11/26/2018 – Did you catch the world-class blitz at the Tata Steel tournament in India? For the vast majority the venue, like with so many other events, was just too far away. Thankfully Sagar Shah, who set up ChessBase India, was there and filmed the most interesting games from the best possible angle. You can watch the action at close range, see the players think and react to the opponent's moves, and even analyse on the replay board with engine support. It's highly enjoyable — just ask 1.3 million viewers on YouTube you have watched Praggnanandhaa vs Anand!

11/26/2018 – Chess enjoys the reputation of being a rational game in which chance plays no or only a very limited role. However, one of the sponsors of the World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana in London is "Unibet", the Swedish company that provides an internet platform for sports betting and online gambling. Thorsten Cmiel looked at odds, betting and possible manipulation in chess. | Photos: World Chess

11/26/2018 – One of the laudable goals of World Chess has been to attempt to forge ties between the chess community and the wider world by highlighting working creatives who are inspired by the game. Three chess fans who are eager to share their passion through their primary mode of expression have been among the guests in London over the past weeks: Pianist and composer Jason Kouchak, singer/songwriter Juga, and designer Daniel Weil. Each brings a unique musical style but shares a common aim — to generate excitement around the sport and reach new audiences.

11/25/2018 – And then there was one! The World Championship match is headed to a dramatic conclusion after Magnus Carlsen could not score a goal in his last White game. Game 11 ended up as one of the shorter and least interesting draws of the match although it started promisingly enough. The previous Challenger Sergey Karjakin was the surprise guest making the ceremonial first move and he got a smile out of both players by starting with 1.b4 for Magnus. Carlsen opted not to take Karjakin's suggestion to heart and played into a critical line from the Petroff preparation of Caruana — a line shown in the training video accidentally leaked before Game 4. Guest analysis by GM BORIS GELFAND and IM LAWRENCE TRENT. | Photos: World Chess

11/24/2018 – It is said it is better to lose a friend than a good joke — or in this case a pun. Today our study expert SIEGFRIED HORNECKER presents a talented composer born in Hamburg on December 16th, 1899, but who lived for many years in Vienna. "The soul of an artist had its price with Heuäcker valuing beautiful, aesthetic chess more than practical necessities". | Photo: GFHund CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

11/24/2018 – The Sicilian is, of course, a major opening if not THE major opening! It certainly has been instrumental to the ongoing World Championship match! For club players looking to make the life of a Sicilian veteran very unpleasant, with unusual ideas, patterns and moves forcing them to think from move 2, this is an anti-Sicilian line worth dabbling in! If White wants to throw down the gauntlet and bring Black into a dark forest, where 2+2 doesn't always equal 4 and the path leading out is only big enough for one, then...well, you get the picture! Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO explains why following IM Lawrence Trent can bring Black into a world of pain, and definitely time-trouble.

11/23/2018 – The champion kept her title. Ju Wenjun defeated Kateryna Lagno 3:1 in the tiebreaks of the 2018 Women's World Championship final match by winning both 10+10 games after drawing the first two rapid encounters. This was the first time since 2000 that a player defended her title in a knockout tournament. With another championship cycle over — the second one this year — the next one is expected to include a Candidates Tournament. | Photos: Official site

11/23/2018 – Today is the birthday of ChessBase's endgame expert, Grandmaster Karsten Mueller. Recently he was interviewed by Sagar Shah of ChessBase India, who writes, "the interview is amazing, packed with great stories, analysis and your thoughts on different topics of great importance."

11/23/2018 – The diagram shows a typically sharp scenario with opposite castled kings and the constellation knight f5 vs. knight c4. Your move for White, please!

11/23/2018 – The Women's World Championship 2018 knockout in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia runs through November 23rd. The format is a 64-player knockout. Round 6, the final, is from November 19th to 22nd, starting at 11:00 CEST (10:00 UT / 6:00 AM EDT) with live commentary by GMs Pavel Tregubov and Alexander Morozevich. | Graphic: FIDE

11/23/2018 – The tenth game of the 2018 World Championship match in London was a highly tense affair. Fabiano Caruana surprised his opponent in the opening, but in the asymmetrical position that followed Magnus Carlsen seemed to have better chances. The Challenger, however, defended stubbornly and, in the endgame, Carlsen was a little too optimistic, lost a pawn, and nonetheless managed to secure a draw. The game was analysed by current U.S. champion SAM SHANKLAND and by ERWIN L'AMI. | Photos: Nikolai Dunaevsky / World Chess

11/22/2018 – Ju Wenjun managed to come back from her loss in game two of the Women's World Championship final match against Kateryna Lagno and so the title will be decided tomorrow on tiebreaks. The current champion missed some chances in game three but was up to the task the next day in a must-win game, as she built a mating attack with the black pieces. The final day of play in Khanty-Mansiysk coincides with a rest day in London, so there is still plenty of World Championship chess for the coming weekend! | Photos: Official site