Chess News

1. Review: Charlie Storey's The Black Sniper – A Hypermodern Weapon for Attackers!
   Do you have problems getting into the game with Black because there are simply too many openings? Lars Milde, a club chess player for decades and currently active at SV Werder Bremen, has a tip for you: The Black Sniper is a complete repertoire against virtually all white openings. The reviewer explains why he likes Charlie Storey's approach so much. Read how you can develop this unique video course into a universal repertoire for yourself...
2. FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships live
   From Wednesday onwards, London will be the capital of chess. Many top players will be competing in the FIDE Rapid and Blitz World Championships, where they will also face ambitious amateurs. Rapid chess will be played from Wednesday to Friday, followed by the blitz tournament on Saturday and Sunday. Live coverage will be available daily from 15:00 CET.
3. Searching for Josh Waitzkin
   Do you remember the pioneering chess film "Searching for Bobby Fischer"? It told the story of a seven-year-old US chess prodigy – with stars like Joe Montegna, Ben Kingsley and Laurence Fisburn playing his father and trainers. Josh Waitzken retired from active chess at 23, moved to Costa Rica and became an expert in the art of learning. Recently, he became a consultant of the Boston Celtics basketball team.
4. ChessBase 18 – Tips for beginners, part 18: What the mouse can do!
   What the mouse can do! Following on from the aesthetic aspects covered in the last ChessBase 18 tutorial for beginners, this time we show you how you can use the mouse in different ways. The scroll wheel and mouse buttons can be used in a variety of ways. Here, too, it is a matter of personal preference which settings you choose.
5. Review: All new releases in May!
   ChessBase has, of course, released many new video courses and other products this spring. A special mention should go to the new Fritz! Fritz 20 now lets you play against a whole series of animated former world champions. Browse the monthly overview to find your favourites, whether it's Fritz 20, ChessBase Magazine 225 Extra, or our new Spanish and Ragozin guides. Take a look at all last month's products!
6. Svitlana's Smart Moves - The tricky Evans Gambit
   In this episode, Svitlana gives an in-depth introduction to the Evans Gambit, a sharp and aggressive opening in the Italian Game that sacrifices a pawn to gain rapid development and attacking chances. She explains the main ideas for both sides, key traps, and various defensive setups for Black, emphasizing how crucial preparation and understanding of typical tactical patterns are. The lesson concludes with historical context, including a look at the famous "Evergreen Game" by Anderssen, and encourages viewers to explore this opening for its practical surprise value and rich attacking potential.
7. MGD1 Wins 2025 FIDE World Rapid Teams Championship in London
   Team MGD1 secured first place at the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Teams Championship in London, winning all matches on the final day. Hexamind finished second, while Freedom, Uzbekistan, and WR Chess shared third. | Photos: Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE
8. KCF: lecture with Nikolaos Ntirlis
   The Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy is proud to host a live lecture with Nikolaos Ntirlis, bringing one of the most respected minds in chess preparation and training to our virtual stage. Ntirlis is a Greece chess player, author, and trainer, born in 1984, who has established himself as a leading expert in chess openings and engine analysis. Join us on June 15 at 18:00h CET.
9. How a neighbourhood chess game can create an unexpected sense of community
   Since 2010, the "Neighbourhood Chess Game", a project run by the city initiative Wohnpartner Wien, has been bringing people together in a fun way. What began as a small afternoon activity has evolved into a multi-award-winning model of successful neighbourhood engagement. Friendships and new perspectives are formed over queens, bishops and pawns. Chess is a universal language: it connects people and is both calm and lively. | Photo: wohnpartner Team 20
10. FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships: MGD1 stays ahead in tight race for Rapid Team Title
    After two days of play at the World Rapid Team Championship, Team MGD1 leads with 13 points, followed closely by Hexamind and Freedom. A standout performance came from 11-year-old Faustino Oro, while teams like Germany & Friends and Uzbekistan remain in close contention as the event heads into its final stages. | Photo: Dmitry Kollars and Dinara Wagner from Germany & Friends show team spirit | Photos: Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE
11. Cairns Cup, Round 3: Fortune smiles on Carissa Yip
    Carissa Yip, US Women's Champion in 2021, 2023 and 2024, had a disappointing start to the Cairns Cup, losing one game and drawing another. However, in round three, she secured her first victory against Nino Batsiashvili, albeit with a touch of luck. The other four games in the round ended in draws, leaving Alice Lee as the sole leader with 2.5/3. | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club
12. Cairns Cup: Alice Lee starts with 2 out of 2
    15-year-old Alice Lee is the youngest participant in the highly competitive Cairns Cup in Saint Louis and ranked 10th in the seedings, but she nevertheless got off to a flying start with two convincing victories. In round 2, she demonstrated her tactical skills and won with black against former world champion Mariya Muzychuk. The second victory of the round went to Nana Dzagnidze, who beat Bibisara Assaubayeva. The three remaining games ended in draws. This means that Alice Lee has taken the sole lead after two rounds with 2 out of 2. | Photo: Screenshot from a promotional video for the Cairns Cup
13. FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships: MGD1 leads with four wins
    The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships in London bring together the world's best players, ambitious young talent, officials and chess enthusiasts. MGD1, a team consisting mainly of Indian players, were the only team to win all four matches on the first day of the Team Rapid World Championship. It was a day full of action and interesting games, with a number of upsets and surprises. | Photos: Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE
14. Chess Statistics Today
    In our previous article on historical chess statistics we showed you the number of rated players there were in 1993, their ages, ratings, and where they came from. Today we compare them with the current FIDE statistics, showing how things have developed in the three decades that have passed. Our report also contains a little puzzle for you to mull over – why does the chess superpower China have so few rated players?
