9/23/2024 – If you don't know your opening variations inside out, you can be shipwrecked right from the start. If you don't know how to build a fortress, you will end up resigning some of your games without needing to. In the last issue of ChessBase Magazine, Dorian Rogozenco started his series “The fortress”, which will gradually develop into a systematic collection of classical fortresses. In the new issue CBM #221, he presents two related motifs from the endgame bishop+pawn vs. pawn. The former coach of the German national team starts by explaining the motifs in the video. This is followed by no less than five interactive videos in which you can playfully put your building skills to the test. Take a look at the CBM reading sample of the week!

9/23/2024 – Can you mate with two bishops? And how about with bishop and knight? Really, can you do it, if it comes up in a tournament game? Before that happens, it would be well to check. You can do it easily by playing it against our diagrams. And if you have trouble, let Gauri Shankar, chess trainer from Chicago, give you instructions. In addition try and solve our puzzle by finding the long-range strategic solution.

9/23/2024 – The closing ceremony of the 45th Chess Olympiad was held at the BOK Sports and Conference Centre, as the tournament's playing hall was transformed into a celebratory space. The atmosphere was light-hearted, with players shedding the seriousness and pressure of the event. Besides the awards for the teams that reached the podium in both sections, individual medals were given to the best performers on each board. | Photo: FIDE

9/22/2024 – India made history by achieving a double gold in the Chess Olympiad, winning outright in both the open and women's sections. Both Indian teams dominated in the final round, securing convincing 3½-½ victories. In the open section, Dommaraju Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi led the way, while Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal starred in the women's section. All four players capped their stellar performances with individual gold medals. The United States and Uzbekistan took silver and bronze in the open section, while Kazakhstan and the United States claimed silver and bronze in the women's section.

9/22/2024 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books on chess training and strategy. In the 196th episode of his ChessBase show "Understanding before moving" Herman continues his series "Chess history in a nutshell" and looks at the career of Veselin Topalov. | Photo: Pascal Simon

9/22/2024 – Step into the world of elite chess mastery with our groundbreaking course, "Revealing Modern Grandmaster Secrets". This isn't just another chess tutorial, it's your all-access pass to the strategies, insights, and techniques that define modern grandmaster play. Volume 1 deals with attacks and the initiative, while volume 2 deals with calculation, countering and positional play. | Get the two volumes as a bundle for a special price: instead of 79,80€, purchase it for only 69,90€!

9/22/2024 – On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, FIDE honoured Magnus Carlsen as the "best player" in the world. The Norwegian thanked the Federation, but pointed out that the honour should have gone to Garry Kasparov, noting it was certainly no coincidence that he was overlooked in all FIDE honours. Carlsen also spoke out against the lifting of the suspension of the Russian and Belarusian Chess Federations.

9/22/2024 – The 45th edition of the Chess Olympiad is taking place on 11-22 September in Budapest, Hungary. A record 193 teams in the open and 181 teams in the women's category are fighting for collective and individual medals. | Pictured: Lu Miaoyi from China (FIDE / Michal Waluszha) | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting (four hours earlier than usual) at 11.00 CEST (5.00 ET, 12.30 IST)

9/22/2024 – India all but secured overall victory in the Chess Olympiad after defeating the United States in the penultimate round. Wins by Dommaraju Gukesh (pictured), who outplayed Fabiano Caruana, and Arjun Erigaisi, who beat Leinier Dominguez, granted the Indian team the crucial match victory over the tournament's top seeds. Only China can theoretically catch India in the final round, though it is highly improbable, given India's commanding tiebreak scores. China kept their slim hopes alive by defeating the defending champions from Uzbekistan on Saturday. | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

9/22/2024 – With one round to go in the Women's Chess Olympiad, four teams are still in contention for gold. India and Kazakhstan share the lead, while Poland and the United States are just 1 match point behind, making the final round on Sunday a thrilling climax to the tournament. In round 10, Kazakhstan, who started the day as sole leaders, drew against Georgia after Alua Nurman (pictured) saved a half point against Bella Khotenashvili. Meanwhile, India defeated China, with Divya Deshmukh's victory clinching the match. The final round will start four hours earlier than usual. | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

9/21/2024 – It will roll into the UK capital London on October 3rd-12th. The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League will be stages in the Theatre of the Friends House, Euston Road and will include Carlsen, Nakamura, Anand, Praggnanandhaa, Vachier-Lagrave, Giri, Rapport, Hou Yifan, and many other superstars. Tickets can be obtained from Chess & Bridge. Definitely worth a visit. Announcement by Matt Read

9/21/2024 – In the diagram position, Black launched an irresistible wave of attack with 22...d3! - though he rather launched two waves of attack to be precise - enjoy surfing!