10/18/2024 – Arjun Erigaisi won the WR Chess Masters Cup after defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in Armageddon. Arjun, who won each of his earlier matches in classical chess, faced MVL, who had reached the final exclusively through Armageddon victories. After two drawn classical games, Arjun kept his composure under time pressure and won with black in the tiebreaker, securing the championship in a hard-fought contest. | Photo: ChessBase India / Abhyudaya Ram

10/17/2024 – Immediately after the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, a number of top players, including Anand, Firouzja and Erigaisi, compete in the WR Chess Masters (14-18 October), a knockout tournament with short classical time control. Arjun Erigaisi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave have reached the finals after knocking out tough opponents in previous rounds. The participants play 2-game matches - and as both games ended in a draw, an Armageddon game will decide the tournament.

10/17/2024 – We told you about the six-part dramatic re-enactment of the epic 1997 match between Garry Kasparov and the super-computer Deep Blue. The movie, due for broadcast today, and can also be viewed in full on the ARTE web site or on Youtube. As someone who experienced practically every minute of the drama in real life, back in 1985-86, I could track all the discrepancies. But on the whole the movie was well told and enjoyable.

10/17/2024 – The fifth round of the US Championships was overshadowed by a serious incident. After Christopher Yoo was defeated by Fabiano Caruana, he lost his nerve: he crumpled up his scoresheet and then stormed out of the tournament hall. In the process, he punched a videographer in the back. The organisers notified the police and Yoo was expelled from the tournament. His previous results were cancelled, including his defeat against Caruana. Nevertheless, Caruana is in the lead with 3 out of 4 points, ahead of Awonder Liang and Hans Niemann with 3 out of 5. In the women's tournament, Carissa Yip continued her winning streak and claimed her fifth victory in a row. | Photo: Screenshot from the Siant Louis Chess Club webcast

10/17/2024 – In his new Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft takes an excursion into the world of computer chess and presents an absolutely crazy game, in which two computers tested their tactical skills. Which led to an incredible slugfest. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

10/17/2024 – Arjun Erigaisi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave secured their places in the final of the WR Chess Masters Cup after winning their semifinal matches on Wednesday. Arjun defeated fellow Indian Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, while MVL triumphed over Alireza Firouzja in an Armageddon tiebreaker. The final, set to take place on Thursday, will feature two games played at 11.00 and 18.00 CEST. | Photo: ChessBase India / Abhyudaya Ram

10/16/2024 – The Polish Team Championship was a tight race which saw Klub Sportowy Gwiazda Bydgoszcz coming out on top. The champions scored as many team points as VOTUM SA Polonia Wrocław, but outscored the runners-up by 2 board points. Oliwia Kiolbasa's 7½/9 performance was crucial for Bydgoszcz's overall victory. | Photos: Kamil Gałuszka

10/16/2024 – The quarterfinals of the WR Chess Masters Cup took place on Tuesday. Arjun Erigaisi and Alireza Firouzja advanced with victories in classical chess, while Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won their matches in the Armageddon tiebreak. Notably, Raunak Sadhwani forfeited his first game against Firouzja. The semifinals will see all-Indian and all-French matchups as the tournament progresses.

10/15/2024 – The World Rapid & Blitz Championships will take place from 26 to 31 December in New York City. As recently announced by FIDE, the events will be held in historic venues at the heart of New York's financial district: Cipriani Wall Street and 48 Wall Street, historic architectural landmarks which have previously housed organisations as prestigious as the New York Stock Exchange and the Museum of American Finance.

10/15/2024 – Fabiano Caruana took the lead in the US Championship after defeating Abhimanyu Mishra with the white pieces in round 4. In the women's tournament, Carissa Yip still has a perfect score. The defending champion played a spectacular game featuring a number of tactical shots to beat eight-time US women's champion Irina Krush. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

10/15/2024 – On Monday the first round of the WR Chess Masters was played in London. It is a 16 player knockout tournament, in which each match consists of two games. In case of a 1-1 tie, Armageddon decides. In the first round the favourites got through, but some only just. In the first game of her match against Nodirbek Abdusattorov Alexandra Kosteniuk turned a lost position into a win, but then she lost the second game of the match and the subsequent Armageddon game. | Photo: Tao Bhokanandh

10/15/2024 – In an endgame a strong passed pawn is usually a big asset. In the diagram position it is White to move and win. What would you do?