7/22/2025 – In the diagram position, which is from a game Alina Kashlinskaya vs Mariya Muzychuk, Cairns Cup 2025, Black is an exchange down and on the verge of defeat. But she can save herself by building a fortress. What should she do?

7/21/2025 – Radoslaw (Radek) Wojtaszek came out on top in the separate Accentus Chess 960 Masters at the 58th International Biel/Bienne Chess Festival 2025. Our author Eduard Frey, who lives in Biel, met the proficient player from Poland during the tournament. | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust, Organiser

7/21/2025 – Last week Problem expert Werner Keym gave us some remarkable chess problems to solve. They were from his latest eBook, Problem Chess Art, which is available to everyone, free of charge. Here today are the solutions of the problems he selected for us. Were you able to solve them?

7/21/2025 – Levon Aronian won the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas by defeating Hans Niemann 1½–½ in Sunday’s final, securing his first title and the $200,000 top prize. Magnus Carlsen beat Hikaru Nakamura to finish third and maintain his lead in the overall tour standings. Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu claimed fifth and seventh place, respectively, as the first Freestyle Chess event held in the United States came to a close. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/21/2025 – The first decisions have been made at the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon: today's blitz chess matches marked the end of the qualification phase. Svane and Wojtaszek were unable to make up their deficit and are the last two players to be eliminated from the Masters. In the Challengers, the blitz games brought another change: Navara proved to be the stronger blitz player than Ma Qun and was thus able to push past the Chinese player into fourth place. In the coming week, the remaining players will now play for victory in Biel 2025. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/21/2025 – In the Endgame Magic Show #304, Karsten Müller shows two recent rook endgames.| You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

7/20/2025 – The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam continues in Las Vegas from 16 to 20 July with a 16-player invitational event featuring a round-robin followed by a double-elimination knockout stage. Top players including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana are taking part. All games will be broadcast live with commentary, and eliminated players will contribute to coverage. | Follow the games live starting at 20.00 CEST (14.00 ET, 23.30 IST)

7/20/2025 – Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura advanced to the third-place match of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas after winning their lower bracket encounters on Saturday. Carlsen defeated Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Arjun Erigaisi, while Nakamura overcame Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana. Sunday's final day will also feature Hans Niemann vs. Levon Aronian for the title, as well as placement matches for fifth and seventh place. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/20/2025 – With a third consecutive win, Saleh Salem has taken the sole lead in the Biel Masters Triathlon. After defeating Vladimir Fedoseev, the Emirati grandmaster also beat Aravindh Chithambaram, who now shares second place with Fedoseev. In the Challengers, all games ended in draws, consolidating the lead of Nikolas Theodorou and Aram Hakobyan. Sunday's blitz section will be decisive in determining the finalists of the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/20/2025 – Working with ChessBase 18 is so enjoyable because it builds on the experience of the developers from 17 previous versions. But you don’t have to wait for the next release — you’ll receive ongoing improvements directly to your computer through the free update service. And don’t worry: staying up to date with the latest updates takes just a few clicks. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how.

7/19/2025 – The first games of the Women's World Cup quarterfinals saw wins for Lei Tingjie and Humpy Koneru, who now lead their respective matches. Lei defeated Nana Dzagnidze in a game which saw the Georgian GM losing on time after a scoresheet miscount, while Humpy overcame Song Yuxin with the white pieces. Divya Deshmukh drew against Harika Dronavalli, while Vaishali Rameshbabu missed a chance to press against Tan Zhongyi. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

7/19/2025 – Hans Niemann and Levon Aronian advanced to the Grand Final of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas after winning their semifinal matches on Friday. Niemann defeated Fabiano Caruana in tiebreaks, while Aronian overcame Arjun Erigaisi in two classical games. In the lower bracket, Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu stayed in contention for third place. The final weekend will decide the tournament's champion and remaining podium positions. | Photo: Lennart Ootes