Chess Base

• European Team Championships - Live!

  From October 5 to October 14, the European Team Chess Championships are taking place in Batumi, Georgia. In the Open section, Germany — runner-up in 2023 in Budva — is the top seed, followed by the Netherlands, Hungary (with Rapport and Leko), and Azerbaijan (featuring Mamedyarov and Radjabov as team captain). In the women’s section, Georgia 1 is the clear Elo favorite, followed by Poland and Ukraine. The defending champion is Bulgaria. | Watch the games live with video commentary. Start: Around 13:00 CEST.

• Euro Teams: Denmark stun Germany

  The European Team Championships began in Batumi with a number of early surprises. Denmark upset top seeds Germany in the open section thanks to Mads Andersen's win over Dmitrij Kollars, while Georgia edged Hungary and Switzerland held Spain to a draw. In the women's event, Georgia and Poland started strongly, though Ukraine were held by Austria and Slovakia defeated Spain to produce the day's biggest shock. | Photos: European Chess Union

• Why FIDE dropped the 400 point rule

  The rule limits the rating gap used when evaluating game results. From October 1st FIDE dropped the 400 point rule for players rated above 2650. This makes it harder for top players to gain points by playing against much weaker opponents (called "farming"), and easier to lose points when not beating them. Leading chess statistician and FIDe consultant Jeff Sonas tells us why, and what the rule change implies.