The second volume of the FritzTrainer Master Class series revisits the games and career of Mikhail Tal (pictured in 1959), the eighth world chess champion, combining biographical context with training material. The FritzTrainer examines Tal’s openings, strategy, endgame play and tactical imagination through video lessons by Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Oliver Reeh and Karsten Müller. […]
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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 […]
The FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2026 concluded in Montesilvano, Italy, with six new champions crowned across the under-14, under-16 and under-18 categories. The event brought together 758 players from 84 countries and produced several close finishes, including titles decided on tiebreaks and by final-round results. Azerbaijan, whose players won two individual gold medals, received […]
Do you know the powerful training tool in ChessBase´26? It’s called “Replay Training”! This great feature lets you actively go through games move by move—sharpening your strategic and tactical understanding in a targeted way. Whether under time pressure or not, the choice is yours. Train in a realistic setting, get instant feedback, and systematically improve […]
Larry Christiansen is one of the finest players in the history of American chess. He was US Champion three times, represented the United States at nine Chess Olympiads, where he won a number of medals. In the Bundesliga, he played for SG Porz for many years and was once the league’s top player with 12 […]
Svitlana Demchenko introduces the Ukrainian Variation from the Old Indian Defence and explains why it can lead to surprisingly comfortable positions for Black, especially if White accepts an early queen trade. The featured Soviet-era game between Lev Polugaevsky and Rashid Nezhmetdinov becomes a spectacular attacking lesson, where Black keeps the white king trapped in the […]
Bilel Bellahcene and Shahenda Wafa won the African Chess Championship titles in Jwaneng, Botswana, both prevailing on tiebreaks after close finishes. Bellahcene defended his open title after sharing first place with Bassem Amin on 7½/9, while Wafa claimed her fourth continental crown after tying with her sister Shrook in the women’s section. Banele Mhango and […]
Argentine prodigy Faustino Oro, 12, travelled to his rival José Martínez’s home city, Lima, and beat him at his own game – speed chess. Faustino and José played a six-game match: two rapid encounters and four blitz game. The final score was 4-2 Oro’s favour. | Photo: ChessBase India / Amruta Mokal
Anastasia Corotcova challenged the virtual version of Mikhail Tal in Fritz 21, hoping to experience the legendary attacking style that made the former World Champion famous. After gaining a promising position, she and Arne Kaehler struggled to find a series of critical defensive moves, allowing Tal’s relentless sacrificing attack to take over. The game was […]
Jan Henric Buettner has announced that he will run for President of FIDE, with Malcolm Pein standing on his ticket as candidate for Deputy President. Buettner, a German entrepreneur and co-founder of Freestyle Chess, has become active in elite event organisation in recent years. Pein, an International Master, organiser and journalist, previously stood for FIDE […]