1/4/2023 – The cosmopolitan city of Almaty saw Magnus Carlsen adding two world titles to his collection, while Tan Zhongyi and Bibisara Assaubayeva took home gold medals in the women’s events. With so much chess being played in a span of five days, Karsten Müller had no trouble finding remarkable endgames to share with us. Find here six instructive positions to learn and enjoy! | Pictured: Vincent Keymer trying to make the most of his good knight against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave’s bad bishop. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

1/3/2023 – Of all traditional chess tournaments that still take place, the Chess Congress in Hastings has the longest tradition. This year, it sees its 96th edition. To celebrate the event, James Bacon, the mayor of Hastings, opened the tournament in his official attire. After the first six rounds Sarunas Sulskis from Lithuania leads with 6.0/6.

1/3/2023 – When we see a child playing chess, it is easy for us to associate such activity with the development of important cognitive skills. Chess is perceived as a way to improve logical reasoning and the ability to solve complex problems. However, what level of scientific verification have we obtained so far on this issue? Peruvian psychologist Percy Guzman carried out an experimental study to elucidate these questions. | Photo: Nadja Wittmann

1/3/2023 – The Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF) celebrated its 20th anniversary this year with a gala on November 16th. However, the gala event was not the last event of the year as there was one more work session left. In the week before Christmas, from December 16-18, Garry Kasparov trained six talented youngsters, who had an average age of 13 and an average Elo rating of 2490. | Photos: Kasparov Chess Foundation

1/3/2023 – In the diagram position White is a piece up but if Black plays correctly White cannot win - after an exchange of queens White often lands in a position in which he has the h-pawn and the "wrong" bishop. But how should Black proceed in the diagram position?

1/2/2023 – The Rilton Cup in Stockholm celebrates its 50th anniversary. The tournament is now one of the top international tournaments through which players can qualify for the 2024 Candidates Tournament. After five rounds, 18-year-old Indian Grandmaster Raja Rithvik is sole leader with 4.5/5. | Photo: Dana Reizniece starts the round (Photos: Rilton Cup)

12/31/2022 – As a tumultuous year is about to end, let us highlight three tournaments that were particularly impactful in the world of chess. Granted, this list does not intend to be all-encompassing, but it features three events that are sure to be remembered for many years to come: the Candidates Tournament in Madrid, the Chess Olympiad in Chennai and the Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis.

12/31/2022 – Magnus Carlsen has become World Blitz champion for the sixth time in his career. He won it in 2009, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 and now 2022. The Norwegian also became World Triple Crown champion for the third time in his career (2014, 2019 and 2022). Unlike 2019, this time Carlsen became a clear champion by scoring 16/21, a full point ahead of Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 15/21. Haik Martirosyan (ARM) scored the same and finished third on tie-breaks. The defending champion, IM Bibisara Assaubayaeva (KAZ) won her last five games to clinch the Gold 13/17. Koneru Humpy scored a magnificent 8.5/9 in her last nine games to secure Silver 12.5/17. IM Polina Shuvalova won the Bronze 12/17. Photo: Amruta Mokal

12/31/2022 – Black has a weak king and a weak back rank - but White's forced win from the diagram is also based on the a7 rook. You'll get it, I'm sure!

12/30/2022 – Magnus Carlsen not only won the Rapid Championship 2022, but also the Blitz Championship. The GOAT of chess, played some remarkable games, and Svitlana takes a closer look at two of them. Funnily enough, in one of the games, Bobby Fischer had a very similar position against Ulf Andersson. Perhaps Carlsen remembered the particular attacking move, and used it for his own victory. But this episode begins with the masterful tactic of Daniil Dubov against Nihal Sarin. What a stunner!

12/30/2022 – Magnus Carlsen and Bibisara Assaubayeva won the World Blitz Championships in Almaty. Carlsen thus grabbed the triple crown, as he is currently the classical, rapid and blitz world champion. The 18-year-old Assaubayeva, on her part, defended the title she had won in 2021. | Find here the standings and all available games. A full pictorial report will be published shortly. | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes

12/30/2022 – Our time travel journey is over, and we return from 1972 to the present. This year we reached a new world record, with almost 7200 (!) answers. Were the questions too easy, or was the topic particularly interesting? But there was something else, wasn't there? Yes, we solve the tricky last question, which of course the majority answered correctly. Thank you for the lively participation, and the mostly positive comments. Have a great new year 2023!| Photos: Pixabay