4/6/2024 – Tan Zhongyi scored two wins in as many games to become the early leader at the Women’s Candidates Tournament in Toronto. After beating Lei Tingjie in the first round, Tan got the better of Vaishali R on Friday to keep her perfect score. Now in sole second place stands Aleksandra Goryachkina, who defeated Anna Muzychuk with the white pieces. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

4/6/2024 – Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Gukesh D and Vidit Gujrathi scored full points in the all-decisive second round of the Candidates Tournament. The most surprising result was Vidit’s impressive win over second seed Hikaru Nakamura. Praggnanandhaa v. Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi v. Alireza Firouzja were remarkable, tactical struggles, while Nijat Abasov all but self-destructed against Caruana. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

4/5/2024 – One of the official commentators at the 2024 Candidates Tournament in Toronto is Vishy Anand. In an interview with Sagar Shah, the good-humoured former world champion recalls how he surprisingly won the 2014 Candidates Tournament as an outsider and once again proves his amazing chess memory. He also reveals how Facebook can help with opening preparation, and what a player needs to win a Candidates Tournament.

4/5/2024 – Igors Rausis, born on 7 April 1961, gained notoriety primarily as a cheater. In July 2019, he was caught using a mobile phone in the toilet at an open in Strasbourg, and in December 2019, FIDE banned him for six years and stripped him of his grandmaster title. Rausis then changed his name to Isa Kasimi. Rausis, who suffered from cancer for a long time, died on 28 March 2024. In an obituary, Roger Lorenz recalls the sympathetic side of the grandmaster. | Photo: Novy Bor Chess Club

4/5/2024 – Tan Zhongyi became the early leader after beating Lei Tingjie in round 1 of the Women’s Candidates Tournament. Playing black, Tan showed proficient technique to convert her extra pawn into a full point in a rook and bishop endgame. The three remaining games ended drawn. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

4/5/2024 – The much anticipated Candidates Tournament kicked off in Toronto, Canada. The open section featured four draws on the first day of action. In the all-American confrontation between Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura (who are also the top two seeds in the event), Caruana got to put pressure on his compatriot with the white pieces. A fighting draw was also seen in the battle of youngsters between Alireza Firouzja and Praggnanandhaa R. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

4/2/2024 – The international chess championship "Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial - Aktobe Open 2024" is scheduled to be staged from May 23 (arrival day) - June 2 (departure), 2024, in the western Kazakh metropolis. The event is dedicated to the memory of the leading chess arbiter and organizer, who was a member of the teams of Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov.

4/1/2024 – Magnus Carlsen defeated Richard Rapport 1½-½ on Monday to win the seventh edition of the Grenke Chess Classic. This was Carlsen’s sixth consecutive tournament victory. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave grabbed third place after beating Vincent Keymer in blitz playoffs, while Ding Liren beat Daniel Fridman 1½-½ to claim fifth place. | Photo: Angelika Valkova

4/1/2024 – The unforgettable City of Mar del Plata International Chess Open, one of the oldest tournaments in South America, celebrated its 53rd edition from March 23-30 at the Hotel Provincial. After nine exciting rounds, GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen, a member of the Norwegian Olympic team, was crowned undefeated champion. Four participants finished a half-point behind the champion, with GMs Diego Flores and Leonardo Tristán completing the podium thanks to superior Buchholz scores. | Photos: Official website

4/1/2024 – FIDE published an updated world ranking list on 1 April. The climber of the month is undoubtedly Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who won the Masters at the Chess Festival in Prague and is now fourth in the world rankings after having gained 15 rating points. Also, joining the top ten is Arjun Erigaisi in ninth place, who earned 8 rating points in March, in Shenzhen and in the Bundesliga.

4/1/2024 – Apart from a few minor modifications, the game has remained unchanged for over a thousand years. However, with the advent of comprehensive, systematic preparation it has become less interesting. FIDE has decided that some radical measures need to be taken to save chess. Here’s what they have decided.

4/1/2024 – The GRENKE Chess Classic is taking place from March 26 to April 1 in Karlsruhe, Germany. The tournament is a 6-player double round-robin with a time control of 45 minutes for the game plus 10-second increments per move. World champion Ding Liren and world number one Magnus Carlsen are joined by Vincent Keymer, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Richard Rapport and Daniel Fridman. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 15.00 CET (10.00 ET, 19.30 IST)