On March 16, 2025 the Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy will host a live lecture by GM Alexander Onischuk. Participants have the unique opportunity to learn from his extensive experience, gaining insights into advanced strategies and game analysis. This event is part of KCF Academy's ongoing...
From 14 to 20 March, the Hotel del Lago hosts the Punta del Este Masters, a closed double round-robin tournament bringing together four Grandmasters and two International Masters from Spanish-speaking countries. Among them, the young Argentinean Faustino Oro, aged 11, and the Mexican Sion Galaviz...
The 2025 American Cup returns to Saint Louis, bringing together the nation's top chess players for a high-stakes competition. Organised by the Saint Louis Chess Club, the tournament follows a double-elimination format, testing players in both classical and rapid chess. Featuring elite...
Analyses with ChessBase 18 are flexible: insights gained can be added to or changed at any time. This often leads to a re-evaluation of variations. In this tutorial episode, we will therefore explain how you can upgrade variations and insert or change evaluations. We will show how practical this...
The fourth leg of the 2024–25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix will take place in Nicosia, Cyprus, from 14–25 March. Ten of the world’s top female players, including series leader Aleksandra Goryachkina and the Muzychuk sisters, will compete for crucial Grand Prix points that determine qualification for...
Thorsten Cmiel keeps a very close eye on the young talents in chess. During the Prague Chess Festival, he paid particular attention to how Divya Deshmukh played. Divya won the girls' category at the 2024 World Junior Championship. | Photo: Petr Vrabec
The King's Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities. By simply knowing the setup and some key ideas, it can become a lifelong addition to your repertoire - without the need for constant memorization. Played by fierce...
The 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships will take place in London from June 10–16, featuring an expanded blitz competition with a new knockout stage. Hosted at Novotel London West, the event follows successful editions in Düsseldorf and Astana. The tournament format includes a rapid...
In the new episode of their "Two Knights Talk", Arne Kähler and Johannes Fischer explore the phenomenon of "killer instinct". They wonder what it is, which top players had or have a lot of it, and whether it makes you happy. And they show the end of a game of a top player who has lots of it.
The 2025 European Championship kicks off on Saturday in Eforie-Nord, Romania. As well as a €100,000 prize fund, the players will have the chance to qualify for the World Cup - with the top 20 players qualifying for the World Cup.
The Serbian Chess Federation organised its 56th International Women's Tournament in Belgrade from 1 to 9 March, on the occasion of International Women's Day on 8 March. German WGM Josefine Heinemann won with 7.0/9 and finished a full point ahead of IM Bhakhti Kulkarni from India. | Photos:...
The Neo-London System is an improved, more creative variation of the classical London System, which avoids dangerous black defensive moves with 3.c3 and Lf4 and exploits risks in the Lf5 variation. The course offers numerous innovations, sharper ideas and interactive training material to surprise...
Some of the world’s best chess players have trained under him, yet his name remains unknown to many. He has worked with players like Anish Giri, Jorden van Foreest, and Vladimir Fedoseev but always stayed behind the scenes. He is known for his creative training methods and intensive sessions. The...
Today is publishing day. Susan Polgar's book, Rebel Queen, is available in book outlets, or on Amazon, where you can also get the Kindle edition. It describes the trials and tribulations of a super-talent at odds with her federation, and how she overcame it to rise to the very top of women's...
Magnus Carlsen representend his team Offerspill last weekend at the end of this year's Norwegian Elite Series and won all the three games he played. However, it was not enough to win the championship. Vålerenga (pictured) became Norwegian team champions ahead of OSS and Offerspill. | Photo: Kaido...
On July 13, 2004, Bobby Fischer was detained in Japan with an invalid U.S. passport. That marked the beginning of a nine-month ordeal for him in Japanese custody. Among the supporters fighting for his release was former World Champion Boris Spassky, whom Fischer had dethroned thirty years earlier...
What is the Ultimate Underdog chess game, ever played? This is obviously a very difficult question to answer, and moreover, very subjective. Nonetheless, one game would probably be set in the top 10 list - Adams vs. Torre from 1920. In this game, which is suspiciously beautiful, Adams tries...
The Scotch Gambit is a favourite at club level, offering a rich blend of attacking and positional ideas. Whether you prefer sharp tactical battles, or a more controlled strategic approach, this video course gives you everything you need to master this dynamic opening.
England’s top female chess players are turning out among a strong field to compete for the Menchik Memorial title. The 2025 tournament will take place at the London Mindsports Centre in Hammersmith from March 20 to 24. The tournament is named after Vera Francevna Menchik (1906-1944), the...
The Prague International Chess Festival offers a wide variety of events, catering to both competitive players and chess enthusiasts. Among them is the problem-solving competition, which was held for the second time on 28 February. Milan Petras won the event, scoring 55 points, ahead of Dimitra...
With ChessBase 18, you can not only analyse your own games professionally – as we have already shown in the first four parts of the tutorial – you can also comment on them individually. There are several methods for doing this, and they can be linked together. The comments can be entered as text...
The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 moves to Paris from April 7 to 14, bringing together 12 top grandmasters for the second Grand Slam event of the year. Held at the Pavillon Chesnaie du Roy, the tournament features a round-robin phase followed by a knockout stage with classical time...
The 2025 World Junior Chess Championship took place from 26 February to 7 March in Petrovac, Montenegro, featuring nearly 260 players from 67 countries. GM Pranav Venkatesh won gold in the open section with an unbeaten 9/11, while WIM Anna Shukhman secured victory in the girls' event with the...
Efim Geller was born on 8 March 1925, a hundred years ago today. Between 1950 and 1970, he was one of the best players in the world, even though he never managed to become world champion. Geller's record against the world champions is remarkable - mostly positive. | Photo: Hugo van Gelderen (Anefo)
GM Mateusz Bartel is scheduled to deliver a live lecture at the Kasparov Chess Foundation (KCF) Academy on March 9, 2025, at 6:00 PM CET. This event is part of KCF Academy's ongoing training program, crafted to provide high-quality chess education worldwide.