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  • The final weekend of the Speed Chess Championship moves from the online arena to a live stage in London, where the semifinals and title match are being played in front of spectators. The event combines rapid, blitz and bullet segments. | Follow the games live with expert commentary. On Saturday, Magnus Carlsen v. Lazavik starts at 14.00 CET, while Alireza Firouzja v. Hikaru Nakamura starts at 19.00 CET.
  • In this episode, Svitlana takes on one of the most aggressive setups against the Modern Defence: the Austrian Attack. She explains the key ideas behind White’s early central pawn storm, typical attacking plans, and what you should be aiming for before the tactics even begin. A practical, idea-driven lesson that helps you understand when to attack, how to build it up, and what Black is trying to survive.
  • A regular fixture in the German "Schachkalender", edited by Wolf Böese and Stefan Löffler, is the biographical puzzle. Yesterday we asked which player would have celebrated a milestone birthday today. Here's the solution…
  • Just two years after its launch, the New Zagreb Classic has become one of Europe's largest open tournaments, attracting more than 500 players from dozens of federations. Conceived by local organisers to give young talents broader competitive opportunities, the event combines a compact weekend format with wide participation across rating levels. The 2026 edition in Zagreb featured established masters, emerging juniors and first-time competitors, reflecting the tournament’s growing place on the European chess calendar. | Photos: Official website
  • On Sunday you have the opportunity to see a legendary chess mind: Alexander Beliavsky, a four-time USSR Champion, three-time Olympiad Champion, who has defeated no fewer than nine World Champions. In a live training session at the Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy "Big Al", as he is known for his bold, uncompromising style, offers a rare chance to understand how grandmasters think when the stakes are highest. Keep February 8, 18:00 CET to listen to him.
  • The President of the Georgian Chess Federation and FIDE official Akaki Iashvili visited the ChessBase office in Hamburg to familiarise himself with the company’s training and educational programs. He was particularly impressed by the children’s chess learning program Fritz & Chesster. ChessBase CEO Rainer Woisin (pictured, on the right) and Akaki Iashvili (pictured, on the left) agreed on a cooperation in the field of scholastic chess.
  • Take as look at this position. Is there any way you can stop the two black pawns that are ready to promote? And actually win this game? There are three challenging positions to solve on our live diagrams. And in a few days we will provide full explanations and strategies – in video clips. It is a learning experience.
  • A regular fixture in the German "Schachkalender", edited by Wolf Böese and Stefan Löffler, is the biographical puzzle. The task is to identify a player who is celebrating a milestone birthday this year.
  • Baadur Jobava and Nino Batsiashvili claimed their fifth national titles at the 2026 Georgian Chess Championships, held in Tbilisi from late January to early February. Jobava led the open tournament from the early rounds and finished unbeaten, while Batsiashvili dominated the women's event with a decisive mid-tournament winning streak. | Photos: Georgian Chess Federation
  • Paula Wolf-Kalmar only came to chess at the age of 30, but then went on to compete in three Women’s World Championships. However, she died young from diabetes. Much about the biography of the Austrian chess pioneer remains unclear. With his detective-like flair, Alan McGowan has brought order to the available data and uncovered new sources.