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: 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 course, IM Nico Zwirs presents the Reversed Sicilian as a powerful and practical weapon for White
€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.
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.
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.
Slav and Semi-Slav Powerbase 2026 is a database and contains a total of 11 766 games from Mega 2026 or the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 1136 are annotated.
For the Slav and Semi-Slav Powerbook 2026 the ratings average was set again at 2400. 2.24 million games from the engine room of playchess.com met this threshold, to which were added over 130 000 games played by humans.
In this volume, we dive into core aspects of chess technique. Smyslov taught the principle of tactical hierarchy, “checks, double attacks, and unprotected pieces”, and Mikhalchishin demonstrates how this method of calculation is vital.
Videos: Nico Zwirs examines two Petroffs from the 2026 Candidates. Robert Ris has a tip against the Caro-Kann Advance Variation with 3…c5. Fiona Sieber reveals a surprise weapon against the Najdorf. ‘Lucky Bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, L'Ami et al.
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.
€49.90
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