11/7/2022 – FIDE is happy to confirm the dates and the venue for the World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2022. The prestigious event will take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest metropolis, set in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains. The championship will be played on its traditional dates, between December 25 (arrival and opening) and December 30 (last playing day and closing). | Photo: advantour.com

11/7/2022 – After nine exciting rounds, the largest European Team Senior Chess Championship so far has come to an end in Dresden. A total of 76 teams from 16 nations took part and competed for the titles in two age categories: 50+ and 65+. England-1 won the 50+ section (pictured), while the German squad Lasker Schachstiftung got first place in the 65+ category. | Photos: Official site

11/6/2022 – Today’s column is dedicated to the memory of Michael Basman, who sadly passed away on Wednesday, October 26th, at the age of 76. It’s one of the great joys of the chess world that we provide a relatively safe environment for eccentric talent, and Basman was as engaging and eccentric in person as in his wonderful creations on the chessboard. | Pictured: Joel Benjamin facing Michael Basman (Lloyds Bank Open 1978)

11/6/2022 – Following three draws, Lei Tingjie beat Anna Muzychuk in the final encounter of the Women’s Candidates semifinals in Monte Carlo. The 25-year-old will face the winner of Pool B, a similar 4-player knockout set to kick off on November 28 in Uzbekistan. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

11/6/2022 – Herman Grooten is an International Master, a renowned trainer and the author of several highly acclaimed books about chess training and chess strategy. In the 98th instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman continues to discuss structures that are typical for the Queen's Gambit Declined. | Photo: Pascal Simon

11/6/2022 – With 10 opening articles, ChessBase Magazine #210 covers the usual broad spectrum of variations: From the English Opening á la Caruana (1.c4 e5 2.g3 f5 3.Bg2 Be7) or the Sicilian O'Kelly Variation (1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 Part I: 3.d4/3.c3) to the Catalan (with the unconventional move 7.Qd2). In his contribution, Patrick Zelbel provides a concept against the Modern Defence (1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3), which is especially popular at club level and in which the move 4...a6 has become firmly established thanks to the Swedish GM Tiger Hillarp Persson. Our author begins the hunt for the tiger with 5.g4!? and thus makes it immediately clear where the journey is heading. "If Black plays the most natural moves, they easily finds themself in trouble", Zelbel writes in his conclusion. So you should definitely give this a try. Take a look!

11/5/2022 – Praggnanandhaa and Nandhidhaa P V won the open and women’s sections of the 2022 Asian Championships, respectively. Praggnanandhaa took the sole lead in round 8, and a draw in his final game was enough for the 17-year-old to win the open. Nandhidhaa, aged 26, claimed tournament victory with one round to spare. | Photos: All India Chess Federation and Shahid Ahmed

11/5/2022 – Pia Cramling is a regular guest at the Västgöta Open, the open championship of the Swedish Västergötland Chess Federation, which was again held as a rapid chess tournament in Skara last weekend. This time, however, the Swedish chess icon had to concede the tournament victory to Erik Blomqvist. She came third. Holger Blauhut (11th place) also played and sent a report. | Next to the window, GM Erik Blomqvist plays against FM Lars-Goran Eklund, while GM Pia Cramling faces GM Petro Golubka on the next board.

11/5/2022 – After the initial move 20...Qb6+! in the diagram position 21.Rf2 is easy enough to refute, but what would you do after 21.Nf2? Good luck - and enjoy the position!

11/5/2022 – After three games and three draws, the semi-final of the Women's Candidates between Anna Muzychuk and Lei Tingjie is tied. On Saturday the fourth and last game with a classical time-control will be played. Can Lei Tingjie use the advantage of the white pieces, will Anna Muzychuk win with Black or will we see a tiebreak? | Follow game 4 game live with expert commentary starting at 15.00 CET (10.00 ET, 19.30 IST)

11/4/2022 – This week, Daniel King analyses a game he played against Michael Basman, who recently passed away. True to his nature, Basman went for the ‘Creepy Crawly’, with 1...h6 and 2...a6! | Power Play is on air most Fridays. Watch it on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account. All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer.

11/4/2022 – Understanding an opening doesn’t stop after the theory. It’s essential to understand ideas and structures connected to the opening moves. Furthermore, recognising mistakes by your opponent to gain an advantage is a key component of the middlegame. In this video course we’ll concentrate on Rossolimo and Maroczy structures in the Sicilian Defence.