4/10/2025 – The first day of the quarterfinals at the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam saw Magnus Carlsen claim the only win, defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov with white. The remaining games ended in draws, including a complex encounter between Arjun Erigaisi and Hikaru Nakamura, who tested the experimental "Nepo Gambit". Nakamura managed to equalise after a difficult start and eventually got an edge, but the game ended peacefully. Abdusattorov must now win on Thursday to force tiebreaks and keep his hopes of reaching the semifinals alive. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

4/10/2025 – In his new Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft takes a look at the European Women's Championship as it nears the finish line. With two rounds to go, Teodora Injac from Serbia is leading with 8.0/9. In round 8, she won an important and exciting game against Bela Khotenashvili. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

4/10/2025 – One method that enables a rook to draw against two advanced pawns in an endgame is, as explained in a previous article, is known as the ‘Prokeš Manoeuvre’. This scheme will allow you to draw in desperate-looking positions, or win when the defence can be overcome. Today you get eight test positions from international trainer GM Efstratios Grivas. They will tell you if you have thoroughly understood the concept.

4/9/2025 – In the women's world rankings, Ju Wenjun (pictured), ranked 2nd, and Tan Zhongyi, ranked 3rd, are separated by just six Elo points. But in the fifth game of their World Championship match, the defending champion Ju Wenjun came to a clear victory after Tan Zhangyi misplayed the opening. She then tried to stir up trouble by giving material, but Ju Wenjun defended carefully and took a 3-2 lead in the match. | Photo: Anna Shtourman

4/9/2025 – Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi are the winners of the rapid preliminary of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris. Thanks to a strong finish Vincent Keymer also made it into the knockout stage. As did Vachier-Lagrave, Erigaisi, Abdusattorov, Nakamura and Caruana. | Photos: Lennart Ootes/ Freestyle Chess

4/9/2025 – Organising top level chess tournaments is not easy. In a video interview on Take Take Take, Jan Henrich Buettner, the driving force behind the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, talks about the negotiations with Alireza Firouzja and how they failed.

4/8/2025 – In a fight bishop against knight, the knight usually wants to keep things under control while bishops like dynamics. In the diagram position it is White to move and win. What would you do?

4/8/2025 – Hans Niemann, who received a wild card for the 2025 Freestyle tournament in Paris after winning the Grenke Open in 2024, has cancelled his participation in Paris at very short notice - for personal reasons. In a video interview with chess.com, organiser Jan Henric Buettner talks about the circumstances of Niemann's withdrawal.

4/8/2025 – The ‘Prokeš Manoeuvre’ is a tactic that enables a rook to draw against two advanced pawns in an endgame. It is a very important endgame scheme that will allow you to draw in desperate-looking positions, or win when the defence can be overcome. Take a look at this position. Would you be able to draw with white? And how would you do it? Let international trainer Efstratios Grivas explain everything.

4/8/2025 – After six rounds of rapid play on the opening day of the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, Magnus Carlsen and Nodirbek Abdusattorov lead the standings with 5 points each. Abdusattorov remained undefeated, while Carlsen suffered a single loss to Arjun Erigaisi. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave follows closely with 4½ points. At the lower end, Richard Rapport and Vidit Gujrathi are struggling with just 1 point each. The final five games of the round-robin will be played on Tuesday, deciding the eight knockout qualifiers. | Photo: Stev Bonhage

4/7/2025 – In his Endgame Magic Show #292, Karsten Müller looks at endgame highlights from the German Bundesliga, arguably the world's strongest national league. Enjoy! | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

4/7/2025 – In all four games of the match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi for the Women's World Championship, an endgame was on the board. In the fourth game, Tan Zhongyi had several good opportunities with White to put Ju Wenjun under pressure with precise play, but she didn't take these chances, and so the game ended in a draw. | Photos: Anna Shtourman