7/24/2025 – In his Fritz Trainer, Grandmaster S.P. Sethuraman presents a modern repertoire for the classical Sicilian. Reviewer Lukas Köpl, an experienced tournament player and licensed trainer with over 15 years' experience, introduces the course and shows how ambitious players and Sicilian fans can benefit from Sethuraman's work.

7/21/2025 – Last week Problem expert Werner Keym gave us some remarkable chess problems to solve. They were from his latest eBook, Problem Chess Art, which is available to everyone, free of charge. Here today are the solutions of the problems he selected for us. Were you able to solve them?

7/20/2025 – With a third consecutive win, Saleh Salem has taken the sole lead in the Biel Masters Triathlon. After defeating Vladimir Fedoseev, the Emirati grandmaster also beat Aravindh Chithambaram, who now shares second place with Fedoseev. In the Challengers, all games ended in draws, consolidating the lead of Nikolas Theodorou and Aram Hakobyan. Sunday's blitz section will be decisive in determining the finalists of the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/19/2025 – Aravindh Chithambaram has reclaimed the lead in the Biel GMT-Masters Triathlon following his draw with Radoslaw Wojtaszek, aided by Vladimir Fedoseev's defeat to Salem Saleh. The Emirati grandmaster, now in third place, secured his second classical win with a convincing performance. In the GMT-Challengers, all games ended in draws, a result that benefits Nikolas Theodorou and Aram Hakobyan, whose progression to next week's final phase now looks increasingly likely. | Photos: Biel Chess Festival

7/17/2025 – After a rest day, the Women's World Cup in Batumi resumed with the fourth round, with 16 players remaining in the competition. Both Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi maintained their winning streak. However, Zhu Jiner was defeated by Divya Deshmukh. | Photos: Anna Shtourman

7/9/2025 – "Chess problems demand from the composer the same virtues that characterize all worthwhile art: originality, invention, conciseness, harmony, complexity and splendid insincerity," wrote Vladimir Nabokov. Problem expert Werner Keym illustrates this in a new book which he makes available, as an eBook, to everyone, free of charge. Here are some excerpts to give you a taste.

7/1/2025 – Last week we gave you four pawn endings to solve – on the diagrams, without engine support. Like the one on our thumbnail. White has six legal moves, all with his king. What should you play? Did you find the astonishing and subtle 1.Kf5!, the only move that ensures the win. Today we bring you the solutions to all four endgames, lucidly explained in YouTube Shorts by Volclus. Watch, listen and learn.

6/29/2025 – Norway Chess was one of the most exciting tournaments this year. Whether due to the games or due to Magnus Carlsen banging the table after his defeat against the World Champion, the event caught the attention of spectators all around the world. After coming back from the tournament, Gukesh had a candid conversation with Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal. He started the tournament with two unexpected losses. Yet quickly bounced back! In this interview, Gukesh discussed his games, his fighting spirit and, of course, the unforgettable viral incident. | Photo: Michal Walusza

6/25/2025 – To mark the launch of a new community chess club, pupils from The Pointer School played a game of chess 52 metres above London atop the O2 Arena. The initiative aims to make structured chess coaching freely accessible to primary school children across Greenwich and South East London. Backed by a strong chess tradition and alumni like Shreyas Royal, the school continues to promote chess as a powerful tool for personal development.

6/23/2025 – It might well be the world’s biggest scholastic chess tournament: the “Rechtes gegen Linkes Alsterufer” match, played every year in Hamburg. Schools from the right bank of the Alster – the river that runs through the city – compete in teams of eight against schools from the left bank. The event began in 1958, with the left bank winning 65–33 and taking a 1–0 lead. Today, the left bank leads with 40–22 in team points and 31,277.5 to 30,512.5 in board points. Over the years, a total of 123,738 students have taken part in the event. The most recent match took place on June 18, outdoors in the center of Hamburg. The left bank won 966.5 to 769.5. | Photos: Nils Rhode

6/23/2025 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu joined Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the lead of the UzChess Cup after defeating Javokhir Sindarov in round four. Both co-leaders stand on 3/4 points with one round to go before the tournament's rest day. Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo are half a point behind. Pragg's win came in a complex Semi-Slav, where queenside passers and accurate endgame play proved decisive in a game marked by time trouble and tactical subtleties. | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

5/28/2025 – There are fewer than eight weeks to go until ChessFest 2025, the annual chess extravaganza in Trafalgar Square, London. On Sunday 13th July 2025, 11am-6pm, the whole square will be taken over for a day of free, family-friendly chess activities. If you are in London, it's your chance to experience a full fun day of chess.

5/25/2025 – You want to analyse a position without having to enter all the moves first? No problem: with ChessBase 18, the position is quickly displayed on the board and you can analyse it with or without an engine, or import other game positions using FEN code. Learn how to use the “Position Setup” menu to start immediately at the point that interests you, and find out what FEN is all about...

5/7/2025 – MegaBase 2025 is Chess History in action. Regularly updated every month, the Main Database currently offers 11 million games, many of them annotated. Here our columnist offers a review with focus on chess in the 21st Century.

5/7/2025 – Despite trying our best, time trouble is sometimes unavoidable. We all have experienced the stress that comes with being under time pressure. Our hearts race, our palms sweat, and our minds become confused. However, it is useful to understand how being in time trouble affects the decisions we make. Of course, we don’t play our A-game. But what kinds of mistakes do we make? I am sure that understanding the nature of these mistakes is the first step in minimizing them.

5/6/2025 – He is one of our oldest friends, a valuable assistant and advisor when ChessBase was first launched. The Oxford mathematician has had a long and very illustrious career in chess, sometimes counted amongst the top ten in the world. So how does he celebrate his 70th birthday? Let John Nunn show us how – and give us two celebratory puzzles to solve.

4/25/2025 – FIDE has launched the Social Chess Storytelling Challenge 2025, inviting filmmakers, federations, and changemakers worldwide to share short films that showcase the social impact of chess. Under the theme "Every Move Counts", the competition seeks stories of resilience, inclusion, and opportunity inspired by the game. Open to all, with professional and grassroots categories, submissions run from 24 April to 25 October. Winning entries will be honoured at the 2026 Olympiad and featured across FIDE’s platforms and global events.

4/17/2025 – Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov played five matches for the world championship. The fourth match was played in Seville in 1987. After 23 games, the score was 12–11 in Karpov’s favor, putting Kasparov in a must-win situation to retain his title. The final game was adjourned after five hours of play, to be resumed the next day. The sealed position is the subject of this article.

4/15/2025 – On 4 April, Iceland's first grandmaster Fridrik Olafsson passed away. Olafsson had celebrated his 90th birthday in January. After ending his career as a professional chess player, he became a lawyer and eventually became FIDE President. FIDE published Olafsson's last interview, in which he talks about computers, his chess career and his friendship with Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky, among other things.

4/13/2025 – In this sneak peek, IM Robert Ris presents Volume 3 of his “Mastering Chess Strategy” series for ChessBase, focusing on how to exploit various weaknesses in an opponent’s position. He explains that after the earlier volumes defined and classified weaknesses (e.g., weak pawns, weak squares), this third installment dives deeper into identifying and prioritizing multiple weaknesses—especially around the king—while maintaining awareness of tactical opportunities.

4/11/2025 – GM Jonathan Levitt explains why and how he has suddenly taken up writing lyrics for songs, including one on Bobby Fischer and one on Boris Spassky. Have a look, listen and enjoy!

4/9/2025 – Organising top level chess tournaments is not easy. In a video interview on Take Take Take, Jan Henrich Buettner, the driving force behind the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, talks about the negotiations with Alireza Firouzja and how they failed.

4/8/2025 – After six rounds of rapid play on the opening day of the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, Magnus Carlsen and Nodirbek Abdusattorov lead the standings with 5 points each. Abdusattorov remained undefeated, while Carlsen suffered a single loss to Arjun Erigaisi. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave follows closely with 4½ points. At the lower end, Richard Rapport and Vidit Gujrathi are struggling with just 1 point each. The final five games of the round-robin will be played on Tuesday, deciding the eight knockout qualifiers. | Photo: Stev Bonhage

4/4/2025 – World Autism Month, beginning with World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April, highlights the importance of understanding and inclusion for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Chess has emerged as a valuable tool in supporting children with autism, offering structure, cognitive benefits, and opportunities for social interaction. Infinite Chess, in collaboration with the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, is hosting events throughout April to promote awareness, including online meetups and exhibitions. These initiatives aim to foster acceptance and create supportive environments for individuals with autism.