12/31/2025 – This “Best of 2025” episode is a year-end tactics celebration where Svitlana reviews the coolest moments of the chess year by turning them into a guess-the-move challenge for viewers. The WIM works through several sharp positions from major events (including the Global Chess League, World Cup, Grand Swiss, and Prague Chess Festival), featuring wild sacrifices, mating nets, and one especially memorable queen-sac idea in a Petroff line. Happy new year!

12/31/2025 – Take a look at this relatively simple position. Can you figure out how White can win? And how many moves it will require to overcome Black's most resolute defence? You won't believe it. To relax we bring you the arguably easiest chess study ever composed, and other entertaining puzzles, many from the out-of-the-box legend Karl Fabel.

12/31/2025 – This month we looked at the amazing performances of the young super talents Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (14) and Faustino Oro (12). We also paid attention to the biggest rating jumps at 2700 level: Nodirbek Abdusattorov returned to the absolute top and Nihal Sarin firmly went over 2700. We'd like to finish the year with another popular player returning to the world elite: Jorden van Foreest did well in the Czech league, his game against Rodshtein was played in his trademark original style. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

12/31/2025 – The World Blitz Championships in Doha closed with repeat champions in both sections. In the Open event, Magnus Carlsen completed a strong comeback to win his ninth World Blitz title and his twentieth world title overall. The women's championship was claimed by Bibisara Assaubayeva, who added a third Women's World Blitz crown after advancing from a crowded Swiss stage and prevailing in the knockout matches. | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes

12/30/2025 – Vladimir Kramnik has filed a lawsuit against the World Chess Federation FIDE before a Swiss civil court. The former world champion announced on his X account that he personally dropped off the opening documents of the lawsuit in the mailbox of FIDE’s headquarters in Lausanne. It is assumed that Kramnik is going on the offensive against FIDE after the World Chess Federation had initiated proceedings against the former world champion. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

12/30/2025 – White knight magic: Usually a rook is much stronger than a knight in a pure endgame. But there are exceptions: White to move and win.

12/30/2025 – In August 2019 I spent a week in France, at the training camp I had organized (together with ChessBase India) for young Indian super talents. Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik did the chess training, while I pestered the kids with logic puzzles. Most did not involve chess, but some did. Here are a couple for you.

12/30/2025 – Tuesday marks the final day of the World Blitz Championships in Doha. Both the open and the women's sections will be decided in four-player knockouts once the first stage (Swiss opens lasting 19 and 15 rounds respectively) come to an end. The time control throughout is 3+2. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 12.00 CET (6.00 ET, 16.30 IST)

12/30/2025 – The World Blitz Championship got under way in Doha with 13 rounds played in the open section and 10 in the women's event. Fabiano Caruana, Arjun Erigaisi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (pictured) share the lead in the Open tournament, while 19-year-old Eline Roebers heads the women's standings after the first day. With several rounds still remaining and only four knockout places available, the early standings leave plenty unresolved. | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes

12/29/2025 – This video is a valuable chess lesson by IM Mkrtchian. Watch Lilit walk through a full "real tournament" prep routine in ChessBase 26. Find out how she scouts an opponent in the Mega Database, predict their openings, and steer the game into a line she specifically prepared. The payoff: a sharp Rossolimo move-order trap explained in a super teachable way, plus how she converts the advantage into a clean endgame win.

12/29/2025 – Some years ago, Alan McGowan published a remarkably comprehensive biography of the German chess writer Kurt Richter (born 24 February 1900, died 29 December 1969). But then McGowan encountered the fate of every biographer: he found new information. While it does not change the overall picture, it does lead to corrections in the details. A detective story on the anniversary of Kurt Richter’s death.

12/29/2025 – This end-of-year edition of the Monthly Dragon with Chris Ward wraps up 2025 by diving deep into early deviations against the Sicilian Dragon, with a special focus on the tricky and provocative Knight d5 idea. Ward explains why grabbing the e4-pawn is often a trap, illustrates the dangers with classic games and sharp tactical examples, and shares practical recommendations for Dragon players to stay calm and choose safer setups like …Nxd5 or …Bg7. Blending serious opening theory with anecdotes, humour, and historical games, the episode delivers a memorable “anti-Christmas variation” lesson to take into the new year. | Photo: John Upham