2/25/2025 – Round six of the Monaco Women's Grand Prix saw two decisive games, as Aleksandra Goryachkina and Tan Zhongyi (pictured) claimed victories to shake up the standings. Sole leader Kateryna Lagno held a quick draw to maintain her lead, while Humpy Koneru and Sara Khadem suffered defeats. Goryachkina's endgame technique allowed her to overcome Humpy, while Khadem faltered in a difficult defensive position against Tan. With three rounds remaining, Goryachkina and Batkhuyag Munguntuul now trail Lagno by just half a point. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga

2/24/2025 – Harshit Raja is a talented chess player with a deep understanding of the game, and in this interview, he reveals the dedication and mindset that helped him reach the Grandmaster level. The Indian GM was also a valuable commentator for the ChessBase India broadcast of the Freestyle event in Weissenhaus 2025.

2/24/2025 – The 7th Prague Chess Festival kicks off on Tuesday 25 February. Among the players is Czech grandmaster Thai Dai Van Nguyen, who won the Challengers Tournament in Wijk aan Zee in January. He is ranked ninth in the Masters, but last year he finished just half a point behind the winner, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, in joint second to fourth place. In a short interview published on the festival website, he talked about his expectations for this year's tournament and revealed which game he is particularly looking forward to. | Photo: Thai Dai Van Nguyen in Wijk 2025 | Photo: Lennart Ootes

2/24/2025 – A trapped piece is a piece that has no escape squares or squares where it can safely move without being captured. A trapped piece can be a bishop or a knight, but also ‘heavier’ pieces such as a rook or a queen can be ensnared. Even the king can be put into a position where it no way to move around. In the first part of his article GM Efstratios Grivas deals with a trapped king and trapped queens.

2/23/2025 – French Grandmaster Marc'Andria Maurizzi delivered a commanding performance to win the Djerba Masters, a 10-player single round-robin held on the paradisiac Tunisian island. The 17-year-old secured first place with a round to spare and finished with an impressive 7½/9 score. Belgian GM Daniel Dardha claimed second place as the only other undefeated player, while Parham Maghsoodloo and Volodar Murzin shared third. | Photos: Djerba Chess Festival

2/23/2025 – As the Monaco Women's Grand Prix reached its rest day, all five games in round five ended in draws, leaving Kateryna Lagno in the sole lead. Three players - Humpy Koneru, Sara Khadem and Batkhuyag Munguntuul - remain just half a point behind. Lagno held a solid draw with black, while both Humpy and Elisabeth Paehtz (pictured) missed opportunities to convert promising positions. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga

2/21/2025 – At the last World Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York, Magnus Carlsen was reprimanded for violating the FIDE dress code by wearing jeans. This led to a dispute that attracted a lot of media attention. Carlsen is now making the best of it by auctioning off the jeans on Ebay for charity. You can still bid. | Photos: Magnus Carlsen via Ebay

2/20/2025 – The third round of the Monaco Women's Grand Prix saw all four co-leaders hold their positions at the top of the standings after drawing their games. Batkhuyag Munguntuul and Humpy Koneru split the point in the only direct clash between frontrunners, while Sara Khadem and Kateryna Lagno secured safe draws with the black pieces. Meanwhile, Aleksandra Goryachkina and Alexandra Kosteniuk bounced back from first-round losses with victories over Bibisara Assaubayeva and Tan Zhongyi. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga

2/20/2025 – ChessBase 18 offers a lot of new and powerful functions. On his blog Chess Book Reviews Carl Portman had a close look at the program and was impressed: "I have no hesitation in recommending it to any chess player. We live in a world that can often be depressing and negative – so chess players can have some fun and enjoyment through CB 18 as well as improving their game."

2/20/2025 – Magnus Carlsen continues to dominate the strongest online tournaments in the world. In the Chessable Masters, he first defeated Arjun Erigaisi on the second day of the playoffs in a close match, and then obtained a clear victory over none other than Hikaru Nakamura. The Norwegian thus reached the Grand Final, which will be played on Friday.

2/20/2025 – In his new Game of the Week show Merijn van Delft presents a game from the Djerba Festival - a short and instructive Sicilian, in which Daniel Dardha used a tricky variation to defeat Parham Maghsoodloo. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

2/20/2025 – Chess is an international game, and players of different cultures and backgrounds may be following diverse norms. Something that is highly valued in one culture might be viewed differently in another. So here is a question: does chess need a dress code? Magnus Carlsen was fined during the 2024 World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship in New York for wearing jeans, and GM Zhu Jiner for wearing white laceless winter boots. Here's International Arbiter Shohreh Bayat's take on the subject.