6/23/2026 – Chola Chess is building a dedicated space for India's strong chess players to train and improve. It is led by R. B. Ramesh and Aarthie Ramaswamy, and supported by a committed team. With consistent camps and serious training, it has already impacted over 1300 players across the country. In this article, we take a look at some of the positions studied during a Chola Chess camp. Take your time and see if you can solve them. | Pictured: GM Debashis Das | Photo: Chola Chess

6/22/2026 – The Lyon Olympique Échecs club has just sent out an alert to 17,500 chess players and 2,500 other contacts. The message reads: "Surrealists and Chess – for €40, help us save a 19th-century workshop right in the heart of Lyon!" A support committee has been set up, which comprises writers, poets, painters, photographers, gallery owners, doctors, politicians, lawyers, bankers and more. Now it's time for the chess community to join.

6/22/2026 – Were you able to solve the problems we gave you last Sunday? Find the absurd-looking key 1.Kh3 to solve the position shown here? We brought you four tricky mating positions, with the diagrams defending – refuting any bad moves you played. Today we bring you all the solutions, with full video explanations. And a full replayer which allows you to go through all the lines. Learn and enjoy.

6/22/2026 – Cape Town will host the African continental stage of the World School Team Chess Championship from 6 to 11 July 2026, marking the next step in the new FIDE and ISCF cycle. The event, part of the Chess in Education Year initiative, will bring together national school teams from across Africa, with the leading sides qualifying for the Grand Final in December. Further continental stages will follow in the Americas and Europe.

6/21/2026 – Dragon Chilling completed a double triumph at the World Team Rapid and Blitz Championships in Hong Kong, adding the blitz title to their rapid victory. Led by Ding Liren, the Chinese squad defeated Endgame.AI in the final with two 5-1 wins, after surviving tiebreaks in the previous rounds. Uzbekistan took bronze after beating Hexamind in the consolation match, while WR Chess recovered from their quarterfinal exit to finish fifth. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

6/21/2026 – On World Refugee Day 2026, FIDE has highlighted the continued development of its Chess for Protection project, created with UNHCR and partner organisations to support displaced communities through chess. The initiative, active in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, has trained thousands of children and will now expand to Bangladesh. A further milestone will come in September, when Refugee Olympic Teams make their first appearance at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. | Photos: Stev Bonhage, Denis Burko and Rawful Alam

6/18/2026 – For many players, the Sicilian Alapin remains a very unpleasant variation to face with Black. The game Muzychuk-Divya from the 10th round of Norway Chess is a good example what Black definitely needs to avoid. Up till move 13 the players were following a game I played myself back in 2003 (bringing back some painful memories😉) in which I got blown off the board in only 26 moves. Divya's treatment of this particular variation wasn't any better, and soon she found herself in big trouble. Muzychuk obtained a massive attack and decided to transform her advantage into an endgame with an extra exchange. In addition, I will show some extra examples by strong grandmasters to illustrate White's attacking chances in this line and recommend a few improvements as alternative ways to play with Black.

6/18/2026 – FIDE has opened its Shenzhen Office in Qianhai, establishing its first formal base in Asia since the federation was founded in 1924. The office will support liaison, coordination and partnerships across China and the wider Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on events, cultural exchange and chess development. Its inauguration also strengthens Shenzhen's position in international sports cooperation and reflects the city's growing role in the global mind sports community. | Photo: Liang Ziming

6/17/2026 – Kazchess, led by Richard Rapport and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (pictured), and Dragon Chilling, with Ding Liren and Ju Wenjun in the lineup, were the only teams to finish the opening day of the World Rapid Team Championship on a perfect score, collecting four wins from four matches in Hong Kong. Several of the leading contenders dropped points early, with Magnus Carlsen's WR Chess losing in round two and Alireza Firouzja's Hexamind suffering two defeats. Mr Birdie and Friends, led by Vladislav Artemiev and Sam Sevian, ended the day in third place. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

6/17/2026 – Following a complaint by the Ukrainian Chess Federation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ordered FIDE to suspend the Chess Federation of Russia over the staging of tournaments in occupied territories. The FIDE Council complied with the ruling - but only in part. Several federations have already protested.

6/17/2026 – Andrew Hong won the Masters section of the Aktobe Open 2026 – Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial after scoring 7/9 and finishing half a point clear of the field. The FIDE Circuit event in Kazakhstan brought together 210 players from 21 countries. Daniyal Sapenov took second place on tiebreaks, ahead of Daniil Dubov, while Polina Shuvalova was the top-scoring female player. | Photo: KazChess

6/17/2026 – Chess and brain-computer interface research came together at a clinical symposium held at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, with FIDE Treasurer Zhu Chen among the invited guests. The event followed recent demonstrations of BCI technology through online chess, including Neuralink patient Noland Arbaugh's game against Anna Cramling. Researchers discussed medical applications for neurological conditions, while chess was presented as a useful tool for exploring cognition, digital interaction and future clinical testing. | Photo: Liang Ziming