11/24/2025 – In his series ‘Practical Tips for Tournament Players’ in ChessBase Magazine, GM Jan Markos regularly addresses topics that are important for decision-making at the board. In the current issue of ChessBase Magazine #228, you can learn how to identify and eliminate the most important defensive piece in your opponent's position using selected examples. You can study Jan Markos' article – consisting of a 20-minute video and a small collection of exercises – for free this week as a CBM sample. Enjoy!

11/24/2025 – Russia, competing as the FIDE team, claimed gold at the World Women's Team Championship in Linares, capping an unbeaten run that carried them through both the pool stage and knockout rounds without requiring a single tiebreak. Azerbaijan finished second after an impressive campaign, while China secured bronze by defeating Kazakhstan. The event featured a standout individual performance from Polina Shuvalova, who scored an exceptional 9½/10 on board three for the champions. | Photo: Pavel Dvorkovich

11/24/2025 – Two players secured their places in the 2026 Candidates Tournament after Sunday's semifinal tiebreaks at the FIDE World Cup in Goa. Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov (pictured) both prevailed by a 2½–1½ score in their matches against Andrey Esipenko and Nodirbek Yakubboev, respectively. Wei's victory came after Esipenko unexpectedly blundered his rook, while Sindarov kept things under control throughout against his compatriot. | Photo: Michal Walusza

11/23/2025 – Ivan Sokolov’s new course examines colour-reversed King’s Indian and Pirc structures, showing how extra tempi influence typical plans and why these positions feel uncomfortable for humans but not for engines. He analyses key model games from Kramnik, Botvinnik, and Fischer, demonstrating that White usually gets a pleasant setup without a guaranteed advantage, leading to sharp, dynamic battles decided by understanding rather than theory. The course equips practical players, both with white and black, with clear ideas, typical patterns, and concrete plans for navigating these complex reversed-colour systems.

11/23/2025 – Jacobus de Cessolis' "Book of the Customs of Men", written in the early fourteenth century, stands as one of the most influential works in the cultural history of chess. Far from treating the game as entertainment, Cessolis interpreted the board as a moral and social microcosm, using each piece to illustrate the duties of medieval society. His widely circulated treatise shaped ethical, political and pedagogical readings of chess for centuries. | Image (AI): Uvencio Blanco Hernández

11/23/2025 – The World Women's Team Championship took place in Linares, Spain, from 18 to 23 November. The knockout stage saw Russia beating China in the semifinals, while Azerbaijan got the better of Kazakhstan. In the final, Russia (FIDE team) defeated Azerbaijan convincingly, while China grabbed third place. | Follow the games live starting at 13.30 CET (8.30 ET, 18.00 IST)

11/23/2025 – ChessBase’s October releases cover everything from chess history to opening repertoire and calculation training. In episode 19 of the Master Class series, the expert team of Dorian Rogozenco, Karsten Müller, Mihail Marin and Oliver Reeh presents the first World Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz. Robert Ris’ new opening course also reaches back to that era, as the opening he examines in depth is named after two classical masters: the Colle & Zukertort System. And who doesn’t enjoy looking into the thought processes of grandmasters and world-class trainers? Discover calculation techniques at the highest level — Surya Ganguly’s “Calculation Step by Step” is sure to climb the ChessBase bestseller list quickly. | All photos: ChessBase

11/23/2025 – FIDE has opened its new Global Survey on Chess in Education, inviting federations, schools and partner organisations to contribute before 28 February 2026. The initiative will inform FIDE's Educational Strategy for 2027–2030, building on the findings of the 2021 survey and the rapid growth of educational chess since. With results to be shared with major international institutions, the survey aims to support policy development and prepare for the 2026 Year of Chess in Education.

11/22/2025 – Svitlana dedicates the episode to the memory of Daniel “Danya” Naroditsky, whose impact as a player, coach, and communicator reached far beyond the chessboard. She explores one of his favourite ideas in the Four Knights Opening - the powerful Nd5!, a move Danya loved to highlight for its elegance and instructional value. This episode blends clear educational insight with a heartfelt tribute, showing how Danya’s creative spirit continues to inspire players through the ideas he championed.

11/22/2025 – The quarterfinals of the Women's World Team Championship in Linares marked the start of the knockout phase, bringing four tightly contested duels and a number of notable shifts in momentum. China and Kazakhstan advanced only after blitz tiebreaks, while Russia and Azerbaijan secured their places more directly. With the semifinal pairings now confirmed, the event moves into its final weekend, where the remaining teams will compete for a place in Sunday's title match. | Pictured: Hou Yifan | Photo: Pavel Dvorkovich

11/22/2025 – The concept behind Chessbase's "60-minute" courses is simple: a one-hour video course for just under 10 Euros. There are also courses on middle game and endgame topics, but most courses focus on quite "specialised" opening variations. In the second instalment of a short series, Jochen Schwarz presents the most important 60-minute courses for 1.e4 players against the French Defence.

11/21/2025 – Friday’s opening games of the FIDE World Cup semifinals offered balanced results but no shortage of depth. Both encounters were drawn, yet Wei Yi and Andrey Esipenko (pictured) produced an intricate tactical sequence, while Nodirbek Yakubboev and Javokhir Sindarov explored a queenless middlegame full of subtle decisions. With three Candidates spots at stake, every nuance now carries considerable weight as the matches head into their second classical games. | Photo: Michal Walusza