11/11/2025 – Matthias Wuellenweber presents ChessBase 26’s major innovations, beginning with the Enhanced Opening Report, which automatically generates deep statistical and thematic analyses — including pioneer players, popularity graphs, and tactical training positions — all tailored by Elo level to show how openings perform from club players to grandmasters. He introduces new analytical tools, such as Monte Carlo Analysis (engine-vs-engine simulations revealing true practical chances), AI plan descriptions that explain positions in natural language, and piece-manoeuvre visualizations that display typical movement patterns on the board. Finally, he showcases improved usability and design updates, including faster ray-traced 3D boards, streamlined engine management, upgraded duplicate-game detection, and modernized database icons for a smoother, more visually appealing experience.

11/11/2025 – On 9 November 1985, Garry Kasparov defeated Anatoly Karpov in the 24th game of their World Championship match and became the 13th World Chess Champion. It was the conclusion of an extraordinary duel. The first match between the two, begun in 1984, had been abandoned after 48 games without a decisive result. In the rematch, the rules were changed: the match was limited to 24 games, and the reigning champion would retain the title in case of a tie. Across the two matches, Kasparov had to play a total of 72 games against Karpov to claim the crown — one of the most demanding World Championship battles in chess history. | Photos: Tass Archive

11/11/2025 – The second rank defense: This is one of the two main defensive systems in the endgame rook and bishop against rook. The computer tablebases have confirmed that it holds: Black to move and draw.

11/11/2025 – Hikaru Nakamura has completed his campaign to qualify for the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament by reaching the required 40 classical games. The world number two played the Washington Dulles Open last weekend, sharing first place and fulfilling the FIDE threshold. His strategy of entering smaller North American tournaments has proved effective, leaving him well-placed to claim the rating qualification spot for the Candidates. | Photo: Rick Massimo / US Chess

11/10/2025 – The road to the World Chess Championship will lead to Cyprus in 2026, as the FIDE Candidates and Women's Candidates Tournaments take place side by side from 28 March to 16 April at the coastal Cap St. Georges Hotel & Resort near Paphos. Returning to Europe after Toronto 2024, the double event promises intense battles among the world's top players in one of the most prestigious and tradition-filled competitions.

11/10/2025 – A tense day of tiebreaks marked the end of round three at the FIDE World Cup in Goa. Eleven matches were decided through rapid and blitz play, including one that reached Armageddon, where Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finally overcame Vladislav Artemiev. Three players who were rating underdogs won their matches: Sam Shankland, Karthik Venkataraman and Alexey Sarana advanced to the round of 32 alongside the event's leading seeds. | Photo: Michal Walusza

11/10/2025 – At the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in September, the decision was made on two places in the 2026 Candidates Tournament. In a dramatic final round, Anish Giri secured the tournament victory with a win against Hans Moke Niemann. Matthias Bluebaum drew with Alireza Firouzja, finishing second in the overall standings. The two World Championship candidates comment on games from Samarkand in the current ChessBase Magazine #228. In addition, many other participants of the Grand Swiss contributed analyses, and Dorian Rogozenco looks back on the event in a detailed video (running time: over 40 minutes). In this week's CBM reading sample, you can view Matthias Bluebaum's analysis and Rogozenco's video contribution free of charge – in your web browser in the ChessBase Books format. Enjoy!

11/10/2025 – Svitlana explores the theme of “invisible moves” — creative, hard-to-spot ideas that suddenly make everything work. By looking for checks, deflections, and quiet improving moves, players can uncover the beauty of ideas that seem “invisible” at first glance.

11/9/2025 – FIDE has announced the winners of the 16th FIDE Trainer Awards, honouring outstanding achievements in global chess training for 2024. The recipients include Pavel Kotsur (Kazakhstan), Richard Rapport (Hungary, pictured) and Mikhail Kobalia (FIDE), recognised for their contributions to women's, open and junior competitions, respectively. The Book of the Year Award went to "Mastering Chess Endgame Calculation – Level 1" by Adrian Mikhalchishin and Tadej Sakelšek, published by Forward Chess. | Photo: Eng Chin An / FIDE

11/9/2025 – London is set to host the climax of the 2025 Speed Chess Championship, with the world's fastest players gathering at 180 Studios (pictured) on 7 and 8 February 2026 for the semifnals and the final match. Eight players, including Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, remain in contention in the quarterfinals. The four winners of these matches, set to take place until 4 December, will make it to the final live event in London. | Photo: MBS Group

11/8/2025 – Saturday brought major drama at the FIDE World Cup in Goa, as four of the top ten seeds were eliminated. Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, Anish Giri, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov all exited the competition, falling to Frederik Svane, Alexander Donchenko, Jose Martinez and Nils Grandelius. With 15 decisive games in total, the knockout format once again delivered intense battles. | Photo: Michal Walusza

11/8/2025 – GM Dorian Rogozenco explains how coaches can use ChessBase to analyse and improve both their students’ and their own games. By creating a database of a player’s games and generating a Style Report, one can quickly identify strengths and weaknesses—such as low aggressiveness or strong theoretical play. Using the search mask in the Mega Database, coaches can then find instructive games that target specific themes (like king attacks or positional play) and build customized training material. Rogozenco emphasizes combining personal experience with ChessBase’s tools to create effective, theme-based lessons that develop a player’s strategic understanding and practical skill.