Chess Base

• Newly reviewed: Evans & Friends Vol.1 & 2 by Andrew Martin

  IM Andrew Martin presents a complete 1.e4 repertoire for White in his new two-volume course, based on the Evans Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4). The repertoire also covers the Two Knights Defence (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6) and all relevant deviations by Black from the second or third move onwards. Jochen Schwarz, a club player from Bremen, is himself a keen gambit player and therefore firmly part of the target audience for this course.

• Chess stars set for Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot in Budapest

  The Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot will take place in Budapest from 10 to 21 November, bringing together an elite field led by Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer and Wesley So. Created by Norway Chess and approved by FIDE, the event will test players across Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz formats. The Budapest pilot will serve as the first step towards a multi-city tour launching in 2027. | Photo: FIDE

• Hassabis on chess and AI

  In a 15-minute video, Demis Hassabis, one of the central scientists working on artificial intelligence, tells us why he worries about AI going rogue. Hassabis, head of Google AI research, is a very strong chess player who created Alpha zero, the first neural network program on which all modern chess engines are based. It is his vivid description of how AI handled chess that will be of particular interest to the readers of our news page.