8/14/2026 – A practical player would, of course, first go 27...Nf2+ in the diagram and then see if Black has more than a draw. But I'd be interested in hearing your opinion here!

8/14/2026 – 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.

8/14/2026 – 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

8/13/2026 – 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

8/13/2026 – After three decisive games in each of the first two rounds, things were a little quieter on the third day of the Cairns Cup: India's Divya Deshmukh was the only winner. She handed former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk her third defeat. Such a disastrous start must be hard to find anywhere else in the career of the Swiss representative. There was no change at the top of the standings: Alice Lee and Tan Zhongyi dropped their first half-points but remain in front. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

8/13/2026 – In April 2026, Timur Turlov, entrepreneur and President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and the International School Chess Federation, acquired ChessBase. In June, he announced his candidacy for FIDE President. In an interview with Sagar Shah, founder and driving force behind ChessBase India, Turlov discusses, among other things, his plans for FIDE, the acquisition of ChessBase, the digital transformation of the chess world and the sanctions against Russia. One important point for context: although ChessBase India adopted the ChessBase name, it is a completely independent company.