Chess Base

• American Cup: So strikes first

  The Grand Finals of the American Cup began with the first classical games in Saint Louis. In the open section, Wesley So defeated Levon Aronian to take the lead in the match after a convincing performance with the white pieces. Meanwhile, the women's Grand Final between Carissa Yip and Alice Lee ended in a draw, with both players obtaining promising chances at different stages of the game. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

• Chess Olympiad: Cloud power for your national squad

  Success in world-class chess is built long before the game begins. With the "Federation Package", developed specifically for national federations, players and coaches gain access to the complete professional ChessBase software, the world's largest chess database, and powerful cloud analysis – at a price that provides up to five times more computing power than individual solutions! A long-term investment that will measurably enhance the performance of the entire team.

• Can you handle pawns?

  Can you stop the black pawn on a2 from promoting – and in fact win this position for White? Today we have a new challenge that will tell you if you can handle pawn promotions like a master. Test your skills on four tricky positions. The solutions, with full video explanations, will come in a week. Learn and enjoy.