8/9/2025 – What kind of chess did a world champion play who combined brilliant intellect with quiet strategic strength? Master Class Volume 18 offers a deep dive into the thinking of Max Euwe, a player whose ideas remain surprisingly relevant and instructive today. International Master Hannes Langrock, a fiction editor based in Leipzig and a player for ESV Nickelhütte-Aue, has taken a close look at the course and shares his impressions.

4/21/2025 – Baden-Baden has a long chess history, mainly thanks to great classics from the early days of tournament chess: Baden-Baden 1870 and Baden-Baden 1925. Hartmut Metz brings back the super tournament from 1925 on the occasion of the grenke Open. It was the time of the "hypermodernists".

1/15/2024 – On 15 January 1930 one of the strongest chess tournaments of the time began in the Italian resort of San Remo. 16 players took part, including the reigning world champion Alexander Alekhine and chess legends such as Aron Nimzowitsch, Akiba Rubinstein and Efim Bogoljubow. Alekhine won comfortably with 14 points from 15 games, achieving one of the greatest successes of his career. His third wife, Nadasha Vasilyev, probably played a major role in this and other Alekhine successes. | Photo: Alekhine and Nadascha in San Remo 1930 | Photo: https://audiovis.nac.gov.pl/

12/8/2023 – The strong line-up of the Masters and the Challengers tournaments, a large Open, an interesting supporting programme and, last but not least, the city itself make the Prague Chess Festival 2024 an attractive event. The 6th edition of the festival will take place from 26 February to 7 March 2024 and will continue Prague's long chess tradition. A tradition whose traces can be found even when you only take a short sightseeing walk through the city. As Johannes Fischer discovered during a visit to the 5th Prague Chess Festival. | Photo: View of Hradcany with the castle, Prague | Photo: Stefan Bauer, Wikipedia

10/27/2022 – About a week ago Karsten Müller invited readers of his latest endgame riddle to take a close look at the 34th game of the World Championship match between Alexander Alekhine and José Raúl Capablanca in Buenos Aires 1927. It was the last and the decisive game of the match - Alekhine won in an instructive rook ending. Zoran Petronijevic and Wolfram Schön had a very close look at this historically important game and present interesting discoveries. | Photo: Capablanca (right) and Alekhine at the World Championship 1927, the man in the middle is the arbiter Carlos Augusto Querencio | Source: Wikipedia

10/17/2022 – The 1927 World Championship match in Buenos Aires between challenger Alexander Alekhine and World Champion José Raúl Capablanca ended with a surprise: Capablanca had gone into the match as the clear favourite, but after 34 games he had lost 3-6 (draws did not count). The decisive and interesting 34th game featured a theoretically and practically important endgame. Karsten Müller took a closer look at the game and the endgame and invites readers to analyze both. | Photo: Capablanca (right) and Alekhine at the World Championship 1927, the man in the middle is the arbiter Carlos Augusto Querencio | Source: Wikipedia

9/14/2022 – Alexander Alekhine was one of the greatest in chess. The skill of the world champion, who died under mysterious circumstances in 1946, emanates to this day, as proved by a letter that chess enthusiast Ludger Bröring discovered on Alekhine’s grave at the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris.

9/1/2022 – London 1922 is a historically significant event that gathered the day’s greatest players and produced the London Rules of 1922. They were designed by the then reigning World Champion Capablanca (pictured) and laid down what players had to do - and how much money they had to come up with - who wanted to challenge the World Champion. Eugene Manlapao revisits this tournament on the occasion of its recent centennial anniversary.| Photo: Screenshot from the film "Chess Fever" from 1925

11/22/2021 – As a chess player, Alexander Alekhine (pictured) was brilliant, but his biography contains a number of dark spots. In particular, his proximity to the Nazis has damaged the reputation of the fourth world champion. The Swiss historian and chess player Dr. Christian Rohrer wanted to find out how and to what extent Alekhine supported the Nazis, and he published his findings in an online article titled "World chess champion and favourite of Hans Frank?: assessing Alexander Alekhine’s closeness to the National Socialist regime". Detailed, fascinating and well worth reading.

4/12/2021 – On his Twitter account, Scottish chess fan Douglas Griffin regularly publishes historical photos of famous chess players. Photographs that awaken memories and keep them alive, pictures that allow views into the past. On 28 May 2019, Griffin published a photo that shows Max Blümich and Alexander Alekhine playing against each other in the 1941/1942 Krakow/Warsaw tournament. A picture that raises questions: How did the game go, who won, who was Max Blümich and who else is in the photo? | Photo: audiovis.nac.gov.pl

3/4/2021 – The Philidor Defence 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6!? was often underestimated in the past. But World Champion Alexander Alekhine, who used the Philidor Defence several times with good success, showed the dynamic possibilities of the opening. Stephan-Oliver Platz takes a closer look.

11/10/2020 – Attacking artist Alekhine playing the Philidor Defense, an opening that is reputed to be slightly passive? Really? Yes, indeed! Stephan Oliver Platz had a look at the games which Alekhine played with the Philidor and concludes that the 4th World Champion was very successful with this opening!

