2/4/2025 – FIDE published the new world rankings at the beginning of February, but they are no longer completely up-to-date, as the tournament in Wijk aan Zee could not be considered. Carlsen remains number one, but Caruana, who is ranked second in the FIDE world rankings, fell to fourth place in the live ratings list. Hou Yifan remains number one among the women; the best junior is still Gukesh Dommaraju, followed by Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu; and with Divya Deshmukh the best junior among the women also comes from India.

2/4/2025 – A queen is usually much stronger than pawns. But against far advanced passed pawns she has to be careful. In the diagram position, which is from a game between Vincent Keymer and Georg Meier, it is White to move and win. What would you do?

2/4/2025 – Ready to test your wits, your ability to handle unusual chess problems? We have selected three really challenging examples for you to solve – problems that have come up with some outrageous ideas. See if you can find them, and record the time it takes you to solve them. In a week we will provide you with the full solutions, diligently explained in YouTube videos.

2/3/2025 – The conflict between Freestyle Chess and the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has intensified after Jan Henric Buettner, representing Freestyle Chess, released an open letter criticizing FIDE's approach to negotiations over the recognition of the Freestyle Chess Tour. The letter alleges player coercion and broken agreements. In response, FIDE issued a press release reaffirming its authority over World Championship titles and setting conditions for players participating in the Freestyle Chess Tour. | Photo: ChessBase India

2/3/2025 – The German "Bundesliga" is arguably the strongest national league in the world, and many top players regularly travel to Germany to support their teams. In his Endgame Magic Show #286, Karsten Müller looks at endgame highlights from the Bundesliga, which played again last weekend. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

2/3/2025 – The 2025 Tata Steel Chess Tournament concluded with a thrilling final day in both the Masters and Challengers sections. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu emerged as the Masters champion after defeating fellow Indian star Gukesh Dommaraju in a dramatic blitz playoff. The classical games saw Arjun Erigaisi and Vincent Keymer upsetting the frontrunners, while Max Warmerdam stunned top seed Fabiano Caruana. In the Challengers, Thai Dai Van Nguyen claimed first place on tiebreaks, securing a spot in next year’s Masters after finishing level on points with Aydin Suleymanli. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

2/3/2025 – Britain’s top chess players will converge on Liverpool from July 31 to August 10 as the English Chess Federation’s flagship annual event comes to the city for only the second time. The organisers hope to put on the strongest event in its 121-year history. It will culminate in new British champions being named at all age groups.

2/3/2025 – The Modern Steinitz (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 d6!?) is an uncompromising counterattacking weapon that lets Black put White under pressure from the very start. With this course, you’ll master two sharp and dynamic approaches: the swashbuckling Siesta Variation (5 c3 f5!) and the fiery Fishing Pole Attack (5 0-0 Bg4 6 h3 h5!).

2/2/2025 – When should you take the plunge on a risky move? GM Jon Speelman explores this question by diving deep into a single position from his recent 4NCL game against IM Richard Palliser. Analysing a critical moment in the Caro-Kann, Speelman weighs the dangers of a bold knight leap and the fine margins between courage and calamity. His conclusion? Sometimes, the gamble is worth it — especially if the worst outcome is losing in style.

2/2/2025 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In episode 215 of his "Understanding before Moving" show Herman looks at the career of legacy of Judit Polgar. | Photo: Pascal Simon

2/2/2025 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won the 2025 Tata Steel Masters after beating world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a blitz tiebreaker. The two Indian stars entered the final round tied for first place and, notably, both lost their classical games on Sunday. Pragg then won the blitz tiebreaker by a 2-1 score after Gukesh misplayed a knight endgame in the third encounter. Meanwhile, Czech GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen won the Challengers, as he had a better tiebreak score than Aydin Suleymanli, who finished tied for first in the single round-robin. | Replay all the games with computer-assisted analysis. Full report to follow shortly.

2/1/2025 – With one round to go at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Gukesh Dommaraju and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu are tied for first place in the Masters after Pragg claimed a third consecutive win, this time against Alexey Sarana. Meanwhile, the Challengers section saw a dramatic penultimate round, with Erwin l’Ami drawing his game while Thai Dai Van Nguyen and Aydin Suleymanli won to create a three-way tie at the top. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes