7/14/2026 – Levon Aronian and Vaclav Finek took the early lead in the two triathlon events at the Biel Chess Festival by winning their respective rapid sections. Aronian scored 9/10 in the Masters, finishing 3 points clear of Aydin Suleymanli, while Finek topped the Generations Challenge with 8/10, 1 point ahead of Xiao Tong and Marco Materia. The classical sections of both competitions begin on Tuesday. | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

7/13/2026 – In this episode of The Underdog, Robert Ris presents a spectacular upset from the Asian Esports Chess Cup, where a young Thai player (Pakornnarong Liukasemsarn) defeats super-GM Andrey Esipenko despite an enormous rating gap. In a sharp Italian Game with opposite-side castling, Black bravely pushes the kingside pawns, opens the g-file and keeps finding dynamic resources while White misses several powerful attacking chances on the queenside. The game turns into a wild attacking masterpiece, ending with decisive tactics around the white king and a memorable victory for the underdog.

7/13/2026 – In the series ‘The Fortress’, Dorian Rogozenco presents a classic fortress motif in every issue of ChessBase Magazine. Anyone not yet familiar with the subject will be amazed at the escape routes that can open up in the endgame, even when facing a serious material disadvantage! In the latest issue, CBM #233, the former German national coach presents a motif featuring a knight against a rook and a pawn. The article includes a detailed video explaining the construction and mechanics of the fortress, as well as five interactive videos featuring feedback on your attempts to solve the exercises. Take a look at this week’s CBM free sample and enjoy!

7/13/2026 – In this episode of ChessBase Tips for Beginners, we look at Tactical Analysis, a feature that automatically adds engine annotations to your games. Instead of going through every move manually, ChessBase can detect mistakes, suggest variations, add comments, create training questions and even provide an overall game summary. This is a useful tool for studying classic games, analyzing your own tournament games and finding the hidden lessons in every position.

7/13/2026 – Did you attend the Checkmate: USA v. India exhibition match in the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas? No? Was it too far away? Well, you can visit the event virtually, get a feel for the atmosphere and the mood of the players, in this gigantic photo report sent to us by Ashwin Subramanian, senior leader at Intel in India, who was equipped with an advanced digital camera. Take a deep breath and plunge into the collection of pictorial impressions he provides.

7/12/2026 – Chola Chess is building a dedicated space for India's strong chess players to train and improve. It is led by R. B. Ramesh and Aarthie Ramaswamy, and supported by a committed team. With consistent camps and serious training, it has already impacted over 1300 players across the country. In this article, we take a look at some of the positions studied during a Chola Chess camp. Take your time and see if you can solve them. | Pictured: GM Debashis Das | Photo: Chola Chess

7/12/2026 – Paul Werner Wagner devoted the latest instalment of his chess column in the "Berliner Zeitung" to the recently deceased Iivo Nei. Born in 1931, the same year as Viktor Korchnoi, the Estonian had latterly been the oldest living chess grandmaster. | Photo: Estonian Public Broadcasting

7/12/2026 – Five rounds against the other players in the Masters, followed by two rounds against players from the Generations Challenge - that was the format of the ACCENTUS Chess960 Masters tournament. After seven rounds, Matthias Bluebaum and Aydin Suleymanli finished tied for first place on 4½ points. However, Bluebaum had the edge thanks to his superior tiebreak score. Third place went to Jose Martinez. The standings were extremely close: just half a point separated Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus in fifth from the top scorers. The results of this tournament serve as the tiebreak for the Masters Triathlon. | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

7/12/2026 – Let's continue with ChessBase´26's powerful training tool "Replay Training": Replay Training! We already introduced you to this super feature in the last article, and in this tutorial, we'll show you some additional features that will help you noticeably improve your playing strength in a fun way. Let's continue ...!

7/11/2026 – One of the world's strongest women's super-tournaments returns to Saint Louis this summer as the 2026 Cairns Cup welcomes ten of the world's top women chess players to compete for a $250,000 prize fund - one of the largest in women's chess. The tournament will take place 8-21 August at the recently expanded Saint Louis Chess Club (STLCC), where it will run alongside the prestigious Sinquefield Cup, creating one of the world's premier showcases of elite chess. Press release. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club

7/11/2026 – Sr. Miriam Duggan Primary School of Uganda were crowned African continental champions after completing the tournament without losing a match. Kenya's Moi Nyeri Complex Primary School took silver, while the host nation also had reason to celebrate as Welgemoed Primary School secured bronze. All three teams qualified for the Grand Final in December.

7/11/2026 – The second edition of the Sahel Chess Festival will take place in Monastir, Tunisia, from 24 October to 1 November 2026. After attracting more than 300 players in its inaugural year, the festival will again feature several classical tournaments divided by rating category, including a section for players aged fifty and above. The organisers also aim to draw more titled players, while highlighting Monastir's appeal as a Mediterranean chess destination. | Photos: Diana Mihajlova