ChessBase

• Laszlo Nagy and the 35-year legacy of 'First Saturday'

  In the world of chess, some move the pieces on the board and some build the stage upon which legends are born. Laszlo Nagy, a.k.a. 'Mr. First Saturday', is a name synonymous with the vibrant chess culture of Budapest. For over three decades, he has provided a launchpad for the world's most promising talents to achieve their dreams. Laszlo is the organiser of the First Saturday chess tournament in Hungary's capital, which has been running for 35 years now.

• Starting next week: Organisers confirm full field for Reykjavík Open

  The Reykjavík Open returns from 25 to 31 March at the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, once again bringing together a large international field for its traditional nine-round Swiss competition. Led by top seed Bogdan-Daniel Deac and featuring a mix of experienced contenders - such as Vasyl Ivanchuk - and young stars, the fully subscribed event continues a tradition that dates back to Mikhail Tal's victory in the inaugural 1964 edition. A varied festival programme will accompany the main tournament. | Photo: Official website

• Bled Chess Festival: Strong finish earns FM Zanas Nainys outright win

  The international chess festival in the Slovenian resort town of Bled, staged for nearly a century, has concluded. Lithuania's Zanas Nainys (pictured, right) emerged as the clear winner of the event, which catered especially for ambitious titled players, amateurs and rising juniors. A powerful finish saw him overtake Leon Mazi - who had defeated him in round four - to claim first place. | Photos: Bled Chess Festival

• A Game That Outlasted the Day

  A month ago Valery Golubenko played what may well have been one of the longest chess games ever seen, measured by number of moves, under today’s rather restrictive conditions of modern chess life. It began in the morning and was finally stopped by the rules as the sun was setting.

• TePe Sigeman 2026 in May: Carlsen and Abdusattorov headline lineup

  World number one Magnus Carlsen is set to return to classical tournament play at the TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament, scheduled for 1–7 May in Malmö. The Norwegian will face a compact but ambitious field that includes recent Tata Steel Masters winner Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun Erigaisi and several leading young talents. Played as an eight-player round-robin, the long-running Swedish event once again combines established elite names with emerging contenders. | Pictured: Carlsen and Abdusattorov at the Paris leg of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam | Photo: Lennart Ootes

• Scottish 15-year-old Frederick Gordon crowned British Rapidplay Champion

  Frederick Waldhausen Gordon of Scotland produced a striking late surge to win the 2026 British Rapidplay Championship in Peterborough, defeating top seed Gawain Maroroa Jones in the decisive final-round encounter. The two-day Swiss event attracted 228 participants, including seven grandmasters. Maroroa Jones and Shreyas Royal shared second place, while Trisha Kanyamarala, Harriet Hunt and Bodhana Sivanandan were declared co-winners of the British Women's Rapidplay title. | Photo: Ife Olayinka

• Emil Sutovsky: Candidates plans unchanged amid regional tensions

  With the Candidates Tournament set to begin later this month, FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky has addressed concerns about security, travel logistics and organisational preparations in an interview with Sagar Shah. While acknowledging regional tensions, Sutovsky stressed that plans for the event in Cyprus remain unchanged, with contingency measures in place and close coordination with local authorities. | Pictured: Sutovsky at the 2024 World Corporate Chess Championship in New York. | Photo: FIDE / Rafal Oleksiewicz

• Liang scores 6-4 victory over Nakamura in training match

  Hikaru Nakamura was defeated 6–4 by Awonder Liang in a three-day training match in Saint Louis held as preparation for the Candidates Tournament. After two drawn classical games, all eight encounters in the rapid and blitz sessions ended decisively, with Liang ultimately prevailing. The match provided Nakamura with competitive practice ahead of a demanding event, for which several of his future rivals have recently been active. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

• Can you handle pawns?

  Were you able to solve the challenge positions we gave you last week? Were you able find the way to promote the pawns to win? Today we bring you all solutions, with very instructive video explanations by Jared Modica, a chess content creator from Austin, Texas. He shows us how to solve tatical lines of play, and how to handle pawns in endgames.

• Chess Olympiad: Cloud power for your national squad

  Success in world-class chess is built long before the game begins. With the "Federation Package", developed specifically for national federations, players and coaches gain access to the complete professional ChessBase software, the world's largest chess database, and powerful cloud analysis – at a price that provides up to five times more computing power than individual solutions! A long-term investment that will measurably enhance the performance of the entire team.