2/8/2026 – The final weekend of the Speed Chess Championship moves from the online arena to a live stage in London, combining rapid, blitz and bullet segments. On Sunday, Hikaru Nakamura faces Denis Lazavik in the match for third place, while Magnus Carlsen will attempt to successfully defending his title against Alireza Firouzja. | Follow the games live with expert commentary. The consolation match starts at 14.00 CET, while the final starts at 19.00 CET.
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.
Why memorising endless theory might not be the best path - and how an idea-based repertoire can change your game.
€39.90
Finals
The concluding stages of the Speed Chess Championship are being held in front of a live audience in London on 7–8 February 2026, with the semifinals, consolation match and final taking place at 180 Studios, a noted brutalist-style venue located in the heart of the city.
The semifinal pairings were decided by quarterfinal matches completed in November. Magnus Carlsen will meet Denis Lazavik, while Hikaru Nakamura faces Alireza Firouzja.
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. The King’s Indian Defence has been one of the most dynamic and popular responses to 1.d4 for decades. Legends such as Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and Hikaru Nakamura have employed it at the highest level – and it continues to fascinate today, as it offers Black not only solidity but also rich attacking and counterattacking opportunities. Its special advantage: the King’s Indian is a universal system, equally effective against 1.d4, 1.c4, and 1.Nf3. Grandmaster Felix Blohberger, multiple Austrian Champion and experienced second, presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black. His approach: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: London System
Each match in the live finals follows the championship's standard three-segment structure of continuous games:
Segment 1: 90 minutes of games at a 5+1 time control
Segment 2: 60 minutes of games at a 3+1 time control
Segment 3: 30 minutes of games at a 1+1 time control
Colours alternate from game to game, with the higher-seeded player starting with white in the first game of each segment. A win scores one point and a draw half a point, and only games that have already begun before a segment timer expires count towards the score. Players may not forfeit a match except during the final ten minutes of the 1+1 segment.
In this video course, kings will play a role of strong and active pieces. We will explore how Kings can be helpful in defence and prophylaxis, or even in attack!
Format
Each match in the live finals follows the championship's standard three-segment structure of continuous games:
Segment 1: 90 minutes of games at a 5+1 time control
Segment 2: 60 minutes of games at a 3+1 time control
Segment 3: 30 minutes of games at a 1+1 time control
Colours alternate from game to game, with the higher-seeded player starting with white in the first game of each segment. A win scores one point and a draw half a point, and only games that have already begun before a segment timer expires count towards the score. Players may not forfeit a match except during the final ten minutes of the 1+1 segment.
If the score is level after all three segments, the tiebreak procedure is as follows:
Up to four additional 1+1 games are played, with colours continuing to alternate
The match ends as soon as one player reaches 2½ points in this mini-match
If still tied, a single Armageddon game is played
For Armageddon, both players secretly submit a bid indicating how much time (up to five minutes) they are willing to have with the black pieces. The lower bid receives Black with that time, while White gets the full five minutes and must win the game, as a draw counts as a win for Black.
Let our authors show you how Carlsen tailored his openings to be able to outplay his opponents strategically in the middlegame or to obtain an enduring advantage into the endgame.
2/5/2026 – The final weekend of the Speed Chess Championship moves from the online arena to a live stage in London, where the semifinals and title match will be played in front of spectators. After earlier knockout rounds held online, four players remain: Magnus Carlsen, Denis Lazavik, Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja. The event combines rapid, blitz and bullet segments, with a consolation match and detailed tiebreak procedures ensuring a clear overall winner across two days of play. | Photo: Maria Emelianova / chess.com
11/9/2025 – London is set to host the climax of the 2025 Speed Chess Championship, with the world's fastest players gathering at 180 Studios (pictured) on 7 and 8 February 2026 for the semifnals and the final match. Eight players, including Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, remain in contention in the quarterfinals. The four winners of these matches, set to take place until 4 December, will make it to the final live event in London. | Photo: <a href="https://www.thembsgroup.co.uk/internal/180-the-strand-brutalist-lines-blur-art-culture-food-and-commerce/">MBS Group</a>
‘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.
In almost every chess game there comes a moment when you just can’t go on without tactics. You must strike to not giving away the advantage you have worked for the whole game.
Opening videos: Daniel King presents new ideas against Caro-Kann with 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+. ‘Mikhalchishin's Miniatures’: Najdorf, Petroff and Scotch. ‘Move by Move’ with Robert Ris. ‘Lucky bag’ with 37 analyses by Ganguly, Illingworth et al.
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.
€21.90
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)
