7/25/2025 – Vladimir Fedoseev fought back after his painful defeat the day before and defeated Saleh Salem in the last round of the Biel GMT-Masters in commanding style. Since Aravindh missed the victory needed to win the tournament against Murzin and only played to a draw, Fedoseev secured victory in the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon. | Photos: Schachfestival Biel

7/25/2025 – In early July, the Norwegian Chess Championships were held in Bergen. The Landsturneringen is a lively chess festival that features events not found at other national championships, such as bughouse chess and the chaotic team blitz known as "Team Talk Blitz." Holger Blauhut reports. | Elite podium: IM/GM Aksel Bu Kvaløy (2nd), GM Jon Ludvig Hammer (1st), and GM Aryan Tari (3rd) | Photo: Anniken Vestby

7/24/2025 – Humpy Koneru defeated Lei Tingjie in a closely contested tiebreak match to join Divya Deshmukh in the final of the Women's World Cup in Batumi, marking the first all-Indian final in the event's history. After two drawn classical games, Humpy prevailed 5–3 following rapid and blitz stages. Both finalists have secured places in the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament, while Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi will compete for third place and the final qualification spot. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

7/24/2025 – In his Fritz Trainer, Grandmaster S.P. Sethuraman presents a modern repertoire for the classical Sicilian. Reviewer Lukas Köpl, an experienced tournament player and licensed trainer with over 15 years' experience, introduces the course and shows how ambitious players and Sicilian fans can benefit from Sethuraman's work.

7/24/2025 – Aravindh Chithambaram has taken the lead of the GMT-Masters in the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon with a victory over the previous leader Saleh Salem. Aravindh has thus not only overtaken Salem, but also Fedoseev, who lost his game against Murzin after a rollercoaster ride and thus falls back to 3rd place. The final round on Thursday must now decide the outcome. The decision in the GMT-Challengers has already been made one round before the end: Nikolas Theodorou celebrated a start-to-finish victory over the entire tournament and can no longer be caught in the final round. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/24/2025 – Divya Deshmukh became the first finalist of the Women's World Cup after defeating Tan Zhongyi in a dramatic 101-move game, securing both a place in the final and qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. The second semifinal between Humpy Koneru and Lei Tingjie ended in another draw after a complex rook endgame, and will be decided in tiebreaks on Thursday. The third-place match also offers a remaining spot in the Candidates. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

7/23/2025 – Over the past 20 years Larry List has curated exhibitions, and written primarily about the interrelationships between chess and visual art. To coincide with a Man Ray exhibition of photos at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this September, Hirmer Verlag of Munich is publishing his new book On Man Ray, the closest artist friend of the famous 20th century artist Marcel Duchamp. It is lavishly illustrated with color photos, with a solid and attractive layout. | Man Ray self-portrait 1926 Centre Pompidou

7/23/2025 – Summit chess was played once again at an altitude of 2,315 metres in the Rudolfshütte in Pinzgau, Austria. Robert Wiesinger and Gerhard Tobler from Upper Austria won the team competition alongside Florian Raber. Stefan Löffler reports on Europe's highest chess tournament. | Photos: Harald Sammer / Stefan Löffler

7/23/2025 – Both semifinal matches at the Women's World Cup in Batumi ended in draws, leaving qualification for the final to be decided in Wednesday's second classical games. Lei Tingjie and Humpy Koneru drew after a tense, strategic battle, while Tan Zhongyi and Divya Deshmukh split the point in a shorter, balanced game. With three Candidates spots at stake, the outcomes of the remaining games will be crucial for all four players. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

7/23/2025 – The finals have begun in the Biel Grand Master Triathlons. Saleh Salem and Vladimir Fedoseev are leading in the Masters. In the Challengers, Nikolas Theodorou has pulled away from his competitors. Christian Glöckler drew in the Masters Open and is now eleventh, one point behind the leader. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/23/2025 – The International Chess Federation has announced the venue for the 2025 FIDE World Cup. The knockout tournament will take place in India in November. The exact location is not yet known. 206 players will compete for prize money and three places in the Candidates Tournament. | Graphics and photos: FIDE

7/22/2025 – In his new Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris looks at the spectacular game Kazakouski-Volokitin from the Portuguese Team Championship. In a sharp and theoretically interesting line of the Ragozin, Black won in style and surprisingly quickly. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.