ChessBase

• The Birth of a Journey

  Praful Zaveri is the founder of Indian Chess School, where he has trained more than 5000 students. In 2023 he began writing a book, Shat Shat Vande Chess, on the cultural, historical, and philosophical journey of chess, on the 15,000‑year “odyssey” of the game. Now he has decided to make it into a film. Here is the first trailer – and Praful's thoughts on the enterprise.

• Humpy Koneru withdraws from Women's Candidates, Anna Muzychuk named replacement

  Humpy Koneru has withdrawn from the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, citing concerns over personal safety amid rising regional tensions. In line with the regulations, Anna Muzychuk has been invited to replace the Indian grandmaster in the eight-player field. Travel advisories and recent security incidents in the Eastern Mediterranean have formed the wider context surrounding Koneru's decision just ahead of the event's scheduled start. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

• Agzamov Memorial: Martirosyan and Uskov share lead on 5/6

  Two players share the lead after six rounds at the Agzamov Memorial in Tashkent, with top seed Haik Martirosyan (pictured) and 14th seed Artem Uskov both on 5/6. Martirosyan has impressed with a series of wins with the white pieces, while Uskov produced a notable upset against Pouya Idani and now faces the Armenian in a key round-seven encounter. A closely packed chasing group remains within striking distance with three rounds still to play. | Photo: Uzbek Chess Federation

• Anzel Laubscher: "Meet your students where they are"

  In this interview feature, WIM Anzel Laubscher reflects on her career in chess education, law and international development, tracing her journey from early tournaments in South Africa to her work with the FIDE Commission for Chess in Education. She discusses formative life experiences, cultural influences and her advocacy for safeguarding and inclusion in sport, offering personal insights into how chess can shape both learning and social responsibility. | Photos courtesy of WIM Anzel Laubscher

• 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.

• News on the 1896 Schiffers vs Steinitz Match

  Wilhelm Steinitz had lost his World Championship title to Emanuel Lasker in 1894, but he still retained the right to a return match. That rematch was scheduled to take place in Moscow at the end of 1896. Before that, however, Steinitz played a training match against Emanuel Schiffers. Join us on a brief journey back in time to Rostov-on-Don in 1896.

• Endgame Challenge Solutions

  Were you able to solve the challenge positions we gave you last week? Were you able to defeat the diagrams, which defended tenatiously? 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.

• Most attractive chess players

  Who is your favourite chess player – of all time, from the history of chess? Whose games do you enjoy the most? Is it one of the greats from the 19th century, the world champion legends of the twentieth? Or is it a player who is still active? Tell us your choices – and we will compare them with what a chess AI chooses, after evaluating millions of games.

• ChessBase´26: A Players Guide (5)

  "Many players use ChessBase, it is the most popular chess software by far, writes GM Iniyan Pa. "Yet, not many people are fully aware of all of its features, and fail to utilise most of them. In this guide I have tried to show the features that I think are vital and important so that the user may gain the most out of the ChessBase. I hope it helps them in their development." We are deeply indebted to Iniyan for his remarkable five-part training review.

• The Chess World in 2026

  The chess world has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. From a game on the fringes of public interest, it has become part of the media mainstream. This year will see several major events and developments that promise to have a profound impact on the future of chess. Milan Dinić, editor of The British Chess Magazine, has described the main driving factors and what we can expect in 2026.