5/25/2025 – The German Chess Championships concluded in Munich with notable outcomes in both the open and women's sections. The event, held over nine rounds, saw Vincent Keymer claim the open title for the first time in his career. Matthias Bluebaum grabbed clear second place. Meanwhile, Dinara Wagner emerged victorious in the women's competition after beating Hanna Marie Klek in a rapid playoff. | Photo: Frank Binding

5/25/2025 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In episode 231 of his "Understanding before Moving" show Herman looks at a modern classic. | Photo: Pascal Simon

5/25/2025 – You want to analyse a position without having to enter all the moves first? No problem: with ChessBase 18, the position is quickly displayed on the board and you can analyse it with or without an engine, or import other game positions using FEN code. Learn how to use the “Position Setup” menu to start immediately at the point that interests you, and find out what FEN is all about...

5/25/2025 – GM Bilel Bellahcene of Algeria and WGM Shrook Wafa of Egypt have won the 2025 African Chess Championships, held from 13–20 May at the Pyramids Park Hotel in Egypt. Bellahcene claimed his first continental title on tiebreaks after a closely fought Open event, while Wafa secured her fifth African crown with a dominant 8/9 performance in the Women's tournament. Players from 17 countries competed in the nine-round Swiss tournaments across both sections. | Photos: Egyptian Chess Federation

5/25/2025 – The 8th Sharjah Masters, a 9-round Swiss open for players with a 2500+ Elo rating, is set to take place from 17-25 May at the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club in the UAE. Lower-rated players can compete in the Masters B or C events. The tournament follows a 90-minute time control with a 30-second increment per move. Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Anish Giri and Parham Maghsoodloo are the top seeds. | Follow the games live starting at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST)

5/24/2025 – On their way to victory from the diagram, White must not underestimate Black's resources. Your move!

5/20/2025 – The Play-In stage of the Chess.com Classic was held on Monday and decided the final eight players who qualified for the upcoming Playoffs. Vladimir Fedoseev secured first place in the nine-round Swiss event and advanced directly. Seven others - Arjun, Caruana, Praggnanandhaa, Aronian, Duda, Artemiev and Lazavik - earned their spots through two-game matches. They will join eight invited grandmasters (pictured) in the next stage, which runs from 20 to 23 May

5/20/2025 – Pawn endings are often tricky and require precise calculation. In the diagram position it is White to move and win. What should he do?

5/19/2025 – The TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament returns to Malmö this May, bringing together a carefully selected mix of seasoned grandmasters and emerging talents, this year including the likes of Richard Rapport, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Nils Grandelius (pictured) and Turkish rising star Yagiz Erdogmus. Known for its thoughtful organisation and competitive format, the event continues its recent focus on promoting top female players, with Tan Zhongyi joining the 2025 edition. | Photo: Mikael Svensson

5/19/2025 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace, and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world’s best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?

5/19/2025 – In ChnessBase Magazine, our team of authors regularly explores new ideas and current trends in opening theory. CBM #225 once again offers ten opening articles – from a Dutch setup against the London System to 9...Bg4 in the Alapin Sicilian to the Queen's Indian with 8.Bd2. In his theory article, Robert Ris examines Gukesh's 7.a3!? in the Classical System of the French Defense – a "useful waiting move" that opens up various options for Black while simultaneously giving him the chance to make an early mistake. Ris' starting point is game 13 of the World Championship match between Gukesh and Ding Liren at the end of last year. The IM from the Netherlands also analyses two games by Magnus Carlsen, who adopted Gukesh's idea just a few days later against Nepomniachtchi. You can check out the article with all the analyses in this week's free CBM sample. Don't miss it!

5/19/2025 – In the Endgame Magic Show #298, Karsten Müller continues to analyse endgames from the Women's World Championship match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi. Defending champion Ju Wenjun won the match 6.5-2.5 and impressed with her endgame skills. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.