Alexey Sarana outright winner at strong Aktobe Open Alexey Sarana triumphed in the 2025 Aktobe Open, held from June 22 to 30 in Kazakhstan, securing the title with 7 points. The tournament, named in memory of Vladimir Dvorkovich, saw a strong international field compete for a guaranteed prize fund of 78,000 USD. Sarana's consistent performance, including key victories in endgames, earned him the top spot, while five players tied for second place. | Foto: FIDE
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1 July 1971: FIDE introduces Elo ratings The Elo ratings were introduced by the World Chess Federation as the official system to rank players on 1 July 1971. Robert "Bobby" Fischer led the rankings by a huge margin a year before his memorable World Championship match. The rating formula was developed by mathematician and chess enthusiast Arpad Elo.
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Play Like Eloi Relange! Your daily chess quiz!
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Could you solve the pawn endings? Last week we gave you four pawn endings to solve – on the diagrams, without engine support. Like the one on our thumbnail. White has six legal moves, all with his king. What should you play? Did you find the astonishing and subtle 1.Kf5!, the only move that ensures the win. Today we bring you the solutions to all four endgames, lucidly explained in YouTube Shorts by Volclus. Watch, listen and learn.
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The Monthly Dragon - Nakamura's Dragon GM Chris Ward dissects a high-level Dragon game between Hikaru Nakamura and Frederik Svane, showcasing a sharp variation known as the h5 Dragadorf. Alongside detailed tactical motifs - like knight sacrifices, queen traps and pawn breaks - Chris emphasizes how even small imprecisions can lead to brutal consequences in this complex opening. He also revisits viewer questions from the previous episode. The episode is highlighting the Dragadorf's growing strength and teasing the potential for a full ChessBase course on this potent setup. | Photo: John Upham
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