World Blitz Ch: Carlsen and Artemiev command the standings

12/29/2018 – Seven wins and four draws left Magnus Carlsen as the co-leader after day one of the World Blitz Championships in Saint Petersburg. The Norwegian is sharing first place with blitz specialist Vladislav Artemiev, who recovered from an early loss to complete the twelve rounds on Saturday with an astounding 9½ score. Two strong performances were also seen in the women's section, where Kateryna Lagno and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh are sharing the lead on 7½/9. | Photos: Maria Emelianova / Lennart Ootes / Official site

A White Christmas

12/29/2018 – The final "Study of the Month" examines the legacy of American composer Alain C. White. Our study guide and expert SIEGFRIED HORNECKER explains how White "was far ahead of his time — half a century or more". In fact, Hornecker is already looking ahead to 2022 when many of White's works are slated to enter the public domain, much to the benefit of chess study fans (and future Study of the Month columns) everywhere.

Yuliya Shvayger and Alon Greenfeld are the new Israeli Champions

12/29/2018 – The end of the year saw Israel organising its national championships in Maalot Tarshiha. In the open section, 54-year-old Alon Greenfeld won his second national title after having received the trophy for the first time back in 1984. He tied on 6½ points with Evgeny Postny, but was declared winner on tie-breaks. Amongst the women, rating favourite Yuliya Shvayger (pictured with Moshe Slav, chairman of the Israel Chess Federation) finished on top after edging Marsel Efroimski on Sonneborn-Berger score. | Photos: Dr. Mark Livshitz

World Rapid Ch: Daniil Dubov and Ju Wenjun are the champions

12/29/2018 – No tie-breaks were needed to decide the winners of the 2018 World Rapid Championships in Saint Petersburg. In the open section, Daniil Dubov arrived in the last round alone at the top of the standings and kept his position after all the top games finished drawn. Meanwhile, Ju Wenjun continued her great run and practically secured first place with a round to spare — will the Chinese manage to win the 'triple crown' of world championships this year? | Photos: Maria Emelianova / Lennart Ootes / Official site

2018 Pan-Am College Chess: A West Coast Revival?

12/28/2018 – The Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championships, the crown jewel of college chess in the USA, is historically played in the days between the Christmas and New Year's holidays, December 27th to 30th. ALEXEY ROOT checks in on the early action. The top-rated team is Webster "A" with GMs Illia Nyzhnyk (2730), Lazaro Bruzon Batista (2757), Yuniesky Quesada Perez (2723) and Jorge Cori | Photos: Alexey Root

FIDE World Rapid Champions: Dubov and Ju

12/28/2018 – The 2018 World Rapid Championship were played over three days in St. Petersburg Russia, with live commentary by GMs Peter Leko and Evgeny Miroshnichenko. In the Open sections, the reigning champions Viswanathan Anand (Rapid) and Magnus Carlsen (Blitz) were back in action. In the women's rapid tournament, Anna Muzychuk is the top seed followed by World Champion Ju Wenjun. The winner of the open section was the 25th seed GM Daniil Dubov, while among the women, Ju Wenjun added the Rapid World Champion title to her list of accolades. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Two times three queens

12/28/2018 – Despite his huge material plus, in the diagram position White is the one who must seek salvation with only moves. Things start with 33.Qxe8+ Qxe8 34.Qd2 Qe5 — the rest will be up to you. Ready?

Vote: Newcomer of the Year

12/28/2018 – The year 2018 is drawing to a close and it was filled with great events, strong tournaments and fantastic games. Now, at the end of the year, we invite you to vote for the player of the year (male and female), the newcomer, the game, the combination and the endgame of the year. What do you think: Who was the up-and-coming player of 2018?

World Rapid Ch: A tight race

12/28/2018 – In a day full of ups and downs, seven players ended up sharing the lead on 7½ points, with Magnus Carlsen part of the ten-player chasing pack half a point behind. So it is impossible to make any predictions in the open section, as anybody having a good last day will emerge as the winner. On the other hand, amongst the women, Ju Wenjun has kept her lead after winning two and drawing two in the second day of action. | Photos: Maria Emelianova / Lennart Ootes / Official site

An Auckland Assignment

12/27/2018 – And now for something a bit different...EDWIN LAM offers a noir-ish fictional introduction to the impending New Zealand Open. The set-up is fake but the tournament is very real, even if set in the fantastic wonderland of New Zealand. | Pictured: The young and young-at-heart playing in bubbles on scenic Lake Rotorua | Photo: Edwin Lam

Vote: Player of the year 2018

12/27/2018 – The year 2018 is drawing to a close and it was filled with great events, strong tournaments and fantastic games. Now, at the end of the year, we invite you to vote for the player of the year (male and female), the newcomer, the game, the combination and the endgame of the year. What do you think: Who was the best player overall of 2018?

