Indian FM Vedant Panesar scored an unbeaten 6/9 to win the Tata Steel Chess Qualifiers 2025. This triumph earned him a place in the Challengers section of the 2026 edition. He finished a half point ahead of the field. FM Leandro Slagboom and FM Tim Grutter, both from the Netherlands, scored 5½/9 each. They secured second and third place respectively. The top three prizes were New in Chess book vouchers worth €90, €60 and €40 each respectively. More than the prize fund, advancing to the Challengers is a big deal for the champion. Photo: Lennart Ootes / Tata Steel Chess

Ready to test your wits, your ability to handle unusual chess problems? We have selected three really challenging examples for you to solve – problems that have come up with some outrageous ideas. See if you can find them, and record the time it takes you to solve them. In a week we will provide you with the full solutions, diligently explained in YouTube videos.

The 2025 Tata Steel Chess Tournament concluded with a thrilling final day in both the Masters and Challengers sections. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu emerged as the Masters champion after defeating fellow Indian star Gukesh Dommaraju in a dramatic blitz playoff. The classical games saw Arjun Erigaisi and Vincent Keymer upsetting the frontrunners, while Max Warmerdam stunned top seed Fabiano Caruana. In the Challengers, Thai Dai Van Nguyen claimed first place on tiebreaks, securing a spot in next year’s Masters after finishing level on points with Aydin Suleymanli. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Britain’s top chess players will converge on Liverpool from July 31 to August 10 as the English Chess Federation’s flagship annual event comes to the city for only the second time. The organisers hope to put on the strongest event in its 121-year history. It will culminate in new British champions being named at all age groups.

The Modern Steinitz (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 d6!?) is an uncompromising counterattacking weapon that lets Black put White under pressure from the very start. With this course, you’ll master two sharp and dynamic approaches: the swashbuckling Siesta Variation (5 c3 f5!) and the fiery Fishing Pole Attack (5 0-0 Bg4 6 h3 h5!).

When should you take the plunge on a risky move? GM Jon Speelman explores this question by diving deep into a single position from his recent 4NCL game against IM Richard Palliser. Analysing a critical moment in the Caro-Kann, Speelman weighs the dangers of a bold knight leap and the fine margins between courage and calamity. His conclusion? Sometimes, the gamble is worth it — especially if the worst outcome is losing in style.

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won the 2025 Tata Steel Masters after beating world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a blitz tiebreaker. The two Indian stars entered the final round tied for first place and, notably, both lost their classical games on Sunday. Pragg then won the blitz tiebreaker by a 2-1 score after Gukesh misplayed a knight endgame in the third encounter. Meanwhile, Czech GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen won the Challengers, as he had a better tiebreak score than Aydin Suleymanli, who finished tied for first in the single round-robin. | Replay all the games with computer-assisted analysis. Full report to follow […]

Judit Polgar, the strongest female chess player of all time, wishes our readers a "Happy 2025, which will hopefully be filled with exciting challenges and successes – both on and off the chessboard!" To kick off the year she has prepared something special for us: you can get Judit's books, personally signed by her, at discounted prices in her Webshop. This exclusive offer is valid until January 31, 2025.

Are there any advantages of moving to the latest ChessBase 18? Are strong chess players doing it, and finding the software useful in their every-day tournament activity? A decided 'Yes!' is given by Indian grandmaster Pa. Iniyan, who sent us an in-depth three-part review. You would do well to read about his experience carefully, and learn how you too can dramatically improve your level of chess study and preparation.

Beneath its deceptively simple facade of a game, chess conceals a rich tapestry of human ingenuity and thought. It is, as Anatoly Karpov succinctly remarked, art, science, and sport all rolled into one. Yet, while the competitive aspect of chess basks in the limelight with its high-stakes, action-packed tournaments and matches, the subtle but no less fascinating endeavour of chess composition, where artistry shines the brightest, languishes in relative obscurity. As a step towards redressing this imbalance, ChessBase India and the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC) present My First Endgame Study, a beginner-friendly study composing contest designed for chess enthusiasts […]

Gukesh D became the youngest-ever undisputed world chess champion after beating Ding Liren in the last classical encounter of their 14-game match in Singapore. Ding voluntarily entered a pawn-down endgame which was objectively drawn, but a blunder by the Chinese GM on move 55 meant Gukesh would take the title by winning the match with a 7½-6½ score. | Full report to follow shortly.

Yes, it is that time of the year again. Time to leave your copy of CHESS Magazine open, ‘non-suspiciously’, hoping that the family will take the hint and place a big order at Chess & Bridge. If the hint is not taken, then just order one or more of the items yourself, safe in the knowledge that there are much worse things you could be doing.