On the origins of chess (2/7)

5/19/2018 – "Never play with drunkards and desperate men and quarrelsome people for it leads to a brawl”. Chess researcher SERGIO NEGRI continues his deep dive into the origins of our game, this time focusing on the most widely recognised theory, that of an Indian origin | Image (centre): Krishna and Radha playing chaturanga (early chess) on an 8x8 Ashtāpada (a board) (Wikipedia Commons)

Ju Wenjun becomes 17th Women's World Champion

5/18/2018 – Ju Wenjun has done it: In the tenth and final game of the World Championship match against Tan Zhongyi, she secured herself a world title with a draw. Tan had to win the game, and looked desperately for opportunities, but she could do nothing against the very careful play of Ju Wenjun. | Photo: Gu Xiaobang

Tune your tactics: Kings in danger

5/18/2018 – A solid tactical understanding is sure to help any chess player in critical situations. Whether it is a simple exchange or a mating attack, tactics are ubiquitous. Take advantage of the opportunity to develop your tactical understanding in this series with IM Oliver Reeh and Pascal Simon! (Normally) Friday's at 15:30 CET (9:00 AM EDT) it's all about Kings in danger!

Chess on the high seas: Cartagena

5/18/2018 – The chess tournament at sea will take place on board the new Norwegian Bliss from Miami through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles this year. The first part of the journey followed in the footsteps of pirates and the slave trade along the coast of Cuba through the Caribbean to Cartagena, Colombia. MICHAEL DOMBROWSKY reports. | Photo: Jörg Hickl

Women's World Championship LIVE

5/18/2018 – The Women's World Championship match between defending champion Tan Zhongyi and challenger Ju Wenjun is played over ten games, half in Shanghai (Ju Wenjun's hometown), half in Chongqing (Tan Zhongyi's hometown). After eight games Ju Wenjun leads 4½-3½ and Tan has two games left to catch up. Live games from 9:00 AM CEST (3:00 AM EDT) | Photo: Gu Xiaobing

In the long run

5/18/2018 – Following 22.Nxb7 in the diagram position, Black can get a clear edge — if he finds the right way to tackle White's strayed knight. Any ideas?

Challenging the Champion

5/17/2018 – For the first part of this review, our columnist has selected a featured game from our magazine — Magnus Carlsen's notable win over Gawain Jones in Wijk aan Zee — offering both the background and the outcome from the point of opening theory. Prof. Nagesh Havanur combines analysis from Mikhail Golubev, Peter Heine Nielsen, and the players themselves, plus his own research in an engaging look at one of the most dramatic days at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament.

The Power Play Show

5/17/2018 – Thursday at 8pm UK time Daniel King will go on air on playchess.com. You can watch the episode live for free. This episodes is about a classic game from Smyslov. All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer. Puzzle and the live video...

Powerplay 26: A tale of three mating attacks!

5/17/2018 – Nigel Short once said, "Modern chess is too much concerned with things like pawn structure. Forget it, checkmate ends the game!" The art of checkmating our opponent is something that we learn when we are young. But once we know what checkmate is all about, we hardly go back to that subject. In order to ensure that you polish your art of pattern recognition related to mating attacks, Daniel King has come out with his latest Powerplay DVD — Powerplay 26. It's named as checkmate challenge — essential knowledge. In order to tell you what this DVD is all about, IM Sagar Shah takes you on a journey of three tales. Three tales of mating attacks by players of three different generations!

Shankland extends lead at the Capablanca Memorial

5/17/2018 – Just a short time after the end of the US Championship, Sam Shankland continues his winning ways in the Capablanca Memorial event in Havana. His score now after the seventh round is an impressive 5½/7 now a full point ahead of Alexy Dreev the nearest competition. This impressive result has pushed Shankland's live rating well above 2700 to 2715 with three rounds left to play. GM MIKHAIL GOLUBEV looks at the key games so far. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Tan Zhongyi can still hope

5/16/2018 – The ninth game of the Women's World Championship match between reigning World Champion Tan Zhongyi and challenger Ju Wenjun ended in a draw. Before the tenth and final game Ju now leads 5-4 and Tan must win the tenth game to reach a tie-break. However, Tan was lucky to get this chance. Because in game nine she was again on the verge of defeat. | Photo: Gu Xiaobang

