8/24/2023 – The Arkhangelsk Variation of the Ruy Lopez is a dangerous weapon. For both sides - Black can lose quickly, if he does not know what he is doing. In his Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris shows you a nice opening trap in this popular line. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

8/24/2023 – In his Game of the Week show #582, Merijn Van Delft looks at a crucial game Praggnanandhaa won against Fabiano Caruana in the World Cup. | Merijn’s show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

8/24/2023 – Former World Champion Magnus Carlsen has accomplished a significant milestone in his illustrious chess career by capturing his inaugural World Cup title, the only tournament that was missing from his immense collection of victories. All three top-placed players have qualified for the 2024 Candidates tournament, which is due to take place next April in Canada. Full report to follow.

8/24/2023 – Chess is the most delightful and truly comes to live, when you can sit across from each other, engaging in a face-to-face match with a physical chessboard in between. The thrill of an evening at the club, playing blitz chess, maneuver the pieces, and indulge in lively conversation with your club-mates, surpasses the quiet solitude of playing online, isolated in front of a computer screen. However, the Playchess chess server offers a refreshing alternative. It introduces video and audio features that can be effortlessly activated, bringing the essence of in-person play to the virtual realm. With just one click, you can generate a private virtual gaming space, packaged as a simple URL, and swiftly share it with your friends. Embracing this method couldn't be more straightforward. Allow ChessBase expert Martin Fischer to walk you through the mechanics in this short tutorial!

8/24/2023 – Both the final and the match for third place will be decided in tiebreaks at the FIDE World Cup in Baku. While Magnus Carlsen played it safe with white against Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu to secure a second draw in the final, Fabiano Caruana bounced back from a disastrous showing on Tuesday to keep his chances of reaching the podium alive. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage

8/23/2023 – From coding instructor to chessboxer, there is nothing that this talented 24-year-old cannot do. Sneha has won many laurels in the world of ChessBoxing. Within a few years, she has established her name in this highly athletic and booming sport. Sneha is the current national champion of India and has proudly represented India and secured a gold medal at the 2023 Asian ChessBoxing Championships 2023 and a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships. Through this article, we want to acquaint you with the life of this fighting athlete, and how she is trying to pursue her passion in spite of all the hurdles.

8/20/2023 – The FIDE World Cup is coming to an end. One of the most exciting events in the chess calendar, it features an open section and a women’s section, with spots in the Candidates up for grabs in both events. The ever-curious GM Karsten Müller compiled the most interesting positions from the tournaments. Find here five instructive endgames from the women’s category! | Pictured: Divya Deshmukh | Photo: Anna Shtourman

8/20/2023 – Magnus Carlsen took the lead in his semifinal match against Nijat Abasov after winning an absolutely thrilling game with the white pieces. In the other semi, Praggnanandhaa was under pressure throughout the game but managed to hold Fabiano Caruana to a draw. Meanwhile, the first game of the final in the women’s section finished drawn, unlike what happened in the match for third place, where Anna Muzychuk showed great technique to beat Tan Zhongyi with white. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage

8/19/2023 – Attacking is usually easier than defending, especially with short time controls. In the diagram position White kept on pressing until Black finally blundered, a typical rapid drama - I wish you fast entertainment!

8/19/2023 – The 29th edition of the Abu Dhabi Masters is taking place on August 16-24 at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Resort. The 9-round Swiss open has Vladislav Artemiev, David Anton and Maxim Matlakov as the top seeds. After three rounds, none of the top-3 are in the leading pack. Five players are sharing first place with 3 out of 3: Vladimir Fedoseev, Xu Xiangyu, Alisher Suleymenov, Rathanvel V S and Abtin Atakhan.

8/18/2023 – The FIDE World Cup is taking place in Baku. We decided to do a short tour of the Azerbaijani capital before the important event commenced. After reading a lot about must-see places in Baku and getting info from the locals, Icherisheher (Old City) seemed to be the perfect place to venture. In a little over three hours, I visited The Palace of Shirvanshahs, the award-winning Miniature Book Museum, Maiden Tower and Nizami Street. Let us have a look at what piqued my interest on a day when I walked 16230 steps — my longest walk of the year! | Photos: Shahid Ahmed

8/18/2023 – In his new Power Play Show, GM Daniel King jumps on the World Cup wagon, as he shares a selection of entertaining yet very instructive tactical patterns from the event in Baku. | Power Play is on air most Fridays. Watch it on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account. All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer.