2/23/2025 – If you've only been using ChessBase for a short time and want to benefit from as many of its unique functions as possible, our series offers you valuable, short and easy-to-digest tips for a successful start with ChessBase 18. In the third part of our new tutorial series, we show you how easily and conveniently you can insert variations from the engine analysis and the references into the notation (see the first two tutorial episodes) with ChessBase 18.

2/22/2025 – On 15 February, Sportstar premiered the Sportstar Aces Awards 2025 on their YouTube channel. Divya Deshmukh received the award for sportswoman of the year (non-Olympic). She won the World Junior Girls Championship 2024 and achieved a double gold (individual and team) at the Chess Olympiad. The Indian Men and Women's teams received the National Team of the Year award for winning historic gold medals at the Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary. | Photos: Sportstar

2/22/2025 – Vladimir Fedoseev is a distinguished chess grandmaster known for his aggressive and imaginative play. He earned a remarkable second place (behind Magnus Carlsen) in the World Rapid, and led Slovenia to impressive results at the Chess Olympiad. Don´t miss your chance to e-meet Fedoseev, ask questions and learn invaluable insights, in the live KFC lecture on Sunday.

2/22/2025 – From the diagram position, White managed to coordinate his queen and rook against the black king without allowing any counterplay. Please imitate!

2/22/2025 – Kateryna Lagno emerged as the sole leader of the Monaco Women’s Grand Prix after securing the only decisive result in round four. She defeated Elisabeth Paehtz in a tactical encounter marked by mutual time trouble, bringing her score to 3/4 points. Meanwhile, Sara Khadem missed a chance to convert a promising position, and Aleksandra Goryachkina pushed until move 93 but could not break through against Tan Zhongyi. Lagno will now face Batkhuyag Munguntuul with the black pieces in the fifth round. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga

2/22/2025 – Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious in the Chessable Masters Grand Final, defeating Hikaru Nakamura 2½-1½ to claim the title. The Norwegian had already beaten Nakamura in the winners' bracket final and repeated his success with a strong performance. Nakamura missed a key opportunity in game two, and despite needing a win in the fourth game, he could not break Carlsen's resilience. With this result, Carlsen, Nakamura and Ian Nepomniachtchi secured their spots in the Esports World Cup, set for late July.

2/19/2025 – One of the streamers covering the Freestyle Chess Tournament in Weissenhaus was Alexandra Botez. In a brief interview with Arne Kähler, she shared her excitement and exhaustion from the event, upcoming plans in Los Angeles, and a talk at MIT's Sports Analytics Conference. She reflected on her streaming career, team-building, and passion for competition, while also revealing details about her chess-inspired video game, designed to attract new players with innovative features like Battle Royale mechanics and magic spells. | Photo: Alexandra Botez at the Reykjavik Open 2023 | Photo: Gerd Densing

2/19/2025 – In their new episode of their "Two Knights Talk", Johannes Fischer and Arne Kähler talk, among other things, about the luxury at the Weissenhaus luxury resort and about the attraction of playing chess in such an environment. They consider how things are going and could go with Freestyle Chess and wonder why one should be careful with Boris Becker moments. And they pay tribute to Vincent Keymers skills in Freestyle Chess.

2/19/2025 – Magnus Carlsen, Arjun Erigaisi, Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja reached the semifinals of the winners' bracket in the knockout phase of the Chessable Masters. Firouzja managed to defeat Fabiano Caruana in a contested match that went to tiebreaks. | Photo: Grand Chess Tour / Lennart Ootes

2/19/2025 – The third stage of the Women's Grand Prix 2024/25 began in Monte Carlo, with three players securing victories in the opening round. Humpy Koneru and Kateryna Lagno (pictured) showcased strong endgame technique to defeat their compatriots, while Batkhuyag Munguntuul achieved a notable win over former women's world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. Series leader Bibisara Assaubayeva settled for a draw against Sara Khadem. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga

2/18/2025 – The Freestyle Chess tournament at Weissenhaus attracted many prominent visitors from the chess world. Among them was the well-known and popular commentator Danny Rensch, chess.com's Chief Chess Officer. In an interview with Arne Kähler Rensch talked about Freestyle, fitness programmes, why he rarely plays chess anymore, the art of relaxation and revealed why he came to one round in his bathrobe.

2/18/2025 – The Chessable Masters Play-In saw 174 players compete for eight spots in the final knockout stage, where they will join top grandmasters such as Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura. Wei Yi secured direct qualification by winning the Swiss event, while the remaining seven spots were decided through placement matches. Five of these were resolved in Armageddon, with Sam Sevian's victory over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave standing out as the biggest surprise. Alongside Wei and Sevian, Yu Yangyi, Anish Giri, Andrey Esipenko, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Vladislav Artemiev and Alexander Grischuk also advanced.