7/30/2119 – From July 20th to the 31st, the Swiss watch metropolis of Biel/Bienne will once again be a focus of chess activity in Europe. The festival features many interesting and young players as well as a new format that combines rapid, classical and blitz chess. Vidit won again with Black adding to his immpressive run. Shankland is second. Live games and commentary from 12:00 UTC (14:00 CEST / 8:00 AM EDT).

5/1/2023 – The following survey lists all chess players who have reached a top five or top ten status at least once in their career, ranked by their highest position, then in chronological order. Of course, the start of the FIDE Elo list and the current date are arbitrary, but the chess world has now had an established rating and ranking publication for more than fifty consecutive years. How many different TOP FIVE players would you expect? Well, there are only 55 luminaries in the last 55 years or so! Check it out. | Photo: Magnus Carlsen and Garry Kasparov | Photo: Grand Chess Tour

3/29/2023 – Toronto will host the 2024 FIDE Candidates and Women’s Candidates, scheduled for April 3-25, with a prize fund of EUR 750,000. It will be the first time in chess history that both events will be held at the same time and venue, and also the first time that the Candidates Tournament will be held in North America. The event will be sponsored by the Scheinberg family, as part of the long-term collaboration agreement that was announced in 2022.

3/20/2023 – The 2023 FIDE Women's Candidates Final will be disputed in Chongqing (China) from March 27th to April 6th. Chinese Grandmasters Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi will face each other in a six-game classical chess match. The winner will receive 60,000 Euros and the right to challenge the current Women's World Champion, Ju Wenjun, for the title in July.

2/9/2023 – One of the most common things that chess players obsessed with Elo ratings (which is almost all of them) do when selecting tournaments to play is to look at the nationality of the players already entered, to see if they come from countries that are considered to have "deflated" ratings or "inflated" ratings, which might add to the attraction of playing. Javier Perea analyses the phenomenon.

2/17/2023 – FIDE has joined the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA). SIGA is a non-profit, global, independent organisation with a mission to ensure that sporting organisations are run to the highest standards of integrity in order to protect the values of sport.

2/8/2023 – UAE Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence, the International Chess Federation, and the Asian Chess Federation jointly held the Tolerance Games - Asian Chess Women's Contest that took place from February 06-07, 2023, in Abu-Dhabi, UAE. The event was a part of the Global Tolerance and Human Fraternity Summit in Etihad Towers. | Photo: FIDE

12/6/2022 – After achieving her third Grandmaster norm in the Grand Swiss Tournament in Riga 2021 Germany's number one women player Elisabeth Pähtz (pictured) finally seemed to have secured the title, but when it turned out that her second norm might not have been valid, things got complicated. But in FIDE's decisions of the Council meeting on 25 November Pähtz's title was now confirmed. And Mexico was mentioned indirectly as possible host for the World Championship match between Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2023. | Photo: Lars OA Hedlund

12/16/2022 – The FIDE Council has approved a major reform of the qualification paths to the Candidates Tournament, the event that decides the challenger for the World Championship match. The main innovation is creating a new qualification path through different FIDE-rated tournaments. Tournaments that meet certain criteria will grant points towards the “FIDE Circuit”. | Photo: FIDE

11/19/2119 – When Magnus Carlsen decides to leave the Norwegian Chess Federation or gives interviews in Norway or plays for his new club in Norway's second league it is usually Tarjei Svensen who shares the news with the world, via his twitter account @TarjeiJS, which has thousands of ardent followers. STEFAN LOEFFLER spoke with the Norwegian chess journalist about Carlsen, chess in Norway and his wish to be always up-to-date. | Photos: Lennart Ootes

9/22/2119 – The 2019-2020 FIDE Women's Grand Prix, part of the Women's World Championship cycle, takes place in Skolkovo, a business centre in Moscow also known as the Russian Silicon Valley. Twelve players are competing in the first of four single round-robin events that will grant two spots at the next Women's Candidates Tournament. In the final round, Humpy Koneru earned the final half point needed to clinch victory ahead of Ju Wenjun. | Photo: Official site

3/6/2023 – While a number of Russian chess masters have publicly spoken out in favour of stopping the Russian war of aggression, hardly anything has been heard from others. For example, from Vladimir Kramnik, the 14th World Champion (2000 to 2007). Martin Breutigam, author and International Master, asked Kramnik about the long silence – and received a full answer. | Photo: Guido Kohlen

4/30/2023 – By winning game 4 of the rapid tiebreakers — after three draws — Ding Liren became the 17th undisputed world chess champion! Ian Nepomniachtchi seemed to have things under control in the deciding game, and even a bit of an advantage at times, but he overestimated his chances and allowed Ding to get a dangerous passer. Ding kept his nerves and converted his advantage brilliantly. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage

5/25/2023 – An imposing 7/9 performance on Thursday allowed Magnus Carlsen to clinch first place at the Superbet Rapid & Blitz tournament in Warsaw. Rapid-section winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda put up a great fight, as he went into the final-round confrontation against Carlsen with chances of catching his famed colleague in the standings. A hard-fought 124-move draw sealed Carlsen’s victory. Duda came second, while Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave shared third place. | Photos: Lennart Ootes

5/10/2023 – After Sagar Shah, founder and driving force behind Chessbase India, spoke to former World Champion Vishy Anand about the dramatic World Championship match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren, Sagar also interviewed former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik on the same subject. As a supporter of "Team Nepo" Kramnik was directly involved in the World Championship match. In the interview, Kramnik talked about his work with Nepomniachtchi, the critical moments of the match, opening preparation, nervousness in World Championship matches and much more.

