In this episode of Svitlana’s Smart Moves, Svitlana Demchenko explains how to work with candidate moves and build a more reliable thinking process at the board. Using several practical examples, she shows how comparison, calculation, prophylaxis and piece improvement help narrow down the right choices in critical positions. Special attention is given to knowing when […]
Monthly Archives: August 2026
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu caught Wesley So in the lead of the Sinquefield Cup with one round remaining after defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in 27 moves. So drew Sam Sevian, leaving both players on 5/8. Vincent Keymer and Javokhir Sindarov are half a point behind after scoring wins on Tuesday, with Sindarov’s victory keeping his hopes of reaching […]
IM Andrew Martin presents a complete White repertoire after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3, with the Evans Gambit as its aggressive centerpiece for tactically minded players up to around 1800 Elo. Volume 1 covers the key lines, attacking ideas and traps of the Evans Gambit, while Volume 2 provides practical answers to the Petroff, Philidor, Two Knights […]
With his FritzTrainer “Calculation Training”, Robert Ris tackled one of the most important topics in chess back in 2018: how to calculate correctly – and clearly struck a chord. Several more courses on the subject followed. Jochen Schwarz has taken a closer look at these courses and presents an overview.
Dear chess friends! We’ve got another great offer for you: this week (until August 23rd, 2026), you can get up to 30% off all Fritz Trainer courses by Robert Ris and Felix Blohberger!
Javokhir Sindarov scored his first win of the Sinquefield Cup by beating Vincent Keymer with the black pieces, drawing level with the German GM on 3½/7 and tightening the race for a place in the Grand Chess Tour Finals. Wesley So remains the sole leader on 4½/7, half a point ahead of Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa […]
Chris Ward examines an uncommon Classical Dragon line from the game between Andy Woodward and 2600+ GM Vasif Durarbayli. The system resembles a Yugoslav Attack, but White develops the bishop to e2 instead of playing the typical f3, leading to different strategic and tactical possibilities. Chris highlights several critical moments and believes Black could have […]
Wesley So is still the sole leader at the Sinquefield Cup after four draws kept the top of the standings unchanged in round six. The only decisive result saw Anish Giri defeat fellow Dutchman Jorden van Foreest, who remains alone in last place on 1/6. So leads with 4/6, while Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer, Praggnanandhaa […]
As you have noticed, this form of chess is becoming increasingly popular. Everyone seems to like it, sponsors are lining up to stage high-prize tournaments, even World Championships. In this series we look back at the origin of Fischer-Random, Chess960 or Freestyle, as it is now called, and discuss the reasons for its popularity. In […]
Saco Oliveros de Lince won the American Continental Stage of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship in San José, finishing unbeaten on 15/16 match points. Harvest Park Middle School from the United States and Crescent Heights Academy from Canada took second and third, with all three teams qualifying for the Grand Final in December. […]