11/27/2024 – Dive into the intersection of storytelling and chess education at this month's ECU Discussion Group! These global gatherings empower chess educators to exchange ideas and strategies. This month’s session features Kyla Zhao, author of "May the Best Player Win", and chess journalist Tatiana Flores, discussing the book's inspiring themes of gender equity, performance anxiety, and inclusion in chess. Explore how stories can spark meaningful classroom discussions and foster a more supportive environment for young chess learners!

11/26/2024 – It's safe to say that a *lot* of digital ink has been spilt on Game One, and deservedly so. A casual scan of YouTube alone will turn up summaries and game analysis by every amateur and professional streamer under the sun. But in that tsunami of content some pearls really stand out, and one of those is the C-Squared video with incredibly insightful commentary by Fabiano Caruana.

11/26/2024 – The World Chess Championship in Singapore is heating up as reigning champion Ding Liren leads 1½-½ after two games. Tuesday's second encounter ended in a 23-move draw, allowing 18-year-old challenger Gukesh D to steady his nerves following a tough loss in the opening game. With Ding pacing himself wisely and Gukesh ready to strike back with the white pieces in game three, the stage is set for an intense battle before the first rest day. | Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An

11/26/2024 – On Monday, Ding Liren, the reigning world champion, began a match in Singapore to defend the title against the 18-year-old player Gukesh Dommaraju. According to many of the world's best players, and Ding himself, he is the underdog in the match. Never has a chess world championship titleholder seemed as vulnerable. But now Ding is up on the scoreboard after a remarkable win on opening day. This is what the New York Times published before the start of the match.

11/26/2024 – Passed pawns create problems - how to stop them, how to advance them. In the diagram position it is White to move and while he dreams about advancing his own passed pawns to win, he first has to stop Black's passed pawn. What should he do?

11/25/2024 – If you are a Gukesh fan, this image illustrates not only his feelings of dismay and disbelief after the opening loss, but yours as well. If you were rooting for Ding, then euphoric cheering and fist pumping are likely yours. Regardless, the lengthy history of the World Championship in chess has seen more than one such that ended in redemption for the early loser. | Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An

11/23/2024 – Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious in an entertaining two-game Freestyle Chess match against Fabiano Caruana, held at two stunning venues. The Norwegian claimed a wild first game with white before defending a tense 74-move battle in game two to secure the overall win. Sponsored by Jan-Henric Buettner, the event dazzled with luxury, including a $44 million golden chess set. Just days before the World Championship match between Ding Liren and Dommaraju Gukesh, this exhibition showcased Carlsen's brilliance in this innovative format. | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy / ChessBase India

11/22/2024 – In the latest episode of "Two Knights Talk", Arne Kähler and Johannes Fischer discuss the World Championship match between defending champion Ding Liren and challenger Gukesh D, which starts on Monday 25th November in Singapore. Eighteen-year-old Gukesh is a heavy favourite and has good chances of becoming the youngest World Champion of all time. But the "Two Knights" wonder if things are as clear-cut as they seem, talk about the appeal and addictive nature of World Championship matches, and venture a prediction on the outcome of the upcoming match.

11/22/2024 – ChessBase 18 now provides insights into players that go beyond mere opening statistics. Evaluating players is a somewhat delicate matter, and mistakes could be embarrassing. However, the Style Report hits the mark surprisingly well. For historical stars whose styles are well-known, all the classic clichés are spot-on. Most importantly, you can learn something about your next opponent—or about the most important player of all: yourself.

11/22/2024 – There are tactical motifs which are continuously repeated and can be learned exactly like we learn opening theory. I feel that the correct approach is to collect thematic, nearly identical positions which are involved on similar patterns which you should look for. In this survey I will present an often met tactical motif I call the "Shirov Killer." It was wonderfully demonstrated by legendary GM Alexei Shirov in an Internet blitz game.

11/22/2024 – On 21 and 22 November Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, the world's number 1 and the world's number 2, clash in the "Freestyle Chess Summit" in Singapore. Just before the start of the World Chess Championship match between Gukesh D and Ding Liren, Carlsen and Caruana play two freestyle games with a time limit of 60 minutes for the whole game and 30 seconds increment per move. The games start at 20.00 local time (13.00 CET, 7.00 ET). Follow the event live with commentary by Tania Sachdev and Danny Rensch.

11/21/2024 – In his new Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft praises the new European Champion Aleksandar Indjic by taking a look at his brilliant win against Vladimir Fedoseev at the European Championship. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.