8/13/2025 – Vincent Keymer retained his one-point lead in the Masters section of the tournament in Chennai after drawing with Arjun Erigaisi in their much-anticipated round-six clash. Wins for Jorden van Foreest, against Nihal Sarin, and Awonder Liang, over Pranav Venkatesh, brought the latter level with Arjun in second place. In the Challengers, Abhimanyu Puranik suffered his first loss to M Pranesh, who joined him and Leon Luke Mendonca in a three-way tie for first with three rounds remaining. | Photos: Anmol Bhargav

8/12/2025 – “Pin and win” may be a well-worn saying, but it still carries plenty of truth. Keeping it in mind can help you spot tactical chances — as White did in the diagram position. Can you find how he wins with a pin?

8/12/2025 – Recently, a 17-year-old player in Germany won the national girls' under-18 tournament. The head of the German commission for women's chess was less thrilled. The winner, you know, who identifies and officially categorizes as female, was born as a boy. Dominic Lawson, who writes for many major British newspapers, a strong chess player (and president of the English Chess Federation), in his words "managed to smuggle in chess as the subject" in his Sunday Times column.

8/12/2025 – Levon Aronian made the best start at the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, winning all three games on the first day to take the lead with six points (wins are worth 2 points each). Fabiano Caruana did not finish the day far behind, scoring two wins and a draw. In round two, world champion Gukesh Dommaraju dazzled with a queen sacrifice. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

8/11/2025 – In the 2025 Vlissingen Open, 2117-rated Joel Van der Werf, playing Black, faced Dutch GM Erwin l’Ami, nearly 500 rating points higher, and impressively outplayed him for much of the game. Using precise, prophylactic pawn moves and harmonious piece coordination, Van der Werf steadily restricted White’s activity, expanded on the kingside, and reached a clearly superior position. However, in a critical moment on move 40, he traded his strong bishop for a knight, and the game eventually ended in a draw, a fine underdog result but one that could have been an upset win.

8/11/2025 – Sharpen your chess skills and put them to the test with Fritz 20 plus Fritz Powerbook! This ultimate duo gives you powerful training and deep opening knowledge for your next game. Get the Summer Special between August 11–17 and get it for a special price!

8/9/2025 – In the diagram position, White is an exchange up, but the active black pieces are a nuisance. Could you please clarify the situation on the board?

8/9/2025 – Vincent Keymer took the sole lead in the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters after defeating Pranav Venkatesh in round two, his second win in as many days. Ray Robson also scored, beating Vidit Gujrathi, while the remaining games were drawn. In the Challengers, Abhimanyu Puranik and P Iniyan joined M Pranesh and Diptayan Ghosh in the lead, as both claimed victories to reach 1½ points after two rounds. | Photos: Anmol Bhargav

8/8/2025 – The round six game between Michael Adams and Nikita Vitiugov at the British Championship ended in a draw. Since none of the closest pursuers managed a win, Adams remains the sole leader. He stands at 5.0/6, followed by ten players on 4.5/6. | Photos: Yury Krylov/English Chess Federation

8/8/2025 – 15-year-old Lu Miaoyi claimed her fourth consecutive win in round four of the International Women's Tournament, securing overall victory with two rounds to spare. In the Open, German GM Luis Engel defeated Rinat Jumabayev and now shares the lead with GM Matthias Blübaum, who won against Ashot Parvanyan. | Photos: Michelle Lassak

8/8/2025 – In his new Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris shows how Ukrainian GM Pavel Eljanov used an aggressive line of the London to score a fine victory. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

8/8/2025 – The Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters began a day later than scheduled after a minor fire at the Hyatt Regency Chennai delayed the start. The opening round of the Masters saw wins for Arjun Erigaisi and Vincent Keymer, while the other three games ended in draws, including a sharp battle between Vidit Gujrathi and Jorden van Foreest. In the Challengers, Leon Luke Mendonca, Diptayan Ghosh and Pranesh M scored the day's victories to take an early lead. | Photos: Anmol Bhargav