8/9/2024 – Episode 101 has launched, and Svitlana is testing our tactical skills! She found some lovely games of the World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship Tactics 2024, including Magnus Carlsen, Richard Rapport, Ding Liren, and more. Some tactics can be solved rather easily, while others require some critical thinking. Daniil Dubov, for example, couldn't find a decisive tactic. But maybe you can?

8/9/2024 – From 10 to 18 August Dortmund will once again be the summer chess capital of Germany. As well as a highly competitive Open, Elisabeth Pähtz and Dinara Wagner will be competing in a match to see who is number one women player in Germany.

8/8/2024 – In the match between Hans Niemann and Anish Giri, Niemann took a 7½-4½ lead after the blitz games that took place on the first day. Two classical games were played on the second day. Giri won the first game and the second game ended in a draw. Since wins in classical chess are worth 3 points, the score is now tied 9-9. | Photo: Harry Gielen

8/8/2024 – Frank Marshall (pictured), born on 10 August 1877, was one of the best and most influential American players. He was a witty chess romantic who immortalised himself with many brilliant combinations and enriched opening theory with some dangerous gambit variations. In 1915 he founded the Marshall Chess Club in New York and this may have been his most lasting contribution to American chess. The club has a rich history and continues to promote chess in America. Vladimir Lionter sends a portrait of this chess heaven in New York City.

8/8/2024 – Hans Niemann has started a series of matches against world-class players. Within a short period of time in August, he will play matches in the blitz, classical and rapid disciplines against Anish Giri, Nikita Vitiugov and Etienne Bacrot. The competition against Anish Giri began with 12 blitz games - and a convincing victory for Hans Niemann.

8/7/2024 – This is really taking thing too far. At the Dagestan Chess Championship one participant tried to poison a specific opponent by smearing mercury on her board. The substance was noticed and the arbiter called the police. The placing of the poison was caught on surveillance video, and the perpetrator has admitted to the deed. She said she had acted to get revenge on the player, whom she has known since childhood, bur who had "seriously offended her."

8/7/2024 – IM Oliver Reeh continues to inspire with the third edition of his Master Class Tactics. Once again he has selected some real gems to put your brain to the test.

8/7/2024 – Alireza Firouzja obtained a clear 14½-8½ victory over Fabiano Caruana to reach the semifinals of the Speed Chess Championship, set to take place in Paris next month. In a lopsided match, Firouzja prevailed in all three segments (5+1, 3+1 and 1+1). The youngster will face the winner of the match between Hikaru Nakamura and Ian Nepomniachtchi in the semifinals.

8/6/2024 – Chris Ward gathered not one, not two, but three beautiful Dragon examples for us. The key features in this episode are the d5 break, the Rook on the c-file, and the explosive c4 square! In typical fashion, Chris explains his thoughts, plans, ideas and more about the most recent Sicilian games. | Photo: John Upham

8/6/2024 – During the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships in Astana, a player from the all-Chinese team, Decade China, made headlines: Pang Bo! The 26-year-old dominated the amateur board, winning every single Rapid game and excelling in the Blitz section. His official FIDE rating is 1400, but he has yet to play an international tournament and is virtually unrated. However, he has successfully played strong tournaments and opponents in China and is much stronger than players with a real rating of 1400. No wonder, his pawn-pushing style gave his opponents in Astana a hard time. Robert Ris shows an interesting example of how Pang Bo tackles the London System!

8/6/2024 – On Saturday, the traditional Riga Tech University Chess Festival, organised to mark FIDE's 100 year anniversary, began in the Latvian capital Riga with a blitz tournament. Indian Grandmaster Iniyan Pa won with 10.0/11, half a point ahead of German IM Jakob Pajeken. The main tournament began on Monday with almost 300 players.

8/6/2024 – In the Endgame Magic Show #278 Karsten Müller presents two fascinating endgames by Indian star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, currently the world's number 12. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.