7/16/2026 – The tension continues to mount after round two of classical chess in the Masters and Generations Challenge Triathlongs at the Biel International Festival. At the top of the Masters standings, Le Quang Liem caught Levon Aronian after defeating Matthias Bluebaum. The Generations Challenge may be somewhat overshadowed by the main event, but its youngest participant is making a major impression. Sixteen-year-old Vaclav Finek of the Czech Republic has produced the best performances so far in both the rapid event and the two classical games, and now leads by a 3½-point margin. | Photo: Biel Chess Festival
new: Fritz 20
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YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before. FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
Chess is a concrete game. There is no way around training your calculation skills. Improve your visualization, pattern recognition and learn calculation techniques such as reciprocal thinking with this course.
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Masters: Le catches Aronian
Le Quang Liem, Biel and classical chess go well together: as in previous years, the Vietnamese star is showing his best chess in the long-time-control games at the Biel Chess Festival. After his win against Jose Martinez, he followed up in round two with another victory, this time against Matthias Bluebaum. Playing almost flawlessly, Le gave the Candidates Tournament participant no chances. After 60 moves, the German GM resigned.
This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas. Looking for an opening that gets your opponents thinking on move one? Grandmaster Andy Woodward has relied on 1.b3 for years in blitz and bullet, using it to defeat strong masters and grandmasters who underestimated its hidden venom. While many players dismiss the opening as harmless, they often find themselves caught in unfamiliar positions, tactical traps, and uncomfortable middlegames. This compact course is designed specifically for practical play. Instead of overwhelming you with endless theory, it focuses on the critical lines, typical plans, and recurring tactical ideas that matter most when the clock is ticking.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: King's Indian Setup
In two rounds of classical chess, Le has thus made up the five-point deficit he had to Levon Aronian after the rapid games.
Levon Aronian remains ahead on tiebreaks – but Le Quang Liem has caught him at the top of the standings | Photo: Biel Chess Festival
Aronian was unable to beat Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. As in round one, the young Turkish player got into serious time trouble and did not always find the best move while under pressure. Aronian, however, was unable to make use of the resulting advantage, and the two players agreed to a draw. Thanks to his better score in the Accentus Chess960 tournament, Aronian remains at the top of the standings, but now level on points with Le.
The remaining game of the day in the Masters Triathlon also ended in a draw. Aydin Suleymanli and Martinez both failed to find a way to win, leaving Suleymanli third in the standings and Martinez still in last place.
Chess is a concrete game. There is no way around training your calculation skills. Improve your visualization, pattern recognition and learn calculation techniques such as reciprocal thinking with this course. Calculation is at the heart of practical chess. Every chess concept builds on proper calculation technique. Therefore, all chess players should continuosly train the fundamental techniques, concepts and patterns this course will present. The goal isn't only to teach you to calculate, but to give you the tools and insights to keep improving long after the final lesson.
Free sample video: Introduction
Generations Challenge: Impressive Finek extends lead
The youngest player in the tournament, at 16, is dominating the Generations Challenge: Vaclav Finek extended his lead further with a win over Alexandra Kosteniuk, the oldest player in the field. The young Czech IM showed no weakness and was able to steadily increase the advantage he had obtained early on until the game was eventually won.
Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.
Vaclav Finek pulls away: the young Czech is the clear leader in the Generations Challenge | Photo: Biel Chess Festival
The duel between the two players at the bottom of the standings, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Carissa Yip, was exciting. In a tactical game, the Indian player sacrificed an exchange, but the four-time US women's chess champion managed to fend off the kingside attack and steadily build an advantage. Vaishali resigned after 43 moves. With the 4 additional points on her score, Yip caught Kosteniuk in fourth place.
After scoring a well-played victory with black against Vaishali Rameshbabu, Carissa Yip shared analysis of her game | Photo: Biel Chess Festival
The other game in the Generations Challenge ended drawn: Marco Materia and Xiao Tong, who were level on points in second and third place, agreed to a draw after 41 moves. This allowed them to secure their positions in the standings from the chasing players, but they are in danger of losing touch with Finek.
This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces.
Round two results
Current standings
All classical games - Generations Challenge
MTO: Peter Acs takes sole lead
Only one player in the MTO still has a perfect score of 3/3: after three rounds, Peter Acs leads the 94-player field. In the third round, the Hungarian grandmaster defeated IM Savitha Shri.
All the other top favourites had dropped points by the third round at the latest. Top seed Surya Ganguly could not get more than a draw with white against Chinese super-talent IM Lu Miaoyi. Acs and Ganguly will meet in round four. Third seed Diptayan Ghosh also managed only a draw with white against Lu's compatriot IM Cao Qingfeng. Both outsiders are rated almost 200 Elo points below the grandmasters.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before. FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
Lu Miaoyi drew against grandmaster Surya Ganguly | Photo: Biel Chess Festival
After his draw in round two, German rising star Christian Gloeckler won his third-round game against WIM Ivana Maria Furtado (IND, 2182). Gloeckler is thus part of an 18-player chasing group on 2½ points. In round four, he will face WGM Lena Georgescu (SUI/2235), who obtained an upset victory over GM Krishnan Sasikiran in round two.
Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.
Date
11-24 July 2026
Format
Chess triathlons with 6 participants each
System
Classical: 5 rounds (first legs) + 3 rounds (final: return games with the top four players). Rapid: 5 rounds (with colours reversed from the classical first legs). Blitz: 10 rounds
Time control
Classical: 120' for the first 40 moves, then 30' for the rest of the game, with a 30'' increment per move from move 41. Rapid: 15'+5'' per move. Blitz: 3'+2'' per move
Scoring
Classical: win 4 points; draw 1.5 points; loss 0 points. Rapid: win 2 points; draw 1 point; loss 0 points. Blitz: win 1 point; draw 0.5 points; loss 0 points.
Tiebreak
The final standings are determined by adding together the points scored in the three sections (classical+rapid+blitz). In the event of a tie, the final standings of the ACCENTUS Chess960 decide the ranking for the prizes.
Schedule
10 July
20:00
Reception of participants - toast at the Congress Centre
11 July
11:30
Opening ceremony at the Congress Centre
11 July
14:00
ACCENTUS Fischer Random rapid tournament
12 July
14:00
Rapid games of the Masters & Generations Challenge
13 July
14:00
Visit to Omega with the Masters & Generations Challenge participants
14-18 July
14:00
Classical games of the Masters & Generations Challenge
19 July
14:00
Blitz games of the Masters & Generations Challenge
20 July
Rest day
21-23 July
14:00
Final rounds of the Masters & Generations Challenge (classical games)
24 July
10:30
Closing ceremony with prize-giving and apéritif at the Congress Centre
Stefan LiebigStefan Liebig, born in 1974, is a journalist and co-owner of a marketing agency. He now lives in Barterode near Göttingen. At the age of five, strange pieces on his neighbour’s shelf aroused his curiosity. Since then, the game of chess has cast a spell over him. Flying high in the NRW youth league with his home club SV Bad Laasphe and several appearances in the second division team of Tempo Göttingen were highlights for the former youth South Westphalia champion.
7/23/2026 – The Biel International Chess Festival is taking place on 11-24 July. Following the Chess960 tournament on Saturday and the rapid chess stage on Sunday, the players in the Masters and Generations Challenge Triathlon face off in the final stage of the classical section on 21-23 July. | Follow the games live starting at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST) | Photo: Biel Chess Festival
7/15/2026 – The first round of classical chess in the Masters and the Generations Challenge Triathlons at the Biel International Chess Festival was played on Tuesday. Each event produced two draws and one winner. Matthias Bluebaum (pictured) drew his game against Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, while Le Quang Liem defeated Jose Martinez. In the Generations Challenge, Alexandra Kosteniuk beat Carissa Yip. In the Masters Open, Christian Gloeckler surprisingly dropped half a point as early as round two. | Photo: Biel Chess Festival
King’s Indian fans who choose the Mar del Plata attack (7...Nc6) against White’s classical system (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0) usually aim for a complex position with mutual attacks on open wings, requiring long-term strategic planning and tactical sharpness in critical moments. Computers often do not know how to handle the arising complex strategic positions, which suits players who like to think on their own instead of memorizing long variations. However, the fashionable Bayonet Attack (9.b4) interferes with Black’s ideas. After Black’s main move 9...Nh5 the positions opens, the lines get forced and computer analysis is important again. But this DVD offers an antidote against White’s Bayonet Attack, namely 9...a5! This move leads to sound positions with very few concrete lines, in which the focus is on strategy not on tactics. Objectively chances are equal but if Black knows what to do things might quickly become dangerous for White.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
The major part of the material on which the Petroff Defence Powerbook 2026 is based comes from the engine room of playchess.com: 357 000 games. This imposing number is supplemented by another 17 000 from Mega and from correspondence chess.
Petroff Defence Powerbase 2026 is a database which contains 6475 high class games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 682 annotated.
Videos: Felix Blohberger presents the surprise weapon 4…a6 in the Four Knights Game. Mihail Marin analyses the English Opening with 1.c4 e5 2.g3 g6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Bg2 Nc6. Plus the ‘Lucky bag’ featuring 37 analyses by Berg, Radjabov and others.
Renowned for its solidity and strategic soundness, it has been a cornerstone of the repertoires of elite grandmasters including Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, who relied on it successfully in the Candidates Tournament.
The Benko Gambit is back at the very highest level - and it's easy to see why. Black sacrifices a pawn to seize the initiative on the queenside, obtaining long-lasting pressure, active pieces and open files that make life difficult for White.
The Hyper-Accelerated Dragon is fast, from the very first moves, your bishop heads to g7, seizes the long diagonal, and turns into the most feared piece on the board.
It rewards players who love initiative and clear attacking plans.
The Hyper-Accelerated Dragon is fast, from the very first moves, your bishop heads to g7, seizes the long diagonal, and turns into the most feared piece on the board.
It rewards players who love initiative and clear attacking plans.
€39.90
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