2/8/2025 – The 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss and Women's Grand Swiss will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 3 to 15 September, marking the first time the event is hosted in the country. With a growing chess presence and past successes in global tournaments, Uzbekistan continues to establish itself as a major hub for the game. The tournament will offer direct qualification spots for the 2026 Candidates and an increased prize fund of at least 30%.
2/8/2025 – The inaugural tournament of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam is taking place in Weissenhaus, Germany on 7-14 February. The elite participants, including Magnus Carlsen and Gukesh Dommaraju, first play a single round-robin with a 10+10 time control. Eight out of ten players then move on to the knockout stage, played with a classical time control. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 13.00 CET (7.00 ET, 17.30 IST)
2/5/2025 – Sagar Shah is the founder of ChessBase India, a trainer, organiser and author. He is a regular guest at top tournaments around the world and has made countless videos filming chess events and interviewing top players and organisers. But during a visit to the ChessBase studio he changed roles and was interviewed. He talked to Johannes Fischer about his enthusiasm for chess, his chess career, his chess wedding and revealed why he is fascinated by mountain climbing.
2/5/2025 – The 8th edition of the "Ciudad de Montevideo Open" is underway at the Montevideo Municipality Conference Center, bringing together players from across South America. With over $5,000 in prizes, the tournament has attracted top players such as Egyptian GM Samy Shoker and Argentine IMs Lucas Coro and Julian Villca. After five rounds, four players share the lead. Meanwhile, the Chess Promotional Tournament offers a platform for amateurs and players rated under 1800.
2/5/2025 – Ding Liren remains at the top of the FIDE Circuit 2025 standings, having earned 40.64 points from his world title match against Gukesh Dommaraju. Following the Tata Steel Masters, Praggnanandhaa Ramesbabu has moved into second place, while Gukesh and Nodirbek Abdusattorov follow closely behind. Other players who participated in the Wijk aan Zee event have also entered the leaderboard. With six circuit-eligible tournaments scheduled for February, the standings are expected to evolve in the coming weeks.
2/1/2025 – The 2025 Champions Chess Tour kicks off with the Chessable Masters on February 16, featuring a faster 10+0 time control for added excitement. With only two online events to earn CCT points, the stakes are higher than ever. Top stars, including Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, are set to compete. The Tour will culminate in the prestigious Esports World Cup, where players will battle for a historic $1,500,000 prize fund. | Photo: chess.com / Maria Emelianova
2/2/2025 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won the 2025 Tata Steel Masters after beating world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a blitz tiebreaker. The two Indian stars entered the final round tied for first place and, notably, both lost their classical games on Sunday. Pragg then won the blitz tiebreaker by a 2-1 score after Gukesh misplayed a knight endgame in the third encounter. Meanwhile, Czech GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen won the Challengers, as he had a better tiebreak score than Aydin Suleymanli, who finished tied for first in the single round-robin. | Replay all the games with computer-assisted analysis. Full report to follow shortly.
1/29/2025 – The FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission Appeal Chamber has upheld and strengthened sanctions against IM Andrejs Strebkovs for severe misconduct, extending his ban to 12 years and revoking his International Master title. The ruling follows a thorough review of evidence, including police findings, confirming his involvement in sending offensive materials to female players, some of them minors. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich affirmed the decision as a vital step in safeguarding the sport's integrity and its players' well-being.
1/29/2025 – The dispute between FIDE and Freestyle Chess continues. After Jan Henric Buettner attacked FIDE in an interview with Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Buettner has now published an open letter to FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky. In this letter he addresses the development of the conflict, and concludes by saying: "Freestyle seeks peace, not conflict. We are still willing to contribute $50,000 annually to ensure the players are left undisturbed." Sutovsky was quick to respond, sharing his view of the conflict on X/Twitter, although he did not comment on Buettner's offer. | Picture: Pixabay
1/27/2025 – Over the past 18 months, the "Chess for Protection" programme has transformed lives in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, Kenya, using chess as a tool for empowerment and development. Led by FIDE's Sonja Johnson, the initiative has built sustainable infrastructure, introduced chess to over 2,100 students, and achieved global recognition. From organising youth championships to fostering partnerships with UNHCR, the programme highlights the game's power to inspire resilience and community building among refugees.
