8/24/2026 – Drama in the second game of the semifinals at the Grand Chess Tour Finals: Vincent Keymer had black against Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, and after a relatively quiet opening the position became increasingly complicated as both players ran short of time. Keymer reached a winning position, but in an almost hopeless situation Praggnanandhaa managed to capture the German star's rook with a king move and went on to secure the point. There was plenty of tension in the other semifinal as well. Wesley So found himself under severe pressure after a novelty by Fabiano Caruana, but Caruana allowed his opponent to escape with a draw. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour
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Two clearly winning positions that were not converted
There could have been two clear winners in the second round of the semifinals: Fabiano Caruana quickly obtained a winning position by playing a novelty, while a little later Vincent Keymer also reached a winning position after initially making good use of Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu's inaccurate play in severe time trouble.
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Vincent Keymer | Photo: Lennart Ootes
But after Caruana allowed So to escape with a draw, Keymer even managed to lose his winning position.
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! Bent Larsen (1935–2010) was the greatest chess player in Danish history, and for a time, the second-strongest player in the Western world behind Bobby Fischer. Between 1954 and 1971, he won the Danish Championship six times, and achieved numerous international tournament victories throughout his career.
Free video sample: Introduction to Bent Larsen by Peter Heine Nielsen
Free video sample: Introduction to the Opening Section
Photos: Lennart Ootes
In the second game of the day, Caruana uncorked a spectacular novelty in the Berlin Defence of the Ruy Lopez:
Caruana, however, did not look as assured as usual – much as had been the case at the Sinquefield Cup. He continued for several moves with his strong preparation, but when So deviated with ...f5?! and followed up with several other suboptimal moves, Caruana used up a great deal of time despite his position becoming increasingly favourable. Between moves 24 and 33, he let his entire advantage slip away, allowing So to escape with a draw. After So had failed to make use of a large opening advantage in the first round, the roles were therefore reversed in game two.
Besides in-depth theory and exciting tactical exercises in the Scotch Game, this video course also includes a bonus section on the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4), a lively variation often leading to very dynamic positions.
Wesley So was far from pleased and had to fight hard after Fabiano Caruana's novelty. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Semifinal results, classical games, round 2
After the two draws between So and Caruana, the pair played an additional blitz game. So avoided a repeat of the line from the game they had just finished, but was still unable to generate sufficient counterplay. The game was used to determine the winner of the first phase. Caruana received two points for his victory and will therefore take a narrow 8-6 lead into the upcoming rapid and blitz phases.
While that matchup still appears fairly open, Keymer already faces a daunting task: Praggnanandhaa leads 9-3 and is regarded as the clearly stronger rapid and blitz player. Keymer's results at the faster time controls this year have been far from good. He was unable to score many points in those sections at either the GCT or Norway Chess.
You will learn how Black's dynamic piece activity and structural counterplay more than compensate for White's extra tempo in the colour-reversed setups. The Benoni family of openings has toppled world champions, decided match games under the highest pressure, and rewarded those brave enough to play them with some of the most electrifying chess imaginable. In this Fritztrainer, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov - continuing his successful series "Understanding Middlegame Structures" - takes you deep inside the complexities of the Colour-Reversed Benoni, the Colour-Reversed Benko Gambit, and the Colour-Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Colour Reversed Banoni - Game 1
Wesley So lost to Fabiano Caruana in the bonus blitz game. The GCT Finals now move on to the rapid and blitz phases. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / GCT
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.
8/24/2026 – The 2026 Grand Chess Tour reaches its concluding event this weekend, with the four highest-ranked full-tour players competing in the GCT Finals at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Wesley So, Fabiano Caruana and Vincent Keymer take part in the knockout tournament, with runs from 22 to 27 August. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 19.00 CEST (13.00 ET, 22.30 IST) | Photo: Lennart Ootes
8/23/2026 – In the first classical games of the semifinals at the GCT Finals, Vincent Keymer faced Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. Keymer gave up the exchange in the middlegame, after which enough pieces were traded off to leave him with an inferior position. In the end, he managed to save a draw. Fabiano Caruana was also on the defensive side in his draw against Wesley So. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour
The Elephant Gambit (1.e4.e5 2.Nf3 d5!?) has never really been given the attention it deserves. It is a very useful surprise weapon. Let us list the advantages of playing this particular opening: 1) Shock value 2) It is very aggressive. Black can take over the initiative early. 3) Many tricky lines 4) Unorthodox. Black is basically taking the game to the opponent as early as move two. Not many openings do that! It's a perfect opening for young players and club players to adopt. Let Andrew Martin select a repertoire for you on this 60 mins, which, if used with discretion, will rack up the points. I am sure that you will enjoy this unusual tour of the Elephant Gambit.
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.
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.
While tactics decide the game in concrete moments, strategy guides the entire battle. Understanding how to improve your pieces, create weaknesses, execute maneuvers, and steer the game toward favorable structures is what defines strong players.
The Italian Four Knights is the ideal choice. It combines the solid foundation of classical openings like the Ruy Lopez or the Italian Game with an active, initiative-driven style of play.
IM Andrew Martin shows why this 19th-century opening weapon still is a fantastic choice for club players. The Evans produces exciting chess and teaches the art of attack.
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.
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