6/24/2025 – FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich made the ceremonial first move on Sunday at a strong open tournament in Aktobe. The event has been held since 2019 as a memorial for his father, Vladimir Dvorkovich. Top seed is Wang Hao but in his first game the Chinese grandmaster suffered a loss. | Photos: Tournament page

6/24/2025 – In the diagram position White is winning because his h-pawn is far advanced and strong. What should White do to make the h-pawn count?

6/24/2025 – Round five of the Masters section in the UzChess Cup saw four decisive results, shaking up the standings. Nodirbek Abdusattorov reclaimed the sole lead by winning his third game with the white pieces, while Parham Maghsoodloo and Arjun Erigaisi moved into shared second place by scoring full points. Javokhir Sindarov also scored a win, as he bounced back from his round-four loss by defeating Richard Rapport. | Photo: sports.uz

6/23/2025 – FIDE’s latest transfer list reveals that several strong players have changed federations. The most prominent of them is Gata Kamsky (pictured) who is moving to France after decades of membership in the US Chess Federation. Olga Badelka is transferring to the Austrian Chess Federation, and Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova is returning to the Uzbek Chess Federation. | Photo: John Saunders

6/23/2025 – It might well be the world’s biggest scholastic chess tournament: the “Rechtes gegen Linkes Alsterufer” match, played every year in Hamburg. Schools from the right bank of the Alster – the river that runs through the city – compete in teams of eight against schools from the left bank. The event began in 1958, with the left bank winning 65–33 and taking a 1–0 lead. Today, the left bank leads with 40–22 in team points and 31,277.5 to 30,512.5 in board points. Over the years, a total of 123,738 students have taken part in the event. The most recent match took place on June 18, outdoors in the center of Hamburg. The left bank won 966.5 to 769.5. | Photos: Nils Rhode

6/23/2025 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu joined Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the lead of the UzChess Cup after defeating Javokhir Sindarov in round four. Both co-leaders stand on 3/4 points with one round to go before the tournament's rest day. Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo are half a point behind. Pragg's win came in a complex Semi-Slav, where queenside passers and accurate endgame play proved decisive in a game marked by time trouble and tactical subtleties. | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

6/20/2025 – Carissa Yip kept her nerves! With a draw against Alice Lee in the final round of the Cairns Cup in Saint Louis, she secured both the tournament victory and a GM norm. If Lee had won the game, she would have taken first place, but the draw was enough for her to finish second. The youngest participants, and the 9th and 10th seeds—Carissa Yip and Alice Lee—won gold and silver in Saint Louis. Third place went to Harika Dronavalli. | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club

6/20/2025 – Those who prepare well in the summer will be ready for tournaments in the fall and winter — or for summer opens as well. The Neo-London System is a powerful weapon that allows White to take control of the game right from the start — slightly sharper than the traditional London System. In her Fritztrainer, Elisabeth Pähtz explains how it works. Part of this week's Summer Special for only €34.90 (instead of €49.90).

6/19/2025 – FIDE and the International School Chess Federation (ISCF) invite all FIDE member federations to participate in the World Schools Team Championship 2025 (WSTC). The competition will take place in Washington, D.C./Alexandria, USA, from August 2 (arrival) to August 7 (departure), 2025. Each team must consist of four main players, one reserve, and one non-playing captain. The registration deadline is July 1, 2025.

6/19/2025 – With her fourth consecutive victory, Carissa Yip has taken the lead at the Cairns Cup in Saint Louis. She won convincingly with Black against Bibisara Assaubayeva in round 8 and, with one round to go, is now half a point ahead of Alice Lee, who had to settle for a draw against Harika Dronavalli. And one of the two - Alice Lee or Carissa Yip - will win the tournament, as they face each other in the ninth and final round! | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club

6/18/2025 – Since 1994, the Echternach Open has been a regular highlight on the tournament calendar in the Eifel region. Set in the historic town of Echternach - the oldest city in Luxembourg - the event is held in the beautiful setting of the Old Abbey. Combined with flawless organization, this charming venue draws over 300 chess enthusiasts each year, including grandmasters. This year, German GM Daniel Fridman claimed victory thanks to the best tiebreak score, edging out four other players who finished with the same number of points. Gerd Densing reports and sends impressions.

6/18/2025 – In the new episode of his Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft analyzes a game between two Indian players: Vishy Anand’s brilliant win against Arjun Erigaisi at the World Rapid Team Championship in London. Erigaisi went for an aggressive attack, but Anand kept his cool and countered effectively. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.