Rook checks or switches

9/3/2019 – Usually the pawnless ending rook and bishop against rook results in a drawn position. But if the attacker's pieces are well-placed he or she can sometimes even win against material superiority.

Valsecchi victorious in Vienna

9/3/2019 – The 21st "Vienna Chess Open" relaunched this traditional tournament in the Austrian capital Vienna after a four-year hiatus. The tournament was a major chess event: Nearly a thousand players from more than fifty countries fought for points for a week in the magnificent Great Hall of the Vienna City Hall. The A-Open won the Italian GM Alessio Valsecchi with 7½/9. As part of the A-Opens also the Austrian Champion was determined: The title went to GM Nikolaus Stanec. | Photo: Wiener Schachverband / Betti Plach

Simon Says - Jobava!

9/2/2019 – Baadur Jobava of course! GM Simon Williams will peruse some of the recent games by this entertaining Georgian grandmaster. Watch for free (for a limited time) starting at the usual hour: 16:00 UTC (18:00 CEST / 12 Noon EDT).

Chess calendar: September 2019

9/2/2019 – A key tournament in the yearly calendar will keep chess fans entertained during most of September, as the FIDE World Cup kicks off on the 9th in Khanty-Mansiysk. Before that, Garry Kasparov will face Fabiano Caruana in a Chess960 match-up, while the first leg of the Women's Grand Prix will start in Moscow almost concurrently with the stellar event of the month. You'll find all of these events and more covered in our live games broadcast area Live.ChessBase.com and we'll also be providing News coverage.

September ratings: A 2800 trio solidifies

9/1/2019 – The eleven rounds of the Sinquefield Cup have already been incorporated into the latest FIDE rating list, published today. World Champion Magnus Carlsen continues to reign supreme at number one in the world rankings with 2876 Elo points, and Fabiano Caruana (2812) and Ding Liren (2811) remain in second and third places respectively. The gaps have narrowed, however: Carlsen and Caruana each lost 6 Elo points in the Sinquefield Cup, while Ding Liren ticked up the same amount. | Pictured: Garry Kasparov gives remarks at the Sinquefield Cup prize giving, one of five players in this frame who are or have been over 2800. | Photo: Austin Fuller / Grand Chess Tour

Will the real Pereira please stand up?

9/1/2019 – You know him as "Antonio Pereira", with over 200 articles to his credit since mid-2018, but starting today, our new Bolivia-based Assistant Editor CARLOS COLODRO steps out from behind the pseudonym. Adios Antonio, bienvenido Carlos! But why, you may ask? Read on to find out!

Egyptians dominate African Games

9/1/2019 – The 12th edition of the African Games took place in Morocco from August 23rd to the 31st. Chess was in the mix for a fourth time and, much like in the general standings, the Egyptian representatives dominated their opponents, as they won gold medals in all five competitions: Team Rapid (mixed), Rapid (open and women's) and Blitz (open and women's). Algeria finished second in the team event and collected three bronze medals in the individual competitions. | Photos: Mohamed Bounaji / FIDE

Understanding chess composition competition

8/31/2019 – This month Study of the Month columnist SIEGFRIED HORNECKER looks at the WCCI, or World Championship in Composing for Individuals, and the legacy of Nenad Petrović (pictured). As per a rather new rule, the best compositions there automatically qualify for the official FIDE Album, which will be covered in a follow-up article. | Photo: Arves.org

Daniel Dardha, a Belgian champion at 13!

8/31/2019 – A promising young star is already leaving his mark in Belgian chess. 13-year-old Daniel Dardha won the 2019 national championship in Charleroi — a ten-player single round robin — finishing ahead of three grandmasters to become the youngest ever Belgian chess champion. FABRICE WANTIEZ tells us about Daniel's background, as chess has been part of his family for quite a while ago already.

NEW: Nicholas Pert: Typical Mistakes by 1000-1600 Players

8/31/2019 – Learning from our mistakes is, of course, crucially important for players of all levels. In the latest video series from Nick Pert, the English grandmaster and experienced trainer tackles common mistakes that are made by players rated between a FIDE Elo of 1000 and 1600.

Ding Liren wins Sinquefield Cup

8/30/2019 – Ding Liren carried the day in St. Louis, surprising spectators by winning a rapid and blitz tiebreak against World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen was consistently behind on the clock which proved a decisive factor, as a tentative move in the first blitz game actually resulted in his losing on time, despite the 3-second delay. After that Ding needed only a draw to secure his first Sinquefield Cup and a nearly certain ticket to the Grand Chess Tour final in London later this year. IM VENKATACHALAM SARAVANAN reports all action from the venue. | Photo: Lennart / Grand Chess Tour

Benko Problem Revisited

8/30/2019 – It was with great sorrow that we learned, last Monday, of the passing of grandmaster Pal Benko, a world class player who earned an additional ticket to immortality with his problems and endgame studies. Recently we had shown you one of his most elegant chess problems, composed when he was just fifteen. It was a problem that still occupied the nonagenarian. In one line it has a dual, and at Pal's behest we challenged our readers to find a modification to cure that. A large number tried. Today we announce the winner of the competition.

The right rook

8/30/2019 – In the diagram position Black should have played 16...♜fd8! — can you spot how after 16...♜ad8? White wins by force?

