8/20/2024 – The two most anticipated matchups of the Sinquefield Cup were seen in the very first round of the event. The duel between World Championship contenders Ding Liren and D Gukesh ended drawn after Ding went for a trying line with the white pieces only to see Gukesh defending the position accurately. Meanwhile, the two frontrunners in the Grand Chess Tour standings, Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja, played a tense, 85-move game. Firouzja ended up prevailing with the black pieces. | Photo: Crystal Fuller

8/20/2024 – In pawn endings, precise calculation is important. In the diagram position, Black is a pawn up and can win. What would you do?

8/20/2024 – Three games ended decisively in the exciting fifth round of the Tbilisi Women's Grand Prix. Nana Dzagnidze and Mariya Muzychuk grabbed full points to join the lead, while Sara Khadem (pictured) obtained an uplifting victory after having struggled in the previous 4 rounds. Dzagnidze and M. Muzychuk are sharing the lead with Stavroula Tsolakidou and Bibisara Assaubayeva. | Photo: FIDE / Anna Shtourman

8/19/2024 – In the Endgame Magic Show #280 Karsten Müller and Arne Kähler have fun with two interesting rook endgames. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

8/19/2024 – Nico Zwirs beat Christopher Yoo with white to become the outright winner of the A-Open in the 51st edition of the Dortmund Chess Festival. Out of a Sicilian Defence, the Dutch GM first defended resourcefully and then showed excellent technique in a rook ending. In the match between Elisabeth Paehtz and Dinara Wagner, a sixth draw (in six games) was signed on Sunday. | Photos: Hoogeveen Chess 2018 / Frans Peeters

8/19/2024 – In this week's Summer Special you can save a lot on our Fritztrainer packages. They are by Jan Markos, a Slovak grandmaster, coach, and author, a former European Youth Champion; and by Robert Ris, an International Master from The Netherlands, who nowadays is active mainly as an online chess trainer. You can get Jan Markos Middlegame Secrets Vol.1 +2 for €39.90 (instead of €59.80) and Robert Ris Calculation Trainingfor €79.90 (instead of €119.60). Don't miss your chance!

8/19/2024 – Alexandra Kosteniuk joined Stavroula Tsolakidou and Bibisara Assaubayeva in the lead of the Tbilisi Women's Grand Prix after beating Sara Khadem in the fourth round. It was a single mistake by Khadem which gave Kosteniuk the win. Meanwhile, Nana Dzagnidze held a draw from an inferior position in a 102-move game against Anna Muzychuk. | Photo: FIDE / Anna Shtourman

8/19/2024 – Hans Niemann defeated Nikita Vitiugov by a crushing 27½-14½ score in their 5-day match at the Gem Fitzrovia Hotel in London. The contest consisted of 6 classical, 6 rapid and 12 blitz games, with Niemann prevailing in all three formats. His 8-4 victory in the rapid was particularly important, as it forced Vitiugov to take too many risks in Sunday's blitz session - a strategy that badly backfired, as Niemann got a 9-3 win in the final segment of the match. | Photo: Frans Peeters

8/18/2024 – The final stage of the 2024 Grand Chess Tour, the Sinquefield Cup, will take place on 19-29 August in Saint Louis. Alireza Firouzja and Fabiano Caruana will be fighting for first place not only in the classical round-robin but also in the GCT overall standings. Meanwhile, chess enthusiasts will follow the performances of Ding Liren and D Gukesh closely, as they are set to play the World Championship match in Singapore in three months' time. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

8/18/2024 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In the 191st episode of his ChessBase show "Understanding before moving" Herman continues his series "Chess history in a nutshell" and continues to look at the career of Jan Timman, world class player, study composer, renowned author and bohemian. | Photo: Pascal Simon

8/18/2024 – From 10 to 18 August, Dortmund has once again become the summer chess capital in Germany. Besides a highly competitive open tournament, Elisabeth Paehtz and Dinara Wagner are playing a 6-game match to see who is the number one woman player in Germany. | Follow the action live starting at 15.00 CEST (9.00 ET, 18.30 IST) | Photo: Dariusz Gorzinski

8/18/2024 – Hans Niemann is facing three of the world's strongest players in head-to-head matchups that each includes blitz, rapid and classical games. After beating Giri in Utrecht, the US star made his way to London to face Vitiugov, currently ranked first among English chess players. The blitz section kicks off on Sunday, 18 August at 19.00 CEST (13.00 ET, 22.30 IST). | Photo: Frans Peeters