7/6/2025 – In his new Fast & Furious show, Robert Ris goes over an impressive victory by reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, who punished Nodirbek Abdusattorov's risky pawn grabbing out of a Nimzo-Indian Defence. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

7/6/2025 – The Women's World Cup was officially opened in Batumi with a gala evening of traditional Georgian music, dance and historical tributes to women's chess. Held at the Batumi Drama Theatre, the ceremony welcomed 107 players from 46 countries and featured speeches from FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and Georgian Chess Federation President Akaki Iashvili. The event highlighted Georgia's deep-rooted chess heritage and set the tone for the competition ahead. | Photos: Polina Bovina

7/6/2025 – Magnus Carlsen took the lead at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia tournament after scoring 7½/9 on the first day of blitz. Gukesh Dommaraju, who had led by three points after the rapid section, managed just 1½ points and fell to third place. Jan-Krzysztof Duda is now in second with 16 points, while Wesley So had the second-best blitz score of the day. The final nine rounds of blitz will be played on Sunday, as the action kicks off one hour earlier than usual. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/6/2025 – Do you know the powerful training tool in ChessBase 18? It's called "Replay Training"! This great feature lets you actively go through games move by move—sharpening your strategic and tactical understanding in a targeted way. Whether under time pressure or not, the choice is yours. Train in a realistic setting, get instant feedback, and systematically improve your play—whether you're a beginner or an ambitious tournament player. In this tutorial, we'll guide you step by step through how Replay Training works. Let's get started!

7/5/2025 – In this video course, Grandmaster David Navara teaches when deep calculation is truly necessary and when simple, solid moves are more effective. Through examples from top-level games, he explains how to recognize critical positions, avoid overcalculating, and use candidate moves and hidden tactics wisely. The course is designed to improve decision-making and efficiency, making it ideal for tournament players aiming to strengthen their practical skills.

7/5/2025 – In the new episode of his Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft analyses the all-important game facing Nodirbek Abdsuattorov against Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in the final round of the UzChess Cup. Pragg won on demand and went on to claim tournament victory in tiebreaks. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

7/1/2025 – Classic fortresses are an intriguing area in endgames. Even with a clear material imbalance, such as rook and pawn against queen and pawn, there are positions in which the defender can build an impregnable defence. The key is that you only need to know a few things and a few rules to build a fortress. This makes it surprisingly easy in the end. Dorian Rogozenco has devoted a trilogy to fortresses with rook and pawn against queen and pawn in ChessBase Magazine, and in the current issue #226, he concludes it with another attractive example. Take a look at this week's CBM free sample with an introductory video and five interactive videos where you can test your skills in a playful way!

7/1/2025 – In the Endgame Magic Show #302, Karsten Müller shows a selection of endgames from the Cairns Cup. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

7/1/2025 – Last week we gave you four pawn endings to solve – on the diagrams, without engine support. Like the one on our thumbnail. White has six legal moves, all with his king. What should you play? Did you find the astonishing and subtle 1.Kf5!, the only move that ensures the win. Today we bring you the solutions to all four endgames, lucidly explained in YouTube Shorts by Volclus. Watch, listen and learn.

7/1/2025 – Endgames studies often contain a surprising, unexpected idea that seem to be paradoxical. The diagram position is from a practical game that ended in a draw. However, White had a study-like way to win. Do you see what he should have done?

6/30/2025 – Armenian grandmaster Tigran Nalbandian passed away in Yerevan on Saturday. In his youth, he was one of Armenia's greatest talents, later enjoying success as a professional player and then as a coach. For a while, he worked on Vladimir Kramnik's coaching team. He then went on to win several medals with the Armenian national team. Nalbandian was only 50 years old. | Photo: Armenian Chess Federation

6/30/2025 – GM Chris Ward dissects a high-level Dragon game between Hikaru Nakamura and Frederik Svane, showcasing a sharp variation known as the h5 Dragadorf. Alongside detailed tactical motifs - like knight sacrifices, queen traps and pawn breaks - Chris emphasizes how even small imprecisions can lead to brutal consequences in this complex opening. He also revisits viewer questions from the previous episode. The episode is highlighting the Dragadorf's growing strength and teasing the potential for a full ChessBase course on this potent setup. | Photo: John Upham