1/29/2025 – The first Underdog of 2025 has been chosen by Robert Ris. It is IM Lu Miaoyi. Currently, she is playing formidable at the Tata Steel Chess Festival tournament. She is second worst rated in the Challengers group, but could already gather 4.5 out of 8 points. One favourite to win the Challengers in Wijk aan Zee is Frederik Svane, who advanced to Germany's second-best player behind Vincent Keymer. Frederik Svane played as Black in the French exchange variation, against Lu Miaoyi, and the board was on fire quickly.

1/29/2025 – Gukesh Dommaraju has taken sole lead at the Tata Steel Masters after the ninth round, marking a strong performance in his first tournament as world champion. While former co-leaders Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Nodirbek Abdusattorov both dropped points, Gukesh secured a win against Leon Luke Mendonca. Meanwhile, Vladimir Fedoseev moved into shared second place with a victory over Pentala Harikrishna. In the Challengers, Thai Dai Van Nguyen continues to be the sole leader. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit

1/28/2025 – Dr Thorsten Heedt took chess lessons from Robert Hübner (1948–2025) for a long time and got to know the German Grandmaster very well. They became good friends and Heedt even asked Hübner to be best man at Heedt's wedding. After Hübner's death on 5 January 2025, Heedt shares some personal memories...

1/28/2025 – The controversy between Freestyle Chess and FIDE is escalating into a major conflict. Both sides have reiterated their positions in various media. The Norwegian NRK quotes Jan Henrric Buettner and FIDE. Emil Sutovsky has responded on X. Behind all this is a large sum of money that FIDE would like to receive. | Photo: sharkolot auf Pixapy

1/28/2025 – Against the popular Semi-Tarrasch (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 c5), 7.Rb1 (with h4!) is currently the absolute fashionable variation and, with a yield of well over 60%, also a promising choice. In the current ChessBase Magazine #223, IM Balász Csonka takes a close look at the variation and summarizes the current state of theory. His article includes an overview text and six annotated games from the period from 2018 (Karjakin-Kramnik from the Candidates Tournament) to 2024. You can view the complete article with all the analyses this week as a free sample from ChessBase Magazine #223 in ChessBase Books format!

1/28/2025 – "All rook endgames are drawn" is a well-known witticisim that is often attributed to Tarrasch or Tartakower. It emphasises the drawish tendencies of rook endings. However, you still have to find the right moves. In the diagram position Black can draw with best play but in the game Black lost. Can you do better?

1/24/2025 – "Nothing is more difficult than winning a won game." The Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee shows once again how true this seemingly paradoxical sentence is – and in their review of current events in the chess world Arne Kähler and Johannes Fischer therefore look at games from Wijk in which winning positions were lost. On this occasion, they also remember the Dutch grandmaster and legendary writer Jan Hein Donner, who knew a lot about this topic. Finally, the "Two Knights" take a short look at the dispute between FIDE and Freestyle Chess over the right to award world championship titles.

1/24/2025 – In his new Game of the Week show Merijn van Delft takes a look at the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee. He analyses Vladimir Fedoseev's win in round 5 against Fabiano Caruana. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

1/24/2025 – A real life Queen’s Gambit, this captivating memoir tells the story of one of the most renowned women in chess history. Susan Polgar takes on a sexist establishment, standing up to an authoritarian empire and rewriting the rules of what women could achieve against the oppressive backdrop of Cold War Eastern Europe. A must-read book, coming out on March 11. Pre-orders available on Amazon.

1/24/2025 – The 2025 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships will be held in London from 10 to 16 June, offering a record $500,000 prize fund. Now in its third edition, the event will bring together top players, emerging talents, and amateurs in mixed-team competition. With London’s rich history of hosting major chess tournaments, the championship is set to showcase high-level chess while highlighting the city’s role in the global chess boom.

1/23/2025 – On January 26, 2025, the KCF Academy subscribers will witness an extraordinary event as Garry Kasparov, the legendary grandmaster and former World Chess Champion, delivers an exclusive live lecture. This lecture is a must-attend for chess enthusiasts and professional players, offering a rare opportunity to learn directly from one of the greatest minds in chess history.

1/23/2025 – In his new Fast & Furious episode, Robert Ris takes a look at three fascinating games from the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee. Enjoy! | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.