January 2019 FIDE Ratings

1/1/2019 – FIDE's January ratings are out and saw a few big moves in the top 100 rapid and blitz lists thanks to the recently completed World Rapid and Blitz Championships. Carlsen's blitz dominance was on display and he solidified the top rating spot, now at 2954. Daniil Dubov gained notoriety (and rating) for his impressive run in the World Rapid Championship. Among the women, Ju Wenjun took her third world title of the year, but Kateryna Lagno, who lost the World Championship final in a blitz tiebreaker against Ju, managed to win the Blitz Championship well ahead of her rival. | Pictured: Women's World Blitz Champion, Kateryna Lagno | Photo: Lennart Ootes

The Weekly Show with Lawrence Trent

1/1/2019 – Tuesdays at 18:00 CEST (5:00 pm UK time, Noon EDT) Lawrence Trent brings you the latest trends, games and combinations from elite chess tournaments. This week looks at some of his own games from 2018. Free to watch on-demand for a limited time with a ChessBase Basic Account. You can register a free 90-day account to watch.

Rooks belong behind passed pawns

1/1/2019 – It was Dr Tarrasch who formulated this famous principle and though there are, of course, exceptions and positions in which the rook is better placed on the side of the pawn, in rook endings this is still a very good rule of thumb.

Ringing in the New Year at the Rilton Cup

1/1/2019 – The traditional Rilton Cup in Stockholm is currently in its 48th edition. The nine-round tournament started on December 27th and runs through January 5th. The New Year is celebrated in Stockholm and New Year's Day is the lone free day. The event routinely attracts a strong field of GMs — at least those not interested in Rapid or Blitz championships, and it even has its own mobile app for iOS and Android! | Photo: Lars OA Hedlund

Webster wins Pan-Am 2018

12/31/2018 – Webster University’s “A” team won the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championships (Pan-Am). Qualifying for the Final Four of College Chess are Webster University, The University of Texas at Dallas, Harvard University, and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. | Pictured: Webster University team with Susan Polgar and Paul Truong. | Photo: David Llada

World Blitz Ch: Carlsen and Lagno prevail

12/31/2018 – Nothing could stop Magnus Carlsen on Sunday, as he obtained six more wins to get first place at the World Blitz Championship after finishing with an undefeated 17/21 score. Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Hikaru Nakamura completed the podium. Meanwhile, in the women's section, day-one leader Kateryna Lagno also stayed on top throughout the day and was awarded the gold medal in the end. Sarasadat Khademalsharieh finished second — like in the Rapid — and Lei Tingjie took home the bronze. | Photos: Maria Emelianova / Lennart Ootes / Official site

Looking back – Christmas puzzles

12/31/2018 – It is another entertaining type of chess problems. The point of retro is you must consider the moves that led up to the given position. They are often quite difficult to guess – you have to think out of the box. We are not going to slay our doubtlessly inexperienced readers with complex retrograde analysis, but instead show you a number of fairly simple examples, some of which will still have you frowning in puzzlement. One thing for sure: they are all very entertaining.

Team Tal: an untold story

12/30/2018 – Valentin Kirillov and Misha Tal are childhood pals. Destiny takes them on separate paths and then brings them together. The former world champion now has a devoted friend serving as his official second. What does it mean to live and work with a wayward genius? Read on to see a memorable portrait drawn by a friend who loved Misha and paid the price. (Based on an episode in “Team Tal” by Valentin Kirillov, Elk and Ruby. 2017) | Photo: Gahetna.nl

FIDE World Blitz Champions: Carlsen and Lagno

12/30/2018 – The 2018 World Blitz Championship took place December 29th and 30th in St. Petersburg Russia, with live commentary by GMs Peter Leko and Evgeny Miroshnichenko. Magnus Carlsen defended his 2017 Blitz title. Kateryna Lagno won the Women's tournament. The winners of the Rapid Championship were the 25th seed GM Daniil Dubov in the Open and Ju Wenjun among the women, adding the Rapid World Champion's title to her list of accolades. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

A romantic opening in modern times!

12/30/2018 – If your nickname is 'Risk' or your middle name is 'Complication', then I've got an opening for you! The King's Gambit is swashbuckling but also full of positional ideas. Many top players have used — and continue to use — the King's Gambit, proving that this weapon from the long-forgotten past is still alive and scything victims! Grandmaster Simon Williams outlines novelties and ideas which can be added to the repertoire of the attacking player. Reviewer DAVIDE NASTASIO has compiled a number of illustrative games from which to draw inspiration, improving any player's attacking chess. | Photo: Carl Portman / britishchesschampionships.co.uk

World Blitz Ch: Carlsen and Artemiev command the standings

12/29/2018 – Seven wins and four draws left Magnus Carlsen as the co-leader after day one of the World Blitz Championships in Saint Petersburg. The Norwegian is sharing first place with blitz specialist Vladislav Artemiev, who recovered from an early loss to complete the twelve rounds on Saturday with an astounding 9½ score. Two strong performances were also seen in the women's section, where Kateryna Lagno and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh are sharing the lead on 7½/9. | Photos: Maria Emelianova / Lennart Ootes / Official site

A White Christmas

12/29/2018 – The final "Study of the Month" examines the legacy of American composer Alain C. White. Our study guide and expert SIEGFRIED HORNECKER explains how White "was far ahead of his time — half a century or more". In fact, Hornecker is already looking ahead to 2022 when many of White's works are slated to enter the public domain, much to the benefit of chess study fans (and future Study of the Month columns) everywhere.

