5/18/2025 – In his new Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris looks at the encounter between Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and World Champion Gukesh at the Superbet Classic in Bucharest. Gukesh tried a popular line in the Scotch, but things soon went wrong for the World Champion. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

5/18/2025 – When you are on the move, it is particularly important that your computer does not consume too much power when analysing. With ChessBase 18, you can conserve your battery and connect to top-quality hardware via a remote engine whenever you need it. This means that the engine installed on your computer can remain off and the computing power is provided by an Internet server. But there are advantages at home too: the wide selection is sure to include engines that are more powerful than the one on your own computer, and the fan stays quiet. In this tutorial series, you will learn how convenient and resource-efficient you can analyse with your engine of choice.

5/18/2025 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In episode 230 of his "Understanding before Moving" show Herman looks at the many achievements of Anish Giri. | Photo: Pascal Simon

5/17/2025 – We are thrilled to announce that GM Antoaneta Stefanova, former Women's World Chess Champion, will be delivering a live lecture at the Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy! Antoaneta is one of the most distinguished figures in contemporary chess. She was a true chess prodigy, won the World Under-10 Championship in 1989 in Puerto Rico and the European Under-14 Championship in 1992. Listen to her live this Sunday.

5/17/2025 – In April, ChessBase released many new video courses and other products. Browse the convenient monthly overview to select your favourites: ChessBase Magazine, the new Master Class episode on Max Euwe, the comprehensive Pirc package, or the various Sicilian and strategy guides. What's more, the holidays are just around the corner, and Fritz & Fertig can make those long journeys a little more enjoyable! Take a look at all of last month's products!

5/17/2025 – The Gotham Chess European Tour made a stop in Berlin on 15 May 2024, where over 400 guests experienced a unique chess event with Levy Rozman, Georgios Souleidis and Judit Polgar. In addition to show formats such as "Guess the Elo", blitz games and interviews, technical perfection and plenty of humour provided the best entertainment. The event ended with a standing ovation and the prospect of a new European tour in the coming years. | All photos: chess.com / Maria Emelianova

5/14/2025 – Zhu Jiner's fifth consecutive win against Nana Dzagnidze propelled her to co-leadership alongside Anna Muzychuk, both with five points, as the Women's Grand Prix in Austria enters its final two rounds. Tan Zhongyi is just half a point behind after defeating Lela Javakhishvili, while Alexandra Kosteniuk secured her second straight win by beating Vaishali Rameshbabu. Mariya Muzychuk claimed her first victory, capitalising on Olga Badelka's mistakes in a chaotic encounter. | Photo: Przemysław Nikiel

5/14/2025 – Following round six of the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest, Alireza Firouzja joined the group of co-leaders with a win over world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a complex struggle from an Italian Opening. With three rounds remaining, Firouzja, Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave share the lead with 3½ points, while Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Bogdan-Daniel Deac are just half a point behind. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/14/2025 – In this episode of Svitlana’s Smart Moves, Svitlana Demchenko introduces the Hedgehog pawn structure, a strategic setup common in the Sicilian Defense, featuring black pawns on a6, b6, d6, and e6. She emphasizes the educational value of understanding pawn structures for overall middle-game improvement, using a Kasparov–Kramnik game as a case study. Svitlana explains typical plans for both sides: white often uses space advantage and looks for a queenside breakthrough with moves like b4 and c5, while black prepares central or queenside pawn breaks like d5 or b5, and, much to Arne's delight, may even launch a kingside attack with …g5. But it might be better to stick to the queenside pawn advancing!

5/13/2025 – In the Endgame Magic Show #297, Karsten Müller continues to analyse endgames from the Women's World Championship match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi. Defending champion Ju Wenjun won the match 6.5-2.5 and impressed with her endgame skills. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

5/13/2025 – 2025 is a year of farewells. After Robert Huebner, another great player and outstanding personality in the world of chess has passed away: Vlastimil Hort. Vlastimil Hort was one of the best players in the world in the 1970s. After moving to Germany he entertained television viewers with his subtle humour on the programme 'Schach der Großmeister'. | Photo: Alina l'Ami

5/13/2025 – FIDE's Ethics and Disciplinary Commission has imposed a provisional 60-day suspension on GM Christopher Yoo, effective from 9 May 2025, following a second complaint alleging harassment. The suspension relates to two separate complaints, including one filed by the US Chess Federation (USCF), which previously banned Yoo for a year and placed him on five years' probation. The USCF has requested that FIDE recognise and enforce its sanction globally, a matter still under investigation by the EDC. | Photo: Niklesh Jain / ChessBase India