6/16/2020 – Before the 14th and final round of the AVRO tournament, Paul Keres and Reuben Fine shared first place with 8.0/13 each. And as chance would have it, they had to play against each other in the final round. However, their game was not particularly exciting but ended in a draw after only 19 moves – which was good for Keres who won the tournament on tiebreak. After this outstanding success, the 22-year-old Estonian can hope for a World Championship match against Alexander Alekhine. | Photo: Valter Heuer (Archive)

6/15/2020 – Reuben Fine started the AVRO Tournament with 5½/6, but then suffered a setback and scored only 1½ points in the next six rounds. But at the end of the tournament Fine seems to have found his form again and in round 13 he outplayed Alexander Alekhine with amazing ease. The other three games of the round ended in a draw and with one round to go Fine and Keres now share the lead with 8.0/13 each, and will decide the tournament winner in their direct duel in the last round. | Photo: Alekhine and Fine during their game in round 6

6/13/2020 – The victory of Mikhail Botvinnik (photo) over José Raúl Capablanca in the eleventh round of the AVRO tournament will be enjoyed by many generations of chess players to come. At the outset of the game, the 27-year-old single-mindedly implemented a crystal-clear strategy against the former world champion, based on a central advance; then, he launched the final attack on the king with two brilliant piece sacrifices. In the shadow of this brilliant game, the most important development was almost ignored: Paul Keres secured the sole lead after Reuben Fine conceded yet another defeat.

6/12/2020 – Four draws, no win - that was the outcome of the tenth round of the AVRO Tournament 1938, which was played in the Dutch city of Breda. But despite the four draws the spectators in Breda got their money's worth as they could watch two fascinating tactical duels: Samuel Reshevsky (pictured) used hidden tactics to attack Mikhail Botvinnik, Reuben Fine used hidden tactics to defend against José Raúl Capablanca. Of course, nothing has changed in the standings. After 10 of 14 rounds Fine and Keres share the lead with 6½/10, Botvinnik follows with 5½/10. | Photo: Samuel Reshevsky (Archive)

6/11/2020 – Round 9 of AVRO tournament 1938 was played in Arnhem, in the south of the Netherlands, and saw a clash of old rivals: for the first time in his career Alexander Alekhine won a tournament game against José Raúl Capablanca, while Reuben Fine lost in a strange way against Samuel Reshevsky. Mikhail Botvinnik and Paul Keres drew after an exciting fight, Salo Flohr and Max Euwe drew without much excitement. After nine of 14 rounds, Keres and Fine share first with 6.0/9 each. | Photo: Alexander Alekhine and José Raúl Capablanca

6/5/2020 – Round 3 of the AVRO Tournament 1938 brought a number of remarkable games. Mikhail Botvinnik convincingly outplayed Samuel Reshevsky, and Alexander Alekhine showed against Max Euwe why he is considered to be one of the best attacking players in chess history. Reuben Fine and José Raúl Capablanca drew after both had missed good chances. With 2½/3 Fine continues to be sole first. | Photo: Alexander Aljechin

6/3/2020 – The first round of the AVRO Tournament 1938 brought the first surprise: Reuben Fine outplayed and defeated Mikhail Botvinnik. The games Euwe vs Keres, Flohr vs Capablanca and Alekhine vs Reshevsky were all drawn but Euwe and Alekhine missed good chances. | Photo: The first official move of the tournament

5/26/2020 – Former World Champion Dr. Emanuel Lasker had won the tournament in New York with one round to spare, and current World Champion José Raúl Capablanca was certain to finish second. But the final round of the top-tournament was still fiercely fought and four of the five games ended with a decision - and in all four games it was White who won.| Photo: The Statue of Liberty in New York (Source: Library of Congress)

5/25/2020 – With one round to spare former World Champion Dr. Emanuel Lasker (pictured) won the New York Tournament 1924. In the 21st and penultimate round, the 55-year-old Lasker won against Dr. Savielly Tartakower with fine defensive play. With 15 points from 19 games (+12, =6, -1) Lasker is now 1½ points ahead of World Champion José Raúl Capablanca, who, after a nice endgame victory against Richard Reti, is now on 13½/19 and certain to finish second.

5/24/2020 – Former World Champion Dr. Emanuel Lasker and reigning World Champion José Raúl Capablanca lead at the New York Tournament 1924. However, in round 20 they both were lucky not to lose. But while Lasker managed to win a bad position against Geza Maroczy, Capablanca "only" drew a bad position against Frederick Yates which allowed Lasker to extend his lead. With two rounds to go Lasker is now almost certain to win the tournament: he leads with 14.0/18 and is 1½ points ahead of Capablanca who is sole second with 12½/18. | Photo: Emanuel Lasker

5/23/2020 – After 19 of 22 rounds Emanuel Lasker, José Raúl Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine lead at the New York Tournament 1924. All three won in round 19: Emanuel Lasker won with Black against Edward Lasker, Capablanca refuted Tartakowers dubious King's Gambit and Alekhine defeated Dawid Janowsky. Lasker now leads with 13.0/17, followed by Capablanca with 12.0/17 and Alekhine with 11.0/18. | Photo: Capablanca (left) and Emanuel Lasker (Archive)

5/19/2020 – Round 15 of the New York Tournament 1924 was a lively affair and the spectators in the Hotel Alamac saw five wins. Capablanca won against Janowsky, the strategist Reti was defeated by the tactician Marshall, Alekhine won against Yates, Bogoljubow outplayed Tartakower in the endgame and Maroczy defeated Edward Lasker. Emanuel Lasker had a bye and with 8½/13 he now shares first with Capablanca who has 8½/14.