Svitlana’s Smart Moves first episode of 2025 is all about juicy tactics, and tragical blunders of the Rapid & Blitz World Chess Championship. Some chess tactics were especially significant. A couple of games by top players like Carlsen, Nepo, and Pragg were already won, and one more correct move would have sealed the deal. Instead, […]
Monthly Archives: January 2025
The dispute over Magnus Carlsen’s trousers in the rapid tournament and the crowning of two world champions in the blitz section, which was not provided for in the rules, dominated the news cycle surrounding the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2024 – with one important sporting decision taking a back seat: thanks to his […]
The Hastings International Chess Congress, steeped in tradition since 1895, remains a cherished fixture in the chess world. This year’s edition, held from 28 December to 3 January, showcased both seasoned grandmasters and emerging stars. In a gripping 9-round Swiss open, China’s untitled player Haowen Xue triumphed with an undefeated 7 points. Close behind were […]
Are there any advantages of moving to the latest ChessBase 18? Are strong chess players doing it, and finding the software useful in their every-day tournament activity? A decided ‘Yes!’ is given by Indian grandmaster Pa. Iniyan, who sent us an in-depth three-part review. You would do well to read about his experience carefully, and […]
The discussion about the level of play at the World Championship match in Singapore got out of hand on social media, says Thorsten Cmiel, who visited the event himself. Commentators and streamers, armed with opinionated machines, are criticised the players, claiming that the level of play was not that great. Objectively speaking, this was not […]
As part of the Norwegian Grand Prix, chess is also played far up north, where Europe ends and the arctic region begins. Holger Blauhut travelled with his daughter to Alta for the Power Solutions Arctic Chess NGP tournament. Despite a snowstorm, they got to play a well-organised tournament and learned more about the region’s sled […]
Just in time for the start of the new year, FIDE has published the new world rankings. With an Elo rating of 2831, Magnus Carlsen remains the clear number one, followed in second, third and fourth place by Fabiano Caruana (2803), Hikaru Nakamura (2802) and Arjun Erigaisi (2801). Gukesh Dommaraju, the new classical world champion, […]
Magnus Carlsen is set to marry Ella Victoria Malone this weekend, just days after securing his eighth World Blitz Championship title. The couple, who confirmed the news to Verdens Gang (VG), plan to keep the ceremony private. Malone, who has an American father and a Norwegian mother, grew up in Oslo and now lives with […]
The chess world is awash with resources for players looking to up their game, from countless articles and books to videos. Although relatively scarcer, a wealth of instructional material also exists for those interested in chess solving. But few have ventured to teach how to compose a chess study or a problem – no definitive […]
The second day of the World Blitz Chess Championships, held in New York, provided thrilling action as the knockout stages decided the champions in both the open and women’s sections. Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi decided to share the open title after an epic 7-game final, marking Carlsen’s eighth blitz crown and Nepo’s first. Meanwhile, […]