12/24/2025 – This video is a valuable chess lesson by IM Mkrtchian. Watch Lilit walk through a full “real tournament” prep routine in ChessBase 26. Find out how she scouts an opponent in the Mega Database, predict their openings, and steer the game into a line she specifically prepared. The payoff: a sharp Rossolimo move-order trap explained in a super teachable way, plus how she converts the advantage into a clean endgame win.

12/24/2025 – The Global Chess League came to an end in Mumbai with Alpine SG Pipers, led by Fabiano Caruana, claiming overall victory after beating the two-time champions Triveni Continental Kings, captained by Alireza Firouzja. The Continental Kings failed to win the final after a dominant round-robin showing. Third place was claimed by PBG Alaskan Knights, under the leadership of Gukesh Dommaraju, after winning a blitz playoff against Vishy Anand's Ganges Grandmasters. | Photo: Vivek Sohani

12/23/2025 – David Antón Guijarro and Marta García Martín claimed the Absolute and Women's titles at the Spanish Chess Championship 2025 in Marbella. Played as a nine-round Swiss with a 100-player field, the event saw Antón decide the open standings early with a strong start, while the women's title went down to the final round and was settled on tiebreaks after a late swing in fortunes.

12/23/2025 – As reported, the FIDE General Assembly has fully restored the rights of all youth players from Russia and Belarus "in line with IOC recommendations". The FIDE Council also voted to finalise protocols for adult teams following IOC consultation. The English Chess Federation condemned the way these decisions were taken, stating there were multiple abuses of process, which was unconstitutional and in contravention of the FIDE Charter. Here are the press releases of both sides.

12/23/2025 – Wilhelm Steinitz, the first World Champion was far ahead of his time. A new ChessBase Master Class explores Wilhelm Steinitz as a theoretician, practitioner, and driving force of ideas – and shows why his concepts continue to resonate today. Harry Schaack, Editor-in-Chief of the German chess magazine "Karl", has taken a close look at the course and explains in the current issue why Steinitz still provokes, inspires, and surprises.

12/23/2025 – The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League returns for its third season from 14 to 23 December, continuing its franchise-based format that combines elite male and female players. Featuring a team structure, the league again brings together established stars and juniors, with the title to be decided through a double round-robin stage followed by a two-match final. | Follow the action live starting at 11.00 CET (5.00 ET, 15.30 IST)

12/23/2025 – FIDE World Cup 2025: Analyses by Adams, Bluebaum, Donchenko, Grandelius, Shankland, Wei Yi, Wojtaszek and many more – Marshal Attack: just develop: Robert Ris praises the modern 11…Bb7!? – “Giri’s Gems”: The world-class player looks back at eight games from top tournaments of 2025 – “Hello e-file!”: Oliver Reeh poses numerous training questions on 33 games and presents four interactive videos in his tactics column – Topalov-Anand 2005: Dorian Rogozenco looks back at a theoretically important, highly tactical Queen's Indian with the spectacular 14.Nxf7!! – a “Modern Classic” and much more!

12/23/2025 – Caruana's king: In queen endings the question is often, if the attacking king can hide: White to move and win.

12/23/2025 – Last week we saw 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus beating MVL in a match and this week the big news is the second GM norm of 12-year-old Faustino Oro. His first round game against 14-year-old Ilan Schnaider was a very fascinating encounter in the Sicilian Najdorf and therefore our Game of the Week. This new generation of top players seems to have a different take on the game and it's very interesting to investigate how that differs from a more classical approach. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

12/23/2025 – The round-robin phase of the Global Chess League concluded with the finalists confirmed after a closely contested final day. Triveni Continental Kings finished well clear at the top, while Alpine SG Pipers claimed the second finals place on tiebreaks despite losing their last match. Narrow margins elsewhere shaped the final standings, with the Ganges Grandmasters and the PBG Alaskan Knights now set to contest the match for third place. | Pictured: Gukesh Dommaraju (Alaskan Knights) facing Fabiano Caruana (SG Pipers). | Photo: Official website

12/22/2025 – Fellow students, whether composers or solvers, have appreciated it for years, but it is far less known to the wider chess community: since 1991, there has been a giant database of chess. It is the result of the tireless work of Harold van der Heijden, a Dutch collector of endgames and studies, editor, chess organizer, and chess composer. Harold has just turned 65, and the well-known chess study composer has written an article celebrating the launch of the latest 100,000 game edition of the database.

12/22/2025 – As the World Rapid and Blitz Championships approach, Doha will host the leading figures of women's chess alongside the wider elite. From established world champions to Grand Prix winners and fast-time-control specialists, the women's field reflects both depth and continuity at the top of the game. This article outlines the key contenders arriving in Qatar, tracing recent results, rivalries and form, and setting the context for how women's chess has developed ahead of one of the season's flagship events. | All photos: FIDE