1/22/2026 – We are thrilled to announce that GM Antoaneta Stefanova, former Women’s World Chess Champion, and one of the most distinguished figures in modern chess, will deliver a live lecture at the Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy. Keep January 25, 18:00 CET, free to listen to her.
new: ChessBase Magazine 225
Chess Festival Prague 2025 with analyses by Aravindh, Giri, Gurel, Navara and others. ‘Special’: 27 highly entertaining miniatures. Opening videos by Werle, King and Ris. 10 opening articles with new repertoire ideas and much more. ChessBase Magazine offers first-class training material for club players and professionals! World-class players analyse their brilliant games and explain the ideas behind the moves. Opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in tactics, strategy and endgames show you the tricks and techniques you need to be a successful tournament player! Available as a direct download (incl. booklet as pdf file) or booklet with download key by post. Included in delivery: ChessBase Magazine #225 as “ChessBase Book” for iPad, tablet, Mac etc.!
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.
Instead of forcing you to memorise endless lines, Raja focuses on clear plans, typical ideas, and attacking motifs that you can apply in your own games without delay. A short, focused, and practical repertoire.
€39.90
In January 2026, KCF Academy is proud to offer members of its community exclusive lectures by World Champions Garry Kasparov, Veselin Topalov, and Antoaneta Stefanova.
Antoaneta Stefanova is one of the most distinguished figures in modern chess. A true prodigy, she won the World Under-10 Championship in 1989 and the European Under-14 Championship in 1992. She became a grandmaster in 2002 and claimed the Women’s World Chess Champion title in 2004.
Over more than two decades at the top level, Stefanova has represented Bulgaria in elite international competitions, earned victories in numerous prestigious tournaments, and built a reputation for fearless, dynamic play and deep positional understanding. In 2012, she added the World Women’s Rapid Championship title to her achievements, and she has also triumphed in several strong open tournaments traditionally dominated by men. In 2023, she captained the Bulgarian women’s team to victory at the European Women’s Team Championship and was awarded the prestigious FIDE Senior Trainer title.
Beyond her chess career, Antoaneta Stefanova has been active in public life. In 2021, she became a Member of Parliament in Bulgaria and was nominated as a candidate for Prime Minister. Antoaneta is very active in the Bulgarian National Federation. She was nominated as ECU Women's Commission Chairman in 2025. KCF Academy cooperates actively with the ECU Women's Commission and encourages girls to participate in KCF Academy Programs by offering scholarships.
This live lecture at KCF Academy promises to be highly interactive, insightful, and inspiring. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from one of the legends of the game!
In January, KCF Academy hosted exclusive community lectures by World Champions Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov. Join anytime to gain access to the full recordings. Get a sneak peek at Garry Kasparov’s live lecture and Q&A session:
JOIN us any time at www.kcfacademy.org
Don´t forget that the new season at KCF Academy features a rich program of training sessions and lectures from renowned chess stars, designed to develop strategic thinking, deepen understanding of the game, and foster a strong community of passionate learners.
Embark on a complete chess training journey guided by an elite team of international Grandmasters and various guest stars, along with Garry Kasparov: Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian, Peter Svidler, and many other surprise star guests. The 2026 season is our most comprehensive yet, featuring weekly workshops, four progressive training levels, and a dedicated Expert Group designed for advanced players (2200+ FIDE or Level 4 graduates).
As a member of the KCF Academy, you’ll join a global chess community, train with some of the best minds in the game, and gain exclusive benefits for our flagship in-person event - the Kasparov Chess Foundation Friendship Festival in Slovenia (June 25 – July 5, 2026), where students, trainers, and chess enthusiasts from around the world come together.
Join our Saturday Academy lessons, designed for four skill levels and built on the legendary Botvinnik School training system. Unlike many modern programs, our approach preserves the timeless, systematic teaching of classical chess principles. The Botvinnik School shaped nearly all the great champions of the 20th century, including Karpov, Kasparov, Yusupov, Beliavsky, Shirov and many other grandmasters. Now, you can train in that same world-class tradition and meet chess stars online!
Don´t miss your chance to join now – Visit www.kcfacademy.org for more details.
Kasparov Chess FoundationThe vision of the Kasparov Chess Foundation is primarily to use the many benefits of chess to help children worldwide. KCF does this through a variety of different programs, which you can find at KasparovChessFoundation.org
1/19/2026 – Round two of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament produced two decisive games in the Masters, with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (pictured) and Vladimir Fedoseev both scoring with the white peices. Abdusattorov now shares the lead on 1½ points with Hans Niemann and Arjun Erigaisi. In the Challengers, Lu Miaoyi emerged as the sole leader on 2/2, while Faustino Oro added a notable win against a 2600-rated GM. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes
1/17/2026 – Gukesh, the World Chess Champion, endured a difficult 2025. Still, he produced a convincing win against Magnus Carlsen and finished tied for first at Tata Steel Chess, ultimately losing the blitz tiebreak to Praggnanandhaa. At the World Blitz Championship in Doha, he suffered a stunning upset against underdog Sergey Sklokin (2407), where an extraordinary endgame collapse saw Gukesh lose multiple pawns in succession.
‘New ideas in the Najdorf – a Power Play 18 Update’ aims to complement Daniel King’s popular DVD from last year ‘The Sicilian Najdorf - a repertoire for Black’. Such a dynamic and popular opening as the Najdorf is developing the whole time. On this download, Daniel King updates lines that were included on his DVD but also responds to viewers’ requests, considering lines that he omitted from his original repertoire. The lines examined on this update are:
• 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 h3 e5 7 Nde2
• 5….a6 6 Bc4 in combination with the English Attack (Be3, f3 etc)
• 5…a6 6 Be3 and the …a5 variation
• 5…a6 6 Be2 and 9 Re1
• 5 f3 (instead of 5 Nc3)
It isn’t necessary to have seen the original Najdorf DVD to understand the lines examined here – but it would help as they form part of a complete repertoire.
Instead of forcing you to memorise endless lines, Raja focuses on clear plans, typical ideas, and attacking motifs that you can apply in your own games without delay. A short, focused, and practical repertoire.
FIDE World Cup 2025 with analyses by Adams, Bluebaum, Donchenko, Shankland, Wei Yi and many more. Opening videos by Blohberger, King and Marin. 11 exciting opening articles with new repertoire ideas and much more.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Opening videos: Sipke Ernst brings the Ulvestad Variation up to date + Part II of ‘Mikhalchishin's Miniatures’. Special: Jan Werle shows highlights from the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in the video. ‘Lucky bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, Illingworth et al.
€14.90
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