Chess enthusiasts are in for a treat as Croatian GM Ivan Šarić is set to deliver a live lecture at the Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy on Sunday. This special event offers a unique opportunity to learn from one of Croatia’s top chess players and a former European Champion.

The 2025 Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest marks the second stage of this year's Grand Chess Tour and the first of two classical tournaments in the series. Held on 6–16 May, the event brings together ten top grandmasters in a single round-robin format. Reigning tournament champion Fabiano Caruana and world champion Gukesh Dommaraju are part of the star-studded lineup. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST)

Chess fans are in for a treat: On 1 June the Italian town Pietrasanta will host a chess match between Faustino Oro, the world’s youngest chess master, and former world champion Vishy Anand. The event, supported by the famous singer Andrea Bocelli, is part of a broader program that includes the Chess Roads exhibition from June 2 to 15, featuring 40 rare and original chess sets from Asia and Europe.

Anna Muzychuk and Vaishali Rameshbabu now share the lead in the final leg of the Women's Grand Prix after a day marked by four decisive results. Muzychuk secured a crucial win over Olga Badelka with the black pieces, while Vaishali maintained her unbeaten record with a draw against Nana Dzagnidze. Alexandra Kosteniuk halted Tan Zhongyi's winning streak, and Zhu Jiner bounced back from two losses to defeat Nurgyul Salimova. Mariya Muzychuk struggled against Lela Javakhishvili and lost. | Photo: Przemysław Nikiel

The second round of the Superbet Chess Classic saw Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (pictured) and Bogdan-Daniel Deac bouncing back from first-round losses with victories over Wesley So and Levon Aronian, respectively. Vachier-Lagrave converted a very slightly favourable rook and knight endgame, while Deac prevailed in a long battle out of a Nimzo-Indian Defence. Alireza Firouzja is now the sole leader with 1½ points after drawing a tense, 55-move encounter against Jan-Krzysztof Duda. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Boris Spassky (30 January 1935 – 27 February 2025), the tenth World Champion in chess history, was a versatile player who could attack and defend and was equally at home in sharp and in quiet positions. The ChessBase Master Class on Boris Spassky presents and analyses his rich chess legacy. Eugene Manlapao took a look at the course and was surprised and impressed.

The Online Marketing Rockstars Festival is Europe's largest digital trade fair. On Tuesday, streamers Levy Rozman (Gotham Chess), Daniel Rensch and Anna Cramling were guests at a panel discussion. Between football and Formula One, they presented the digital world of chess on the big stage – and did so very well! | Photos: André Schulz

The European edition of the political news magazine Politico published an article on its website about Russia's influence on the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and how Russia is exploiting chess and the World Chess Federation for its own political ends. | Graphics: POLITICO

The fifth leg of the 2024/25 Women's Grand Prix series is taking place in Pune, India, on 14–23 April. A 10-player single round-robin, the event has Humpy Koneru, Zhu Jiner and Polina Shuvalova as the top seeds. The top two finishers in the series will qualify for the next edition of the Women's Candidates Tournament. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 11.00 CEST (5.00 ET, 14.30 IST)

I have told the story often: in an interview in 2020 I said that in five years I expected at least two of the top ten players in the world would be Indian. My prediction was met with deep scepticism. It was clearly the unrealistic optimism of a friend and admirer of young Indian talents. It is true I was wrong. In five years since the prediction three have risen into the top ten bracket, and a fourth is on his way into it.

In this insightful discussion, Dr. Karsten Müller reflects on his evolution as a chess player, particularly his transformation from an aggressive "Hyperactivist" to a more universal and pragmatic style. Through a comparison of his early years and later career, Müller's playing style is analysed using the ChessBase Style Report. His experiences highlight how his strengths developed over time and how this shift mirrors broader patterns in chess players' evolution.

Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov played five matches for the world championship. The fourth match was played in Seville in 1987. After 23 games, the score was 12–11 in Karpov’s favor, putting Kasparov in a must-win situation to retain his title. The final game was adjourned after five hours of play, to be resumed the next day. The sealed position is the subject of this article.