12/28/2025 – Garry Kasparov has been put on a wanted list for arrest in absentia by a Russian court. The court followed an indictment against the former world champion on charges of justifying terrorism and planning a coup. The 13th world champion, who lives in the United States, has been placed on an international wanted list. | Photo: Kasparov.com

12/28/2025 – These days it is not easy to challenge anyone with problems or studies. Loading the PGN and clicking Start will usually get you the solution in seconds. So we are trying to provide you with "computer resistant" puzzles in this year's Christmas Puzzle Week. Today the subject is taking back a move in a given position and looking for a move to fulfil the condition. As in this 100-year-old problem by Thomas Dawson: it requires you to take back one move and then mate the opponent in two. Can you think how?

12/28/2025 – Day two of the World Rapid Championship in Doha reshaped both title races as the standings tightened near the top. In the Open section, Vladislav Artemiev (pictured) and Hans Niemann moved into a shared lead after nine rounds, closely followed by a strong chasing group. The women's event saw Humpy Koneru draw level with Zhu Jiner at the top, with several players still within striking distance ahead of the final day. | Photo: FIDE / Anna Shtourman

12/27/2025 – There is a certain simplicity in how meaningful initiatives begin. In this article, we look at one such story that started with four schoolboys and a game they loved. Aaditya, Nehan, Krish and Vivaan are young chess players from Mumbai who chose to share the joy of chess with more people. They named the initiative Chess4Change. It began as a few teaching sessions at the AngelXpress Foundation in Sewri and slowly grew into something larger, moving from in-person workshops to online sessions, and later into partnerships that helped distribute chess sets in tribal schools and paediatric care centres. | Photo: Mid-day

12/27/2025 – Only 13 of FIDE's 201 member federations are currently led by women, but that number reflects a gradual shift in chess governance. In this feature, Milan Dinic speaks with four women presidents of national chess federations, exploring how they reached leadership roles and what women can contribute to chess beyond competition. Their stories highlight different paths into administration and reflect broader changes in how the game is organised, governed and represented worldwide.

12/27/2025 – There are chess puzzles which only consist of a line of text, asking you to construct a position or a game that it describes. Some can be awesomely difficult, like the puzzle we first posted 41 years ago. Two world champions were not able to solve it. We tell you about that, and present a new ones, not quite as tough, for you to solve.

12/27/2025 – The World Rapid Championship began in Doha with five rounds in the open and four in the women's event, producing clear early reference points without deciding the race. Magnus Carlsen, Gukesh Dommaraju, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Arjun Erigaisi and Vladislav Artemiev share the lead in the open section, while Zhu Jiner (pictured) emerged as the sole leader in the women's tournament. | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes

12/26/2025 – This article presents a curated selection of the most instructive endgames of the year, chosen by renowned endgame specialist Karsten Müller. Drawing on examples from elite tournaments and beyond, the collection highlights the enduring relevance of endgame technique in modern chess, with contributions from players such as Magnus Carlsen and reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju.

12/26/2025 – From the diagram position, White won in hooray-style after 23.e4! dxe4 – have fun imitating it!

12/26/2025 – Take a look at this position, in which White should mate in two. Looks very easy, and hundreds of readers of the newspaper in which it appeared submitted a solution. But it was not correct. In our Christmas Puzzle week the consummate expert of unusual chess problems, Werner Keym, asks you to look carefully at the position and find a genuine way for White to mate Black in two moves. There are two other problems to solve.

12/25/2025 – The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2025 will be held in Doha from 26 to 30 December, bringing together leading players from across the world in Open and Women's events. Played at Qatar University, the championships feature Swiss tournaments in Rapid and multi-stage competition in Blitz, with over €1,000,000 in prize money. The event marks Doha's return as host after nine years and concludes the international chess calendar. | Pictured: Classical chess world champion Gukesh Dommaraju | Photo: FIDE / Anna Shtourman

12/25/2025 – Christmas day is usually celebrated with a Christmas tree – in problem chess circles occasionally with a puzzle shaped like a Christmas tree. Like this example, composed by the famous Thomas Rayner Dawson, 101 years ago. It illustrates the universal principle of symmetry, and how it can be broken in a chess problem. Mathematics professor Christian Hesse delves into the very profound thinking behind the problem. But you are invited to solve it first.