Airthings Masters SF: Carlsen and Nepo reach the final

2/25/2022 – It has been a tough day for everyone. Vladimir Putin’s appalling decision to invade Ukraine has shocked the world, and his actions have been condemned by most world leaders. At the Airthings Masters, three out of four semifinalists hail from Russia, with Ian Nepomniachtchi confessing after beating Andrey Esipenko, “I can’t think”. Nepo will face Magnus Carlsen in the finals of the online tournament, in a rematch of the recent contest for the World Championship title. | Photo: Niki Riga

Do Chess Players and Scientists Need Intelligence?

2/24/2022 – In this article, statistician Bruno Wiesend reports on a scientific controversy about a study on the "Influence of intelligence and practice on the development of skills". The author considers the results of the study to be wrong due to methodological errors. | Photo: Pixabay

Mahammad Muradli wins Azerbaijani Championship

2/24/2022 – The 2022 Azerbaijani Championship took place in Nakhchivan on 4-18 February. Unlike previous events, this year’s championship was held in two stages, with a 9-round Swiss tournament followed by a 4-player knockout. Mahammad Muradli beat Musratdin Iskandarov to grab his second national title. | Photos: Azebaijani Chess Federation

A football match as a chess game: Ajax Amsterdam vs Benfica Lissabon

2/24/2022 – Ajax Amsterdam vs Benfica Lisbon is one of the quarter-final matches in the 2022 Football Champions League. Ajax whetted the appetite for the clash with a virtual chess game, in which two fans look back on the history and on the great players of the two clubs. Yesterday, the first game of the real quarter-final match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Remembering the unforgettable Savielly Tartakower (21 February, 1887 – 4 February, 1956)

2/24/2022 – Savielly Tartakower was an elite master throughout his career of nearly half a century. Although he never quite reached the chess summit, he is remembered fondly as a colorful figure who enriched the game immensely. On the occasion of the 135th anniversary of his birth on 21 February, it is fitting to look back at his life and legacy. | Photo: Wikipedia

Airthings Masters QF: Artemiev knocks out Ding

2/24/2022 – Ding Liren was about to become the first player to reach the semifinals of the Airthings Masters, as he had a 1-point lead and a winning position in game 3 of his match against Vladislav Artemiev. However, the Chinese wasted his chances and lost both that game and the next one to get knocked out of the competition. Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Andrey Esipenko also moved on to the semifinals. | Photo: Vladimir Barsky

Sandro Mareco wins Ibero-American Championship in Mexico

2/23/2022 – Going into the final round, Jaime Santos was the sole leader at the Ibero-American Championship in Mexico City. The Spaniard fell at the last hurdle, though, as he was defeated by top seed Jorge Cori. Sandro Mareco (pictured) profited from this result, as he clinched tournament victory by beating Omar Almeida with the white pieces. | Photo: Club Obras / La Nación

Game of the Week #504: Nepo outplays Carlsen

2/23/2022 – In his "Game of the Week" show, Merijn van Delft looks at Ian Nepomniachtchi’s win over Magnus Carlsen from the Airthings Masters. Playing black, Nepo outplayed the world champion on his way to winning the preliminary stage of the online tournament. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

Svitlana's Smart Moves - How to solve chess studies

2/23/2022 – Svitlana's former coach taught her to solve chess studies frequently. The idea is bending the mind a little more than usual to find the solutions. Chess compositions normally have "only moves", or at least a very narrow path to crack the puzzle. We take a look at some beautiful brain-teasers.

Airthings Masters: Keymer and Hansen make the cut

2/23/2022 – Underdogs Vincent Keymer and Eric Hansen qualified to the knockout stage of the Airthings Masters on Tuesday. On the other hand, the likes of Anish Giri, Levon Aronian and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov did not make the cut. Ian Nepomniachtchi was the clear winner of the round-robin with a commanding score of 29/45 points.

Chess historian Michael Negele turns 65!

2/22/2022 – Today, the German chess historian Michael Negele celebrates his 65th birthday! Negele published widely about a variety of topics but his main focus was and is the life and work of Emanuel Lasker, and he was one of the driving forces in editing an extensive three-volume biography about the German World Champion. | Photos: German Chess Federation

New: Robert Ris - The smooth Scandinavian Defence with 3…Qd8

2/22/2022 – Are you looking for a simple, easy-to-learn repertoire against 1.e4? Then the Scandinavian with 3…Qd8 is yours! After 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 the retreat 3…Qd8 leads to a very solid type position for Black. At the expense of two tempi, the pawn structure has been defined, and hence a clear developing plan can be made for our minor pieces.

