4/30/2025 – In his new Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft presents a game of Arjun Erigaisi, in which the Indian Grandmaster once again proves his talent for attacking chess. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

4/30/2025 – The Czech Chess Federation announced yesterday on its website the death of Czech grandmaster Petr Neuman (11 March 1978 – 29 April 2025). The Czech Chess Federation describes Petr Neuman, who became a grandmaster in 2013, as one of the country's most active players. Last weekend, Neuman was still playing for his German club Bad Mergentheim in the Bundesliga. | Photo: Czech Chess Federation

4/30/2025 – Kicking off the 2025 Grand Chess Tour is the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, the first of three speed chess events, which is taking place on April 26-30 in Warsaw. The event starts with 9 rounds of rapid action, followed by 18 rounds of blitz. Included in the field are young elite GMs such as Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Alireza Firouzja alongside former world champion Veselin Topalov. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST)

4/30/2025 – Vladimir Fedoseev has taken a commanding lead at the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland tournament after scoring 8 out of 9 points in the first day of blitz. The Slovenian grandmaster now stands 3½ points ahead of the field with nine rounds left to play on Wednesday. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu sits in sole second place despite a shaky start to the day, while Levon Aronian, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Aravindh Chithambaram remain in close contention for a top finish. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

4/29/2025 – GM Chris Ward introduces a fresh and evolving variation in the Sicilian Dragon, humorously dubbed the "Accelerated Dragadorf", which merges dragon setups with thematic ideas from the Najdorf. He analyzes a complex game featuring this system, highlighting tactical motifs, a strong bishop on e5, and a dominant performance by young Vietnamese IM Dau Khuong Duy. The second part covers a clean positional win in a more traditional Dragon, culminating in a delightful rook endgame puzzle, followed by Chris sharing personal insights on his early use of chess engines like Fritz. | Photo: John Upham

4/29/2025 – Max Euwe became the fifth World Chess Champion after beating Alexander Alekhine in the 1935 World Championship match. A maths teacher by profession, Euwe remained an amateur throughout his life, but was still the best chess player in the Netherlands, and one of the world's best players.

4/26/2025 – The 2025 Grand Chess Tour got underway in Warsaw with the first three rounds of rapid play at the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland. Held at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, the opening day saw Vladimir Fedoseev take the early lead with 5 points, followed closely by Alireza Firouzja and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. Former FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov, one of the main attractions of the event, recovered from a slow start to end the day with a notable win. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

4/26/2025 – This new interactive ChessBase video course by GM Fabien Libiszewski offers over eight hours of detailed instruction on the Pirc Defence, a dynamic opening for players seeking winning chances with black. Grandmaster Libiszewski guides viewers through key games and a complete repertoire, helping players grasp the main strategic ideas and counterplay opportunities. Suitable for both English and French speakers, the course also allows users to save games and variations for further study, making it a valuable addition to any ambitious player's training.

4/26/2025 – With three out of eight events completed, the race for a spot in the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament is intensifying. Ju Wenjun leads the standings with 86.5 points, closely followed by Humpy Koneru on 84, after strong performances in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships. Former champions and rising stars, including Tan Zhongyi, Kateryna Lagno and Afruza Khamdamova, remain in contention. The series resumes in May with the final Women's Grand Prix leg in Austria, keeping qualification hopes alive for seventeen players.

4/26/2025 – In the diagram position, which occurred in a game between Sidney Paine Johnston and Frank Marshall, White demolished Black's centre and a few moves later was able to checkmate his famous opponent - I hope you enjoy this classical game!

4/25/2025 – We are thrilled to announce an exclusive live lecture with IGM Athanasios Mastrovasilis at KCF Academy on April 27. He will be focused on one of the most crucial and underappreciated aspects of chess mastery: defending tough and even lost positions. Come watch and learn!

4/25/2025 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace, and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world’s best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?