Ulviyya Fataliyeva claimed clear first place at the IV International Women’s Chess Championship in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, finishing strongly to score 6½/9 and a 2590 performance rating. The Azerbaijani representative secured the title with three consecutive wins in the closing rounds, overtaking Nana Dzagnidze, who remained unbeaten and finished second on 6 points. Harika Dronavalli took […]
Monthly Archives: March 2026
Two million Swedes play chess online, but only a few thousand are involved in traditional chess activities. This new category of players wants to have fun, be entertained and experience chess in a different way than in a quiet playing hall where competition and results are the focus. On 17-18 April 2026, Swedish chess history […]
In this episode, Svitlana and Arne kick off a Candidates-themed tactics series by exploring beautiful combinations from the careers of several contenders, including Hikaru Nakamura, Anish Giri, Matthias Blübaum, and Wei Yi. Each player is represented by an easier and a harder puzzle, and the lesson highlights recurring tactical themes such as queen deflections, mating […]
Do you know the feeling? Over time, more and more databases accumulate in ChessBase: How do you keep track of them all? It’s best to get organised right from the start – but how? In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to organise and systematically save your own material so that you can always find […]
One hundred years ago, a major chess tournament was held at the Semmering mountain pass, a meeting place of Vienna’s high society. It was not the top favourite and future world champion Alexander Alekhine who came out on top, but the great tactician Rudolf Spielmann. The players left behind a wealth of games that are […]
Hikaru Nakamura is playing a training match against Awonder Liang in Saint Louis as he fine-tunes his form ahead of the Candidates Tournament, which begins in two weeks’ time. The three-day encounter, running from 13 to 15 March, combines classical, rapid and blitz games. Liang, ranked 25th in the world, provides strong opposition in a […]
IM Andrew Martin makes a compelling case for the Vienna Game as a versatile and dangerous weapon, offering rich attacking chances with far less theory than mainstream alternatives like the Ruy Lopez or Italian. His course covers three distinct approaches – aggressive f2–f4 systems, solid early Bc4 lines, and positional g3 setups – giving you […]
The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 is set to begin on 29 March, when eight elite grandmasters will start their fourteen-round quest to earn the right to challenge reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju. The lineup combines seasoned contenders such as Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura with rising stars including Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Javokhir Sindarov. | Image: […]
The concept behind Chessbase’s “60-minute” courses is simple: a one-hour video course for just under 10 Euros. There are also courses on middle game and endgame topics, but most courses focus on quite “specialised” opening variations. In the second instalment of a short series, Jochen Schwarz presents the most important 60-minute courses for 1.e4 players […]
The inaugural Naroditsky Memorial Rapid & Blitz will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, from 3 to 5 July 2026, combining open tournaments with elite showcase events across a three-day festival. Featuring a guaranteed $50,000 prize fund and offering FIDE Circuit and US Chess Grand Prix points, the competition is open to players of all […]