Piorun in Polish-Hungarian friendship

5/16/2018 – Before the Polish Championship, there was the Polish-Hungarian friendship championship. This nine-round rapid tournament has been held since 2013, and attracts hundreds of players young and old to Katowice, Poland for a fun-filled weekend. WGM KETI TSATSALASHVILI was there and sends this photo report. | Photo: Walusza photography

Piorun leads Polish Championship

5/16/2018 – In Warsaw, the Polish Championships have started with a pair of round-robin tournaments with ten participants, for men and women from May 12-21. The all-GM open tournament (which has only men) includes two players over 2700 Elo and an Elo average of 2630. After four rounds, defending champion Kacper Piorun (pictured) leads with 3½ / 4. In the Women's Championship, 2295-rated Anna Warakomska is currently in clear first. | Photo: mp2018.pzszach.pl

The Weekly Show with Lawrence Trent

5/15/2018 – (ENCORE PRESENTATION) Tuesdays at 18:00 CEST (5:00 pm UK time, Noon EDT) Lawrence Trent goes on air on Playchess.com. In his show, Lawrence will be dealing with the latest trends, games and combinations from elite chess tournaments. Today, Lawrence will have a look at games from the Polish Championship and other current events.

How to annotate your games with ChessBase

5/15/2018 – This article will help you learn how to annotate your games using ChessBase 14. There are many features that can be used with this wonderful software. You'll find further details on the different tools and resources you can use to get the most out of studying your games or for preparation against your next opponents, including a helpful video from International Master and FIDE Trainer MICHAEL RAHAL.
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Knight on the rim is dim

5/15/2018 – "Knight on the rim is dim", is a well-known saying by Dr. Tarrasch. In modern chess general rules are less and less applicable but sometimes they nevertheless turn out to be true. Still, you have to find good moves to prove that.

Dreev and Shankland lead at Capablanca Memorial

5/14/2018 – The 53. Capablanca Memorial in Havanna is a six-player double-round-robin and after the first five rounds Alexey Dreev from Russia and US Champion Sam Shankland (Photo) share the lead with 3½/5 each. In round 5 both won convincingly. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

How much do you know about ... chess?

5/14/2018 – The ChessBase Account includes exciting training apps but did you ever try the "Chess Quiz" app? It's fun and a challenge - you can test, show, and deepen your knowledge about chess and chess trivia. Enjoy! | Photo: ChessBase
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Simon Says — Wacky but Interesting Opening Gambit

5/14/2018 – In this Simon Says we take a look at some bizarre gambits. Gambits that will make your opponent jump out of their chair! | Photo: Alina l'Ami

Women's World Championship: a quick draw in game 7

5/13/2018 – The seventh game of the Women's World Championship match between reigning World Champion Tan Zhongyi and challenger Ju Wenjun was drawn after 33 moves. Ju Wenjun now leads by 4-3 and Tan Zhongyi has only three more games to catch up and to keep her title. | Photos: Gu Xiaobing

Women's World Championship: Tan Zhongyi wins game six

5/12/2018 – The first five games of the Women's World Championship between reigning world champion Tan Zhongyi and challenger Ju Wenjun were played in Shanghai, Ju's hometown, the second five are played in Chongqing, Tan's hometown. After five games Ju led with 3½-1½ but in game six Tan hit back and shortened the lead to 3½-2½ with four games to go. | Photo: Gu Xiaobing

Ideas to help your child discover the joy of chess

5/11/2018 – We all know that teaching chess to little kids can be very tricky. People who tried teaching their six or seven year olds will know how the experience can either be a cherishable memory or a slow torture you somehow want to survive, especially with a group of naughty kids. The way the pendulum swings depends on how much you understand them and what your approach is towards teaching. In this article, Arun J, who is a chess coach based in Pondicherry, will share with us some ideas which we can use to help our children to discover the joy of chess.

St. Petersburg wins Russian Team Championship

5/11/2018 – Peter Svidler won eight Russian Individual National Championships and in 2000, 2001, and 2013 he became Russian Team Champion with St. Petersburg. At this year's Russian Team Championships Svidler won his fourth naional team title for St. Petersburg. Alex Yermolinsky analyses highlights from the event. | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Unpin and win!?

5/11/2018 – In the diagram position Black's knight d6 seems immobile due to the hanging rook on d8. Would you dare to take the pawn e4 as White here — and how?