8/30/2025 – In the newest episode of Monthly Dragon, Chris Ward explores recent games in the Dragon, focusing on the fianchetto system where White plays g3. He analyzes key ideas, such as when White captures on c6 and pushes e5, showing how Black can calmly defend and even gain the upper hand, illustrated through a game where an English IM defeated a GM. Finally, Ward highlights a Magnus Carlsen game in the hyper-accelerated Dragon, where Magnus outmaneuvered his opponent with patient queen shifts, central tactics, and a brilliant finish, proving once again the richness of the Dragon.| Photo: John Upham

8/30/2025 – Thirty years ago, on August 30, 1995, Soviet Grandmaster Lev Polugaevsky died in Paris from cancer. To commemorate the renowned theoretician, who for many years was among the world’s leading players, Johannes Fischer takes a look at his book "Grandmaster Preparation", in which Polugaevsky recounts his decades-long passion for the line that bears his name: the Polugaevsky Variation of the Najdorf. | Photo: Anefo / Croes, R.C.

8/30/2025 – From the diagram position, Black wins in an extremely spectacular way. Let it rip!

8/30/2025 – “The training sessions with GM Ganguly are fun!” concludes the reviewer. Christian Hoethe explains why this Ragozin course is not only instructive but also engaging for Nimzo-Indian players, and highlights what makes the author so effective in conveying the subtleties and specific lines of the opening.

8/29/2025 – The World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries will open its newest exhibition, "Reading Between the Lines: Chess & Literature", on 18 September 2025. Running through 12 April 2026, the show explores how chess has shaped storytelling across centuries, from Lewis Carroll to Vladimir Nabokov and Walter Tevis. With rare books, artworks, artefacts and literary-themed chess sets, the exhibition highlights how the game has been used to explore imagination, morality and identity.

8/29/2025 – The Global Chess League (GCL) has announced an unprecedented initiative with the launch of GCL Contenders 2025, a two-month global tournament that will open doors for amateurs and professionals alike. Three winners - one each from the Male, Female and U21 categories - will secure lifetime opportunities as ambassadors for GCL Season 3, set to begin on 13 December. Registration opens on 28 August, with the event providing a direct pathway for grassroots talent to compete alongside the world's elite Grandmasters.

8/29/2025 – Round five of the Fujairah Global Chess Championship's Superstars tournament ended with Sanan Sjugirov and Pranav Venkatesh moving into joint first place on 4 points. Sjugirov defeated fellow Hungarian Gleb Dudin, while Pranav beat Mexico's José Martínez Alcántara in a sharp encounter (pictured). A five-player chasing pack trails just half a point behind, including Zhu Jiner, who drew with Aydin Suleymanli to continue her consistent run. | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

8/29/2025 – In early 1983, Ulf Andersson and former world champion Mikhail Tal met in Malmö to decide who would act as reserve for that cycle's Candidates matches. Their playoff followed the Moscow Interzonal, where a 19-year-old Garry Kasparov and Aleksandr Beliavsky had taken the two qualifying spots, leaving Tal and Andersson tied for third. The six-game contest was not without excitement and ended with a tied score - each of the contestants scored one win. | Photo: Lars Grahn

8/28/2025 – Fiona Steil-Antoni is a well-known and popular figure in the chess world. In an interview with ChessBase, she explains how she moved from being a competitive player to becoming an interviewer, commentator, and host — a transition that happened almost by accident. She talks about her love for events like Tata Steel, her recent involvement with St. Pauli, and the growing range of chess-related projects, from GothamChess and Freestyle Chess to chess boxing. While she admits she currently lacks the motivation to play competitively, she remains passionate about interviewing, hosting, and exploring new formats in chess, emphasizing both the importance of human connection and the representation of women in the game.

8/28/2025 – Wesley So left his best until last at the Sinquefield Cup, turning a quiet start into a tournament victory on the final day in Saint Louis. After outplaying Nodirbek Abdusattorov in round nine, he joined Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in a three-way tie for first. A tense blitz playoff followed, where So defeated Pragg and then held Caruana to a draw, enough to secure the title - even if it was not quite enough to reach the Grand Chess Tour Finals. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

8/28/2025 – Round four of the Fujairah Global Chess Championship’s Superstars tournament concluded with nine players sharing the lead on 3 points. Wins by Amin Tabatabaei, Gleb Dudin and Zhu Jiner with the white pieces allowed them to join the players who entered the round as co-leaders. Zhu, the only female participant and lowest seed, defeated Alexander Motylev to continue her rise. Her performance has lifted her to fourth place in the women's live ranking. | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

8/27/2025 – In his latest Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft analyses an instructive game from the Sinquefield Cup: Fabiano Caruana's impressive positional victory over Alireza Firouzja. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.