5/6/2018 – Agony and ecstasy from IM John Cox. John takes a look at one of his own games, plus an agonising fragment from Cox's past. Just a reminder — Jon can always use more material from readers which can be sent either to the Dropbox mentioned below or directly to him at jonathan@speelman.demon.co.uk. 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!

5/6/2018 – The Russian Team Championship has long been one of the strongest team events of the year, often with elite players from abroad mixed with local talents. This year, due to economic difficulties, many times were forced to forego on big names, but as pointed out by author ALEX YERMOLINSKY, this is almost a blessing in disguise as many talented local masters and grandmasters find themselves invited to play. Enjoy this illustrated report with various commented games. | Photo: Russian Chess Federation

5/5/2018 – If one desires to advance in chess, and become good like a Morphy, to learn and play actively a gambit is a must. Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO says IM Trent is the right guide, because he plays the Albin Counter-Gambit, and knows the pros and cons. The Albin counter-gambit can be a useful new weapon for tournament or blitz games. Thanks to a detailed study one will improve the understanding of the initiative, while learning to disregard material, in order to have a strong attacking game. The top names, who play this exciting opening, are proof it is a sound opening too! By the way, The Albin Counter-Gambit is: GingerGM approved!

5/5/2018 – In a town rich in history, comes a tournament to match. This year's Sigeman & Co tournament (now co-sponsored by the oral hygiene company Tepe) is the 24th edition and has an interesting mix of six players participating for five days in Malmo, Sweden. Vidit Gujrathi is the top seed, but Alexander Morozevich is sure to garner some attention as he makes a rare appearance in a strong tournament. More young talents, Aryan Tari and Benjamin Gledura join Swedes Nils Grandelius and Linus Johansson to round out the field. The Swedish number one leads after one round. GM TIGER HILLARP PERSSON annotates his win. | Pictured: At the opening dinner, Tari leans towards Vidit as Gledura looks on. | Photos: Macauley Peterson

5/4/2018 – The 2018 Women's World Chess Championship has begun in Shanghai, China. In game one we saw a Queens Gambit Accepted that simplified to a drawn endgame, ending in 63 moves. In game two the opening was a seldom seen variation of the English Opening. Ju Wenjun took advantage of the defending champions somewhat timid choice of 3.d3 and scored a win with the black pieces in 55 moves. Live games from 9:00 AM CEST (3:00 AM EDT) | Photo: Gu Xiaobing

5/4/2018 – 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! Friday's at 15:30 CET (9:00 AM EDT) it's all about Bishop g5 vs. Bishop e7!!

5/4/2018 – After 17...Nb3 in the diagram position White intends the double attack 18.Qd3, targeting both the black knight and the pawn g6 in front of the king g8. A nice idea, actually — but can you see why Black went for this continuation anyway?

5/4/2018 – The three-day Bundesliga finals in Berlin ended Tuesday without a definitive result. The top teams Baden-Baden and Solingen featured many professional stars and, with no major upsets — each won all three rounds and therefore finished tied — a playoff match will be needed at a later date. But there was a lot of exciting and top-class chess played in Berlin, which made for a great experience for any chess fans lucky enough to have a front-row seat. | Pictured: Levon Aronian and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave were the top two boards for Baden-Baden, Stefan Kindermann of MSA Zugzwang looks on. | Photo: Pascal Simon

5/3/2018 – The hotel Dagomys in Sochi is the venue for the Russian Team Championships. Apart from the "Premier League" Sochi hosts the team championships for women, juniors, and seniors. The rounds begin at 14:00 CEST (18:00 EDT). Follow the geames live.

5/3/2018 – The playchess server is ideal to practice openings. And sometimes you might want to practice openings with White or with Black and with White or with Black only. Here's a short tutorial how to do that. | Drawing: ChessBase

5/3/2018 – Thursday in Shanghai, the Women's World Championship match between defending champion Tan Zhongyi and challenger Ju Wenjun commences. The competition is played over ten games, half in Shanghai (Ju Wenjun's hometown), half in Chongqing (Tan Zhongyi's hometown). Live games from 9:00 AM CEST (3:00 AM EDT) | Photo: Gu Xiaobing

5/2/2018 – What's going to be the next twist in the race for FIDE President? The election is set for October and, for now, we have only two candidates — the controversial incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, and his long-time deputy, Georgios Makropoulos, who has now turned against him. MALCOLM PEIN weighs in on the situation following the recent FIDE Presidential Board meeting in Minsk, Belarus. After this article from CHESS Magazine went to press, rumours began circulating of a new potential third candidate soon throwing his hat into the ring. For that, we'll have to wait and see, but it's looking like things could get interesting, with the future of World Chess on the line. | Photo: FIDE