Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace, and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world’s best players maintain pressure and transform […]
Monthly Archives: April 2025
The 2024 European Chess Championship in Romania drew nearly 400 players and concluded with Matthias Bluebaum claiming the title for a second time. Across eleven rounds, the tournament offered no shortage of drama and complexity. In this article, two games from the event are examined – both notable for their sharp conclusions and instructive endgame […]
Svitlana presents to us an insightful analysis of the first two decisive games in the Women’s World Chess Championship match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi, focusing particularly on their endgames. Both games, though seemingly equal in rook endgames, were decided by subtle inaccuracies and the strategic importance of king activity and piece placement. Svitlana […]
The quarterfinals of the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam concluded on Thursday, with Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura and Vincent Keymer advancing to the semifinals. While Carlsen, Caruana and Nakamura secured their places through wins in the classical games, Keymer needed tiebreaks to overcome Ian Nepomniachtchi. The German GM is now the only player […]
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!
ChessBase Mobile is NOW also available for iOS! – Are you a passionate chess fan? Then we have good news for you: with the new ChessBase Mobile App you can take all your games and databases with you wherever you go, thanks to the cloud. The new and user-friendly app for Android, iOS and tablets […]
The first day of the quarterfinals at the Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam saw Magnus Carlsen claim the only win, defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov with white. The remaining games ended in draws, including a complex encounter between Arjun Erigaisi and Hikaru Nakamura, who tested the experimental “Nepo Gambit”. Nakamura managed to equalise after a difficult start […]
One method that enables a rook to draw against two advanced pawns in an endgame is, as explained in a previous article, is known as the ‘Prokeš Manoeuvre’. This scheme will allow you to draw in desperate-looking positions, or win when the defence can be overcome. Today you get eight test positions from international trainer GM Efstratios […]
Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi are the winners of the rapid preliminary of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Paris. Thanks to a strong finish Vincent Keymer also made it into the knockout stage. As did Vachier-Lagrave, Erigaisi, Abdusattorov, Nakamura and Caruana. | Photos: Lennart Ootes/ Freestyle Chess
The ‘Prokeš Manoeuvre’ is a tactic that enables a rook to draw against two advanced pawns in an endgame. It is a very important endgame scheme that will allow you to draw in desperate-looking positions, or win when the defence can be overcome. Take a look at this position. Would you be able to draw with white? And […]