Chess news
Headlines from FIDE, Chess.com, ChessBase, The Week in Chess, Lichess. Updated every 30 minutes; each story opens on the publisher's site.
US Championships - Live!
The US Championships are taking place on 9-21 October at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Each tournament is a 12-player single round-robin with a classical time control. Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and…
Read on ChessBase ↗US Championships: So comes from behind to beat Robson, becomes sole leader
Wesley So defeated Ray Robson in round seven of the US Championship to take the sole lead on 5/7, half a point ahead of Fabiano Caruana and Andy Woodward. Awonder Liang suffered his second defeat, as…
Read on ChessBase ↗European Club Cup - Live!
The European Club Cup is taking place on 17-23 October in Budva, Montenegro, bringing together 108 teams in the open section and 22 teams in the women's competition. The seven-round event features a…
Read on ChessBase ↗The European Club Cup kicks off in Budva
From 17 to 23 October, Budva in Montenegro will host the European Club Cup. With over 100 teams competing in the open section and 22 teams in the women's competition, it is a large-scale event. The…
Read on ChessBase ↗My 70th Memorable Game
On 17th October 1956, a sensational sacrificial game played in New York City by a 13-year-old chess upstart from Brooklyn shot across the globe. It was a game that literally took the chess world by…
Read on ChessBase ↗So Sole Leader After Turnaround Win; Li And Lee Lead Women's
GM Wesley So remained the only unbeaten player and sole leader of the 2026 U.S. Chess Championship with five points when he fought back from a worse position to defeat GM Ray Robson in round seven.…
Read on Chess.com ↗Review: The Modern Benko Gambit - A Full Repertoire Against 1.d4 by GM Sipke Ernst
In his latest ChessBase course, Grandmaster Sipke Ernst thoroughly dispels the Benko Gambit's poor reputation. His modern approach, featuring an early 5...e6!, revolutionises the gambit, breathes new…
Read on ChessBase ↗Carlsen, So, Niemann Take Center Stage As 'Grandmasters' Hits U.S. Theaters
Grandmasters, the documentary offering an inside look at GMs Magnus Carlsen, Wesley So, Hans Niemann, and the struggle over chess's future, has reached movie theaters across the United States. The…
Read on Chess.com ↗Movahed Returns To Familiar Freestyle Friday First Position
GM Sina Movahed won Freestyle Friday on October 16, riding a 7/7 start to sole first place on nine points. GM Haowen Xue finished second with 8.5/11, surpassing GM Ian Nepomniachtchi on tiebreaks.…
Read on Chess.com ↗One move can change everything in the World Championships U7-U17
With six rounds completed and five to go, every half-point counts as the race for the world titles intensifies in Roquetas de Mar, Spain. As the 2026 World U7-U17 Chess Championships reaches the…
Read on FIDE ↗Maghsoodloo Takes Two 3 0 Thursdays, Caruana Wins 3rd
GM Parham Maghsoodloo won the first two 3 0 Thursday tournaments on October 15, the first player to win consecutive events since GM Jose Martinez did it in back-to-back weeks in March and April.…
Read on Chess.com ↗Dortmund Sparkassen Trophy 2027
In 2027, the 54th International Dortmund Chess Days will mark a special chapter in their history spanning more than 50 years: from 8 to 15 August 2027, the Sparkassen Chess Trophy will be held for…
Read on ChessBase ↗Olympiad qualification spots for 2027 World Cup and Women’s World Cup announced
FIDE announces the allocation of qualification spots for the 2027 FIDE World Cup and Women’s World Cup, based on the results of the Chess Olympiad held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. FIDE is pleased to…
Read on FIDE ↗Rachael Li Catches Alice Lee In Women's Lead; Caruana, Liang Join 4-Way Lead
Both tournaments are wide open after six decisive games on Thursday. Four players lead the 2026 U.S. Chess Championship: GMs Wesley So, Andy Woodward, Fabiano Caruana, and Awonder Liang. Caruana…
Read on Chess.com ↗FIDE World Junior U20 Rapid and Blitz Championships: Registration deadline extended
FIDE, in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates Chess Federation and Al Ain Chess & Mind Games Club, invites all FIDE member federations to participate in the World Junior U20 Rapid and Blitz…
Read on FIDE ↗Rafael Vaganian turns 75: Decades among the chess elite
Today, Rafael Vaganian celebrates his 75th birthday. In 1971, he became the first Armenian chess player after Tigran Petrosian to be awarded the grandmaster title by FIDE. He won numerous medals in…
Read on ChessBase ↗6th Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners: India wins double gold, Mexico triumphs in men’s section
Mexico claimed title in the men’s category, while India earned double gold, winning women’s and youth sections. The 6th Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners concluded on October…
Read on FIDE ↗SLU, UTD, Texas Tech Still Perfect In Collegiate Chess League
The last two league champions, Saint Louis University (SLU) and the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), are the two undefeated teams after two matches each in the 2026 fall season of the Collegiate…
Read on Chess.com ↗US Championships: Woodward takes down Caruana, Lee widens the gap