6/2/2023 – Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja (photo) won straight games against Aryan Tari and Nodirbek Abdusattorov in round 3 of the Norway Chess Tournament. Magnus Carlsen, D. Gukesh and Anish Giri picked up an extra half point in Armageddon after their draws. Caruana leads the field. | Photo: Norway Chess/ Lennart Ootes

5/31/2023 – For the first time the CBM Extra comes with three opening videos: Nico Zwirs (Najdorf Variation with 6.Bg5), Sipke Ernst (3.h4 against the Gruenfeld), Romain Edouard ("Critical Lines in the Dragon" Part II) - total playing time over an hour. Plus the "Lucky bag" with analyses by Anish Giri, Spyridon Kapnisis, Adrian Mikhalchishin and many others!

5/22/2023 – Magnus Carlsen played his first three over-the-board (rapid) games after giving up the world champion title on Sunday. In his first outing as a ‘former world champion’, Carlsen replied to Radoslaw Wojtaszek’s 1.d4 with 1...b5, going for the questionable Polish Defence — in Warsaw! Carlsen lost that game and drew the next two to end the day with a 2/6 score. Three points ahead stand co-leaders Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/16/2023 – A draw with black in his game against Richard Rapport was enough for Fabiano Caruana to win the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest. None of the four players sharing second place before the final round managed to score a full point on Monday, thus allowing Caruana to claim clear first place, the $100,000 top prize and 13 GCT points. Meanwhile, world champion Ding Liren beat Bogdan-Daniel Deac with the black pieces. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

6/2/2023 – The advance of the h-pawn on move three is certainly not in line with the basic rules of how to play the opening. But in recent years a number of world-class players have been successful with it, including Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. And just a weeks ago at the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest, Fabiano Caruana managed an impressive winning game with it on his way to winning the tournament against MVL. Sipke Ernst recorded a FritzTrainer on 3.h4 against the Grünfeld and King's Indian half a year ago. In the new CBM Extra #213 he provides an update with current material - you can see an excerpt of his analysis here!

5/23/2023 – Wesley So and Jan-Krzysztof Duda are sharing the lead after six rounds at the rapid section of the Superbet tournament in Poland. So and Duda have collected 9 points each, and have already faced each other — in their round-6 direct encounter, So failed to make the most of a clear advantage. Levon Aronian stands in sole third place, while a winless Magnus Carlsen stands 4 points behind the co-leaders, on 5/12. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/8/2023 – When Vishy Anand talks about World Championship matches, he knows what he's talking about. He was World Champion from 2007 to 2013, played six World Championship matches and one World Championship tournament, and reached the final of the World Knockout Championships twice. In an interview with Sagar Shah, Anand takes a look at the World Championship match between Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi and talks about the critical moments of the games, opening preparation, match psychology, Magnus Carlsen and the future of the World Chess Championship.

5/7/2023 – A week after Ding Liren became the new world chess champion and a day after King Charless III was crowned in London, GM Jon Speelman reflects on the memorable match from Astana. Referring to Ding’s much praised decision to play ...Rg6 in the deciding game, Speelman writes: “That’s the one moment of the match that I’m going to revisit, not so much from the technical point of view but the psychological. Decision-making in chess involves both pure chess skill and general intelligence, and the small calculated risk that Ding took was a prime example”. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage

5/11/2023 – In the World Chess Championship, which still was running while this article was written but will be over when you read it, Ding Liren won the sixth game by threatening a checkmate with rook and knight. Let us see how that kind of checkmate was used in endgame studies. | Photo: Midjourney AI

5/7/2023 – The inaugural event of the 2023 Grand Chess Tour, the Superbet Chess Classic, saw US grandmaster Wesley So grabbing the only win in Saturday’s first round. So defeated Alireza Firouzja with the black pieces. Ian Nepomniachtchi could not get much with white against Ding Liren’s second in the World Championship match, Richard Rapport, while Ding himself drew his game with white against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/25/2023 – Magnus Carlsen ended the first day of blitz at the Superbet Poland tournament with five consecutive wins, thus climbing to sole second place a half point behind Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Duda scored 4½ points to remain atop the standings, as he collected three wins, three draws and three losses on Wednesday. Wesley So stands in third place, merely a half point behind Carlsen. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/21/2023 – Today I’m returning to a subject I’ve covered a number of times in the past: passed pawns. Passed pawns are a crucial aspect of chess and your attitude to them can have a profound effect on how you play and, in particular, your opening choices. To explore this topic, I look at a game played by Vasilios Kotronias, in which he was overwhelmed by an absolute pawn avalanche. The final phase is extraordinary and somewhat reminiscent of the famous game McDonnell versus De La Bourdonnais.

