7/14/2026 – The FIDE Council has approved qualification paths for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2028 and the FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament 2028, following proposals developed by the Global Strategy Commission. The regulations introduce new qualification opportunities while maintaining a balanced pathway through FIDE's premier competitions. Full information in this FIDE press release.

7/14/2026 – For those making a last-minute decision: the 13th International IRT Chess Tournament gets underway in Lebu next Wednesday. Over five days (15–19 July), seven rounds will be played in the Swiss system. The region on Chile's Pacific coast offers stunning natural scenery, while seafood lovers will also find plenty to enjoy. | Photo: La Virgen, Boca Lebu by Valentina Pérez Garbayo.

7/14/2026 – The Biel International Chess Festival is taking place on 11-24 July. Following the Chess960 tournament on Saturday and the rapid chess stage on Sunday, the players in the Masters and Generations Challenge Triathlon face off in the first segment of the classical section on 14-18 July. | Follow the games live starting at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST) | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

7/14/2026 – "Enjoy the best game. Ever." This bold slogan is the motto of New in Chess Magazine, and in its six annual issues, it does much to justify that claim. The second issue of 2026 offers an appealing mix of tournament reports, training articles and insights into the world of chess. At its heart, however, are moving tributes to the Dutch grandmaster and author Jan Timman, who passed away on 18 February 2026. | Photo: Jan Timman 2019 | Photo: Lennart Ootes

7/14/2026 – The FIDE Council has approved a series of significant changes to the format of the 2027 FIDE World Cup and the 2027 FIDE Women’s World Cup, following recommendations from the Global Strategy Commission. They aim to make the competitions more inclusive, improve the experience for players, reduce the overall duration of the events, and ensure the World Cups remain one of the flagship competitions in the World Championship cycle. Details in the FIDE press release.

7/14/2026 – Svitlana Demchenko introduces the Ukrainian Variation from the Old Indian Defense and explains why it can lead to surprisingly comfortable positions for Black, especially if White accepts an early queen trade. The featured Soviet-era game between Lev Polugaevsky and Rashid Nezhmetdinov becomes a spectacular attacking lesson, where Black keeps the white king trapped in the center and launches a dangerous pawn and piece storm. The episode ends with a beautiful queen sacrifice, a wild king hunt, and a forced mate that makes the line both instructive and highly entertaining.

7/14/2026 – Free the rook: In an endgame a rook usually is much stronger than a minor piece: White to move and win.

7/14/2026 – Levon Aronian and Vaclav Finek took the early lead in the two triathlon events at the Biel Chess Festival by winning their respective rapid sections. Aronian scored 9/10 in the Masters, finishing 3 points clear of Aydin Suleymanli, while Finek topped the Generations Challenge with 8/10, 1 point ahead of Xiao Tong and Marco Materia. The classical sections of both competitions begin on Tuesday. | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

7/13/2026 – In this episode of The Underdog, Robert Ris presents a spectacular upset from the Asian Esports Chess Cup, where a young Thai player (Pakornnarong Liukasemsarn) defeats super-GM Andrey Esipenko despite an enormous rating gap. In a sharp Italian Game with opposite-side castling, Black bravely pushes the kingside pawns, opens the g-file and keeps finding dynamic resources while White misses several powerful attacking chances on the queenside. The game turns into a wild attacking masterpiece, ending with decisive tactics around the white king and a memorable victory for the underdog.

7/13/2026 – Dear chess friends, from July 13–19, you can get the Champion’s Bundle: ChessBase’26 & FRITZ 21 – Summer Special: Instead of €269.80, get both for just €209.90! This is our summer special, and it runs for seven days. Two flagships, one price, built to work together.

7/13/2026 – In the series ‘The Fortress’, Dorian Rogozenco presents a classic fortress motif in every issue of ChessBase Magazine. Anyone not yet familiar with the subject will be amazed at the escape routes that can open up in the endgame, even when facing a serious material disadvantage! In the latest issue, CBM #233, the former German national coach presents a motif featuring a knight against a rook and a pawn. The article includes a detailed video explaining the construction and mechanics of the fortress, as well as five interactive videos featuring feedback on your attempts to solve the exercises. Take a look at this week’s CBM free sample and enjoy!

7/13/2026 – In this episode of ChessBase Tips for Beginners, we look at Tactical Analysis, a feature that automatically adds engine annotations to your games. Instead of going through every move manually, ChessBase can detect mistakes, suggest variations, add comments, create training questions and even provide an overall game summary. This is a useful tool for studying classic games, analyzing your own tournament games and finding the hidden lessons in every position.