Sixteen-year-old Andy Woodward defeated defending champion Fabiano Caruana in round five of the US Championship to join Wesley So in the lead on 3½/5. Jeffery Xiong, Ray Robson and Abhimanyu Mishra…
Read on ChessBase ↗Three Chess Houses open simultaneously in Shymkent, Kazakhstan
On October 15, the grand opening of three Chess Houses took place in Shymkent, the third largest city in Kazakhstan by population. The new spaces were established in Abay Park, Metallurgists Park,…
Read on FIDE ↗Chess in Schools Worldwide: Reach, Structure and Evidence in 100 countries
By George Chitiyo, Ph.D.Tennessee Technological University Chess has a long history in schools, yet the field has lacked a global account of how school chess programs are organized, supported and…
Read on FIDE ↗Finals set at the 6th Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners
Armenia – Mexico 1(men’s section), India 1 – Mexico (women’s section) and India 1 – Serbia (youth section) are set to clash in the finals for the titles. The 6th Intercontinental Online Chess…
Read on FIDE ↗Atyrau Masters: Top two seeds defeated in opening rounds
The Atyrau Masters in Kazakhstan has attracted a strong international field, with Shamsiddin Vokhidov and Leon Luke Mendonca heading the starting list. Both top seeds suffered unexpected defeats in…
Read on ChessBase ↗Woodward Topples Caruana; Lee On 4.5/5 After Bloodiest Day Yet
Eight out of 12 games were decisive on Wednesday, making it the bloodiest round across both tournaments in this year's 2026 U.S. Chess Championships. GM Andy Woodward took down defending champion GM…
Read on Chess.com ↗World Championships U7–U17 2026: Young talents make their mark in Spain
Surprises and perfect scores shape the opening rounds of the 2026 World Championships U7–U17 With an outstanding turnout of 721 players representing 82 countries, the 2026 FIDE World Championships…
Read on FIDE ↗Roman Shogdzhiev, 11, Closes In On Mishra's Youngest GM Record
IM Roman Shogdzhiev took a major step toward becoming the youngest grandmaster in chess history on Monday, scoring his second GM norm in the Serbian Super League. The 11-year-old is now one norm and…
Read on Chess.com ↗Young British prodigies
The English Chess Federation has congratulated 12-year-old chess prodigy Supratit Banerjee after his International Master title was officially approved by FIDE, making him the youngest English player…
Read on ChessBase ↗6th Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners kicks off with record 140 teams
The 6th Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners began on 13 October with a record 140 teams from 56 countries competing across men's, women's and youth sections. Organised by FIDE…
Read on ChessBase ↗FIDE World Junior U20 Championship in Venezuela: Registration deadline extended
FIDE and the Venezuelan Chess Federation, in cooperation with the Ministry of People’s Power for Sport, invite all FIDE Member Federations to participate in the FIDE World Junior U20 Championship to…
Read on FIDE ↗Ticket sales for the Salesforce FIDE World Championship are now open
The most anticipated chess event of the year, the match for the world crown, opens on 22 November in Geneva, Switzerland, with the first game scheduled for 24 November. Two 20-year-old prodigies,…
Read on FIDE ↗FIDE General Assembly adopts resolution on shorter time controls
FIDE is preparing changes to the regulations governing shorter classical time controls following a General Assembly resolution based on a proposal from the Icelandic Chess Federation. The FIDE…
Read on ChessBase ↗Caruana Wins Titled Tuesday On Day Off In U.S. Championship
GM Fabiano Caruana won Titled Tuesday on October 13 during an off day in the 2026 U.S. Championship—where he currently shares the tournament lead—defeating GM Nihal Sarin in a key 10th-round matchup.…
Read on Chess.com ↗Bodhana in the Bundesliga
Bodhana Sivanandan made her debut in the Second Bundesliga this weekend, playing for the Hamburger SK's men's team. She is the youngest youngest player ever to play in the German Bundesliga, and the…
Read on ChessBase ↗A dispute in the Bundesliga
The German Chess Bundesliga is known for its continuity. For decades, it has operated under well-established rules, although players, spectators and arbiters have not always agreed on how to apply…
Read on ChessBase ↗Day Of Endgames Sees Caruana Join So At Top; Lee Sole Leader In Women's
It was a day of endgames in round four of the 2026 U.S. Chess Championship, with GM Fabiano Caruana scoring a long grinding win over GM Ray Robson to join GM Wesley So in the lead on three points. In…
Read on Chess.com ↗Woodward, Shankland Strike; Alice Lee Joins Women's Leaders
GMs Wesley So and Awonder Liang continued as joint leaders with 2.5 points after their mutual encounter ended in a draw in the third round of the 2026 U.S. Chess Championship. GM Andy Woodward was…
Read on Chess.com ↗Wesley So, Awonder Liang Lead Open; Paragua, Cervantes Lead Women With Perfect Scores
GMs Wesley So and Awonder Liang won again in round two of the 2026 U.S. Chess Championship to lead with 2/2 perfect scores. So was much worse against GM Jeffery Xiong but turned it around, while…
Read on Chess.com ↗Nakamura Makes History With Record 5th Straight Bullet Brawl Victory
