12/2/2024 – Arjun Erigaisi is now officially another player over 2800 behind Carlsen, Caruana and Nakamura in the December FIDE world rankings. Four Chinese players continue to lead the women's ranking and Gukesh D, the world's best junior might soon also be World Champion. Bibisara Assaubayeva is the world's best female junior.

12/2/2024 – Going to the second free day, the match for the FIDE World Championship 2024, between the World Champion Ding Liren and the Challenger D. Gukesh, is tied on 3-3 after six games. Ding seems to be in charge by now, as he has lost a number of opportunities to gain a one or two points lead already! International chess trainer GM Efstratios Grivas provides his take on games five and six.

12/1/2024 – The World Chess Championship in Singapore continues to thrill, with game 6 delivering another intense and closely contested draw. Ding Liren’s choice of the London System and strong preparation put early pressure on Gukesh D, but the young challenger’s resourceful play neutralised the reigning champion’s advantage. A surprising decision by Gukesh to avoid a draw repetition added intrigue, as both players navigated the complexities of a double-rook endgame with precision. As the match enters its second rest day, the score remains tied, with game 7 set to resume the action on Tuesday. | Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An

12/1/2024 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In the 206th episode of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving" Herman looks at the games of Ding Liren. | Photo: Pascal Simon

12/1/2024 – A remote engine does not run on your computer but in a data center. Here you’ll learn why the new remote engine is a smart addition to our proven cloud engines. How to run a remote engine without spending ducats? Why did our Helsinki machines give us quite a scare before the autumn discount day? And how did Fritz wreck a server rack?

12/1/2024 – In the Spotlight article of the ECU magazine we were introduced to the women but also men working behind the scene, doing a fantastic work to support women in chess. They play a key role as players, arbiters, coaches, volunteers, says Antonina Gora from Ireland.

12/1/2024 – The 2024 World Senior Chess Championship concluded on the picturesque island of Porto Santo, with thrilling battles across 11 rounds crowning four champions. Alexander Shabalov (USA) triumphed in the fiercely competitive 50+ open section, edging out Poland's Michal Krasenkow on tiebreaks. Germany’s Rainer Knaak claimed the 65+ open title, while Israel's Masha Klinova secured the 50+ women’s crown, and Brigitte Burchardt (Germany) took the 65+ women’s title. This prestigious event, hosted by the Portuguese Chess Federation, combined top-level play with the idyllic charm of the "Golden Island", drawing participants from around the globe. | Photos: Portuguese Chess Federation

11/30/2024 – The score in the match for the World Championship remains tied, as Gukesh D and Ding Liren drew their fifth game. Ding, played the French Defence with black and missed a crucial chance in a favourable endgame after Gukesh failed to foresee a strong knight manoeuvre. With one game left before the second rest day, we are reaching the midpoint of what continues to be a tense, exciting struggle. | Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An

11/30/2024 – In the diagram position, White can checkmate in five moves by combining his mobile queen with the advanced pawn f6. The challenge for you: calculate everything in your head!

11/30/2024 – Chess fans revel in dazzling sacrifices and intricate checkmates, but the true essence of tactical mastery lies in the understated brilliance of "small combinations". Coined by José Raúl Capablanca, this term refers to concise, 2-3 move tactics, often easy to spot but just as easy to miss. Even grandmasters rely heavily on such calculations, scanning for subtle opportunities in every position. Dive into these examples to uncover the hidden gems of chess strategy and elevate your play.

11/29/2024 – It is an exciting World Championship. Whereas previous matches had started with five, six and even twelve draws, Ding vs Gukesh had two decisive games – and two tense draws – in the first four. We have provided full live commentary, and a good deal of post-game analysis. Up for some more? Here are all three games with comments from a leading chess trainer. There is a lot to learn from his view of things.

11/29/2024 – The World Chess Championship in Singapore remains tied after four games, with Gukesh D holding reigning champion Ding Liren to a draw in their latest encounter. Ding's creative opening, influenced by his second Richard Rapport, tested the young challenger, but Gukesh aptly navigated the complications to secure a solid result with the black pieces. | Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An