2/11/2025 – Vincent Keymer will keep good memories of his Tuesday game in Weissenhaus, as he managed to beat Magnus Carlsen in the first semifinal game at Freestyle Chess tournament. Keymer's win was achieved in the only decisive game on the day. The other semifinal saw Javokhir Sindarov missing a chance to beat Fabiano Caruana in a tricky endgame. | Photo: Freestyle Chess / Lennart Ootes

2/11/2025 – At the beginning of the Weissenhaus Freestyle Chess Tournament Jan Henric Buettner was inundated with interview requests. The dispute with FIDE had attracted a lot of media attention and everyone wanted to know exactly what it was all about and what the current situation was. At the start of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Weissenhaus Buettner invited the ChessBase team to his office for an interview.

2/11/2025 – Last week we gave you three puzzles to solve. Were you able to solve them moving the pieces on the diagrams, or all in your head, like a couple of 2700+ friends did. In any case today we bring you the solutions, explained to us in his inimitable style by chess trainer Gauri Shankar of Chicago. Have fun and learn!

2/11/2025 – Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana came from winning their initial quarterfinal games at the Weissenhaus Freestyle Chess tournament, and also grabbed wins in their second encounters. Vincent Keymer, meanwhile, scored the draw he needed against Firouzja to reach the semifinals. Javokhir Sindarov prevailed against Hikaru Nakamura in a close match that went to tiebreaks. Levon Aronian won the battle for ninth place against Vladimir Fedoseev. | Photo: Freestyle Chess / Stev Bonhage

2/11/2025 – On Sunday evening, after the end of the Freestyle Chess rapid round robin at the Weissenhaus luxury resort, the players involved in the Freestyle Grand Slam discussed how to deal with the controversy between Freestyle Chess and FIDE. In response to FIDE's demands, a separate Freestyle Chess Association is now to be founded.

2/11/2025 – Rook checks are an important defensive technique in rook endings, and it is good to know ways to defend against this rain of checks: one way is to hide behind the enemy pawns using these pawns as an "umbrella". Can White use this technique to win the diagram position?

2/10/2025 – The 8th edition of the Ciudad de Montevideo Open concluded with Argentine IM Lucas Coro claiming victory, scoring 8/9 points. Uruguay’s FM Facundo Vázquez and IM Claudio Coppola secured second and third place. In the women’s category, WIM Milagros Tatiana Brizzi from Argentina took first place. Held at the Montevideo Municipality Conference Center, the tournament featured 99 participants from 11 countries.

2/10/2025 – In his Endgame Magic Show #286, Karsten Müller looks at endgame highlights from the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, which Praggnanandhaa won after defeating World Champion Gukesh in a dramatic tiebreak. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

2/10/2025 – The 2025 FIDE Women's World Chess Championship will see a rematch between China's Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi in a 12-game battle for the title. Set to take place from 1 to 23 April in Shanghai and Chongqing, the match continues China's legacy of dominance in women's chess. With both players boasting impressive careers and past championship victories, this highly anticipated encounter promises a compelling contest at the highest level.

2/10/2025 – As the Djerba Chess Festival in Tunisia approaches, starting in just five days on February 15, Diana Mihajlova shares fond memories of Vasyl Ivanchuk, the most popular participant of the Djerba Chess Festival 2024: Vasyl Ivanchuk. | Photos: Diana Mihajlova

2/10/2025 – The knockout stage of the Freestyle Chess tournament in Weissenhaus began with the first classical games of the quarterfinals and the ninth-place playoff. Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, and Vincent Keymer took the lead in their matches, while Hikaru Nakamura and Javokhir Sindarov remain level after a draw. In the ninth-place playoff, Levon Aronian defeated Vladimir Fedoseev with white. Sunday's starting position led to dynamic struggles, with all white players opting for 1.f4. The second classical games will now determine who advances or forces tiebreaks. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

2/9/2025 – Rook endgames are often deceptively complex, with even top grandmasters struggling in seemingly straightforward positions. In "Endgame essentials you need to know", Surya Shekhar Ganguly explores key endgame concepts, highlighting how even the fundamental Lucena position has been misplayed at the highest level. Through real-life examples, including mistakes by Magnus Carlsen and himself, Ganguly demonstrates why mastering these essentials is crucial for players of all levels.