9/14/2024 – The third round of the Women's Chess Olympiad in Budapest delivered excitement and surprises, with both upsets and closely fought draws reshaping the tournament landscape. The mix of expected results and surprises left 16 teams tied sharing the lead, all with perfect scores of 6/6. The biggest upset was suffered by the local squad, as Hungary were defeated by Uzbekistan. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
new: Fritz 20
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally. FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before.
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.
In this video course experts examine the games of Bent Larsen. Let them show you which openings Larsen chose, where his strength in middlegames were, how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame & you’ll get a glimpse of his tactical abilities!
€39.90
Big teams are held to draws
After three rounds at the Women's Olympiad, 16 teams have perfect 6/6 scores. These teams represent some of the strongest chess nations in the world, but notably, they include one of the tournament's biggest surprises so far: Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan delivered the upset of the third round by defeating Hungary, the 12th seed, by a 2½-1½ score. On board 1, Afruza Khamdamova made the most of Gaal Zsoka's blunder in a pure rook endgame to grab a full point. On board 3, Umida Omonova also triumphed with black, securing another crucial point for Uzbekistan. Their performance is a testament to the rising strength of chess in Uzbekistan, and the team will be one to watch closely in the upcoming rounds.
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.
Besides Hungary's setback, four more teams that entered the Olympiad as serious contenders for the top spots were held to surprising draws by lower-rated opponents, highlighting the depth of talent across the competition. Georgia, seeded 2nd, were held to a draw by Romania, the 22nd seed. Poland, seeded 3rd, drew against Greece, seeded 23rd, as Ekaterina Pavlidou upset Aleksandra Maltsevskaya on board 3. Azerbaijan, seeded 10th, faced a tough battle against Argentina, seeded 26th, with the match ending in a draw. Finally, Germany, seeded 11th, were held to a draw by Slovenia, seeded 28th, in another hard-fought match.
Slovenia's Laura Unuk held Germany's Dinara Wagner to a draw with the black pieces | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova
While team scores are essential in the Olympiad, individual performances also stand out, and China and Vietnam have been particularly dominant. Both teams have accumulated an impressive 11½/12 points on individual boards, placing them as strong contenders for podium places going forward. A standout player from China has been Lu Miaoyi, the 14-year-old prodigy who has won all three of her games. Her perfect 3/3 score reflects her incredible talent and composure, even at such a young age.
Round 4 promises even more excitement, with several high-stakes matches that will see top teams battling to stay in the leading group. India will face a tough challenge from France, while China's match against England is set to be one of the highlights of the round, with the possibility of a clash between 14-year-old Lu Miaoyi and 9-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan. Ukraine, the defending champions, will face Türkiye in a match that could have major implications for the standings.
Meanwhile, Georgia, Poland, Azerbaijan, and Germany will be looking to bounce back after their draws. With exciting matchups lined up for round 4, the competition is only heating up, and every round brings new surprises as teams vie for the coveted Olympiad title in Budapest.
Vietnam's Pham Le Thao Nguyen, playing on the top board, has a perfect 2/2 score so far in the event | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova
Two beautiful checkmates
Georgia would have likely defeated Romania had Bela Khotenashvili not blundered into checkmate in her game with black against Alessia-Mihaela Ciolacu.
Looking for a realistic way to play for a win with Black against 1.e4 without taking unnecessary risks? The Taimanov Sicilian is a reliable system, and hence one of the best options out there!
35...Qxe2 loses at once to 36.Qxh7+, due to 36...Kxh7 37.Rh3#. The battle would have kept going after 35...Rxd4+ since, for example, 36.Qxh7+ fails to 36...Kxh7 37.Rh3+ Qh4.
Georgia facing Romania, with Nana Dzagnidze playing white against Irina Bulmaga on the top board (1-0) | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
India's Divya Deshmukh, currently on 3/3, delivered checkmate with a pawn in her game with black against Switzerland's Sofiia Hryzlova.
The white king is stuck in the centre - 32...f3# put an end to the game.
India beat Switzerland by a 3-1 score, with wins on boards 2-4 - Switzerland's Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated Harika Dronavalli | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
ChessBase TV presents
Anna Cramling - "I play better chess, when my opponent coughs!"
In this Fritztrainer: “Attack like a Super GM” with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.
In this Video-Course we deal with different dynamic decisions involving pawns. The aim of this Course is to arm club/tournament players with fresh ideas which they can use in their own practice.
Carlos Alberto ColodroCarlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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 Nimzo-Indian has stood the test of time for over a century: Still a top choice for elite players today, from Magnus Carlsen to Praggnanandhaa, it remains one of Black's most reliable ways to fight for real chances against 1.d4 2.c4 3.Nc3.
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4!? is an opening idea well worth considering. Black immediately threatens to double the pawns on c3 in the style of the Trompowski or Sicilian Grand Prix attack.
Italian Game Powerbase 2026 is a database and contains 8571 top class games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 479 are annotated.
Videos: Nico Zwirs discusses the Sicilian with 2…e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qe3 Nf6 6.Nc3. Mihail Marin examines Sindarov’s 6.Ne5 in the Queen’s Pawn Defence. Plus the ‘Lucky bag’ featuring 41 analyses by Berg, Ftacnik, Gupta and many others.
If you're looking for a dynamic alternative to the Slav, Queen's Gambit Declined, or other mainstream systems, the Chigorin Defence offers exactly what modern tournament players need.
€34.90
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.
Pop-up for detailed settings
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies, analysis cookies and marketing cookies. You can decide which cookies to use by selecting the appropriate options below. Please note that your selection may affect the functionality of the service. Further information can be found in our privacy policy.
Technically required cookies
Technically required cookies: so that you can navigate and use the basic functions and store preferences.
Analysis Cookies
To help us determine how visitors interact with our website to improve the user experience.
Marketing-Cookies
To help us offer and evaluate relevant content and interesting and appropriate advertisement.
.jpeg)