Airthings Masters: The plot thickens

2/22/2022 – A fierce battle to reach the knockout awaits on day 4 of the Airthings Masters preliminary stage. Only Ian Nepomniachtchi has secured a spot in the quarterfinals, as he has an overwhelming 7-point lead going into the final three rounds of the all-play-all stage. Magnus Carlsen is one of three players sharing second place. The world champion recently contracted Covid and confessed to a lack of energy. | Photo: Niki Riga

Yoo, Javakhadze are Chess Winners, International Master Norm for Lee

2/22/2022 – The Master Section of the 13th Annual Southwest Class Championships, February 17–21, ended in a tie for first between International Masters Christopher Yoo and Zurab Javakhadze, with 7.5 out of 9. Woman International Master Alice Lee made an International Master norm. Alexey Root reports from Fort Worth, Texas. | Photo: Courtesy of the Lee family

A good guideline

2/22/2022 – In rook endings, rooks usually belong behind passed pawns. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule but it is still a good guideline to find good moves in rook endings. In the diagrammed position it is White to move. How can she get her rook behind a passed pawn and win the endgame?

The octogenarian puzzle master

2/22/2022 – Werner Keym is a teacher (of French and Latin) and a musician who has organised more than 300 concerts in his town. In 2010, he ran for Mayor of Meisenheim and won in a landslide. Now in retirement he devotes his time to the family — he has six grandchildren — and to his hobbies. The foremost of them is problem chess, where he is the is one of the most creative problemists we know. Today he turns 80, and we celebrate with samples of his work. Prepare for an hour of fun.

Airthings Masters: Nepo grabs the lead

2/21/2022 – Ian Nepomniachtchi is almost certain to reach the knockout stage at the Airthings Masters, as he grabbed a 4-point lead after a strong performance on the second day of the preliminaries. Sharing second place are Ding Liren and Eric Hansen, while Magnus Carlsen stands two points behind the chasers after losing his round-8 game against 16-year-old Praggnanandhaa. | Photo: Maria Emelianova / FIDE

An interview with Carissa Yip

2/21/2022 – In an exclusive interview with Tatiana Flores, Carissa Yip talks about her chess career, her studies, some of her most important games, memorable chess moments, and shares her chess schedule for this year! | Photo: Austin Fuller (Saint Louis Chess Club)

Christmas knights

2/20/2022 – Star columnist Jon Speelman continues to link chess positions with Monty Python sketches. Readers pitched in with further suggestions, and in particular one noted the unexpected absence of the expectedly ‘Unexpected Spanish Inquisition’!

Understanding before Moving 67: Changing sides

2/20/2022 – 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 67th instalment of his ChessBase show "Understanding before Moving", Herman reveals why it is important to play against strong opponents to improve and shows how important it is to keep a flexible mindset. | Photo: Tommy Grooten

Player Types - The Theorist

2/20/2022 – The Grandmasters Dr. Karsten Mueller and Luis Engel have set a ball rolling in Germany with their latest Fritztrainer. GM Lars Bo Hansen designed the four-player model in 2005, and was perhaps ahead of his time. In the 5-part interview with Dr. Karsten Mueller, all four player types are discussed in detail. Today - The Theorist.

Airthings Masters: Ding leads, Carlsen struggles

2/20/2022 – Ding Liren had the best start at the Airthings Masters online tournament. The Chinese scored 10/12 points after winning three games and drawing one on the first day of action. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Andrey Esipenko are placed second and third, while Magnus Carlsen is currently eleventh after losing in rounds 3 and 4, against Esipenko and Nepomniachtchi respectively. | Photo: Amruta Mokal

Praggnanandhaa in Wijk aan Zee: Analyses and reflections

2/19/2022 – The organizers of the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk aan Zee are known for inviting promising talents. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu made his debut in the Masters this year. Thorsten Cmiel analyses Pragg’s games and shares some reflexions about the youngster’s performance. | Photos: Lennart Ootes, Jurriaan Hoefsmit - Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2022

A surprising attack

2/19/2022 – Opposite-coloured bishops favour the attacker - in the diagrammed position it is Black to move, and do you see how Black can exploit the superiority on "his squares"?