2/26/2026 – Vincent Keymer had a rough start at the Prague Chess Festival, losing with black to Jorden van Foreest. After a botched opening, he missed a hidden counterblow that could have turned the game around. This game was only one of many interesting battles at the opening round in the Prague Masters, as all five games featured hard-fought struggles. Four games ended decisively, with only world champion Gukesh Dommaraju and Hans Niemann signing a draw. That draw, however, was the longest game of the round. | Photo: Petr Vrabec / Prague Chess Festival

2/26/2026 – The Saint Louis Masters opened with a high proportion of decisive results across the first two rounds. Six players, including Fabiano Caruana, moved into an early share of the lead on a perfect score, while several lower-seeded competitors recorded notable results. A large chasing group sits close behind on 1½ points, which includes Rose Atwell and Jennifer Yu, who obtained two of the most notable upset wins of the day. | Photo: Crystal Fuller

2/25/2026 – From 21 to 29 September 2026, a group tour to Uzbekistan will combine cultural exploration with top-level chess. The journey includes visits to Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent, coinciding with the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. Alongside attending the Olympiad, participants will take part in special chess events and training sessions, while discovering the architectural and historical legacy of the Silk Road. | Photo: Mosque Bibi-Khanum in Samarkand, via Wikimedia Commons

2/25/2026 – The eighth edition of the Prague International Chess Festival was officially opened at the Don Giovanni Hotel in Prague, launching the Masters, Challengers and Futures tournaments. The event features the reigning World Champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, who played a symbolic opening duel with Czech beach volleyball world champion Ondřej Perušič. The game was part of the festival's ceremonial start ahead of play through 6 March. | Photo: Petr Vrabec

2/25/2026 – 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?

2/25/2026 – Netflix has announced "Untold: Chess Mates", a new documentary examining the controversy surrounding Hans Niemann's victory over Magnus Carlsen at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup. The film revisits Carlsen's withdrawal, the subsequent allegations of cheating and the intense public reaction that followed. It also places the dispute within the broader context of modern chess, including the growth of online play and the challenges it has created for trust and governance at the elite level. | Photo: Netflix

2/21/2026 – A recent study by Marc Barthelemy applies tools from information theory and statistical physics to analyse Chess960 opening positions systematically. By evaluating all 960 starting configurations with modern chess engines, the research examines first-move advantage and decision-making complexity across the variant. The results place standard chess in context, showing it to be statistically typical rather than structurally exceptional within the broader landscape of possible starting positions.

2/21/2026 – Hong Kong will host the fourth edition of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships from 17 to 21 June 2026, marking the event's first appearance in East Asia. Organised by FIDE, the tournament features rapid and blitz competitions, with teams required to field at least one female and one recreational player. The event follows previous editions in Düsseldorf, Astana and London.

2/21/2026 – Wilhelm Steinitz had lost his World Championship title to Emanuel Lasker in 1894, but he still retained the right to a return match. That rematch was scheduled to take place in Moscow at the end of 1896. Before that, however, Steinitz played a training match against Emanuel Schiffers. Join us on a brief journey back in time to Rostov-on-Don in 1896.

2/21/2026 – The pairings for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 and the FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament 2026 have been confirmed following the official Drawing of Lots ceremony in Paphos. Scheduled from 28 March to 16 April 2026, both events will determine the challengers for the World Championship titles, with round-one matchups now set and preparations entering their final phase.

2/20/2026 – Entries are open for the 2026 British Chess Championships, which will return to Coventry from 1 to 9 August at the University of Warwick. The event will feature a record £34,000 prize fund, a significantly increased women’s prize fund and an expanded festival programme. Organised by the English Chess Federation, the nine-day championships are expected to attract more than 1,000 players across all age groups. | Photo: Chess in Schools and Communities

2/20/2026 – In this episode, Svitlana explores how to fight back after a blunder, using dramatic comeback examples from players like Magnus Carlsen and classic games from the 19th century to show that even the best can recover from lost material. The key lessons are to avoid self-pity, keep pieces on the board, create complications, pose constant problems, and play actively as if you’re not worse—because pressure often causes the opponent to falter. Ultimately, she demonstrates that chess games are rarely over after a single mistake, and with the right mindset and resourcefulness, even a lost position can turn into a win or at least a save.