12/12/2023 – Wesley So beat Magnus Carlsen and Nodirbek Abdusattorov to keep a perfect score of 6 wins in 6 matches at the Champions Chess Tour Finals in Toronto. Carlsen (5 points) has also secured a ticket to the semifinals, while Hikaru Nakamura (1) and Denis Lazavik (1), who face each other in round 7, will need a couple of results to go their way if they want to reach the ‘survival stage’. | Photo: chess.com / Thomas Tischio

12/12/2023 – Ivan Sokolov has risen to the ranks of the top coaches since the team of Uzbekistan, which he coached, won gold at the the Chess Olympiad in Chennai 2022. In his Fritztrainer series "Understanding Middlegame Strategies", Sokolov regularly shares his grandmaster knowledge and shows what to do in a large variety of positions and structures. Hannes Langrock had a look at Sokolov's course on the Catalan.

12/12/2023 – After finishing the rapid section in shared second place, Vidit Gujrathi tied for first in the blitz to claim overall first place at the Gashimov Memorial. Vidit managed to keep his ½-point lead over Arjun Erigaisi by winning his final game in Gabala — Arjun also scored a full point in the 18th round of blitz and grabbed clear second place. Richard Rapport, who had struggled in the rapid but obtained as many points as Vidit in the blitz, finished third. | Photo: Mukhtar Ahmad

12/11/2023 – ChessBase India, together with several partners and supported by the Government of Tamil Nadu, is organising the Chennai Masters 2023, the strongest classical chess tournament in the history of Indian chess, from 15 to 21 December. The tournament might decide who will go to the Candidates Tournament 2024. | Photos: ChessBase India.

12/11/2023 – In the Endgame Magic Show #258 Karsten Müller shows highlights from the Rapid Tournament in Saint Louis and a rook endgame, which indicates why Magnus Carlsen is considered to be one of the best endgame players of all time. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

12/11/2023 – Magnus Carlsen defeated two of his strongest rivals on Sunday to keep his perfect score at the Champions Chess Tour Finals. The former world champion defeated Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura in consecutive rounds. Joining him in the lead is Wesley So, who got the better of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja. | Photo: chess.com / Thomas Tischio

12/9/2023 – The first three rounds of rapid chess at the Gashimov Memorial ended with Nijat Abasov as the sole leader in the standings. Abasov, who is likely to play in the Candidates Tournament next year, beat Boris Gelfand and Richard Rapport in consecutive rounds to finish the day with 5/6 points (wins are worth 2 points in the rapid section). Sharing second place on 4/6 scores are Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi and Rauf Mamedov. | Photo: Official website

12/8/2023 – In painting, each style has distinctly recognizable characteristics in form, color, light, and technique. The subjects of paintings are a reflection of their respective times. The series Chess Art on cards.chessbase.com, depicts all chess pieces in 14 different paintic styles. Take a look at the pictures, and become an art connoisseur in no time.

12/8/2023 – In the new episode of his Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris analyses Gukesh's win against Volokitin from the Chess Classic in London - an instructive game and maybe a crucial win for Gukesh who still has chances to qualify for the Candidates. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

12/8/2023 – The strong line-up of the Masters and the Challengers tournaments, a large Open, an interesting supporting programme and, last but not least, the city itself make the Prague Chess Festival 2024 an attractive event. The 6th edition of the festival will take place from 26 February to 7 March 2024 and will continue Prague's long chess tradition. A tradition whose traces can be found even when you only take a short sightseeing walk through the city. As Johannes Fischer discovered during a visit to the 5th Prague Chess Festival. | Photo: View of Hradcany with the castle, Prague | Photo: Stefan Bauer, Wikipedia

12/8/2023 – Michael Adams still has a half-point lead at the London Chess Classic after his round-6 opponent, Jules Moussard, blundered the game away from a winning position. Gukesh, Amin Tabatabaei and Andrei Volokitin also scored full points. In the longest game of the day, Nikita Vitiugov failed to make the most of a big advantage against underdog Shreyas Royal. With three rounds to go, Gukesh stands in sole second place. | Photo: John Upham

12/7/2023 – The battle for the final Candidates' tickets continues at the London Chess Classic. English legend Michael Adams is in the lead with 3.5 out of 5, followed by a group of players on 3 out of 5. Gukesh, who needs to win the tournament to qualify for the Candidates, had a great start with 3 out of 4, getting a superior position against Moussard, but then there was high drama. The bold approach taken by both players in this game easily qualifies it as our Game of the Week. | Merijn’s show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.