3/13/2026 – In the diagram position, Black's queen and knight already have the white king in a fix, and now all that's left is to bring in the decisive reinforcements. Your move!

3/13/2026 – The women's title at the American Cup was only decided after the Grand Final Reset on Thursday, as Alice Lee defeated Carissa Yip to claim the title. Lee won the first rapid game with the black pieces and then secured a 117-move draw to clinch her third consecutive triumph in the event. The victory capped another strong campaign for the 16-year-old, who also made significant rating gains across both classical and blitz formats. | Pictured: Alice Lee and Maurice Ashley | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

3/12/2026 – A sustained run of strong tournament results has enabled Bodhana Sivanandan to secure the FIDE Master title after she crossed the 2300 rating threshold for the first time. The British prodigy, who recently turned 11, gained more than 200 rating points across appearances in the 4NCL, Graz Open and Cannes Chess Festival, consistently holding her own against titled opposition. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

3/12/2026 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace, and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world’s best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?

3/12/2026 – The American Cup, one of the United States' premier chess tournaments, returns to Saint Louis. Now in its fifth year, the event runs on March 3-12 at the Saint Louis Chess Club, featuring sixteen of America's top chess talents. The event concludes on Thursday with the Grand Final Reset of the women's competition, where Alice Lee and Carissa Yip battle for the title. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 18.00 CET (13.00 ET, 22.30 IST) | Pictured: Alice Lee | Photo: Lennart Ootes

3/12/2026 – Weeks before the first move is played, the grenke Chess Festival 2026 is surpassing all previous dimensions. More than 3,000 registrations mark a new record for the world’s largest open chess festival. With Magnus Carlsen and Vincent Keymer among the participants, and the chance to qualify for the next Freestyle World Championship, Karlsruhe will become the central meeting point of the international chess scene over Easter. | Photos: Darius Gorzinski

3/9/2026 – 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.

3/9/2026 – Many club players do it automatically: they make "luft" for their castled king at the some moment – pure prophylaxis, it can't be wrong! But this can in fact have a tactical catch. In his column ‘Practical tips for the Tournament Player’ in ChessBase Magazine #230, Jan Markos shows how seemingly harmless pawn moves in front of the castled king can become a strategic goal. In his article ‘The hook’, he uses master games by Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Peter Leko, among others, to demonstrate how to deliberately lure your opponent into advancing a castling pawn – in order to then use it as an anchor point for your own attack. Take a look at this week's reading sample and learn about an exciting strategic tool!

3/9/2026 – On Sunday, March 8, Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy will host a lecture by Vladimir Tukmakov. Drawing from his remarkable career spanning decades at the highest levels of chess, Tukmakov will guide participants through some of his most memorable and instructive victories against legendary opponents. Chess enthusiasts can look forward to an intimate journey into the grandmaster's decision-making process, revealing the ideas and insights behind his finest achievements at the board.

3/9/2026 – The Championship Bracket finals at the American Cup concluded on Sunday at the Saint Louis Chess Club. In the open section, Wesley So recovered from a first-game loss to defeat Fabiano Caruana in blitz tiebreaks and advance to the Grand Final. In the women's event, defending champion Alice Lee beat Carissa Yip in blitz to continue her streak of appearances in the deciding match, while the Elimination Brackets will determine their challengers. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Crystal Fuller

3/8/2026 – Krishnan Sasikiran is an absolute legend of Indian chess. In recent times, he has lost some rating, but his strength has never been in doubt. He proved what an evergreen champion he is by winning the Prague Open ahead of 11 GMs and 23 IMs. He did so by executing a brilliant combination in his seventh round game against Eren Ataberk! This was described by Sasikiran as one of the best combinations of his career. | Photo: Prajwal Bhat

3/8/2026 – Throughout March, the FIDE Commission for Women's Chess is coordinating the global Chess Women's Day Celebration, encouraging federations, clubs and organisers to stage events that promote women and girls in chess. Under the theme "Visible, Connected, Worldwide", the programme includes tournaments, training activities and online competitions across several continents. | Photo: XV Radzikowska Memorial