6/19/2026 – Gukesh Dommaraju's recent results have brought a different kind of scrutiny to his reign as world champion. After a difficult Norway Chess campaign, the Indian grandmaster spoke candidly to Hindustan Times about expectations, ambition and the challenge of enjoying chess under pressure. His reflections offer a measured look at the psychological demands facing a young champion preparing for his first title defence. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

6/19/2026 – The French league is usually a good source of exciting games and this week we are studying the highly entertaining and very complex game between Dutch number two Jorden van Foreest and the best French player of all time: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The World's former number two is known for this love of the highly theoretical and dynamic Grunfeld, but here he got seriously tested in the very sharp 5.h4 variation. The truely adventurous game ended with a very pretty finish. Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

6/19/2026 – The standard sacrifice 20...Bxh3! in the diagram position works for Black, and after 21.gxh3 Qxh3 22.Bd3 he even has two winning moves. I'm curious to see which one you'll choose!

6/19/2026 – A true Hamburg tradition: since 1958, Hamburg's Right Alster Bank has played against the Left Alster Bank! Yesterday, 3,744 pupils gathered on Hamburg's Rathausmarkt to take part in the world's largest school chess competition. This year, the opening move was made by Schools Senator Ksenija Bekeris together with Francesca, 10, and Thore, 10, from the Windmühlenweg Primary School. In the end, the Left Alster Bank won for the fourth time in a row, albeit by a relatively narrow margin, with 951½ points to 920½. That takes the overall score across all years to 40–22 in favour of the Left Alster Bank. This year, the team from Wielandstraße School took home the large challenge cup. | Photos: Nils Rhode

6/18/2026 – Dragon Chilling emerged as the sole leaders after day two of the World Team Rapid Championship in Hong Kong, reaching 14/16 match points after eight rounds. The all-Chinese team remain unbeaten, while Team MGD1 climbed to second place with a strong run that included a win over WR Chess. Barys also deafened WR Chess and moved into contention, as they stand in sole third place a point behind Team MGD1. WR Chess' Magnus Carlsen suffered two defeats on Thursday. | Photo: FIDE

6/18/2026 – Imagine a passion that stays with you through every chapter of life. A passion that is there when you are a child discovering the world, when you are searching for direction, when life suddenly becomes uncertain and when you are trying to find your way back again. For Bhavesh Vyas, that passion is chess. It became a source of comfort, connection and hope through some of the most challenging moments of his life, including a battle with cancer at the age of 22. Read on to discover how chess helped Bhavesh navigate life's toughest challenges and find joy again.

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