ChessBase

• On Akiba Rubinstein’s 145th Birthday

  145 years ago, on 1 December 1880, Akiba Rubinstein was born, perhaps the strongest player of his time who never had the chance to play a World Championship match. For more than 20 years, Rubinstein was one of the leading players in the world, but his life took a tragic turn.

• Rebel and playing style in chess

  Ed Schröder is a pioneer in chess programming. In the 1990s his program Rebel won a number of World Championships in computer chess, and always had a special place in the community, due to its playing style. In 2003 he retired from competitive computer chess, only releasing freeware versions of Rebel. Now Ed has come out of retirement and is undertaking some interesting new projects – like extracting the most interesting games from historical databases. And he is sharing them with us.

• London Chess Classic: Five in a row for Abdusattorov

  Round six of the London Chess Classic saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov extend his lead with a fifth consecutive win, capitalising on a mistake by Sam Shankland in a dynamic Scotch Opening. Alireza Firouzja drew against Abhimanyu Mishra after early tactical complications gave way to a simplified position, while Pavel Eljanov won against Gawain Maroroa Jones. With three rounds remaining, Abdusattorov holds a 1½-point advantage over Firouzja, sitting in sole second place. | Photo: Official website

• FIDE ratings - December 2025

  FIDE has just published its new World Ranking List. Vincent Keymer, Germany’s top player, has established himself in fourth place on the Elo list and firmly among the world’s elite. Magnus Carlsen, the world’s highest-rated player, also gained Elo. The best women come from China, and the best juniors from India.

• Kasparov on the world situation

  Former, legendary World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov has been speaking vociferously about the situation in Ukraine and Russia at International Security Forums. He held a powerful speech on the Security Conference in Canada, and has spoken with extraordinary clarity about Russia, Ukraine, NATO, and responsibility of democracies in the world in a series of subsequent interviews. They are well worth watching.

• London: Abdusattorov continues to win

  The first half of the London Chess Classic was dominated by Nodirbek Abdusattorov (photo). In round 5 he defeated Nikolas Theodorou with White, reaching 4.5/5 at the halfway mark and pulling a full point ahead of Alireza Firouzja. Firouzja drew with Black against Gawain Maroroa Jones and now stands on 3.5/5. Abhimanyu Mishra and Luke McShane also drew, as did Pavel Eljanov and Michael Adams. The second win of the round went to Nikita Vitiugov, who won a theoretically interesting game against Sam Shankland.| Photo: Tennis legend Andy Murray (center) makes the ceremonial first move | Photo: Tournament page

• Pultinevicius and Van Foreest triumph at the European Rapid and Blitz Championships

  The European Rapid and Blitz Championships in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, brought together more than 350 players from 38 federations. Lithuanian GM Paulius Pultinevicius won the rapid title with a 10/11 score after a final-round victory over Vasyl Ivanchuk (who lost on time in an endgame with an extra pawn), while Jorden van Foreest secured the blitz crown by finishing on 11/13. | Photo: European Chess Union

• Is the format used in the World Championship cycle fair?

  At the next Candidates Tournament, in spring 2026 in Cyprus, eight players will compete to determine the challenger to world champion Gukesh Dommaraju. Five of the players are in the current world top ten, while three are far from it. Several top players who one might have expected to see in the Candidates failed to qualify by any route. Has FIDE put forth a fair World Championship format? | Photo: Larneg (Pixabay)

• London Chess Classic: Abdusattorov leads, Firouzja trails a half point behind

  Round four of the London Chess Classic saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov keep his sole lead with a third straight win, this time over Michael Adams in their first classical encounter ever. Alireza Firouzja also scored, outplaying Pavel Eljanov in a lengthy rook endgame, while Luke McShane defeated Gawain Maroroa Jones after a promising position for Black collapsed around move twenty. The remaining games were drawn, leaving Abdusattorov ahead on 3½ points. | Photo: Official website

• European Blitz Championships 2025 - Live!

  The European Blitz and Rapid Chess Championships are being held in Pristina, Kosovo, from 28 to 30 November. The Rapid Championship concluded on Friday and Saturday; the Blitz Championship follows on Sunday, with thirteen rounds of blitz chess (3+2) on the schedule. Vasyl Ivanchuk, Baadur Jobava, Jorden Van Foreest, Rasmus Svane and Christian Bauer are among the many top European players in the field. Follow the action live with commentary from 10:30 local time.