1/25/2025 – GM Robert Hovhannisyan and WIM Susanna Gaboyan successfully defended their crowns at the 2025 Armenian Championships in Yerevan, with Hovhannisyan clinching his third national title and Gaboyan securing her seventh. Held at the Tigran Petrosian Chess House from January 14-22, the championships showcased intense competition. Hovhannisyan dominated the open section, while Gaboyan triumphed in a close race. | Photos: Armenian Chess Federation
1/24/2025 – The 2025 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships will be held in London from 10 to 16 June, offering a record $500,000 prize fund. Now in its third edition, the event will bring together top players, emerging talents, and amateurs in mixed-team competition. With London’s rich history of hosting major chess tournaments, the championship is set to showcase high-level chess while highlighting the city’s role in the global chess boom.
1/21/2025 – Freestyle Chess is an alternative to standard chess involving a number of top players. As the best tournament of its kind, the Freestyle Grand Slam has the status of a world championship, but FIDE reserves the right to this brand name, as it emphasised in a statement today. At the end of the year there were already some differences between the parties involved on this issue.
1/17/2025 – The World Chess Hall of Fame invites you to embark on a whimsical journey with "Paws and Pawns: Exploring Animal Chess Sets", an enchanting exhibition running from 30 January to 31 August 2025. Featuring over 50 animal-themed chess sets from around the globe, this family-friendly showcase highlights the creativity of artists who reimagine the chessboard through the lens of the natural world. From regal lions to playful mice, these unique designs celebrate the diversity of wildlife and artistic traditions!
1/11/2025 – The second edition of the FIDE World Cup for young chess players promises to be a landmark event, running from 22 June to 3 July 2025 in picturesque Batumi, Georgia. Open to players under 12 across six categories, this prestigious tournament features two stages of intense competition. Participants will enjoy world-class facilities, seaside views and vibrant side events, including a blitz Tournament and excursions. | Photo: Mark Livshitz
1/10/2025 – Garry Kasparov, a chess legend revered worldwide, continues to inspire new generations through the Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup. This unique online tournament offers university teams the chance to earn a coveted reward: a training session with Kasparov himself. In its fourth edition, 494 students from 117 universities across six continents competed fiercely online. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley triumphed, securing their dream session with the former world champion.
1/7/2025 – In the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, chess is transforming lives through the Girls Club "Chess for Protection" initiative, launched by FIDE and UNHCR in 2021. Targeting young refugee girls, the programme combines chess lessons with life skills, fostering confidence, mental well-being, and hope in a safe environment. With over 250 participants annually across three schools, the initiative empowers these girls through training with world-class educators, a book club and workshops led by inspiring figures.
1/1/2025 – The chess world is awash with resources for players looking to up their game, from countless articles and books to videos. Although relatively scarcer, a wealth of instructional material also exists for those interested in chess solving. But few have ventured to teach how to compose a chess study or a problem - no definitive course or authoritative guide for this aspect of chess. Yet, like playing and solving, composing, too, is a teachable skill — or at least that is what Gady Costeff, the writer of the present article, believes. To put his notion to the test, he demonstrates how to craft an endgame study by starting with an attractive mate position and then working backwards, guided by a series of straightforward questions.
Videos by Leon Mendonca: French and Nico Zwirs: King's Indian. “Lucky bag” with 50 analyses by Ganguly, Giri, Praggnanandhaa and many more + two video analyses by Josefine Heinemann (in German)
The Reti Opening Powerbook 2025 has a tree structure based on a mixture of over 295,000 computer chess games, played in the engine room of playchess.com and the best games played by humans (137,000).
Reti Opening Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains 10989 high-class games from the Mega 2025 or the Correspondence Database 2024, 1069 of which are annotated.
After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6!?, Black takes the initiative, luring White into overextending their central pawns, only to dismantle them with precise counterplay. The Tango is not just an opening – it’s a weapon, designed for players who want to win as Black
Videos by Leon Mendonca: French and Nico Zwirs: King's Indian. “Lucky bag” with 50 analyses by Ganguly, Giri, Praggnanandhaa and many more + two video analyses by Josefine Heinemann (in German)
The Reti Opening Powerbook 2025 has a tree structure based on a mixture of over 295,000 computer chess games, played in the engine room of playchess.com and the best games played by humans (137,000).
Reti Opening Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains 10989 high-class games from the Mega 2025 or the Correspondence Database 2024, 1069 of which are annotated.
After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6!?, Black takes the initiative, luring White into overextending their central pawns, only to dismantle them with precise counterplay. The Tango is not just an opening – it’s a weapon, designed for players who want to win as Black
Catalan Powerbook based on over 470,000 high-class games, most of them played by engines.
€9.90
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