Magnus Carlsen successfully defended his title. After winning the Esports World Cup in 2025, he came out on top again this year. In the final, he faced Denis Lazavik, a young talent who is particularly strong in online chess. Carlsen won both matches, each of which consisted of four games. Overall, he defeated Lazavik four […]
Monthly Archives: August 2026
The French Championship is taking place in Vichy from 7 to 16 August 2026. The competition follows a knockout format, with each match consisting of two classical games, followed, if necessary, by rapid, blitz, and Armageddon tiebreaks. Etienne Bacrot and Maxime Lagarde face off in the final match of the open, while Sophie Milliet and […]
Chess trainers love ChessBase´26 — and for good reason! With just a few clicks, you can create outstanding training material and even enrich it with interactive exercises. In this first part, we’ll show you how to set up a thematic database in no time — perfect for your own practice or for your students. In […]
Wesley So retained the sole lead at the Sinquefield Cup after round five, but four players are now just half a point behind him. Fabiano Caruana recovered from his round-three loss to So by defeating Levon Aronian, while Vincent Keymer beat Anish Giri to join Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu on 3/5. Following a […]
Chess skill is changing – but are players really getting stronger? Dr. Robert Howard looks at what decades of rating data and recent research reveal about Elo inflation, learning curves, the rise of computers, the age at which players peak and the role of natural talent. His findings challenge some familiar assumptions about chess expertise. […]
Since its first issue in 1988, ChessBase Magazine has been published every two months without interruption. Reports on current tournaments, in-depth analyses and a wide range of training features blend seamlessly to create a complete package aimed at both ambitious club players and experienced tournament players. Christian Höthe takes a closer look at what issue […]
When it comes to endgames, there’s nobody better than Karsten Müller. Michael Kotyk, the young Hamburg chess trainer, knows this well. He’s taken out his magnifying glass and dedicated himself to Müller’s latest work: His endgame courses are ChessBase classics. The most recent edition also employs the interactive options that have become indispensable in video […]
Wesley So remains the sole leader of the Sinquefield Cup after round four, holding a half-point advantage over his nearest rivals. The only decisive result of the day saw Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu defeat Jorden van Foreest, handing the Dutchman his third loss of the event. Pragg consequently joined Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian in the chasing […]
WIM Svitlana Demchenko presents a selection of practical opening courses designed to give players flexible and dynamic repertoire choices. Her trainers cover the Alapin Variation against the Sicilian, the aggressive Leningrad Dutch, the versatile King’s Indian Attack, and a collection of easy to learn surprise weapons for both colours. As part of the ChessBase Summer […]
Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi, Denis Lazavik and Hans Niemann claimed the final four places in the Esports World Cup playoffs after progressing through Thursday’s losers brackets. They join Alireza Firouzja, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, who had qualified a day earlier. The quarterfinals will see Carlsen face Nihal, Nakamura meet Erigaisi, Abdusattorov play […]