Chessbase Media News Today

On April 28, the subscribers of Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy will gather for an exclusive interview with Elizbar Ubilava. At 74 years young, Elizbar Ubilava, a Spanish grandmaster of Georgian origin, is a living legend in the world of chess. With his remarkable achievements and illustrious career spanning decades, Ubilava's influence on the chess landscape is unparalleled.

The FIDE Candidates Tournament, which captivated audiences for three weeks, is in the books. The closing ceremony was held at 1 Hotel Toronto, the residence of the players for almost a month. The champions, Gukesh D and Tan Zhongyi, were honored with unique trophies crafted from reclaimed Toronto wood, symbolizing their achievement and the enduring connection with the city they’ll carry home. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

On April 7, the subscribers of Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy will gather for an exclusive interview with Maurice Ashley, the first African American chess grandmaster. Here, amidst the whispered echoes of strategic brilliance, Ashley will unveil insights from his latest literary endeavour, "Move by Move: Life Lessons on and off the Chessboard", which has seen the world on April 2.

A tradition that began in 2012 continues, as the major FIDE events, including the upcoming Candidates Tournament 2024 and the 2024 Championship Match, will exclusively use the iconic sets manufactured by World Chess. The partnership between FIDE and World Chess extends through 2025, ensuring these remarkable sets remain integral to the chess world’s most elite competitions.

All chess players aspire to create a lasting masterpiece over the board. And if sacrifices appeal to the artistic side of a chess player, what can be a better way than to sacrifice the most powerful of all pieces, the queen? GM Sundararajan Kidambi presents three games featuring remarkable (positional) queen sacrifices! | Pictured: Karthikeyan Murali | Photo: Niklesh Jain / ChessBase India

The Saint Louis Chess Club, U.S. Chess and Kasparov Chess Foundation announced the Saint Louis Chess Conference, which will bring together the leading voices in chess with chess educators, researchers and enthusiasts. The Saint Louis Chess Conference will be held October 24-26 at the Chase Park Plaza in Saint Louis, Missouri, and will feature leading keynote speakers including Maurice Ashley, Garry Kasparov and Judit Polgár.

The second World Corporate Chess Championship will consist of a series of online events that will conclude with an over-the-board final in New York in June. The event is open to teams representing legally recognized companies from all around the world. Every team has a right to include one invited player who is not directly employed at the company or is a member of the board.

The organisers in Stavanger have announced the participants of the upcoming Norway Chess Tournament. As a novelty, a women’s tournament will now be organised in parallel under the same conditions as the open event from 27 May to 7 June. Each tournament will feature six players, with both world champions included — Ju Wenjun and Ding Liren — besides local hero and world number one Magnus Carlsen.

Defending champion Anish Giri joined Alireza Firouzja in the lead of the Tata Steel Masters after beating Alexander Donchenko with the black pieces. Full points were also scored by Ding Liren, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Jorden van Foreest — all three grabbed their first wins of the event. In the Challengers, six players are sharing first place with 2/3 points following a round that saw five out of seven games ending decisively. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess Tournament / Jurriaan Hoefsmit

Alireza Firouzja became the first sole leader in this year’s Tata Steel Masters after beating Parham Maghsoodloo with white in the second round — the Frenchman is the only player who started the event with back-to-back victories. Gukesh D. and Max Warmerdam also grabbed wins on Sunday. Meanwhile, in the Challengers, five players are sharing first place with 1½/2 points. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess Tournament / Lennart Ootes