5/27/2023 – Today the point is only shared. In the diagram position White managed to save himself, playing a series of (splendid!) only moves. Can you find them all?

5/30/2023 – Endings with opposite colored bishops endings often end in a draw. But in the diagram position Black found a way to break through and win the game. What did he do?

6/3/2023 – Even with few pieces on the board, territorial dominance can be a decisive factor. In the diagram position Black could have already won with 82...Rg1!, but he took his time to relish the position and won a bit later. Endgame technique spiced up with tactical motifs - enjoy!

5/31/2023 – For the first time the CBM Extra comes with three opening videos: Nico Zwirs (Najdorf Variation with 6.Bg5), Sipke Ernst (3.h4 against the Gruenfeld), Romain Edouard ("Critical Lines in the Dragon" Part II) - total playing time over an hour. Plus the "Lucky bag" with analyses by Anish Giri, Spyridon Kapnisis, Adrian Mikhalchishin and many others!

5/20/2023 – Weak dark squares in front of the black king, coffin nail pawn f6, White to move and wins. A Gligoric classic - enjoy!

6/5/2023 – GM Romain Edouard is an expert on the Sicilian Dragon Variation. In his four-part series in ChessBase Magazine Extra he gives deep insights into the variations after 9.0-0-0 d5 and reveals a multitude of tactical motifs he came across in the course of his analyses. The second part deals with the main line 10.exd5. You can watch an excerpt from Edouard's 20-minute analysis here!

6/2/2023 – The advance of the h-pawn on move three is certainly not in line with the basic rules of how to play the opening. But in recent years a number of world-class players have been successful with it, including Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. And just a weeks ago at the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest, Fabiano Caruana managed an impressive winning game with it on his way to winning the tournament against MVL. Sipke Ernst recorded a FritzTrainer on 3.h4 against the Grünfeld and King's Indian half a year ago. In the new CBM Extra #213 he provides an update with current material - you can see an excerpt of his analysis here!

5/23/2023 – Rook endings have drawish tendencies, but pawn races can spice things up. In the diagram position it is Black to move. Do you see the way to win?

5/16/2023 – Zugzwang is a typical endgame motif. Often it is a weapon of the attacker. But when both sides are in Zugzwang in a critical position, great care must be taken. The diagram position, in which it is White to move, shows a case of mutual Zugzwang. What should White do to save the draw?

5/13/2023 – Black's king on h7, heavy pieces in the open g-file - White had deliberately gone for the diagram position after 21...Bh8. But now it's time to take the bull by the horns - your move!

5/6/2023 – In the Polugaevsky Variation Black's king remains in the centre for a long time, making any misstep on his part absolutely fatal. Thus after 13...Ra7? (diagram) White makes three powerful preparatory moves and then sets off for the checkmate finale - have fun!

4/29/2023 – By playing the powerful 22.Rxe4! dxe4 23.Nxe4 in the diagram position, White gained a decisive attack, with magnificent checkmate patterns on the horizon. You can really let off steam here - enjoy!

4/25/2023 – This is an important technique in rook endings and can be used by attacker and defender. How does White win in the diagram position?

5/10/2023 – What happens when you find yourself in a lost position? Many chess players - as Jan Markos states in his video for ChessBase Magazine #213 - react to this realisation with a loss of energy or even inner resignation. They make a few more normal moves, and a little later the game is over. In the sixth part of his training series for ChessBase Magazine, Jan Markos explains what it takes to get the maximum out of a lost position in a practical game. Take a look at an excerpt from his video!

5/9/2023 – This is the main guideline in endgames with rook and knight against rook and knight. In the diagram position Black wins thanks to the strong passed e-pawn. But how?

5/8/2023 – The play of the 15th World Champion is appreciated from different perspectives in the current ChessBase Magazine: In Mihail Marin's article "Anand as a positional ace" you will find selected strategic masterpieces (and two interactive training videos). Karsten Mueller presents Anand's best endgames (including a detailed video introduction). And last but not least, our CBM authors Adhiban Baskaran, Imre Hera, David Navara, Igor Stohl, Yago Santiago and others present their favourite games of the "Tiger of Madras" - an exclusive collection of 26 victories from the period 1985 to 2022. You can watch Adhiban's analysis of the game Anand-Baron (2019) here! | Photo: Thomas Schloemann

5/1/2023 – Today: Matthias Wuellenweber shows us how to use Buddy for analyzing tablebase endgames. In our new video series, our developers personally explain the new features they have developed themselves. From the new data format to the beauty index. In no time at all, you'll learn how it's done.

5/1/2023 – In endgames, it is usually a good idea to activate the king. However, the king also needs to be safe. In the diagram position it is Black to move. What should he do to make his king safe and to win the game?