10/5/2022 – That's how chess can be: You cheerfully let the knights rush forward and threaten everything that's standing there. The dear pawns lash out so much that it's a real joy - and suddenly the cerebrum announces: T-R-A-P. Unfortunately too late. That doesn't have to be. With the tactics app in your ChessBase account, you can work on your tactics at any time: Solve tasks at your level without time pressure, measure yourself against others in the tactics fight or compete against the clock in the tactics sprint. In the second episode of his account tutorial, Martin Fischer explains how best to use the tactics app. So that you don't fall into a trap again...

10/5/2022 – A few hours ago, the Wall Street Journal published a lengthy article sharing the findings emerging from an investigation conducted by chess.com. According to the piece, chess.com asserts that Hans Niemann “likely received illegal assistance in more than 100 online games, as recently as 2020”, including in many tournaments with prize money on the line. Niemann did not respond to requests for comments.

10/5/2022 – No major upsets were seen in round 2 of the European Club Cup in Mayrhofen, with the favourite teams mostly securing comfortable wins. Superbet’s Vishy Anand was rested, while Offerspill’s Magnus Carlsen played and beat Solingen’s Alexander Naumann. In the women’s event, the top two teams, Monte-Carlo (pictured) and Superbet, scored wins. Both teams will face difficult challenges in round 3, as they will play Pamhagen (third seeds) and Odlar Yurdu (fourth seeds) respectively. | Photos: European Chess Union

10/4/2022 – There is a sense of frustration at this stage by parties wide and large, and while the quote in the headline will hit closer to home for chess players, the venerable British newspaper 'The Guardian' also took an unprecedented step by declaring their own official position regarding the entire scandal.

10/4/2022 – The cheating accusations against Hans Niemann continue to make waves. To check these accusations, a number of chess players have statistically analysed Niemann's games with the help of computer programmes. The latest research comes from the Brazilian streamer, programmer and data analyst "Rafaelvleite". He comes to the conclusion that Niemann's play "after 2018 shows unexpected" results "not compatible with" a rating of 2700. Here are excerpts from his article about his research.

10/4/2022 – At the beginning of October the FIDE published its new ranking list. With a rating of 2856 Magnus Carlsen continues to lead the list though he lost 5 points in the Sinquefield Cup. Currently, Carlsen is 44 ratings points away from 2900 but also 45 rating points ahead of Ding Liren, who has a rating of 2811 and is the world's number two. Hou Yifan continues to lead the women's ranking list, five juniors have a rating of 2700 or more, and Zhu Jiner from China is number one on the list of female juniors.

10/4/2022 – In the diagrammed position White is a pawn up but is also in danger because Black's passed pawns are powerful. However, with precise play White can save the game. How?

10/4/2022 – Last week we presented you with a second set of unusual and interesting positions. They are clever and somewhat difficult to solve. But all of them are fun. Today you get the solutions, presented in a way that is particluarly easy to follow. You do not have to be a champion player or problem expert to follow.

10/4/2022 – The European Club Cups kicked off in Mayrhofen, Austria, with 70 teams in the open and 17 teams in the women’s tournament. There were no major upsets in the open, as the top teams mostly got easy wins. On the other hand, among the women, the favourites from Monaco won by the smallest of margins. Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen both drew with the black pieces. | Photos: European Chess Union

10/3/2022 – Each of the ten European mini-states which make up the European Small Nations Association sent one player to this single round-robin tournament with a classical time control. The event took place in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, and ended Saturday. The winner of the tournament was GM Lance Henderson de la Fuente, from Andorra, who obtained an 8/9 score. The matter was only decided in the last round, when Henderson defeated Luitjen Akselsson Apol from the Faroe Islands. | Photos: European Chess Union

10/3/2022 – Chess history will be made this year at induction ceremonies recognizing several exceptional contributors to the iconic game as the newest members of the U.S. and World Chess Halls of Fame. The first ceremony will honor 2022 U.S. Chess Hall of Fame inductees Daniel Willard Fiske, James Tarjan and John Watson, as well as 2021 World Chess Hall of Fame inductees Miguel Najdorf and Eugene Torre.

10/3/2022 – The FIDE World Cadet Chess Championship 2022 in the U8, U10 and U12 categories is in the books. In the final round, the participants, especially those contesting for medals, showed real fighting spirit. Not all the favourites made it to the podium, giving way to uprising lower-rated players. Find the winners of all categories in this article. | Photos: Mark Livshitz