March was a dynamic and electrifying month for the global chess community. From world-class tournaments to almost perfect individual performances, the chessboard saw battles that inspired fans and grandmasters alike. Let’s take a quick tour through the highlights. And we updated Opening Master with most up to date data. More than 10,2 million human chess games.
What Happened in the Chess World – March 2025 Recap
March was a dynamic and electrifying month for the global chess community. From world-class tournaments to almost perfect individual performances, the chessboard saw battles that inspired fans and grandmasters alike. Let’s take a quick tour through the highlights.
FIDE Grand Prix Continues with a Bang
The FIDE Grand Prix 2025 series moved to Berlin, where top seeds clashed in classical time controls. Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja stunned the crowd with back-to-back wins against Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, climbing back into the World Championship candidate race. The event also witnessed the rise of Praggnanandhaa, who finished with a +2 score and gained 14 rating points.
Women’s Chess Rising
March also celebrated women's chess, as Zhansaya Abdumalik clinched the gold at the Women’s Continental Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan. Her undefeated run with four decisive games caught the attention of trainers worldwide. Chess continues to close the gender gap one queen move at a time!
Online Chess Scene and Bullet Madness and AI Matches
Chess.com and Lichess hosted several bullet and blitz showdowns this month, with Hikaru Nakamura and Daniel Naroditsky putting on a show in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers. The popularity of AI matches surged as well, with new versions of Leela Chess Zero and Stockfish 17 testing boundaries of positional mastery.
Opening Master Releases April 2025 Edition!
The team at Opening Master is proud to announce the April 2025 version of the world's leading human chess games database. As of this release, the database now contains a staggering 10,172,280 high-quality OTB (Over-The-Board) games, with over 60,000 new games added from official tournaments around the globe.
Whether you're a club player, coach, or grandmaster preparing for your next event, Opening Master remains your most reliable partner in serious chess preparation. This update includes:
• Titled player games from FIDE circuits
• Major national championships from Germany, India, USA, and Poland
• Youth events and open tournaments from March 2025
• Fresh content from the world’s top players
Explore it, study it, and use it to elevate your game.
“We believe chess is memory. And we remember every move.” – Opening Master
Stay tuned for more updates, tournament previews, and insights into how Opening Master is supporting the chess world one game at a time.
Download the world's biggest quality human chess database OM OTB with 10,2 million chess games.
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Short video from our chess trip to Ghana
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FIDE Announcement: https://www.fide.com/news/3042
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