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!

5/24/2025 – Magnus Carlsen won the Chess.com Classic with a game to spare in the Grand Final against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The former world champion remained unbeaten throughout the event and secured the title with two wins and a draw in the final match. A swift victory in game one and a well-converted rook endgame in game three sealed the result. Carlsen now turns his attention to Norway Chess, where he returns to classical over-the-board play against an elite field.

5/23/2025 – After four rounds at the TePe Sigeman & Co chess tournament, Javokhir Sindarov and Yagiz Erdogmus (pictured) share the lead with 3 points each. Nils Grandelius is half a point behind on 2½, followed by Ray Robson and Tan Zhongyi on 2 points. Tan, who lost her first two games, has bounced back with consecutive wins in rounds three and four. Eight of the sixteen games played so far have ended decisively in what has been an entertaining tournament for spectators. | Photo: Mikael Svensson

5/23/2025 – In this Svitlana Demchenko and Arne Kaehler reflect on the Biel Chess Festival, which they describe as one of the most joyful and diverse chess events in Europe. They highlight a legendary 2009 game between Alexander Morozevich and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (MVL), showcasing chaotic Sicilian Najdorf tactics, razor-sharp sacrifices, and an astonishing defensive resource by MVL — a rook that remained untaken for 24 moves! The game is celebrated as one of the wildest and most creative ever played, pushing the boundaries of classical chess patterns.

5/23/2025 – The Chess.com Classic is the second and final leg of the 2025 Champions Chess Tour. The deciding stage is taking place from Tuesday to Friday, as sixteen players, including Magnus Carlsen, world champion Gukesh Dommaraju and Hikaru Nakamura, battle in a double-elimination bracket. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 17.00 CET (11.00 ET, 21.30 IST)

5/23/2025 – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave has reached the Grand Final of the Chess.com Classic after a string of victories in the Losers Bracket, where he eliminated Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Hikaru Nakamura. He will now face Magnus Carlsen, needing to defeat the Norwegian twice to claim the title. MVL heads into the Grand Final with confidence, since he managed to defeat Carlsen twice in one day at the 2023 AI Cup. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/23/2025 – With six rounds completed at the Sharjah Masters, Anish Giri and Aleksandar Indjic share the lead on 5 points, closely followed by top seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov on 4½. The open tournament remains tightly contested, with fourteen players trailing half a point behind Abdusattorov. Among the standout performers are lower-rated contenders Dai Changren and Visakh N R, as well as 11-year-old Faustino Oro, who remains undefeated. | Photos: Himank Ghosh / ChessBase India