ChessBase

• Leon Mendonca on YouTube

  Indian Grandmaster Leon Luke Mendonca has never been shy about letting people into his world. Long a familiar face at the ChessBase studio, the 20-year-old from Goa has spent recent years building a genuine chess résumé, headlined by his surprise victory in the 2024 Tata Steel Challengers. Now the man who became India's 67th grandmaster back in January 2021 is channelling that same openness into his own YouTube channel, where he shares tournament battles, game analysis and glimpses of life on the professional circuit. His tagline says it all — "Just here to play chess and have fun".

• Naroditsky Memorial: Javokhir Sindarov wins it all in Charlotte

  The Naroditsky Memorial featured rapid and blitz tournaments in tribute to Daniel Naroditsky, whose association with fast chess made the format a fitting choice. Javokhir Sindarov won the rapid after a playoff against Aravindh Chithambaram, then took first place outright in the Blitz Final. The event also raised funds for the Daniel Naroditsky Memorial Fund and the Naroditsky Fellowship for young players. | Pictured: Javokhir Sindarov and Daniel Naroditsky's mother Lena Schuman | Photo: Charlotte Chess Center

• ChessBase Summer Special!

  Dear chess friends, from July 6–12 , you can get the entire Master Class Series for just €224.90 in our ChessBase Summer Special. Don't miss this opportunity to own all 20 volumes at an exceptional price. Already own part of the series? No problem! Missing one or more volumes? During this week only, you can also purchase individual Master Class titles with discounts of up to 33%.

• Alireza Firouzja beats Nodirbek Abdusattorov in Armageddon to win Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia

  Alireza Firouzja won the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia after a playoff against Nodirbek Abdusattorov in Zagreb. The French grandmaster began the final day with a three-point lead, lost it for a while during the second half of the blitz section, but then recovered to finish tied for first on 23½ points. After two drawn tiebreak games, Firouzja held the Armageddon game with black to secure the title. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

• Jaime Santos beats Le Quang Liem to claim second León Masters title

  Jaime Santos won the 39th edition of the León Masters after obtaining a convincing 3½-½ victory over defending champion Le Quang Liem in the final match. The 30-year-old GM from León, who had already won the event in 2023, reached the title match by beating Faustino Oro, while Le needed tiebreaks to overcome Kirill Alekseenko. | Photo: Official website

• ChessBase´26 – Tips for beginners, part 21: Maximum Training Effect with the Power Tool "Replay Training" (Part 1)

  Do you know the powerful training tool in ChessBase´26? It's called "Replay Training"! This great feature lets you actively go through games move by move—sharpening your strategic and tactical understanding in a targeted way. Whether under time pressure or not, the choice is yours. Train in a realistic setting, get instant feedback, and systematically improve your play—whether you're a beginner or an ambitious tournament player. In this tutorial, we'll guide you step by step through how Replay Training works. Let's get started!

• Surrealists and chess

  The Lyon Olympique Échecs club has just sent out an alert to 17,500 chess players and 2,500 other contacts. The message reads: "Surrealists and Chess – for €40, help us save a 19th-century workshop right in the heart of Lyon!" A support committee has been set up, which comprises writers, poets, painters, photographers, gallery owners, doctors, politicians, lawyers, bankers and more. Now it's time for the chess community to join.

• A Game That Outlasted the Day (7)

  In the comments on Part 5 of the series, readers pointed out that this was not a “master game” (as stated on the Guinness page), since Arsović had an initial rating of 2200 (which by today’s standards may correspond to a rating of 1400), while Nikolić’s rating was only 15 points higher. Now in Part 7 the author examines the remaining “competitors” to the Gorkov–Golubenko game for the title of the longest game by number of moves.

• Under the Hammer

  It isn't easy to weave Sotheby’s, Queen Isabella of Spain, Fischer-Spassky 1972, Michael Caine and a vigilante killer into the same article. But that is exactly what John Henderson does, in this piece that appears in the June issue of CHESS magazine. He tells us how the vast collection of chess memorabilia of GM Lothar Schmid, considered to be the largest and most important of its kind in private hands, went under the hammer recently at Sotheby’s in London. You will not believe the prices they received.

• Upcoming tournaments and events

  Looking for an interesting over-the-board chess tournament to play, attend, or simply watch? There are plenty being staged all over the world, and we will bring you regular overviews of the most interesting of them. We do this in cooperation with MyChess.events, a global platform that helps players discover upcoming events, check dates, venues, formats, prize funds and registration details. In our selection we highlight selected events from around the world that may interest players, coaches, parents and chess fans.