ChessBase

• Super Chess Classic Romania - Live!

  The second event of the 2026 Grand Chess Tour is the Super Chess Classic Romania, which is taking place on 14-23 May in Bucharest. Nine regular tour players, all elite GMs with 2700+ ratings, are joined by wildcard Bogdan-Daniel Deac. Fabiano Caruana, Javokhir Sindarov and Anish Giri are the top seeds. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 15.00 CEST (9.00 ET, 18.30 IST) | Photo: Lennart Ootes

• Wadim Rosenstein and his intensive plan to promote chess

  Wadim Rosenstein came into prominence when he organised the first edition of WR Chess in 2023. He then came up with the idea of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Teams - an event that has become a mainstay in the chess calendar. In recent times, if you follow Rosenstein on his X account, the number of activities that he is doing for chess has grown exponentially! In this interview, we ask him about these events, his vision for chess and whether he is planning to become the FIDE President. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

• Review: Opening Encyclopedia 2026

  The ChessBase Opening Encyclopedia 2026 is one of the company’s flagship products alongside the Mega Database and the ChessBase database program - currently ChessBase'26. For years, these programs have formed part of the essential toolkit for everyday chess work. From the very beginning, the Opening Encyclopedia has played a key role by providing a fast and efficient overview of the entire spectrum of chess openings. Lukas Köpl took a closer look at the latest edition of the Opening Encyclopedia and summed up his impressions.

• PlusCity Grand Prix in Austria: Rapid and blitz chess extravaganza

  Four days, thousands of rapid and blitz chess games, international and national participants such as Maghsoodloo, Pranav and Blohberger - the 2026 Grand Prix at PlusCity in the Austrian town of Pasching is once again set to become one of Europe's biggest chess festivals. Anyone who wants not only to think chess, but to experience it, should be there in person and enjoy the chess atmosphere at the Austrian National Championships. | Photos: Official website

• A Game That Outlasted the Day (5)

  If a game could have been legally drawn dozens of moves earlier, why was it played on? Why were obvious draw claims never made, even when repetitions were plainly visible? Why did both players repeatedly adjourn a position whose theoretical outcome was already beyond doubt? Was it artificially extended to get it recognition by Guinness? Estonian chess expert and trainer Valery Golubenko tells us about the struggle to regulate very long theoretical endings.

• Martinez prevails in Armageddon against Suleymanli, wins Bucharest Grand Prix

  Jose Martinez won the opening stage of the 2026 Romania Grand Prix in Bucharest after drawing (with black) an Armageddon decider against Aydin Suleymanli. The rapid tournament, held at the Palace of Parliament on 9-10 May, attracted 581 players from 27 countries. Five players tied for first place on 8½/10, with Martinez and Suleymanli advancing to the playoff thanks to superior Buchholz scores. | Photo: Romanian Chess Federation

• FIDE World University Team Chess Championship 2026: 32 teams advance to knockout stage

  The first stage of the inaugural FIDE World University Team Championship has concluded, with 32 teams advancing from two online Swiss qualifiers to the knockout phase. Saint Louis University topped the Americas and Africa qualifier, while Ural State Mining University led the Europe and Asia event. The qualified teams will now compete online for eight places in the over-the-board finals, scheduled for August 3-9 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

• A hundred years ago: The Dresden Chess Congress of 1926

  A little over a hundred years ago, the Dresden Chess Club celebrated its 50th anniversary with a major international tournament. It was not the favoured Alexander Alekhine, who became World Champion a year later, but Aron Nimzowitsch who emerged as the winner of the tournament.

• FIDE Candidates 2026: Experiences, stories and analysis

  About a month ago, the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament concluded in the picturesque village of Pegia, near Paphos, Cyprus. Yevgeny Levanzov had the privilege of spending an extended time at the event and delivering three lectures there. In the following review, he covers the tournament both from a professional chess perspective and by describing the surrounding atmosphere, including the various activities offered to spectators, notable figures who came to visit and some touching human stories. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

• Super Chess Classic in Romania

  2026 Super Chess Classic Romania brings elite classical chess to Bucharest, Romania, from May 12 to May 24. The tournament takes place at the National Bank of Romania Museum in the historic Lipscani district. The event is the first classical tournament of the 2026 Grand Chess Tour season. It features a 10-player round robin, with the likes of Caruana, Keymer, Firouzja, Giri, So, Pragg and Sindarov participating. It will be an exciting week.