Reversed-colour Benoni, Blumenfeld and Benko structures are the focus of Volume 14 of Ivan Sokolov’s Understanding Middlegame Strategy series. Hannes Langrock, an International Master, editor at a fiction publishing house and player for ESV Nickelhütte Aue, reviews the course. | Photos: ChessBase
Category Archives: News
Day four of the FIDE World University Team Championship Finals began away from the chessboard, as participants traded the playing hall for the mountains surrounding Almaty. Before the start of the quarterfinals, players had an opportunity to visit Shymbulak, one of the city’s best-known mountain destinations. After three intense days of group-stage competition, the morning […]
In this episode, Svitlana explains why controlling the centre remains important throughout every phase of a chess game. Using an instructive encounter between Vassily Ivanchuk and Anatoly Karpov, she shows how central control creates space, restricts the opponent’s pieces and provides clear plans. The game also demonstrates how powerful central pawns and an active king […]
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz after leading the tournament from start to finish. The Indian grandmaster secured the title with a round to spare by holding Javokhir Sindarov in their penultimate-round encounter, before finishing 1½ points clear. The result moved Praggnanandhaa into second place in the Grand Chess Tour standings ahead […]
The group stage of the inaugural FIDE World University Team Championship Finals came to an exciting conclusion on Thursday in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with the eight quarterfinalists now confirmed after three days of intense competition. With all sixteen participating universities in action for the final time, the last rounds determined which teams would continue their quest […]
In the early years of the British Championship, Henry Atkins won the title seven times in succession between 1905 and 1911, before adding two more victories later on. This made him the record holder until the 1960s. What makes this achievement especially remarkable is that Atkins was essentially an amateur player who rarely competed in […]
In the International Women’s Tournament at the Dortmund Chess Festival, Dinara Wagner (pictured) moved into first place after defeating the previous leader, Nataliya Buksa. As Klaudia Kulon, who had been level on points with Wagner, lost to Song Yuxin, Wagner now holds a half-point lead after three of six rounds. In the A Open, defending […]
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu retained the lead after the first nine blitz rounds of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, scoring 6/9 to extend his advantage over Javokhir Sindarov to 1½ points. Sindarov remained the closest challenger after three consecutive wins, while Wesley So lost ground. The direct encounter between Sindarov and Pragg proved pivotal, as Sindarov […]
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu finished the rapid section of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz in first place with 12/18 points, despite losing to Jorden van Foreest in the final round. Javokhir Sindarov trails by one point, with Wesley So another point behind. Praggnanandhaa recorded four wins, four draws and one defeat across nine rounds, while also […]
Svyatoslav Bazakutsa took sole possession of the lead at the British Chess Championship after defeating nine-time champion Michael Adams in round four. The 18-year-old Ukrainian now has a perfect 4/4, half a point ahead of a five-player chasing group. Among them is 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan, who continued her strong start by beating fifth seed Ameet […]