ChessBase

• Sinquefield Cup: Keymer and Caruana score, MVL misses winning chance

  Wesley So retained the sole lead at the Sinquefield Cup after round five, but four players are now just half a point behind him. Fabiano Caruana recovered from his round-three loss to So by defeating Levon Aronian, while Vincent Keymer beat Anish Giri to join Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu on 3/5. Following a rest day, play resumes on Sunday. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

• Recent scientific research on chess skill and its development

  Chess skill is changing – but are players really getting stronger? Dr. Robert Howard looks at what decades of rating data and recent research reveal about Elo inflation, learning curves, the rise of computers, the age at which players peak and the role of natural talent. His findings challenge some familiar assumptions about chess expertise. | Photo: Magnus Carlsen 2019 | Photo: Lennart Ootes (Archive)

• Esports World Cup Final: Carlsen v. Lazavik - Live!

  Magnus Carlsen is looking to defend his title at the $1.5 million Esports World Cup. Chess is part of the event for the second time, with this year's competition taking place in Paris from 11 to 15 August. In Sunday's final match, Carlsen faces Denis Lazavik, while Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja battle for third place. | Follow the games live with commentary from 13:00 CEST

• Review: ChessBase Magazine 232

  Since its first issue in 1988, ChessBase Magazine has been published every two months without interruption. Reports on current tournaments, in-depth analyses and a wide range of training features blend seamlessly to create a complete package aimed at both ambitious club players and experienced tournament players. Christian Höthe takes a closer look at what issue #232 has to offer.

• Newly reviewed: Endgame Academy Part 1 – Checkmate & Pawn Endgames

  When it comes to endgames, there's nobody better than Karsten Müller. Michael Kotyk, the young Hamburg chess trainer, knows this well. He's taken out his magnifying glass and dedicated himself to Müller's latest work: His endgame courses are ChessBase classics. The most recent edition also employs the interactive options that have become indispensable in video courses. The new edition of the Endgame Academy kicks off with Checkmate & Pawn Endgames.

• Sinquefield Cup: Pragg bounces back, beats Van Foreest

  Wesley So remains the sole leader of the Sinquefield Cup after round four, holding a half-point advantage over his nearest rivals. The only decisive result of the day saw Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu defeat Jorden van Foreest, handing the Dutchman his third loss of the event. Pragg consequently joined Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian in the chasing group, half a point behind So. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

• Svitlana Demchenko's ChessBase Training Courses on offer

  WIM Svitlana Demchenko presents a selection of practical opening courses designed to give players flexible and dynamic repertoire choices. Her trainers cover the Alapin Variation against the Sicilian, the aggressive Leningrad Dutch, the versatile King’s Indian Attack, and a collection of easy to learn surprise weapons for both colours. As part of the ChessBase Summer Special, all of her Fritz Trainer courses are available at a discount until August 16, 2026.

• Esports World Cup: Erigaisi, Niemann, Lazavik and Nihal reach playoffs

  Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi, Denis Lazavik and Hans Niemann claimed the final four places in the Esports World Cup playoffs after progressing through Thursday's losers brackets. They join Alireza Firouzja, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, who had qualified a day earlier. The quarterfinals will see Carlsen face Nihal, Nakamura meet Erigaisi, Abdusattorov play Lazavik and Firouzja take on Niemann. | Image: Esports World Cup webcast

• Invest an hour and you will be ready to confound your opponents: Svitlana Demchenko's Opening Surprises

  The World Championship match between Gukesh Dommaraju and Ding Liren demonstrated how important it can be to catch your opponent on the wrong foot in the opening. In her 60-minute course, Svitlana Demchenko shows how this can be achieved with both colours and very little theory. | Photos: Nils Rohde

• 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.