15. Chess makes smart: 1,300 children on Bremen's market square!
    On the Thursday before the Whitsun weekend, Bremen's market square was once again transformed into a large open-air chess tournament hall. 1,300 schoolchildren competed to show what they had learned as part of the Bremen school chess project "Schach macht schlau!" (Chess makes smart). At the end of the day, the cup winners were drawn from the winning team. This time, the trophy featuring the Bremen Town Musicians went to Burgdamm School with classes 1c and 2c. | Photos: Nils Rhode
16. Cairns Cup: Five wins in round 1
    The Cairns Cup in Saint Louis, one of the strongest women’s tournaments of the year, began with a promising start: all five games in the first round ended decisively. There were also a few minor surprises. Alice Lee (pictured), the youngest participant at just 15 years old and number 10 seed, scored a convincing victory against Nino Batsiashvili. Meanwhile, top seed and 2024 Cairns Cup winner Tan Zhongyi suffered a setback, losing with the white pieces to Alina Kashlinskaya after landing in a difficult position as early as move 21. | Photo: Tournament page
17. Big DataBase 2025: In search of a treasure trove
    Among ChessBase products the Big DataBase stands in its own right. Unlike the MegaBase it has no annotations. This paves the way for independent study and preparation, and helps the player to hone skills on his own. The present edition offers 11 million games from 1475 to November 2024. In this vast collection there are games from world championships, famous tournaments, past and present, not to mention little-known events that deserve greater recognition. There are magnificent battles, brilliancies and unknown gems all waiting to be discovered. Our columnist here introduces a few rare gems.
18. The whole chess world is yours!
    The ChessBase Premium Account is a powerful all-in-one chess improvement tool that provides extensive online resources, training, playing opportunities, and cloud services to help players of all levels enhance their game effectively. And the service runs on anything: Windows, Macs, notebooks, tablets, your mobile phone. Watch this video by Sagar Shah explaining the services you get and how to best use it. And best of all: it will only cost you €4.99 per month!
19. Entertaining, playful, timeless - The "New in Chess Magazine" #3/2025
    "Enjoy the best game. Ever." That’s the slogan of the "New in Chess Magazine" – and the current issue lives up to that promise. It explores the question of whether Boris Spassky would have preferred to be buried next to Bobby Fischer, features in-depth interviews with Hikaru Nakamura and Aravindh Chithambaram, and includes the magazine’s regular columns offering training advice and entertaining insights from the world of chess. Informative and engaging.
20. Vishy Anand and Faustino Oro meet in Pietrasanta, Italy
    Blending culture, history and chess, the "Clash of Generations" match in Pietrasanta, Italy, formed the centrepiece of the Chess Roads Festival. Held at the historic La Versiliana venue and featuring a ceremonial opening with rare chessboards, traditional carriages and the presence of Andrea Bocelli (pictured, during the simultaneous exhibition), the event celebrated the game's artistic and cultural legacy. On the board, five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand defeated 11-year-old Faustino Oro 2–0 in a match marked by professionalism and mutual respect.
21. Starting Tuesday: Fifth edition of the Cairns Cup with Tan, Humpy and Assaubayeva
    The Cairns Cup returns to Saint Louis for its fifth edition, featuring ten of the world's leading female players in a nine-round classical tournament. With a record prize fund of $250,000 and a playoff in place to decide any tie for first, the event continues to highlight elite women's chess. Top seeds include Tan Zhongyi, Humpy Koneru, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Nana Dzagnidze. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
22. Prof. Regan’s statistical system
    The Arbiters’ Council of the European Chess Union asked Prof. Kenneth W. Regan to write a dissemination article about his system, to let every arbiter get acquainted with this very important anti-cheating tool. The article has been written in aw way to make the system understandable without any particular mathematical skill, in order to have the concept behind known to every arbiter. It appeared in the April issue of the ECU Magazine.
23. Norway Chess - Live!
    The 13th edition of the Norway Chess super-tournament is taking place from 26 May to 6 June in Stavanger. An open event and a women's event are being played concurrently with an identical number of players, the same format and an equivalent prize fund. Both world champions — Ju Wenjun and Gukesh Dommaraju — are participating, besides world number one Magnus Carlsen. | Follow the games live starting at 17.00 CEST (11.00 ET, 20.30 IST)
24. FIDE history: Era of Soviet Domination
    Last year FIDE celebrated its 100th anniversary. The book "100 Years of FIDE" is an illustrated history of the World Chess Federation. From it we excerpt passages, with kind permission, this time from the first World Championships in the post-war era – after the sudden death of World Champion Alexander Alekhine. It is a great chance to brush up your knowledge of chess history.
25. The "Chess Passport" is here
    World Chess and the Algorand Foundation propose levelling the playing field with a "chess passport". In a whitepaper published last month, World Chess (LSE: CHSS) and the Algorand Foundation (ALGO) conceptualize a new blockchain-based system that would establish secure, private, and verifiable credentials for global sports organizations, including chess.