12/5/2019 – Monday was the official start of the 2nd Grand Prix of 2019/20 Tournament Series for women, with the opening ceremony at the Yacht Club of Monaco. The first round was played on Tuesday. FIDE's Women's Grand Prix in Monaco started with a solitary win by Skolkovo GP winner Humpy Koneru. Live games and commentary starting at 14:00 UTC (15:00 CET / 9:00 AM EST).

12/5/2019 – Pattern recognition is an important tool in modern chess, as it helps you to better understand the characteristics of a position. Particularly when you have been confronted with a surprise opening system played by your opponent, relying on general principles is an asset. In this video series, IM ROBERT RIS explores ten key elements of opening play. While these themes are found throughout chess literature this time you will get actively involved yourself as well!

12/5/2019 – The second round of FIDE Women's Grand Prix at Monaco witnessed four decisive results and four game went for over four hours. Humpy continued her lead by beating Mariya Muzychuk. Harika Dronavalli scored the first victory of the round by defeating Germany no.1 woman IM Elisabeth Paehtz. Lagno won the All-Russian battle and handed Gunina her second consecutive defeat. Newly crowned European Individual Rapid and Blitz champion Alexandra Kosteniuk continued her momentum and broke Goryachkina's mystique by defeating her convincingly. Both Anna Muzychuk and Pia Cramling missed wonderful winning opportunities against Nana Dzagnidze and Zhao Xue respectively. A detailed report of round 2. Photo: Karol Bartnik / FIDE

12/5/2019 – On Wednesday the open European Rapid and Blitz Championships officially got underway. The host is the Estonian Chess Federation. Rapid chess is played on Thursday and Friday, while on Saturday and Sunday the blitz tournament will take centre stage. | Photo: Estonian Chess Federation

12/5/2019 – Ding Liren and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are the finalists of the GCT closing event of the year, as they overcame Levon Aronian and Magnus Carlsen at the rapid and blitz phases of the semis. While Ding won almost unopposed, Vachier-Lagrave only managed to defeat the world champion in overtime — five draws were followed by an exchange of blows that led to the playoffs. Vachier-Lagrave won a wild game out of a Sicilian Najdorf and drew the last 10-minute game to get match victory. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

12/4/2019 – Opening novelties in the Najdorf made IM Merijn van Delft stand up and take notice this week, and he focuses on a game by fan-favourite Vassily Ivanchuk. The live show is free to watch, and available on-demand for ChessBase Premium account holders (but FREE for a limited time!). Merijn is on-demand this week starting at 19:00 UTC (20:00 CET / 4 PM EST).

12/4/2019 – After two classical games in the semi-finals, both matches are tied. The $350,000 London Chess Classic provides a satisfying big-money climax to the 2019 Grand Chess Tour Finals as Magnus Carlsen seeks to round off a memorable year, while Ding Liren looks to put down a marker for a possible first-ever Chinese World Championship challenge in 2020. This year’s 11th Classic also represents a remarkable milestone: 10 successive years of top-class chess festivals in the British capital, organised by the UK charity Chess in Schools and Communities. Live games and commentary from 16:00 UTC (17:00 CET, 11:00 EST).

12/4/2019 – FIDE's Women's Grand Prix in Monaco started with a solitary win by Skolkovo GP winner Humpy Koneru. She had to fight for over five hours against Valentina Gunina from an inferior position to score a victory after enduring the longest grind of the day. Pia Cramling made a good start against Alexandra Kosteniuk but she missed capitalizing on good opportunities and eventually ended up making a draw. The World Championship Challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina held World Blitz Champion Kateryna Lagno, Harika Dronavalli met her match in the form of Nana Dzagnidze, FIDE GP 2019-20 debutant Zhao Xue held Elisabeth Paehtz and the Muzychuk sisters made a peaceful draw in round 1. Photo: Karol Bartnik / FIDE

12/4/2019 – Two more draws were signed on Tuesday at the Grand Chess Tour semi-finals in London. Magnus Carlsen once again looked to surprise Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the opening, to which the Frenchman responded with cautious play. Meanwhile, Ding Liren found himself in an inferior position in his game with White, but Levon Aronian was not in physical conditions to push for more. Rapid and blitz games will decide the finalists on Wednesday. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

12/3/2019 – From London IM Lawrence Trent is on the scene at both the Grand Chess Tour Finals and the London Chess Classic ancillary events, and brings you his take in this Weekly Show. | Puzzle time: In the diagram, it's Black to move! | Lawrence is on-demand this week beginning at 17:00 UTC (18:00 CET / Noon EST) and free for a limited time, or forever on-demand with a ChessBase Basic Account. You can register a free 90-day account to watch.

12/3/2019 – Today Karsten welcomes GM Roeland Pruijssers and IM Nico Zwirs. Live at 14:00 UTC (15:00 CET; 9:00 AM EST) and on-demand for ChessBase account holders. Don't have an account yet? You can register a free 90-day account to watch!

12/3/2019 – The endgame K+R+B against K+R is a theoretical draw. Therefore, the better side should take good care of its pawns before this endgame is reached.