4/1/2023 – “Armageddon Championship Series: Asia & Oceania”, the second event of the cycle developed by World Chess, will take place on April 3-9 in Berlin. Daniil Dubov, Yu Yangyi, Vladimir Kramnik, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vidit Gujrathi, Parham Maghsoodloo, Gukesh D and Murali Karthikeyan will play a double-elimination blitz knockout, as they battle for €50,000 in prize money and two spots in the series’ Grand Finale.

4/1/2023 – Grandmaster (GM) Leon Mendonca is a rising star in the chess world and one of India's most promising young talents. Recently, he won the HIT Open 2023 in Slovenia, with an insane 9 out of 9 points. In this ChessBase article, Leon provides an in-depth analysis of three of his games from the tournament, offering insights into his decision-making process and the strategies he employed to secure victory. By sharing his experiences and expertise, Leon offers valuable lessons for chess players of all levels looking to improve their game.

4/1/2023 – In today's episode, we will delve into an astonishing upset from the first round of the Reykjavík Open 2023, where a relatively unknown Norwegian with the Black pieces defied all odds by defeating an opponent with a staggering 400 Elo rating advantage. IM Robert Ris will expertly dissect the game, revealing the critical moments and ingenious strategies that led to this David versus Goliath victory. Get ready to be inspired by the power of perseverance and the beauty of the unexpected as we explore this thrilling upset together.

4/1/2023 – In the diagram position White seems to have his back to the wall in the face of Black's threats ...Bxf2 and ...Rg1 . You have to keep a cool head and skilfully go on the counterattack - you're good at that, aren't you?

3/31/2023 – When they hear ‘Reykjavik Open’, many chess players spontaneously express the wish to be there. Our author Gerd Densing belongs to this group: he is currently in the Icelandic capital, playing in the tournament, writing and taking photographs. In the first three rounds, he has met not only the rating favourite, Vasyl Ivanchuk (photo), but also many other interesting personalities.

3/31/2023 – In his “Game of the Week” show #561, Merijn van Delft focuses his attention on Leon Luke Mendonca, who recently scored a perfect 9 out of 9 in Slovenia. In one of his wins, against Sabino Brunello, the youngster successfully combined his positional approach with tactical alertness. | Merijn’s show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

3/31/2023 – I had the incredible opportunity to interview R.B. Ramesh, one of the world's most renowned and accomplished chess coaches. Ramesh has trained many of India's top players, including former World Champion Vishwanathan Anand, and has helped mold the country into a chess powerhouse. In our interview, Ramesh shared his insights on a range of topics, from his early days in chess to his coaching philosophy and techniques. He also discussed the challenges of coaching at the highest level and the importance of mental preparation in chess. With his vast knowledge and experience, Ramesh provided invaluable insights into what it takes to become a successful chess player, both on and off the board. Overall, the interview provided a fascinating glimpse into the mind of one of the greatest chess coaches of our time.

3/31/2023 – Middlegame secrets are revealed - in a series of articles featuring videos by Jan Markos. We'll begin with the Queen, exploring things to avoid when playing with the most powerful chess piece! If you wish to know more, we recommend the full course by Jan Markos: Middlegame Secrets Vol.1: The Power of the Queen | Photo: Alexis Fauvet/Unsplash

3/31/2023 – John Foley is the Director of the 2023 London Chess Conference. Stefan Löffler was involved as a facilitator and was the founding director of the conference in 2013. Here they report from a breakthrough edition which established how chess enhances 21st century skills, interest in STEM subjects and even pre-school education. | Pictured: Rita Atkins, John Foley and Dana Reizniece-Osola | Photo: John Yip

3/31/2023 – Grandmaster (GM) Leon Mendonca is a rising star in the chess world and one of India's most promising young talents. Recently, he won the HIT Open 2023 in Slovenia, with an insane 9 out of 9 points. In this ChessBase article, Leon provides an in-depth analysis of three of his games from the tournament, offering insights into his decision-making process and the strategies he employed to secure victory. By sharing his experiences and expertise, Leon offers valuable lessons for chess players of all levels looking to improve their game.

3/31/2023 – Employing impressive technique in the second game, Lei Tingjie relentlessly jumped back into the match at the Women’s Candidates Final in Chongqing. After nearly six hours of play and seventy gruelling moves, with everything pointing towards a draw, a last-minute mistake by Tan Zhongyi in severe time trouble put the 1-1 result on the scoreboard. | Photos: FIDE

3/30/2023 – The 2015 World Team Championship saw China winning its first gold medal (out of three) in the tournament. The team was led by Ding Liren on top board, and had its top scorer in 15-year-old Wei Yi, who collected scoring 7/9 points on board 4. Ukraine and Armenia finished second and third, while the clear rating favourites from Russia only managed fourth place. The tournament took place in Tsaghkadzor, a small touristy town in Armenia also known as the ‘valley of flowers’. | Photos: Arman Karakhanyan