s platforms and global events.

4/24/2025 – The 2025 Grand Chess Tour begins with the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, scheduled for 26–30 April in Warsaw. Held at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (POLIN), the event features nine rounds of rapid chess followed by eighteen rounds of blitz. Among the participants are elite grandmasters Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Alireza Firouzja, who will be joined by former world champion Veselin Topalov and other invited players competing for a $175,000 prize fund and tour points.

4/24/2025 – In his new Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft analyses a game, in which Black found a recipe against White's Rossolimo-Variation, and then showed why a pair of knights can be a powerful duo. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

4/24/2025 – The ninth edition of the Semana Santa Open, held in San Vicente del Raspeig (Alicante) from 16 to 21 April, consolidated the event as a feature on the European circuit. With more than 700 participants, including 235 titled players from more than 50 countries, the event stood out for its high competitive level. Reigning world rapid champion Volodar Murzin won the main tournament, while Lu Shanglei and Vasyl Ivanchuk claimed second and third place, respectively. | Photo: Luis Barona

4/24/2025 – The Bundesliga is probably the strongest national league in the world. Now the 2024/2025 season is coming to an end and all teams are meeting in the Bavarian town of Deggendorf for the last three rounds. Magnus Carlsen, top board of the FC St. Pauli, will not be there, but it is sure to be a chess festival nonetheless.