3/30/2025 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In episode 223 of his "Understanding before Moving" show Herman looks at the career of Hikaru Nakamura. | Photo: Pascal Simon

3/29/2025 – The Agzamov Memorial took place from 21 to 29 March in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, attracting a strong field of international players in Group A. Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin claimed outright victory with an unbeaten 8/10 score, finishing ahead of a competitive field that included eight 2600+ rated players. Among the standout performances was 15-year-old Uzbek IM Khumoyun Begmuratov, who secured ninth place with a solid 7/10. | Photo: Uzbekistan Chess Federation

3/29/2025 – Grandmaster Kirill Shevchenko has been handed a three-year worldwide ban, with one year suspended, following allegations of cheating at the 2024 Spanish Team Championship. The FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission (EDC) found that Shevchenko had hidden a mobile phone in a toilet but could not determine with certainty that he had used it to gain an unfair advantage. | Photo: European Chess Union

3/29/2025 – Supported by his powerful pawn f6, White quickly wins from the diagram position. The first two moves may be obvious, but with number three you can 'really go for it' - have fun!

3/29/2025 – Pentala Harikrishna, one of India's finest chess grandmasters, has built a life in Prague, blending his passion for chess with a deep connection to the city. In an insightful interview with Sagar Shah, Harikrishna shares his journey - from his rise in the global chess rankings to his experiences working with world champions Gukesh and Ju Wenjun. As they explore Prague's landmarks, he reflects on the challenges of professional chess, the evolving landscape of Indian chess and the importance of unwavering support from family. | Photo: Amruta Mokal

3/28/2025 – In this sneak peek, IM Robert Ris presents a strategic lesson from his course Mastering Chess Strategy Vol. 2 by analysing his own game against GM Praveen Thipsay. He highlights the importance of king safety and multi-purpose moves, showing how he found a secure setup for his king while activating his rooks for an attack. The game showcases how small strategic decisions can lead to winning positions. The course uses an interactive format where viewers try moves, get feedback, and learn through practice. It’s aimed at players ready to go beyond the basics and refine their positional understanding.

3/28/2025 – Beauty prizes at chess tournaments are great. But there have always been disputes about which game in a tournament deserves this prize. For example, Kateryna Lagno (pictured) felt unjustly ignored when the award was presented at the Women's Grand Prix in Monaco 2025 and has now protested in an open letter. Thorsten Cmiel reports on this dispute, which has political dimensions. | Photo: Niki Riga / FIDE

3/28/2025 – ChessBase Magazine Extra is the ideal supplement to ChessBase Magazine. In the new Extra #224: Videos by Robert Ris: French Advance Variation and Nico Zwirs: Nimzo-Indian with 4.e3 b6. "The brilliancy" of the issue: Alexander Donchenko analyses his Black win against Fabiano Caruana from the Saint Louis Cup 2024. "Lucky bag" with another 43 game analyses by Edouard, Gupta, Knaak and many more. Plus over 40,000 new games for your database. New: The CBM Extra can now also be used as a ChessBase Book in the web browser on iPad, tablet, Mac etc.!

3/28/2025 – When Hikaru Nakamura plays against Fabiano Caruana it is always worth watching. In his new "Game of the Week" show Merijn van Delft takes a look at their latest encounter in the Grand Final of the American Cup 2025. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

3/28/2025 – Sweeping, ornate, individual handwriting may be an expression of personality, but when you enter chess games into databases, they are a nuisance. Henrik Schlößner is familiar with this problem but has now discovered a tool that could save a lot of work and nerves when entering games: the chess scanner.

3/28/2025 – In his new Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris presents a theoretically interesting sharp attacking game, in which both sides made instructive mistakes. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

3/28/2025 – FIDE has launched the Open Chess Museum, an online platform providing free access to a vast archive of chess history as part of its centenary celebrations. Featuring rare artifacts, historical documents, and personal items from top players, the museum offers a comprehensive look at the evolution of the game. Organised into thematic sections, it includes a timeline of chess history, FIDE's institutional development and biographies of world champions. The initiative invites global contributions, ensuring a continuously expanding digital repository.