7/21/2019 – An interesting King's Indian from a FIDE Master was the submission of the fortnight featured by GM Jon Speelman, but he's also thrown in a bonus study (pictured) for your Sunday perusal. | Send in your own games! Jon can always use more material from readers. If your games are selected for the Agony column, not only will you get free detailed commentary of your games by one of chess’s great authors and instructors, and former world no. 4 player, but you also win a free three-month ChessBase Premium Account!

7/21/2019 – The 2019 U.S. Women’s Chess Champion Jennifer Yu was the wildcard invite for the U.S. Junior Championship which concluded on Saturday, July 20th. She finished last in the 10-player round robin with ½ out of 9. In her post-tournament interview, Jennifer Yu mentioned, “Maybe there is a little more pressure or something.” In this article, WIM ALEXEY ROOT looks at two research-based reasons for the pressure Yu perceived and its possible effects on her result. | Photo: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club

7/21/2019 – "Poliphilo's Strife of Love in a Dream" or "The Dream of Poliphilus" is a work of early printing which recounts the story of a man pursuing his beloved through a dreamlike landscape. The book is said to have been written by Francesco Colonna and, as SERGIO NEGRI notes, it is also the first publication to include the depiction of a 'human chess' game. | Photo: Alberto Davide Lorenzi, via Wikimedia Commons

7/20/2019 – The U.S. Senior Championship and the U.S. Junior Championships (Open and Girls) concluded this Saturday at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Carissa Yip (Girls), Awonder Liang (Juniors) and Alexander Shabalov (Seniors) were crowned champions of the ten-player single round robin events, with Liang the only one needing tiebreaks to get the triumph. | Photos: Austin Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club

7/20/2019 – Today, July 20th, is International Chess Day! To mark the occasion, Paris-based journalist DHANANJAY KHADILKAR brings us a scene from the famous Jardin du Luxembourg (pictured, the French Senate) where permanent chess tables have been a fixture for two decades, and you can always find a blitz game or two. Around the world, some chess aficionados take to the great outdoors and some new chess maps can help you find chess wherever you are. | Photos: Dhananjay Khadilkar

7/20/2019 – No tiebreakers were needed to decide who will play the final match of the FIDE Grand Prix in Riga, as Shakhriyar Mamedyarov drew Wesley So (after having beaten the American in game one) and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave took down Alexander Grischuk in the rematch encounters of the semi-finals. Given that the sole rest day was scheduled for Sunday and the potential tiebreaks were to take place on Saturday, the finalists will have two days to recover before the deciding match-up. | Photo: Niki Riga / World Chess

7/16/2019 – IM Lawrence Trent takes a look at how some of the 'old guard' can still move the pieces at the U.S. Senior Championship this week. Free for a limited time, or forever on-demand with a ChessBase Basic Account. You can register a free 90-day account to watch.

7/16/2019 – If you play e4, you have to have a good weapon against the Sicilian Defence, and unless you want to hide behind sidelines, you have to reach for 3.d4. On this three-volume set video series from Grandmaster Victor Bologan, you'll discover how to clear a path through the Sicilian's theoretical thicket. Check it out this week only for a special price!

7/16/2019 – Even apparently simple pawn endings can be surprisingly tricky. Black to play and draw!

7/16/2019 – Much like in round one of the FIDE Grand Prix in Riga, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave kicked off the quarter-finals with a win in classical chess, this time over Veselin Topalov. In the meantime, Wesley So had the black pieces and signed a 17-move draw with Sergey Karjakin, Jan-Krzysztof Duda had a good position but could not make much of it against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Alexander Grischuk did not make the most of his game with White against Yu Yangyi. | Photo: Niki Riga / World Chess

7/15/2019 – He was a world-class grandmaster, twice World Champion candidate, friend of Bobby Fischer (who enabled Fischer's participation in the 1972 WCh match), inventor of the eponymous Benko Gambit and the 1.g3 Benko Opening (which he used to beat Fischer and Tal). But he is probably best known as an author and composer of endgame studies and chess problems. He is also a loyal friend who has provided us with countless articles over the last ten years. We offer our heartfelt wishes for his 91st birthday today. Like to join in?

7/15/2019 – PRESS RELEASE - From September 10-14, the World Rapid & Blitz Junior Championships U-14, U-16 and U-18 will be held in Salobreña (Granada), Spain, about 100 km from Malaga. The Championships will be held in two categories: open and girls. Visit the official page of the championship for more information and conditions of the participation. | Photos: www.wyrbcc2019.com