8/4/2025 – The World Schools Team Championship 2025 officially got underway at Episcopal High School, located in the historic city of Alexandria, just outside Washington, D.C. A flagship event in the global scholastic chess calendar, the tournament brings together hundreds of students representing nearly 50 countries. | Photos: Michal Walusza

8/4/2025 – The British Chess Championship returned to Liverpool's historic St George's Hall, offering a rich blend of tradition and competition. The opening two rounds featured a strong field led by Gawain Jones, Mickey Adams and Nikita Vitiugov, alongside rising stars such as Shreyas Royal. While the top seeds navigated early challenges, round two saw the defending champion suffer an unexpected defeat, setting the stage for a closely contested nine-round event. | Photos: Official website

8/4/2025 – The Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Festival started on the weekend. The Open began on Saturday, the Women's Tournament on Sunday. In the duel of the best German women players Elisabeth Pähtz won against Dinara Wagner - after 129 moves and showing good knowledge of basic endgames! The 15-year old Chinese talent Lu Miaoyi also started with a win. | Photo: Mayor Norbert Schilff makes the ceremonial first move | Photos: Sparkassen Chess Meeting

8/4/2025 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace, and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world’s best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?

8/3/2025 – In his latest column, Jon Speelman turns his attention to rook endgames from the Women's World Cup in Batumi, including key moments from Divya Deshmukh's games in the semifinals and the final. Alongside recent examples, he revisits a bishop-themed gem from decades past. With interactive diagrams and video commentary, readers are invited to solve critical positions and reflect on the subtleties of high-level technique and calculation. | Photo: Anna Shtourman

8/3/2025 – Frederic Friedel reveals what the Egyptian pyramids, an internship with Otto Borik and a frog game on the home computer have to do with his career in Germany's leading chess magazine SCHACH-MAGAZIN 64, where he was interviewed by Stefan Liebig. The four-page article is reproduced here in English with the kind permission of Schuenemann-Verlag. | Photos: Archiv Frederic Friedel

8/3/2025 – The Modern Defence (1…g6) offers Black a dynamic and strategically rich alternative to mainstream openings, avoiding early theory battles while targeting White’s centre with long-term pressure. Grandmaster Daniel Fernandez guides you through its complex ideas and practical applications, ideal for players seeking unbalanced positions and full-point ambitions. Master the subtleties of 1…g6 and energize your repertoire with this bold and flexible weapon.

8/3/2025 – ChessBase 18 offers a wide range of technical features and training tools. To get the most out of them, it helps to know where to look. In this tutorial, we show you how just a few clicks can enhance your ChessBase experience. Explore the "View" menu across different sections of the program to design your own personalized ChessBase environment. Take a look and try it out — because in the end, it’s all a matter of personal preference...

8/2/2025 – Michael Kotyk, a young chess trainer from Hamburg, has taken a close look at David Navara’s new course. The Czech grandmaster, who has been among the world’s elite for many years, offers deep insights into how chess players can make their thinking processes more effective. Players often misjudge what needs to be calculated and what does not. Kotyk explains how David Navara approaches this subject.

8/2/2025 – After 52.Nf5 (diagram) Black has a way to win, but must protect his own king from damage. So proceed with caution!

8/2/2025 – Magnus Carlsen won the first-ever chess tournament held at the Esports World Cup, defeating Alireza Firouzja with two consecutive 3–1 set wins in the Grand Final. The Norwegian performed convincingly throughout the four-day event, displaying consistent control and clock management in every stage. Earlier on the final day, Hikaru Nakamura edged Arjun Erigaisi 3½–2½ to secure third place. The tournament featured a fast-paced, no-increment format. | Photos: Esports World Cup

8/1/2025 – In this episode, the focus is on typical errors made in Sicilian Dragon games, illustrated through instructive examples from recent tournaments. Chris covers common move-order mistakes, thematic tactics like the exchange sacrifice on c3, and a brilliant underdog win by a 2033-rated player over a 2369-rated opponent using precise Dragon play. The discussion also touches on repertoire-building advice, the importance of playing openings that suit your style, and an amusing anecdote about meeting the young "Vietnamese Dragon" prodigy at the Biel Chess Festival. | Photo: John Upham