It was the ever observant Leonard Barden who pointed it out to me: for the first time since FIDE began publishing its rating lists, 1971, there are no Russians in the top ten. The Guardian’s weekly chess columnist turns 96 this month, and still keeps providing us with interesting reports.
Monthly Archives: August 2025
The third edition of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters will take place from 6 to 15 August at the Hyatt Regency in Chennai. Featuring a ten-player round-robin in both the Masters and Challengers sections, the event brings together top international grandmasters and India’s most promising talents. The Masters is headlined by Arjun Erigaisi, Anish Giri, […]
Svitlana Demchenko’s Smart Moves show began in 2021 and has produced over 120 nearly weekly episodes on topics ranging from openings and endgames to tactics and all things chess. Now, she is speaking at the World Schools Summit in Washington, DC—fittingly named the Smart Moves Summit 2025! | Photo: ChessBase India Interview
The 111th edition of the British Chess Championship is taking place on 2-10 August at the St George’s Hall in Liverpool. The main event is a 9-round Swiss open with a classical time control. Topping the starting rank are Nikita Vitiugov, Michael Adams and Gawain Jones. Also noteworthy is the presence of 16-year-old GM Shreyas […]
At the 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Championships in Penang, the spotlight wasn’t only on young talents like Huynh Thien An and Oo Ke Chien, but also on the devoted parents supporting them. The story of Nagalakshmi, mother to Indian stars R. Praggnanandhaa and R. Vaishali, highlights the sacrifices behind success. Across cultures and continents, chess […]
Round two of the Women Masters and round three of the A-Open were played on Monday at the Dortmund Chess Festival. In the Women Masters, Lu Miaoyi claimed a second win with the black pieces to become the sole leader going into the first rest day. Meanwhile, eight players reached a perfect score in the […]
Two three-part courses that will take your game to the next level! In his three-part Fritztrainer series on the Najdorf, Luis Engel presents a powerful repertoire against 1.e4. In “Mastering Chess Strategy”, Robert Ris starts with the fundamentals before diving into the finer points of strategic play. Take advantage of our Summer Special this week […]
The Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Festival started on the weekend. The Open began on Saturday, the Women’s Tournament on Sunday. In the duel of the best German women players Elisabeth Pähtz won against Dinara Wagner – after 129 moves and showing good knowledge of basic endgames! The 15-year old Chinese talent Lu Miaoyi also started with […]
In his latest column, Jon Speelman turns his attention to rook endgames from the Women’s World Cup in Batumi, including key moments from Divya Deshmukh’s games in the semifinals and the final. Alongside recent examples, he revisits a bishop-themed gem from decades past. With interactive diagrams and video commentary, readers are invited to solve critical […]
The 52nd edition of the Dortmund Chess Festival is taking place on 2-10 August at the Kulturzentrum in the largest city of the Ruhr District. European champion Matthias Bluebaum is the rating favourite in the A Open. On Sunday, the International Women’s Tournament begins, featuring four representatives from three countries: Elisabeth Paehtz, Dinara Wagner, 15-year-old […]