ChessBase

• Loek van Wely: 10 Chess Principles That Actually Matter

  In his new course, GM Loek van Wely shares ten practical principles from a career spanning 14 Olympiads, eight Dutch championship titles and decades of games against Karpov, Kasparov, Anand and Carlsen. Instead of opening lines, he focuses on how decisions are really made at the board: managing your clock around the critical moments, knowing when to simplify, staying objective about mistakes and recognising the right moment to take a risk. He also covers the psychological side of chess, from not being intimidated by stronger opponents to trusting your own calculation under pressure. A course about the part of chess that opening theory can’t teach you.

• Bavarian Championship: Gopal emerges as sole leader

  Indian grandmaster G.N. Gopal has taken the sole lead at the Bavarian Chess Championship in Gmund am Tegernsee, reaching 5½/6 points after defeating 15-year-old German IM Hussain Besou on Thursday. Twelve players follow half a point behind, including top seed Frederik Svane, who defeated Polish IM Klaudia Kulon. | Photo: Finn Engesser

• World Senior Championships underway in Serbia: Cramling, Georgiev and Gaprindashvili among participants

  The 2026 FIDE World Senior Chess Championships are taking place in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia, from 3 to 14 November. A total of 385 players from 65 federations are competing for four world titles, divided into the open and women's 50+ and 65+ categories. Among the participants are legendary grandmasters Pia Cramling, Kiril Georgiev, Zurab Sturua and former women's world champion Nona Gaprindashvili. Each tournament consists of 11 rounds. | Photo: FIDE

• Peter Leko and Peter Svidler to commentate on the Gukesh v. Sindarov Geneva match

  Peter Leko and Peter Svidler will provide the official commentary for the 2026 FIDE World Championship match between Gukesh Dommaraju and Javokhir Sindarov in Geneva. Leko brings first-hand experience of playing for the world title, while Svidler combines extensive top-level experience with a long-standing reputation as a commentator. Their coverage will accompany the 14-game match, which begins on 24 November at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny. | Image: FIDE

• Suleymenov on Gukesh, Sindarov and the psychological side of chess

  Chennai has given GM Alisher Suleymenov a title and a reason to return. After winning the 1st Chola Chess International GM Round Robin earlier this year, the Kazakh grandmaster is back for the 1st Chola Chess GM 2026. In this interview with Devansh Singh, he recalls beating a 12-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju and explains why he considers Javokhir Sindarov the favourite in the World Championship match. He also speaks about his ambitions in chess and the importance of staying psychologically strong. | Photo: ChessBase India

• Bavarian Championship: 15-year-old Hussain Besou joins the leaders

  Six players share the lead with 4½ points after five rounds of the Bavarian Chess Championship in Gmund am Tegernsee. The leading group includes three Indian grandmasters and 15-year-old German IM Hussain Besou, who defeated former world junior champion Peter Acs in round five. Top seed Frederik Svane and third seed Alexander Donchenko are among the 31 players trailing the leaders by half a point. | Photo: Finn Engesser

• Chinese Rapid Championship: Ding Liren and Wang Hao exit in quarterfinals

  Ding Liren and Wang Hao were both eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Chinese Rapid Championship, as three of the four rating favourites failed to reach the last four. Ding lost to Xiao Tong in a blitz tiebreaker, while Wang Hao was defeated by Xu Xiangyu. Yu Yangyi was the only higher-rated player to advance, joining Xiao, Xu and Lu Shanglei in the semifinals. | Photo: Chinese Chess Association

• KazChess Masters Almaty 2026 - Live!

  The KazChess Masters Almaty 2026 takes place from 26 October to 3 November in Kazakhstan. The ten-player invitational tournament brings together five international grandmasters and five players from the host country. Among the best-known participants are Muhammad Muradli, Daniil Dubov and Denis Lazavik, who recently reached the Esports World Cup final. Another player to watch is 14-year-old Kazakh talent Mark Smirnov. | Live from approximately 6:15 AM ET / 3:45 PM IST / 11:15 AM CET | Pictured: Edgar Mamedov | Photo: Nils Rohde / ChessBase

• Review: My favourite FritzTrainer courses

  For Jochen Schwarz, club player from Bremen, FritzTrainer courses have become an essential part of his hobby. Over the past ten years, he has studied numerous courses and now shares some of the favourites that have impressed him most.

• 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.