Kicking off the 2024 Grand Chess Tour is the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, the first of three speed chess events, which is taking place on May 8-12 in Warsaw. The event starts with 9 rounds of rapid action, followed by 18 rounds of blitz. Included in the field are world number one Magnus Carlsen and the next challenger for the world crown, D Gukesh. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 13.00 CEST (7.00 ET, 16.30 IST)

Currently the ‘Dubai Police Global’ event that is being held in Dubai (03-13.05.2024), with a total of 361 players from 42 different countries – 37 from the UAE, 109 from India. Our friend and frequent new page contributor, international chess trainer GM Efstratios Grivas, is the lone Greek player. After a bad start, he played a very instructive game in Round 3, which he has extensively commented for us. You would do well to study his use of the Classical Attack.

FIDE has announced the start of the application process for the ChessMom project. The initiative aims to support professional chess players who are mothers of infants under one year of age at the upcoming Chess Olympiad set to take place in Budapest on September 10-23. The organizer will recognize both the child and the accompanying caregiver as integral parts of the National Official Delegation.

With all the Indian Grandmasters popping up, it is getting difficult to keep track. One of them is the talented Nihal Sarin, who became the 53rd GM in India, at the age of 14. In March 2024, he was a Super grandmaster for a couple of days, but it won't be long, until he crosses the 2700 mark for good. He visited the ChessBase office because he was playing for the Hamburger SK chess club that weekend. In the short interview with Arne Kaehler, Nihal's passion for chess is crystal clear – enjoyment!

It is the ability to mentally picture things. That seems the most natural thing in the world, but some people are unable to do it at all. They cannot imagine a sunset, see any vivid details, vibrant colours, in their minds. Or they may only produce a mental image that is blurry and lacks detail. Michael Bacon, the Armchair Warrior, is a USCF Expert with aphantasia. He has written about how the condition relates to chess. | Image Credit: Andrew Mason

When it comes to manoeuvring, Anatoly Karpov in his best years was in a class of his own. The Slovakian GM Lubomir Ftacnik used to say: "Karpov just had to figure out where to put his pieces. Once he found the right squares, he always knew how to get them there". Manoeuvring is an important skill to master and Jan Markos helps you to master this skill. | Picture: freevector.com.

From 18-19 May 2024 the world’s top Grandmaster will play a rapid event, trying out the new Casablanca Chess Variant. Titans Carlsen, Nakamura, Anand, and Amin are set for epic showdown in a game that intends to bridge history and innovation. In this variant – not to be confused with Capablanca Chess – the game commences from equal positions inspired by historical gems. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?

Why is the rook’s pawn called the "worst enemy of the knight"? How do you make best use of the "Knight Check Shadow" and when should you enter the "Karpov Distance"? In the new ChessBase Magazine #219, Karsten Mueller shows you the most important techniques in the endgame with knight against pawn(s) in part #9 of his series "Fundamental Endgame Knowledge". Take the chance and test your technique in two interactive training videos in this week’s CBM reading sample. Have fun!

The Dubai Police Global Challenge Masters kicked off on Saturday with 135 participants, including three 2700+ rated players. After two rounds, 11 players are tied for first place with 2/2 points. Surprisingly, this group only includes two players belonging to the top-20 in the starting rank. The tournament is a 9-round Swiss open with a classical time control. | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

He was the coach of the USSR Youth National team from the mid-60s, until the collapse of the Soviet Union – a driving force behind the great generations of Soviet chess, but always in the shadow. On 30 April Anatoly Awraamowitsch Bykhovsky celebrates his 90th birthday. Chess Trainer Adrian Mykhalchyshyn describes the career of the man who helped created the chess zenith of the USSR.

During the endgame, stalemate is a resource that can enable the player with the inferior position to draw the game rather than lose. In more complex positions, stalemate is much rarer, usually taking the form of a swindle that succeeds only if the superior side is inattentive. Chess Trainer GM Efstratios Grivas shows us how a "mad rook" can complicate matters for the superior side.

He was born on 3 June 2011 in Bursa, Turkey. On April 1st (no April Fool's joke) the twelve-year-old, playing in the very strong GRENKE Chess Open, Yagiz Kaan Erdpgmus scored 7.0/9 points with a 2646 performance. With that he had fulfilled his final GM norm and become the youngest grandmaster in the world – the fourth youngest in chess history. We will be watching this young boy carefully. | Photo Ugur Medya