7/3/2025 – The SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia tournament kicked off in Zagreb with three rounds of rapid chess played on the opening day. Magnus Carlsen, a three-time winner of the event, began steadily with two draws and a win to share the lead with Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Wesley So (pictured) and Gukesh Dommaraju. The tournament features seven from the world's top ten players. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/2/2025 – FIDE's Ethics and Disciplinary Commission has confirmed that the one-year suspension imposed by the United States Chess Federation on GM Christopher Yoo will now apply globally. The sanction, effective from 15 November 2024 to 14 November 2025, follows an incident at the US Chess Championship involving physical assault. GM Yoo is barred from all FIDE-rated events during this period and will remain under a five-year probation through 2030. | Photo: Niklesh Jain / ChessBase India

7/2/2025 – The strategic advantage of a good bishop vs. an inferior knight is determined by the pawn structure. Specifically, the bishop is superior to the knight when no pawns exist in the centre, but there are pawns on both flanks. International trainer GM Efstratios Grivas shows us how this kind of ending can best be handled, and does it with a game recently played in a top-level tournament.

7/1/2025 – The Elo ratings were introduced by the World Chess Federation as the official system to rank players on 1 July 1971. Robert "Bobby" Fischer led the rankings by a huge margin a year before his memorable World Championship match. The rating formula was developed by mathematician and chess enthusiast Arpad Elo.

7/1/2025 – Alexey Sarana triumphed in the 2025 Aktobe Open, held from June 22 to 30 in Kazakhstan, securing the title with 7 points. The tournament, named in memory of Vladimir Dvorkovich, saw a strong international field compete for a guaranteed prize fund of 78,000 USD. Sarana's consistent performance, including key victories in endgames, earned him the top spot, while five players tied for second place. | Foto: FIDE

7/1/2025 – Classic fortresses are an intriguing area in endgames. Even with a clear material imbalance, such as rook and pawn against queen and pawn, there are positions in which the defender can build an impregnable defence. The key is that you only need to know a few things and a few rules to build a fortress. This makes it surprisingly easy in the end. Dorian Rogozenco has devoted a trilogy to fortresses with rook and pawn against queen and pawn in ChessBase Magazine, and in the current issue #226, he concludes it with another attractive example. Take a look at this week's CBM free sample with an introductory video and five interactive videos where you can test your skills in a playful way!

7/1/2025 – In the Endgame Magic Show #302, Karsten Müller shows a selection of endgames from the Cairns Cup. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

7/1/2025 – Last week we gave you four pawn endings to solve – on the diagrams, without engine support. Like the one on our thumbnail. White has six legal moves, all with his king. What should you play? Did you find the astonishing and subtle 1.Kf5!, the only move that ensures the win. Today we bring you the solutions to all four endgames, lucidly explained in YouTube Shorts by Volclus. Watch, listen and learn.

7/1/2025 – Endgames studies often contain a surprising, unexpected idea that seem to be paradoxical. The diagram position is from a practical game that ended in a draw. However, White had a study-like way to win. Do you see what he should have done?

6/30/2025 – Armenian grandmaster Tigran Nalbandian passed away in Yerevan on Saturday. In his youth, he was one of Armenia's greatest talents, later enjoying success as a professional player and then as a coach. For a while, he worked on Vladimir Kramnik's coaching team. He then went on to win several medals with the Armenian national team. Nalbandian was only 50 years old. | Photo: Armenian Chess Federation

6/30/2025 – GM Chris Ward dissects a high-level Dragon game between Hikaru Nakamura and Frederik Svane, showcasing a sharp variation known as the h5 Dragadorf. Alongside detailed tactical motifs - like knight sacrifices, queen traps and pawn breaks - Chris emphasizes how even small imprecisions can lead to brutal consequences in this complex opening. He also revisits viewer questions from the previous episode. The episode is highlighting the Dragadorf's growing strength and teasing the potential for a full ChessBase course on this potent setup. | Photo: John Upham

6/30/2025 – In 1986 the award-winning musical Chess, written by lyricist Tim Rice, with the music composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (both formerly of ABBA), premiered in London's West End. This autumn, we are told, it is going to revived on Broadway, with a new updated book. Ready for a truly great musical treat? Then take an hour and a half to watch videos of a previous production. You will not regret it.