7/14/2019 – It's that time again: From July 13th to 21st, the traditional Sparkassen Chess Meeting takes place in Dortmund. Always one of the strongest tournaments in the chess calendar, this year eight top players (I. Nepomniachtchi, T. Radjabov, L. Dominguez, R. Rapport, R. Wojtaszek, L. ​​Nisipeanu, D. Fridman and K. Kulaots) compete in the Grandmaster Tournament. Three of the four games were decided in round one. Mayor Birgit Joerder made the first move for Rapport vs Nepomniachtchi. | Photos: Georgios Souleidis

7/14/2019 – The Kalashnikov is a favourite weapon of the main line of the Sicilian Defence. It is closely related to the Sveshnikov but with much less theory to learn. GM NICK PERT explores this increasingly popular opening that is easy to pick up and can usually gives Black quick and smooth development. Many of the ideas are thematic and Black can achieve attacking positions in several of the variations. The lines have all been thoroughly checked and will hopefully provide the viewer with the confidence to play this opening.

7/14/2019 – Two players have already been eliminated from the FIDE Grand Prix in Riga, as David Navara could not bounce back from an early loss against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Daniil Dubov was defeated by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov during the second day of action. The rest of the match-ups are tied after two draws, which means six spots will be decided on Sunday's tiebreaks. | Photos: Niki Riga / World Chess

7/13/2019 – The second leg of the FIDE Grand Prix kicked off with plenty of fighting chess. Only Maxime Vachier-Lagrave managed to score a full point, however, as he took down David Navara in 19 moves out of a sharp Caro-Kann. Wesley So, Alexander Grischuk and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov had big chances but failed to join Vachier-Lagrave as the winners of round one, while Peter Svidler and Jan-Krzysztof Duda played a sharp, entertaining game. | Photo: Niki Riga / World Chess

7/12/2019 – Every once in a while we hear a story of a chess player who surpasses the established norms and achieves truly something special. At that point a thought does cross almost every chess fan's mind: Is he for real? This is the case of 58-year-old GM Igors Rausis who saw a phenomenal surge in his rating that brought him as high as 2686, gaining over 50 Elo points in the last year alone. For a player of his age, Rausis' performance was closely scrutinized. Was it just his beating many lower rated players honestly? On July 11th, suspicions of something more nefarious finally gained gravity in the Strasbourg Open in France where he stands accused of cheating with his mobile phone inside a toilet! | Photo: Dominique Primel, Sautron (2018)

7/12/2019 – On the show today: GM Daniel King will be examining Ding vs Nepomniachtchi Zagreb 2019 — a rich and imaginative attacking performance. Power Play is live most Fridays at 16:00 UTC (18:00 CEST, Noon EDT) on playchess.com. You can watch the episode live for free! All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer. Puzzle and the live video...

7/9/2019 – The Alekhine Memorial in Voronezh is considered as one of the strongest tournaments in Russia. You have a host of Russian players who are under-rated and fighting for the top spots. RUPALI MULLICK, who was present at the event, with her son Raahil, brings us a detailed report from the venue. It includes photos, game analysis and videos, but also interviews with the first and second placed players Savchenko and Visakh who show us their best games along with analysis.

7/9/2019 – White is a piece up but still has to win. In such cases zugzwang often helps.

7/8/2019 – This is one of the most elegant chess problems we have ever seen. It was composed by the master, Pal Benko when he was just fifteen. Five pieces, four on their original squares, and the task is to force mate in three moves. That is quite difficult: Bobby Fischer failed to find the solution in half an hour. Can you do better – and can you find a correction for the minor dual that was found in the problem? You can win a nice prize if you do.

7/8/2019 – In this Simon Says we take a look at the all mighty Magnus, who has just won his eight consecutive tournament, exhibiting the kind of domination we used to associate only with Garry Kasparov. Watch on-demand for free (for a limited time) starting at the usual hour: 16:00 UTC (18:00 CEST / 12 Noon EDT).

7/8/2019 – Richard Rapport won the super grandmaster tournament in Danzhou (China) on Sunday after a draw against China's Wei Yi in the last round gave the Hungarian Grandmaster a final score of 4½/7, half a point ahead of Wei his countryman Yu Yangyi. Rapport gained 9 Elo points and entered the Top 20, surpassing Hikaru Nakamura on the live ratings. | Photos: Misty Pine / cca.imsa.cn

7/8/2019 – We saw history in the making, as Magnus Carlsen won his eighth tournament in a row at the second leg of the Grand Chess Tour in Zagreb. The world champion defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave from the white side of a Grünfeld to finish in clear first place a full point ahead of his closest pursuer with a 'plus five' score. Carlsen's official rating in August will equal his own peak rating of 2882 points — the highest ever achieved. Wesley So finished in sole second place. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour