4/6/2025 – Shortly before the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam is set to begin, US grandmaster Hans Niemann has withdrawn from the tournament citing personal reasons. He is the second player to exit the event this week, following Alireza Firouzja's earlier withdrawal. Niemann will be replaced by Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The tournament, featuring twelve players for the first time, runs from 7 to 14 April at the Pavillon Chesnaie du Roy in Paris. | Photo: Frans Peeters

4/6/2025 – In game 3 of the Women's World Chess Championship, Ju Wenjun levelled the score by defeating Tan Zhongyi with the white pieces. After choosing a positional sideline against the Sicilian Defence, Ju gradually built a small advantage that she carried into a rook and opposite-coloured bishop endgame. Although the position remained objectively balanced for some time, a mistake on move 60 allowed Ju to convert her extra pawn. The game lasted 87 moves and over five and a half hours. | Photo: Anna Shtourman

4/6/2025 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In episode 224 of his "Understanding before Moving" show Herman looks at the career of Arjun Erigaisi. | Photo: Pascal Simon

4/5/2025 – Thorsten Cmiel keeps a very close eye on the young talents in chess. During the Prague Chess Festival, he paid particular attention to how Divya Deshmukh played. Divya won the girls' category at the 2024 World Junior Championship. | Photo: Petr Vrabec

4/5/2025 – From the diagram White spectacularly checkmated after 25.Bd4! Qxc2. But even with this knowledge the problem remains a tough nut to crack - I hope you enjoy it anyway!

4/5/2025 – Sunil who? He is one of the most successful chess coaches in the USA, running the National Scholastic Chess Foundation (NSCF) teacher training programs. Sunil Weeramantry has looked after literally thousands of budding chess players - including his stepson, who ascended to the top of the chess world. Know who we are talking about. | Pictures by Frederic Friedel and NSCF

4/4/2025 – Our composing tourney, My First Endgame Study, has come to a close, and we are excited to announce the award winners. This inaugural event, a joint venture between the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC) and ChessBase India, drew an impressive response from the chess community, with 35 budding composers submitting a total of 60 entries. The tourney provided a platform for newcomers to showcase their skills and creativity in endgame study composition. We are delighted to present the standout entries that caught the attention of our judge and mentor, Gady Costeff. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all participants for their enthusiastic participation. Special thanks are due to Marjan Kovačević, president of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), without whose invaluable support and encouragement this event would not have been possible.

4/4/2025 – After a draw in the first game, challenger Tan Zhongyi took the lead in by winning the second encounter of the Women's World Championship match. Tan capitalised on an inaccuracy by the defending champion Ju Wen in the rook ending and went on to score a convincing victory. | Photo: Anna Shtourman

4/4/2025 – Fritz trainers can be very helpful: at the top tournament in St. Louis in mid-March, the two American chess superstars Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana followed the recommendations of Jan Werle. In his two-volume video course, Werle analyses the Catalan Opening. The players followed his recommendations and were well-prepared. | Fotos: ChessBase/Pascal Simon

4/4/2025 – In his new Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft looks back at the European Championship, which was won by German grandmaster Matthias Blübaum. Merijn analyses one of the decisive games of the tournament: Blübaum's win against Daniil Yuffa, which helped Blübaum win the tournament. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

4/4/2025 – On Sunday, April 6 at 6 PM CET, the Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy will host an exclusive lecture by GM Alexander Beliavsky, a distinguished chess strategist and coach. The renowned GM will focus on one of the most critical aspects of chess preparation. Learn from the legend.

4/4/2025 – World Autism Month, beginning with World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April, highlights the importance of understanding and inclusion for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Chess has emerged as a valuable tool in supporting children with autism, offering structure, cognitive benefits, and opportunities for social interaction. Infinite Chess, in collaboration with the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, is hosting events throughout April to promote awareness, including online meetups and exhibitions. These initiatives aim to foster acceptance and create supportive environments for individuals with autism.