4/29/2025 – Kicking off the 2025 Grand Chess Tour is the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, the first of three speed chess events, which is taking place on April 26-30 in Warsaw. The event starts with 9 rounds of rapid action, followed by 18 rounds of blitz. Included in the field are young elite GMs such as Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Alireza Firouzja alongside former world champion Veselin Topalov. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST)

4/27/2025 – FIDE has announced the first group of recipients for its 2025 support programme for chess veterans, awarding a total of €21,500 to eleven distinguished players, coaches and organisers. Among those honoured are Grandmasters Jesús Nogueiras, Igor Zaitsev and Petar Velikov, alongside prominent figures such as Valentina Kozlovskaya and Marija Petrović. This initiative, now in its eleventh year, has so far distributed nearly €500,000, recognising the lifelong contributions of veterans to the global chess community. The next awards will be made in late 2025.

4/27/2025 – From Friday to Sunday, the teams from the Bundesliga and the Women's Bundesliga will play their final rounds together in Deggendorf. Düsseldorf and Bad Königshofen have the best chances of winning the championship. The question of relegation is still open. Live here: Friday from 16.00 CEST, Saturday from 14.00, Sunday from 10.00.

4/26/2025 – This new interactive ChessBase video course by GM Fabien Libiszewski offers over eight hours of detailed instruction on the Pirc Defence, a dynamic opening for players seeking winning chances with black. Grandmaster Libiszewski guides viewers through key games and a complete repertoire, helping players grasp the main strategic ideas and counterplay opportunities. Suitable for both English and French speakers, the course also allows users to save games and variations for further study, making it a valuable addition to any ambitious player's training.

4/26/2025 – With three out of eight events completed, the race for a spot in the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament is intensifying. Ju Wenjun leads the standings with 86.5 points, closely followed by Humpy Koneru on 84, after strong performances in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships. Former champions and rising stars, including Tan Zhongyi, Kateryna Lagno and Afruza Khamdamova, remain in contention. The series resumes in May with the final Women's Grand Prix leg in Austria, keeping qualification hopes alive for seventeen players.

4/25/2025 – FIDE has launched the Social Chess Storytelling Challenge 2025, inviting filmmakers, federations, and changemakers worldwide to share short films that showcase the social impact of chess. Under the theme "Every Move Counts", the competition seeks stories of resilience, inclusion, and opportunity inspired by the game. Open to all, with professional and grassroots categories, submissions run from 24 April to 25 October. Winning entries will be honoured at the 2026 Olympiad and featured across FIDE’s platforms and global events.

4/24/2025 – The ninth edition of the Semana Santa Open, held in San Vicente del Raspeig (Alicante) from 16 to 21 April, consolidated the event as a feature on the European circuit. With more than 700 participants, including 235 titled players from more than 50 countries, the event stood out for its high competitive level. Reigning world rapid champion Volodar Murzin won the main tournament, while Lu Shanglei and Vasyl Ivanchuk claimed second and third place, respectively. | Photo: Luis Barona

4/23/2025 – The fifth leg of the 2024/25 Women's Grand Prix series is taking place in Pune, India, on 14–23 April. A 10-player single round-robin, the event has Humpy Koneru, Zhu Jiner and Polina Shuvalova as the top seeds. The top two finishers in the series will qualify for the next edition of the Women's Candidates Tournament. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 11.00 CEST (5.00 ET, 14.30 IST)

4/22/2025 – Most players prefer to attack rather than defend. But what is the correct way to do it? GM Dr Karsten Müller has compiled many rules and motifs to guide you, along with sharpening your intuition for the exceptions. This week only: instead of €29.90, only €19.90 Get it now and strengthen your attacking play!

4/21/2025 – The Grenke Freestyle Chess Open is taking place from 17 to 21 April at the Karlsruhe Convention Centre in Germany. The tournament follows a nine-round Swiss format with a classical time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move. Players from the parallel Grenke Chess Open could switch to the Freestyle event between rounds two and five while keeping their scores. | Follow the games live with expert commentary.

4/20/2025 – Renowned US chess trainer and International Master John Watson had a close look at the recently released ChessBase 18 for a review in Chess Life. He concluded: "Casual online players will understandably not feel the need for such a powerful tool, but anyone serious about significantly improving their chess will almost certainly benefit from this program". The review first appeared in Chess Life 4/2025. Reprinted with kind permission.

4/18/2025 – The 2025 FIDE Women's World Championship Match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi concluded after nine intense games played across two cities. In over 517 moves and nearly 38 hours of play, both competitors delivered sharp openings, complex middlegames and dramatic endgames. Ju emerged victorious for a fifth consecutive time, but not without serious resistance from Tan. With standout performances, including a 98% accuracy win in Game 8, the match will be remembered for its fighting spirit. | Photo: Anna Shtourman

4/16/2025 – The Classical Sicilian remains one of the most resilient and strategically rich responses to 1.e4. In this new ChessBase course, Grandmaster S.P. Sethuraman offers an in-depth guide to this time-tested defence, covering key lines such as 6.Bg5, 6.f3 and 6.Bc4. Designed for ambitious club players and competitive improvers alike, the course balances theoretical depth with practical insight, featuring model games, tactical drills and move-order nuances. With over five hours of video content, it’s a comprehensive repertoire for Black.

4/14/2025 – The second tournament of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam is taking place in Paris, France on 7-14 April. The elite participants, including Magnus Carlsen and Gukesh Dommaraju, first play a single round-robin with a 10+10 time control. Eight out of twelve 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 CEST (7.00 ET, 16.30 IST)

4/13/2025 – The fifth leg of the 2024–25 FIDE Women's Grand Prix will be held in Pune, India, from 13–24 April. Organised by the Maharashtra Chess Association and FIDE, the tournament brings together ten top players as the series nears its conclusion. With just two events remaining, the race for qualification to the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament is intensifying. Aleksandra Goryachkina leads the standings, but several players still have a shot at the second qualifying spot in this pivotal round-robin event.

4/7/2025 – On 26 January Fridrik Olafsson celebrated his 90th birthday. Just a few weeks later the first Icelandic chess grandmaster and former FIDE President (1978-1982) passed away. He died last Friday after a short illness. An obituary from FIDE... | Photo: FIDE

4/7/2025 – World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh (19 years old) and one of the most popular chess moderators, Sagar Shah, will show you how to become a better attacking player. Gukesh presents his own games, from which you will not only learn how to attack, but also how to set up an attack. He explains his games in detail and at the key positions, Sagar Shah asks the right questions from the point of view of an amateur player. This is extremely instructive and very entertaining! World-class chess training that is fun! This week only: instead of €39.90, only €29.90 Get it now!

4/4/2025 – World Autism Month, beginning with World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April, highlights the importance of understanding and inclusion for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Chess has emerged as a valuable tool in supporting children with autism, offering structure, cognitive benefits, and opportunities for social interaction. Infinite Chess, in collaboration with the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, is hosting events throughout April to promote awareness, including online meetups and exhibitions. These initiatives aim to foster acceptance and create supportive environments for individuals with autism.