Deal of the Week: Opening Tutorials 1 to 5 for just 29.90 EUR

8/30/2019 – Today’s way to learn chess! The ChessBase Tutorials are a new series in the publishing program of ChessBase. Every issue will consist of a DVD and a detailed accompanying booklet. The many readers of ChessBase Magazine have already come to appreciate this concept. Five volumes of tutorials for this week only 29.90 EUR (regular price 149.50 EUR!)
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Fast and Furious: The Sveshnikov surge

8/29/2019 – In this episode IM Robert Ris tackles the increasingly popular Sveshnikov variation of the Sicilian defence. The live show at 17:00 UTC (19:00 CEST / 1 PM EDT) is free to watch, and available on-demand for ChessBase Premium account holders (but FREE for a limited time!). To chat, please visit videos.chessbase.com/live or login via Playchess for Windows. In the diagram, it's White to play and win!

Sinquefield Cup Ultimate moves and Closing Ceremony

8/29/2019 – The 2019 Sinquefield Cup playoff ended up with Ding Liren beating world champion Magnus Carlsen to win the title and take home $82.500. After two draws in the rapid games, the Chinese star beat Carlsen in both blitz encounters. The commentators and the world champion deservedly praised Ding's performance. Express report. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Carlsen comeback leads to playoff

8/29/2019 – The tense last round of the Sinquefield Cup ended in a dramatic way, with emotions and competitive tension taking centre-stage rather than skills. Magnus Carlsen completed his comeback in the tournament with yet another victory — with black pieces too — to jump to the top at the last minute and tie for the first place with 6½ points and force playoffs against Ding Liren for Thursday. Ding held his nerve to hold Shakhriyar Mamedyarov to a draw, while Karjakin missed a chance to finish at the top by not converting an advantageous ending against Caruana. IM VENKATACHALAM SARAVANAN reports all action from the venue. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

NEW: ChessBase Magazine #191

8/29/2019 – CBM 191 is out! Now available in the Shop | The sky is the limit! Will Magnus Carlsen break 2900? ChessBase Magazine is the most comprehensive and most sophisticated chess magazine there is. World class players analyze their brilliancies and explain the ideas behind the moves to you, opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and offer exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in the fields of tactics, strategy, and the endgame show you the tricks and techniques a successful tournament player needs!

Jennifer Yu: "If I have high expectations, I usually perform much worse."

8/29/2019 – After an initial article about FM and WGM Jennifer Yu’s ½ of 9 performance at the 2019 U.S. Junior Championship, a first follow-up article explored stereotype threat in chess, with the help of Dr. Andrei Cimpian and WFM Sarah Chiang. In this second follow-up article, WIM ALEXEY ROOT asks whether “stereotype threat” is debunked, with comments from Dr. Kenneth Regan and an interview with Yu herself. | Photos: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club

Game of the Week: Ding vs Caruana

8/28/2019 – Join IM Merijn van Delft live for a look at his favourite game of the week: Ding Liren's pivotal win over Fabiano Caruana from the ninth round of the Sinquefield Cup on Monday. The show is free to watch, and available on-demand for ChessBase Premium account holders (but FREE for a limited time!). To chat, please visit videos.chessbase.com/live or login via Playchess for Windows. Merijn is live this week starting at 18:00 UTC (20:00 CEST / 2 PM EDT).

NEW: Master Class Vol. 12 — Viswanathan Anand

8/28/2019 – This latest addition to the FritzTrainer Master Class series allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess as well as from the explanations of experienced presenters (Yannick Pelletier, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh). You'll discover how to successfully organize your games strategically and, consequently, how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure, bringing your games to a successful conclusion with accurate technical endgame play.

Ding is the sole leader at the Sinquefield Cup

8/28/2019 – Another intense day of fighting chess and drama in the tenth round of the Sinquefield Cup. Ding Liren shot into sole lead with six points out of ten games. It was a day when joint leader Ian Nepomniachtchi once again produced a horrendous blunder akin to the first round to lose dramatically against Maxim Vachier-Lagrave. Magnus Carlsen's winless drought finally ending with a smooth victory over Wesley So. IM VENKATACHALAM SARAVANAN reports all action from the venue. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

Komodo 13 is World Champion of computer chess

8/28/2019 – In Macau (China) the "Chess Events" of the International Computer Games Association (ICGA) came to an end last week. In fact, behind this prosaic name are world championships in three disciplines: the World Computer Chess Championship (WCCC), the World Chess Software Championship (WCSC) and the Speed ​​Championship. At the start were six teams with their programs, including Komodo 13, which won in each of the two main disciplines WCCC and WCSC. | Photos: Erdogan Günes

The strong "Ciutat de Barcelona" now open to all

8/28/2019 – Soon after summer comes to an end, the traditional "Ciutat de Barcelona" tournament will take place in the beautiful Mediterranean metropolis. For the first time, however, it will be open to all, after having organized a Schveningen match in 2018 and a round-robin from 2004 until 2017. The nine-round Swiss begins on September 27th, and Gata Kamsky is the highest-rated player registered so far. | Pictured: Barcelona seen from the Tibidabo mountain. | Photo: Jorge Franganillo, via Wikimedia Commons