5/29/2024 – Astrologers may feel vindicated. After all, Dommaraju Gukesh, the winner of the 2024 Candidates Tournament, and Tan Zhongyi, the winner of the 2024 Women's Candidates Tournament, were both born on 29 May, Gukesh in Chennai, India, in 2006 and Tan Zhongyi in Chongqing, China, in 1991. Congratulations! | Photos: David Llada (Gukesh) and Lennart Ootes (Tan Zhongyi)

5/29/2024 – For a chess player, chess pieces are like specific tools in a toolbox. We need to know how best to use them, just as a craftsman knows his tools. We shouldn’t use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail; and we shouldn’t close the position when we have the bishop pair.

5/29/2024 – R Vaishali became the sole leader at the inaugural edition of the Norway Chess Women tournament after beating Humpy Koneru in their round-2 classical confrontation. Top seeds Ju Wenjun and Lei Tingjie stand in shared second place after defeating Anna Muzychuk and Pia Cramling, respectively, in Armageddon tiebreakers. | Photo: Stev Bonhage

5/29/2024 – Round 2 of the Norway Chess super-tournament saw all three classical games ending drawn once again. Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja and Ding Liren all won with white in the subsequent Armageddon tiebreakers to collect 1½ points each. Carlsen, who defeated Hikaru Nakamura on Tuesday, is now leading the standings with 3 points to his name. | Photo: Stev Bonhage / Norway Chess

5/28/2024 – In the 1971 Candidate Matches Bobby Fischer faced Mark Taimanov In Vancouver, Canada. The American defeated his opponent from the Soviet Union with a "dry" 6-0 score. But matters could have started differently. In the first game it was Taimanov who put on the pressure, and even had winning chances. He played 27.h3, which nobody considered a bad move – until Kasparov pointed out its defect in 2004. Today's riddle deals with the position before White's 27th move. Computers find it devilishly difficult to find the best continuation. Can you?

5/28/2024 – In his new Fast & Furious episode, Robert Ris analyses a game by 12-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus from Turkey, who recently became the highest-rated player under the age of 13 - a record held by Judit Polgar for 35 years. | Fast & Furious is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

5/25/2024 – The seventh edition of the Salamanca Chess Festival is taking place on May 21-25 at the “Centro Internacional del Español” in the city’s prestigious university. The Masters Tournament, featuring four men and four women, is a single round-robin with a time control of 40 minutes plus 5-second increments. Follow the games live with computer-assisted analysis starting at 17.00 CEST (11.00 ET, 20.30 IST)

5/25/2024 – In the diagram position White could have won with the immediate 21.Bxh7+!, while the game continuation 21.f4 Ng4 22.Bxh7+ Kxh7 22.Qxf8 was nicely refuted by Black. Two queens in enemy territory - enjoy!

5/25/2024 – Kirill Alekseenko defeated Mariya Muzychuk on Friday to become the sole leader at the Salamanca Masters. With two rounds to go, Alekseenko, the defending champion, has a half-point lead over Eduardo Iturrizaga and Ruslan Ponomariov. In Saturday’s final rounds, Alekseenko will face Iturrizaga with the white pieces and will play black against Michael Adams. | Photos: Official website

5/24/2024 – In the 1971 Candidate Matches Bobby Fischer faced Mark Taimanov In Vancouver, Canada. The American defeated his opponent from the Soviet Union with a "dry" 6-0 score. But matters could have started differently. In the first game it was Taimanov who put on the pressure, and even had winning chances. He played 27.h3, which nobody considered a bad move – until Kasparov pointed out its defect in 2004. Today's riddle deals with the position before White's 27th move. Computers find it devilishly difficult to find the best continuation. Can you?

5/24/2024 – The Candidates Tournament 2024 took place last month in Toronto, Canada. The tournament turned out to be quite exciting, with many twists and turns. Sanket Nawle lives in Toronto, and is an excellent photographer. He tried to capture a few moments outside the playing hall — and managed to take some beautiful photos! In this article, he takes you through some of his most favourite photos from the Candidates, shortly describing why he likes them. | Photos: Sanket Nawle

5/24/2024 – After four rounds of rapid games, Kirill Alekseenko and Eduardo Iturrizaga are tied for first place at the Salamanca Masters. The co-leaders have collected 3 points each and stand a half point ahead of Ruslan Ponomariov. Thursday’s rounds saw all eight games ending decisively, as tactical, hard-fought chess has been the rule at the age-old University of Salamanca. | Photos: Official website