The 2nd stage of the European Hybrid Qualification Tournament for the FIDE World Cup 2021 took place on May 26 and 27. 144 players participated in Round 2, and half of them (72) advanced to the next stage – Round 3. They are just one step away from qualifying for the FIDE World Cup. Round […]

An interesting situation arose at the European Hybrid Qualification Tournament in the game between the Israeli chess star GM Boris Gelfand (ISR, 2676) and GM Jergus Pechac (SVK, 2519). After two draws in games with classical time control, the first rapid game ended with the same result. The second rapid game went sharply when Gelfand […]

World Champion Magnus Carlsen hit top gear to knock Hikaru Nakamura out of the FTX Crypto Cup. The Norwegian upped his intensity and displayed incredible speed and precision as he won a tense tiebreak against his big rival. The World Champion will meet Radjabov at the semi final of the Champions Tour. Out of three Americans, […]

Just like Mohammed ElShorbagy, Ali Farag, Terek Momen, Marwan Elshorbagy, and Abel Karim Gawad dominate the squash scene, the Egyptian chess players have dominated the  African Individual Chess Championship 2021. At the recently concluded event in Lilongwe all medalists hail from the land of the pharaohs. Ahmed Adly, often dubbed as the ElShorbagy of chess […]

The Queen’s Indian Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6) is known as one of the most solid defences. Seen as a natural partner to the Nimzo-Indian (3.Nc3 Bb4) it has been played by most of the greats in chess history. Besides its solidity it offers ample opportunity to engage in a complex struggle because … Continue reading "Quell ’em with the Queen’s Indian" The post Quell...

Lefong Hua is Professional Chess Coach & Twitch Partner from Montreal, Canada. A true natural of chess streaming – with an easy going and enjoyable style, it is always a pleasure to join his stream. His cat Benoni adds a few extra ELO points to the quality of the live videos :) Live today at […]

The Welsh Chess Championships 2021 will be an online event taking place May 28 – June 1. The main event will be the Welsh Online Championships, which is 8 players closed event and a qualifier event for the British Online Championships. The other two events of the program are Welsh Online Major Open Championships Welsh […]

The African Individual Chess Championship 2021 taking place 17-28 May in Lilongwe, Malawi. The event has reached its final round, that will be played today. A total of four players will qualify directly to the World Chess Cup 2021. GM Amin Bassem and GM Ahmed Adly are currently in the lead with 7,0/8, closely followed by their […]

“Choices are the hinges of destiny” Pythagoras Our club tournament is into its second half. The results are beginning to matter for the final standings. One of the students was on the verge of running away with it. This is what a 5 out of 5 result gives you. The round 6 encounter with another … Continue reading "Quick Decisions (5)" The post Quick Decisions (5) appeared first on The...

Here’s a rapidplay game played the other day in one of my club’s online arena events. I was black, facing the Ponziani. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 The Ponziani seems to be undergoing a mini revival at the moment. Is this justified? 3.. Nf6 The safest reply, though 3.. d5 is also … Continue reading "Pulverising the Ponziani" The post Pulverising the Ponziani appeared first on The...

This week, were are going to look at a very important part of your opening, the transition into the middle-game. Most beginners assume that as soon their Rooks are connected, signaling the end of the opening phase, it’s time to start capturing pawns and pieces. The game’s three phases – the opening, middle and endgame … Continue reading "A Foundation for Beginners...

The Asian Individual Chess Championship 2021 will take place 21-30 May. 87 players (21 GMs and 21 IMs) will fight for 8 qualification spots for the FIDE World Chess Cup 2021. This time the qualification event for the World Cup will not feature any Indian participants. The Covid-19 crisis that is unfolding in the country […]

The Azerbaijan Women’s Chess Championship 2021 kicks off tomorrow in Nakhchivan. The event will be played in round-robin format with 11 rounds and 12 participants. Top seeded are IM Gulnar Mammadova, WGM Ulviyya Fataliyeva and WGM Zeinab Mamedjarova (4 times National Women’s Champion). List of participants: IM Mammadova Gulnar  AZE 2382 WGM Fataliyeva Ulviyya  AZE […]

The European Hybrid Qualification Tournament 2021 for the FIDE World Chess Cup 2021 will take place from 22nd-30th May through Tornelo online platform. The total prize fund for the event is 32 000 eur. The provisional list of participants for the European Hybrid Qualification Tournament has been published. 264 players (160 GMs) from 35 European […]