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 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 – 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 – 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

7/10/2026 – After six rounds at the African Continental Stage of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship in Stellenbosch, Uganda's Sr. Miriam Duggan Primary School and Kenya's Moi Nyeri Complex Primary School share the lead on 10 match points. Five teams remain two points behind before the final day. The third day also featured spotlights on Uganda's Ronald Wabwire and Zimbabwe's all-girls team, alongside educational workshops and activity sessions. | Photo: ISCF

7/9/2026 – Jon Speelman examines how computer-assisted analysis can sharpen the study of complex positions, using examples from Svidler-Lobron at the 1996 Yerevan Olympiad and recent Grand Chess Tour games in Zagreb. The article explores hidden defensive resources, zugzwang motifs and tablebase findings, while also posing several calculation challenges for readers. | Image: Centaur mosaic found in the 18th century on the site of the luxurious villa complex near Tivoli that once belonged to the Roman emperor Hadrian

7/9/2026 – Dear chess friends, from July 6–12 , you can get the entire Master Class Series for just €224.90 in our ChessBase Summer Special. Don't miss this opportunity to own all 20 volumes at an exceptional price. Already own part of the series? No problem! Missing one or more volumes? During this week only, you can also purchase individual Master Class titles with discounts of up to 33%.

7/9/2026 – Karsten shows 2 recent endgames with one "favorite" move. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

7/9/2026 – Jonathan Levitt is an English chess grandmaster, author, teacher, and composer of endgame studies. As a player, he competed successfully in tournaments, but health challenges led him to retire from regular over-the-board play in his forties. In recent years, he has pursued creative endeavors, including songwriting with chess themes dedicated to figures like Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov. Jon sent us the following thoughtful article on music and AI, with examples of his own endeavors.

7/9/2026 – The 59th edition of the Biel International Chess Festival begins on the weekend of 11 July. Participating are chess greats such as Levon Aronian, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Matthias Bluebaum in the Masters Triathlon, as well as Vaishali Rameshbabu and Alexandra Kosteniuk in the Generations Challenger. In both invitational events, games will be played in a triathlon system featuring blitz, rapid and classical games. | Photo: Nils Rohde / ChessBase