World Rapid Ch: Firouzja stuns while Carlsen suffers

12/27/2018 – A very confident Magnus Carlsen arrived in Saint Petersburg to prove his strength at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships. However, his hopes of victory in the Rapid were strongly reduced after he lost his first two games against much lower-rated opposition. The Norwegian went on to win his three remaining encounters and is now one and a half points behind the leaders: Ian Nepomniachtchi, Dmitry Andreikin and 15-year-old Iranian prodigy Alireza Firouzja. | Photos: Maria Emelianova / Lennart Ootes / Official site

Game of the Week: Good knight vs bad bishop

12/26/2018 – Ideas and strategies in Grandmaster games can be quite instructive. IM Merijn van Delft presents games like these every Wednesday at 20:00 CET (19:00 UT, 2 pm EDT). On this week's show: Good knight vs bad bishop. The live show is free to watch, and available on-demand for ChessBase Premium account holders. To chat, please visit videos.chessbase.com/live or login via Playchess for Windows.

Gaprindashvili: "I am very thankful that chess was my sport of choice"

12/26/2018 – About a month ago, Nona Gaprindashvili took clear first at the 65+ Women's World Senior Championship. During her stay in Bled, the European Chess Academy made a lengthy interview with the living legend. Nona talks about personal experiences and gives her opinion on topics ranging from the Carlsen-Caruana match to her love for the Dinamo Tbilisi football club. | Photo: Hans Peters / Anefo

St. Petersburg: World Rapid Championship 2018 opens

12/26/2018 – The rapid world title fight starts today in St. Petersburg's Manege exhibition hall with the first of three days of rapid chess. The Blitz Championship will follow on Saturday and Sunday. In the Open sections, the reigning champions Viswanathan Anand (Rapid) and Magnus Carlsen (Blitz) are back in action. In the women's rapid tournament, Anna Muzychuk is the top seed followed by World Champion Ju Wenjun. | Photos: Lennart Ootes

Vote: Player of the year 2018

12/26/2018 – The year 2018 is drawing to a close and it was filled with great events, strong tournaments and fantastic games. Now, at the end of the year, we invite you to vote for the player of the year (male and female), the newcomer, the game, the combination and the endgame of the year. What do you think: Who was the best female player of 2018?

A Christmas story

12/25/2018 – ChessBase study expert Siegfried Hornecker highlights a study (and story!) by STEFFEN SLUMSTRUP NIELSEN which we are pleased to share to mark the Christmas holiday. The story begins: "It is the 1st of December. The White Family is slowly getting ready for the Holidays. The head of the family, Mrs Horsey White is in for a busy month, while the rest of the family is planning to just hang around lazily, waiting for the big day. Mrs White has to collect six presents from all over town to make for a happy Christmas."

The Weekly Show with Lawrence Trent

12/25/2018 – Tuesdays at 18:00 CEST (5:00 pm UK time, Noon EDT) Lawrence Trent brings you the latest trends, games and combinations from elite chess tournaments. This week Lawrence looks at the Sunway International Chess Festival which just concluded in Sitges, near Barcelona.

Need some help, mate?

12/25/2018 – Looking for a hobby? How about composing some chess problems? Not the conventional kind, but a genre that is often overlooked by normal chess players. It is the wonderful and intriguing helpmate, where Black and White cooperate to achieve a mating position that nobody would believe is possible. We have done it before, but we would like to entreat you again. Try it – you cannot imagine how satisfying solving and composing helpmates is. Merry Christmas!

Hiding away

12/25/2018 – Knowing typical patterns and tricks makes you play better chess in general and rook endings in particular.

Vote: What is the best endgame of 2018?

12/25/2018 – The year 2018 is drawing to a close and it was filled with great events, strong tournaments and fantastic games. Now, at the end of the year, we invite you to vote for the player of the year (male and female), the newcomer, the game, the combination and the endgame of the year. What do you think: what was the best endgame of 2018?

Alvar Alonso Rosell wins Sunway Open in Sitges

12/24/2018 – In Sitges, the Catalan seaside resort near Barcelona, ​the fifth edition of the ten-day "Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival" ended yesterday with the victory of local hero GM Alvar Alonso Rosell. The 26-year-old Spanish grandmaster, like his three toughest rivals, started the final round with 7.0 / 9, but was the only one to win his game to reach 8.0 / 10. A larger chasing group composed of well-known players ended with 7½ the top three of which contested a tiebreak for 2nd-4th place. Photos: sunwaychessfestival.com

Korobov and Buksa are the 2018 Ukrainian champions

12/24/2018 – Ukraine organised its national championships from December 10th to the 20th at the Hotel Raziotel in Kiev. Some big names were absent, but good fighting chess was in display anyway in both ten-player round robins. Rating favourite Anton Korobov got first place in the open section with 5½ points, while Nataliya Buksa managed a better score, 7 out of 9, to become the new Ukrainian champion in the women's category. Analyses and results from the seventh most populous city in Europe. | Photos: Ukrainian Chess Federation

Vote: What is the best combination of 2018?

12/24/2018 – The year 2018 is drawing to a close and it was filled with great events, strong tournaments and fantastic games. Now, at the end of the year, we invite you to vote for the player of the year (male and female), the newcomer, the game, the combination and the endgame of the year. What do you think: what was the best combination of 2018?