ChessBase

• Rafael Vaganian turns 75: Decades among the chess elite

  Today, Rafael Vaganian celebrates his 75th birthday. In 1971, he became the first Armenian chess player after Tigran Petrosian to be awarded the grandmaster title by FIDE. He won numerous medals in team competitions representing the Soviet Union and Armenia, was at one point ranked fourth in the world and played for SG Porz in the German Bundesliga for many years. | Photo: Frank Hoppe

• US Championships - Live!

  The US Championships are taking place on 9-21 October at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Each tournament is a 12-player single round-robin with a classical time control. Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Levon Aronian are the highest-rated players in the open, while Carissa Yip, Alice Lee and Irina Krush head the women's field. | Follow the action live starting at 19.00 CEST (13.00 ET, 22.30 IST) | Pictured: Jennifer Yu | Photo: Crystal Fuller

• US Championships: Woodward takes down Caruana, Lee widens the gap

  Sixteen-year-old Andy Woodward defeated defending champion Fabiano Caruana in round five of the US Championship to join Wesley So in the lead on 3½/5. Jeffery Xiong, Ray Robson and Abhimanyu Mishra also scored victories. In the women's tournament, Alice Lee claimed her fourth consecutive win to extend her lead to a full point. Meanwhile, Rose Atwell defeated defending champion Carissa Yip, who suffered her third loss in the event. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

• Atyrau Masters: Top two seeds defeated in opening rounds

  The Atyrau Masters in Kazakhstan has attracted a strong international field, with Shamsiddin Vokhidov and Leon Luke Mendonca heading the starting list. Both top seeds suffered unexpected defeats in the opening two rounds, losing to significantly lower-rated opponents. Nguyen Duc Hoa defeated Vokhidov in round one, while Sergey Sklokin-Bagiyan overcame Mendonca in round two. The nine-round Swiss tournament, part of the Kazakhstan Chess Cup, concludes on 20 October. | Photo: Kazakhstan Chess Federation

• Young British prodigies

  The English Chess Federation has congratulated 12-year-old chess prodigy Supratit Banerjee after his International Master title was officially approved by FIDE, making him the youngest English player to achieve the prestigious title. This is another milestone for a remarkable generation of young English chess talent that includes Britain's youngest WGM, 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan.

• 6th Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners kicks off with record 140 teams

  The 6th Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners began on 13 October with a record 140 teams from 56 countries competing across men's, women's and youth sections. Organised by FIDE and the Cook County Sheriff's Office, the three-day event continues a programme that uses chess as an educational and social tool in correctional facilities. Several teams completed the opening stage with perfect scores before advancing to the championship rounds.

• FIDE General Assembly adopts resolution on shorter time controls

  FIDE is preparing changes to the regulations governing shorter classical time controls following a General Assembly resolution based on a proposal from the Icelandic Chess Federation. The FIDE Council plans to make 60+30 a standard classical control without special approval, while considering broader use of 45+30. Limits on games per day and title norms would remain, with further consultation planned before decisions on more extensive changes to classical tournament regulations. | Photo: FIDE

• Bodhana in the Bundesliga

  Bodhana Sivanandan made her debut in the Second Bundesliga this weekend, playing for the Hamburger SK's men's team. She is the youngest youngest player ever to play in the German Bundesliga, and the youngest WGM in history. Her score in the two games she played: 1½ points. Not bad for an 11-year-old girl. Before the matches she visited ChessBase in Hamburg and did some recordings for us.

• A dispute in the Bundesliga

  The German Chess Bundesliga is known for its continuity. For decades, it has operated under well-established rules, although players, spectators and arbiters have not always agreed on how to apply them. A particularly curious case arose in the 1986/87 season: A match started late, raising the question of whether a grandmaster had arrived on time. What followed was a furious battle over the rules, a series of appeals, a replayed match, a relegation play-off and repeated changes to which team would be relegated. | Photo: Dr Robert Hübner playing in the Bundesliga in the 1980s (All photos courtesy of Eising and Treppner, Schachbundesliga)

• ChessBase´26 – Tips for Beginners, part 32: Training with style

  It’s once again time to think about aesthetics in ChessBase´26 training: Have you ever noticed the “Style” option? If not, in this episode we’ll explain briefly and concisely how you can better adapt your screen display to your own taste.