History was made in the Bullet Brawl arena on Saturday as GM Hikaru Nakamura acquired his fifth straight title, eclipsing a record set and shared by the late GM Daniel Naroditsky and himself back in…
Read on Chess.com ↗Maghsoodloo Wins Star-Studded Freestyle Friday
GM Parham Maghsoodloo took a step closer to qualifying for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship by taking out the latest edition of Freestyle Friday. Maghsoodloo scored 9/11 en route to…
Read on Chess.com ↗Birthday Boy Wesley So Starts U.S. Championship With Topsy-Turvy Win
Three-time national champion GM Wesley So celebrated his 33rd birthday with a win over GM Sam Shankland in the first round of the 2026 U.S. Chess Championship, which started in St. Louis on Friday.…
Read on Chess.com ↗46th World Chess Olympiad 2026 - Games and Results
The 46th World Chess Olympiad took place Wed 16th to Sun 27th Sep 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The USA, India and hosts Uzbekistan are the top three seeds, India, Georgia, Kazakhstan and China are…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities 2026 - Games and Results
The 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities took place Fri 11th to Thu 17th Sep 2026. Poland beat Cuba in Round 5 to take the lead which they retained to the end, Cuba took the Silver…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗Clutch Chess: The Legends 2026 - Games and results
Clutch Chess: The Legends was a match between Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov held over three days at the Saint Louis Chess Club. The games were Chess960. There were two time controls: Rapid…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗Tech Mahindra Global Chess League 2026 - Games and results
The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League took place in Bengaluru, India 5th-13th September 2026. 6 Teams played over 10 rounds in rapid (10m+2spm) chess. The winners were Ganges Grandmasters with Ian…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗Legends and Prodigies II 2026 - Games and results
The second Legends and Prodigies tournament took place in Madrid Mon 7th to Sat 12th Sep 2026. David Anton Guijarro was a convincing winner with a score of 7.5/10 a point and a half clear of Jose…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗European Senior Team Championship 2026 - Games and results
The European Senior Team Championship 2026 took place Thu 27th August to Fri 4th September 2026. In the +50 event final Standings: 1st England 1, 17pts. 2nd Italy, 16pts. 3rd-4th Netherlands were…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗Season Four of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League - Start
The 2026 Tech Mahindra Global Chess League runs Sat 5th-13th Sept in Bengaluru, India. It uses a rapid time control of 20 minutes plus 2 seconds a move. Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja and…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗TCh-ESP 1st Div 2026 - Games and results
The Spanish CECLUB 1st Div took place Thu 27th August to Wed 2nd September 2026. Club Ajedrez Solvay headed by Vasyl Ivanchuk won the title. Final Standings: 1st Club Ajedrez Solvay, 14.0 points. 2nd…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗Green Hills Resort Masters 2026 - Games and results
The Green Hills Resort Masters took place 30th-31st August in the Bostanlyk district which is 75km from Tashkent. The event was one day of rapid and one of blitz, the rapid games counted double.…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗Sofia Cup 2026 - Games and results
The Sofia Cup, also known as the Balkan Rapid and Blitz Championships took place 29th to 30th August 2026. Players: Alireza Firouzja Rauf Mamedov, Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli, Vojtech Plat, Leon…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗Grand Chess Tour Finals 2026 - Games and results
The Grand Chess Tour Finals took place in Saint Louis 22nd to 27th August 2026. This was the final event of the tour and a total prize fund of $450,000, was distributed as follows: $200,000 for first…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗6th Cairns Cup 2026 - Games and Results
The 6th Cairns Cup 2026 took place Mon 10th to Fri 21st August 2026. Tan Zhongyi won with 6½/9 half a point clear of Alice Lee on 6. She earned her first GM norm in the 2026 Cairns Cup at the age of…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗13th Sinquefield Cup 2026 - Games and Results
The 13th Sinquefield Cup took place 10th to 20th August 2026. Players: Fabiano Caruana, Javokhir Sindarov, Vincent Keymer, Wesley So, Anish Giri, Praggnanandhaa R, Jorden Van Foreest, Maxime…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗Carlsen wins the Chess event in the Esports World Cup - Final
Magnus Carlsen convincingly won the lucrative chess final of the Esports World Cup which is being held in Paris, France. The event as a whole has 25 tournaments held over 24 different games and takes…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗Esports World Cup 2026 - Games and Results
The Esports World Cup chess section took place in Paris Tue 11th Aug to Sat 15th Aug 2026. This Double Elimination KO event featured Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakmura, Alireza Firouzja and Denis Lazavik…
Read on The Week in Chess ↗