ChessBase

• GCT Finals with Pragg, So, Caruana and Keymer: Format and schedule

  The 2026 Grand Chess Tour reaches its concluding event this weekend, with the four highest-ranked full-tour players set to compete in the GCT Finals at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Wesley So, Fabiano Caruana and Vincent Keymer will take part in the knockout tournament, with competition running from 22 to 27 August and a total prize fund of $450,000 at stake.

• The Evans Gambit – an evergreen opening?

  The Evans Gambit is one of the most famous gambits in chess history. It is named after William Davies Evans (1790–1872), a Welsh sea captain who, in the 1820s, came up with the idea of offering a pawn with 4.b4!? after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5. If Black accepts the sacrifice, White gains time to develop their pieces and attack the black king. The leading players of the 19th century were enthusiastic about this concept, and chess legends such as Paul Morphy and Adolf Anderssen played numerous spectacular games with the Evans Gambit. But what have modern world champions thought of the Evans Gambit? | Photo: Captain Evans (source: Wikipedia)

• In memoriam: Vereslav Eingorn (1956-2026)

  Ukrainian grandmaster Vereslav Eingorn has died at the age of 69. A leading figure in Soviet chess during the 1980s, he won three USSR Championship bronze medals, qualified for the 1987 Zagreb Interzonal and later represented Ukraine at team events, including the 2000 Olympiad and the 2001 World Team Championship. Eingorn also became a respected coach and author, guiding Ukraine's women's team to Olympiad gold in 2006.

• "It was solely my decision": Harika Dronavalli on stepping back from representing India in the Olympiad

  For twenty years, Harika Dronavalli was a fixture of every Indian team that walked into an Olympiad hall. Board one, board two, whatever the assignment, she was there, absorbing the pressure that comes with playing for a country rather than just for herself. So when the Indian squad for the Chess Olympiad 2026 was announced without her name on it, the news read, on the surface, like a changing of the guard: Humpy Koneru returning to the team and Savitha Shri B stepping in as a new addition along with a new captain: Swayams Mishra. Read Harika's thoughts on the decision. | Photo: Nils Rohde / ChessBase

• Review: King's Indian – A Complete Repertoire for Black by GM Felix Blohberger

  The two-part FritzTrainer series "King’s Indian – A Complete Repertoire for Black" by Grandmaster Felix Blohberger is devoted to one of the most dynamic and at the same time complex openings in modern chess: the King’s Indian Defence. Lukas Köpl examines the series with regard to its structure, content, didactic quality and practical relevance.

• Will Elo 4000 ever be exceeded?

  Warning: this is a long read. Two weeks ago I wrote a piece on the increase of computer power in the last 50 years. A number of readers wrote me letters discussing my findings and commenting on what I had said. Then I asked myself: what does AI, what do ChatGPT and its colleagues think about the subject? Here's what I found out.

• Quo vadis, Fischer Random Chess? (1)

  As you have noticed, this form of chess is becoming increasingly popular. Everyone seems to like it, sponsors are lining up to stage high-prize tournaments, even World Championships. In this series we look back at the origin of Fischer-Random, Chess960 or Freestyle, as it is now called, and discuss the reasons for its popularity. In the end we will propose some modifications to the rules and how the game should be played. Stay tuned.

• Sinquefield Cup Tiebreaks - Live!

  The Sinquefield Cup is taking place on 10-20 August at the Saint Louis Chess Club. It is a 10-player single round-robin with a classical time control. Besides battling for a share of the $475,000 prize fund, players battle to get one of the four spots in the upcoming Grand Chess Tour Finals. Follow the games live starting at 19.00 CEST (13.00 ET, 22.30 IST) | Photo: Lennart Ootes

• Andrew Martin: Evans & Friends Vol.1 & 2

  IM Andrew Martin presents a complete White repertoire after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3, with the Evans Gambit as its aggressive centerpiece for tactically minded players up to around 1800 Elo. Volume 1 covers the key lines, attacking ideas and traps of the Evans Gambit, while Volume 2 provides practical answers to the Petroff, Philidor, Two Knights Defense, Hungarian Defense and several sharp gambits and traps. The aim is a ready to play repertoire that seizes the initiative early, sharpens tactical vision and puts Black under pressure from the very first moves.

• Remembering Oleg Skvortsov

  A few weeks ago this great chess organiser and sponsor passed away at the age of 57. For many years he invited us to his "Zurich Chess Challenge", which saw some of the world's top players competing. During that time we had interesting, personal interaction with him. For us news of his passing came out of the blue, and it left us deeply saddened.