4/22/2025 – I have told the story often: in an interview in 2020 I said that in five years I expected at least two of the top ten players in the world would be Indian. My prediction was met with deep scepticism. It was clearly the unrealistic optimism of a friend and admirer of young Indian talents. It is true I was wrong. In five years since the prediction three have risen into the top ten bracket, and a fourth is on his way into it.

4/22/2025 – In the diagram position it is White to move and win. He is a pawn up, but has to keep an eye on Black's f-pawn - and should not forget that knights are tricky pieces! What should White do to win the game?

4/22/2025 – Magnus Carlsen claimed victory at the 2025 Grenke Freestyle Chess Open with a flawless 9/9 score - an exceptional achievement at this level of competition. The event, held in Karlsruhe, Germany from 17 to 21 April, featured a nine-round Swiss format and classical time control in the Freestyle (chess960) variant. Carlsen secured first place with a round to spare and finished two points clear of the field. Seven players tied for second place and will play a tiebreaker to determine Grand Slam qualification. | Photo: Dariusz Gorzinski

4/21/2025 – Humpy Koneru seized the lead at the Women's Grand Prix in Pune with a crucial win over Zhu Jiner in Monday's round seven, turning the tournament standings on their head with just two rounds remaining. Divya Deshmukh also impressed, scoring a dominant victory to stay in contention ahead of her key clash with Zhu. While three other games ended in draws, they were far from uneventful, with tactical complications and endgame fortresses keeping things exciting across the board. | Photo: Abhilash Shinde

4/21/2025 – In the Endgame Magic Show #294, Karsten Müller and Arne Kähler look at endgames from the European Championship that was won by German Grandmaster Matthias Blübaum. German Grandmaster Frederik Svane finished in second place. In the course of the tournament, both showed their endgame skills. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

4/21/2025 – Baden-Baden has a long chess history, mainly thanks to great classics from the early days of tournament chess: Baden-Baden 1870 and Baden-Baden 1925. Hartmut Metz brings back the super tournament from 1925 on the occasion of the grenke Open. It was the time of the "hypermodernists".

4/21/2025 – The Grenke Freestyle Chess Open is taking place from 17 to 21 April at the Karlsruhe Convention Centre in Germany. The tournament follows a nine-round Swiss format with a classical time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. Players from the parallel Grenke Chess Open could switch to the Freestyle event between rounds two and five while keeping their scores. | Follow the games live with expert commentary.

4/20/2025 – Renowned US chess trainer and International Master John Watson had a close look at the recently released ChessBase 18 for a review in Chess Life. He concluded: "Casual online players will understandably not feel the need for such a powerful tool, but anyone serious about significantly improving their chess will almost certainly benefit from this program". The review first appeared in Chess Life 4/2025. Reprinted with kind permission.

4/20/2025 – With three rounds to go in the Women's Grand Prix in Pune, Zhu Jiner and Humpy Koneru remain as the frontrunners to take the title, both winning their games in round six. They are now set to face each other in a crucial round-seven clash, with Humpy needing a win to overtake the tournament leader. Players enjoyed a cultural break on Sunday ahead of the final push for the title. | Photo: Abhilash Shinde

4/20/2025 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In episode 226 of his "Understanding before Moving" show Herman looks at the career of Alireza Firouzja. | Photo: Pascal Simon

4/20/2025 – ChessBase 18 also impresses with its clarity: Analysing with multiple menu windows without losing the overview is no problem. Are you familiar with the six standard layouts or do you prefer your own? Explore the options and try them all out. You will be amazed at how you can use this ChessBase feature to visually organise your analysis in a meaningful and effective way.

4/20/2025 – Magnus Carlsen leads the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open after five rounds, standing as the only player with a perfect score in a field of nearly 300 participants. The nine-round Swiss tournament, which includes 16 players rated 2700 or above, is a notable application of the Freestyle Chess format in an open setting. Seven players are half a point behind Carlsen, including Awonder Liang and Parham Maghsoodloo. Carlsen will face Liang with the black pieces in round six. | Photo: Stev Bonhage