ChessBase

• The history of Grand Chess Tour by CEO Michael Khodarkovsky

  As the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) enters its 11th edition, it has become a cornerstone of the professional chess world. With a $2 million prize fund and a reach spanning four continents, the tour is often described as a "well-oiled machine". In an exclusive look at the tour's history, CEO and Executive Director Michael Khodarkovsky shares the philosophy that has sustained this elite circuit for over a decade. | Photo: Grand Chess Tour

• Review: New releases in April!

  Strategy, repertoire work and modern trends: five current ChessBase products provide fresh inspiration for training and tournament practice. From Ivan Sokolov’s structural middlegame understanding to Isaac Garner’s practical repertoire ideas, as well as compact solutions against the London System and data-driven Powerbooks, the result is a versatile selection for modern chess training — well-founded, practice-oriented and tailored to different playing styles. | All photos: ChessBase

• Super Chess Classic Romania: Keymer, Pragg and MVL score

  Vincent Keymer, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave became the first co-leaders of the Super Chess Classic Romania after winning in round two. Keymer punished Bogdan-Daniel Deac's kingside weakening, Vachier-Lagrave outplayed Alireza Firouzja in a Najdorf Sicilian, and Praggnanandhaa ended Javokhir Sindarov's 53-game unbeaten streak in classical chess. Fabiano Caruana v. Anish Giri and Jorden van Foreest v. Wesley So were drawn. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

• Amateur beats world champion: Wolfram Hartmann beats Anatoly Karpov in Hannover (1983)

  In 1983, 21 years after Wolfgang Uhlmann's victory over Mikhail Botvinnik at the 1962 Chess Olympiad in Varna, a German player once again managed to defeat a reigning world champion. In the first round of the International Mephisto Chess Tournament in Hanover, Wolfram Hartmann, then a 27-year-old law student from Bamberg, achieved one of the most astonishing underdog victories in German chess history against Anatoly Karpov (pictured). | Photo: V. Savostianov, Novosti Press (via Douglas Griffin)

• Super Chess Classic Romania: All draws, Pragg escapes against Firouzja

  All five games ended drawn in the first round of the Super Chess Classic Romania, though several players had chances to grab full points. Alireza Firouzja missed the clearest opportunity against defending champion Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (pictured), while Fabiano Caruana failed to make the most of an extra pawn against Jorden van Foreest. Wesley So v. Vincent Keymer was a double-edged, remarkable battle. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

• The Times explores chess revival at Simpson's in the Strand

  Simpson's in the Strand has reopened with a nod to its origins as a chess venue, a detail explored by Harry Wallop in The Times. Wallop's article uses the London restaurant's history to examine a wider revival of over-the-board chess, from social clubs and café events to rising sales of physical chess sets, and considers why the game's face-to-face appeal has endured in a screen-heavy age. | Photo: Matt Brown via Wikimedia Commons

• Wadim Rosenstein and his intensive plan to promote chess

  Wadim Rosenstein came into prominence when he organised the first edition of WR Chess in 2023. He then came up with the idea of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Teams - an event that has become a mainstay in the chess calendar. In recent times, if you follow Rosenstein on his X account, the number of activities that he is doing for chess has grown exponentially! In this interview, we ask him about these events, his vision for chess and whether he is planning to become the FIDE President. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

• Super Rapid & Blitz Poland - Live!

  Kicking off the 2026 Grand Chess Tour is the Super Rapid & Blitz Poland, the first of three speed chess events, which is taking place on 5-9 May in Warsaw. Ahead of the final day of action, Hans Niemann is the sole leader, with Wesley So standing close behind, at a mere half-point distance. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 12.00 CEST (6.00 ET, 15.30 IST) | Photo: Lennart Ootes

• TePe Sigeman - Live!

  The TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament is taking place on 1–7 May in Malmö, Sweden. World number one Magnus Carlsen heads the field, as he faces ambitious opposition that includes Tata Steel Masters winner Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun Erigaisi and rising star Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, who recently became the youngest player to ever cross the 2700 rating mark. The event is an eight-player single round-robin. Follow the games live starting at 15.00 CEST (9.00 ET, 18.30 IST) | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website

• Problem Challenge April

  Were you able to handle the four rook endgame studies we showed you recently? They were a little bit harder to solve than they looked. We now bring you all the intricacies and subtleties in short videos by IM Gauri Shankar, who works as a chess trainer in Chicago. And of course we give you full analysis in a ChessBase replayer, where you can switch on an engine to help resolve any residual questions.