Yuliya Shvayger and Alon Greenfeld are the new Israeli Champions

12/29/2018 – The end of the year saw Israel organising its national championships in Maalot Tarshiha. In the open section, 54-year-old Alon Greenfeld won his second national title after having received the trophy for the first time back in 1984. He tied on 6½ points with Evgeny Postny, but was declared winner on tie-breaks. Amongst the women, rating favourite Yuliya Shvayger (pictured with Moshe Slav, chairman of the Israel Chess Federation) finished on top after edging Marsel Efroimski on Sonneborn-Berger score. | Photos: Dr. Mark Livshitz

World Rapid Ch: Daniil Dubov and Ju Wenjun are the champions

12/29/2018 – No tie-breaks were needed to decide the winners of the 2018 World Rapid Championships in Saint Petersburg. In the open section, Daniil Dubov arrived in the last round alone at the top of the standings and kept his position after all the top games finished drawn. Meanwhile, Ju Wenjun continued her great run and practically secured first place with a round to spare — will the Chinese manage to win the 'triple crown' of world championships this year? | Photos: Maria Emelianova / Lennart Ootes / Official site

2018 Pan-Am College Chess: A West Coast Revival?

12/28/2018 – The Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championships, the crown jewel of college chess in the USA, is historically played in the days between the Christmas and New Year's holidays, December 27th to 30th. ALEXEY ROOT checks in on the early action. The top-rated team is Webster "A" with GMs Illia Nyzhnyk (2730), Lazaro Bruzon Batista (2757), Yuniesky Quesada Perez (2723) and Jorge Cori | Photos: Alexey Root

FIDE World Rapid Champions: Dubov and Ju

12/28/2018 – The 2018 World Rapid Championship were played over three days in St. Petersburg Russia, with live commentary by GMs Peter Leko and Evgeny Miroshnichenko. In the Open sections, the reigning champions Viswanathan Anand (Rapid) and Magnus Carlsen (Blitz) were back in action. In the women's rapid tournament, Anna Muzychuk is the top seed followed by World Champion Ju Wenjun. The winner of the open section was the 25th seed GM Daniil Dubov, while among the women, Ju Wenjun added the Rapid World Champion title to her list of accolades. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Two times three queens

12/28/2018 – Despite his huge material plus, in the diagram position White is the one who must seek salvation with only moves. Things start with 33.Qxe8+ Qxe8 34.Qd2 Qe5 — the rest will be up to you. Ready?

Vote: Newcomer of the Year

12/28/2018 – The year 2018 is drawing to a close and it was filled with great events, strong tournaments and fantastic games. Now, at the end of the year, we invite you to vote for the player of the year (male and female), the newcomer, the game, the combination and the endgame of the year. What do you think: Who was the up-and-coming player of 2018?

World Rapid Ch: A tight race

12/28/2018 – In a day full of ups and downs, seven players ended up sharing the lead on 7½ points, with Magnus Carlsen part of the ten-player chasing pack half a point behind. So it is impossible to make any predictions in the open section, as anybody having a good last day will emerge as the winner. On the other hand, amongst the women, Ju Wenjun has kept her lead after winning two and drawing two in the second day of action. | Photos: Maria Emelianova / Lennart Ootes / Official site

An Auckland Assignment

12/27/2018 – And now for something a bit different...EDWIN LAM offers a noir-ish fictional introduction to the impending New Zealand Open. The set-up is fake but the tournament is very real, even if set in the fantastic wonderland of New Zealand. | Pictured: The young and young-at-heart playing in bubbles on scenic Lake Rotorua | Photo: Edwin Lam

Vote: Player of the year 2018

12/27/2018 – The year 2018 is drawing to a close and it was filled with great events, strong tournaments and fantastic games. Now, at the end of the year, we invite you to vote for the player of the year (male and female), the newcomer, the game, the combination and the endgame of the year. What do you think: Who was the best player overall of 2018?

World Rapid Ch: Firouzja stuns while Carlsen suffers

12/27/2018 – A very confident Magnus Carlsen arrived in Saint Petersburg to prove his strength at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships. However, his hopes of victory in the Rapid were strongly reduced after he lost his first two games against much lower-rated opposition. The Norwegian went on to win his three remaining encounters and is now one and a half points behind the leaders: Ian Nepomniachtchi, Dmitry Andreikin and 15-year-old Iranian prodigy Alireza Firouzja. | Photos: Maria Emelianova / Lennart Ootes / Official site

Game of the Week: Good knight vs bad bishop

12/26/2018 – Ideas and strategies in Grandmaster games can be quite instructive. IM Merijn van Delft presents games like these every Wednesday at 20:00 CET (19:00 UT, 2 pm EDT). On this week's show: Good knight vs bad bishop. The live show is free to watch, and available on-demand for ChessBase Premium account holders. To chat, please visit videos.chessbase.com/live or login via Playchess for Windows.

Gaprindashvili: "I am very thankful that chess was my sport of choice"

12/26/2018 – About a month ago, Nona Gaprindashvili took clear first at the 65+ Women's World Senior Championship. During her stay in Bled, the European Chess Academy made a lengthy interview with the living legend. Nona talks about personal experiences and gives her opinion on topics ranging from the Carlsen-Caruana match to her love for the Dinamo Tbilisi football club. | Photo: Hans Peters / Anefo