ChessBase

• Saint Louis Chess Club announces 2026 invitational tournament schedule

  The Saint Louis Chess Club has unveiled its 2026 tournament calendar, outlining a full season of elite events in the United States and abroad. Anchored by an expanded 30,000-square-foot home campus, the schedule includes established fixtures such as the American Cup, Sinquefield Cup and U.S. Championships, alongside international stops on the Grand Chess Tour. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club

• Chess on the beach: An initiative by the Argentine Olympic Committee

  The Argentine Olympic Committee has launched "Olympic Beach", a nationwide summer programme that brings organised sport and Olympic values to Argentina's coastal and riverside locations ahead of the Santa Fe 2026 South American Games. Running throughout January across eight venues, the initiative combines free sporting activities, youth engagement, environmental actions and federation-led events, including the integration of chess into the programme's public beach setting. | Photo: Argentine Chess Federation

• Invitation to the Bled Chess Festival!

  For nearly a century, Bled has held a special place in the history chess. In 1931, Bled hosted one of the most famous international tournaments of its time, won by World Champion Alexander Alekhine. In the decades that followed, Bled’s chess tournaments welcomed numerous greats of the game, including the legendary Bobby Fischer and Mikhail Tal, who in 1961, together with a lineup of masters, created a true chess spectacle. Now, Bled revives its rich chess tradition - with the Bled Chess Festival which is for players rated below 2300 and will take place from 9th to 16th March. | Photo: Bled Chess Festival

• Weissenhaus Play-In: Abdusattorov gets final spot in Freestyle Chess World Championship

  The knockout stage of the online Play-In for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship decided the last place in the February championship. Nodirbek Abdusattorov progressed through the semifinals and went on to face Pranav Venkatesh in the final. The four qualifiers competed in two-game matches with a 15+3 time control. Amin Tabatabaei prevailed in the Armageddon tiebreak against Grigoriy Oparin to grab third place. | Photo: Amruta Mokal / Freestyle Chess Grand Slam

• Beers by the Bay launches women's-only beginner chess class in San Diego

  Beers by the Bay Chess & Social has announced the launch of a women's-only beginner chess class in San Diego, created in collaboration with Let's Go Girls – San Diego. Aimed at adult beginners, the monthly class offers a relaxed, social introduction to chess in an in-person setting. Held at a local venue in Pacific Beach, the initiative seeks to address the underrepresentation of women in community chess by providing an accessible and welcoming environment. | Photo: chessandsocial.com

• Estonians and Lithuanians honor Paul Keres

  The Estonian diplomat and chess enthusiast Mart Tarmak organized a consultation game between politicians and diplomats at the Estonian Embassy in Vilnius in commemoration of Paul Keres on the occasion of his 110th birthday. Viktorija Cmilyte and Peter Heine Nielsen led the teams. | Photos: Embassy of Estonia in Vilnius

• Christmas Puzzles 7 – long and short

  Take a look at this relatively simple position. Can you figure out how White can win? And how many moves it will require to overcome Black's most resolute defence? You won't believe it. To relax we bring you the arguably easiest chess study ever composed, and other entertaining puzzles, many from the out-of-the-box legend Karl Fabel.

• Christmas Puzzles 6 – cover the board!

  In August 2019 I spent a week in France, at the training camp I had organized (together with ChessBase India) for young Indian super talents. Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik did the chess training, while I pestered the kids with logic puzzles. Most did not involve chess, but some did. Here are a couple for you.

• Christmas Puzzles 5 – Rotary problems

  In rotary problems the board is rotated by 180° for a second position with a different solution. It is usually pawns that make a different when you turn the board around. Or the king/queen positions, or castling is involved. Can one devise problems where these factors do not play a role? Yes one can, as our expert for out-of-the-box problems, Werner Keym, proves.

• Christmas Puzzles 4 – Retractors

  These days it is not easy to challenge anyone with problems or studies. Loading the PGN and clicking Start will usually get you the solution in seconds. So we are trying to provide you with "computer resistant" puzzles in this year's Christmas Puzzle Week. Today the subject is taking back a move in a given position and looking for a move to fulfil the condition. As in this 100-year-old problem by Thomas Dawson: it requires you to take back one move and then mate the opponent in two. Can you think how?