Chess Base

• Ding Liren scores 4/5 and a 2795 TPR at Chinese Team Championship

  Ding Liren took a long break from classical chess after losing the World Championship title in December 2024. He lost the title to Gukesh Dommaraju and was thereafter only occasionally active in online or rapid tournaments. For his comeback, the former world champion chose the Chinese Team Championship. At the tournament in Daqing, he played five games for his team, won four times, drew twice and achieved a performance rating of almost 2800 points. | Photos: Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau

• Egon Mattaaq wins historic first Greenlandic Chess Championship

  Greenland has held its first national chess championship, marking a milestone for the game's development in the region. Conducted online to overcome geographical challenges, the event brought together players from across the island, with Egon Mattaaq emerging as the inaugural champion. The tournament highlights growing efforts to build a connected chess community and expand participation in even the most remote areas. | Photo: FIDE

• Lothar Schmid's collection auctioned at Sotheby's

  Two weeks ago, the chess auction at Sotheby's concluded, featuring numerous items from the collection of Lothar Schmid. The most valuable pieces fetched well over £100,000. The online auction was accompanied by an exhibition and a lecture. The musician and chess enthusiast Jason Kouchak was in attendance. | Photo: Jason Kouchak in front of the painting "The Chess Players" (or "The Devil's Checkmate") by Friedrich Moritz August Retzsch, circa 1831.