Naroditsky Memorial - Live!

7/4/2026 – The inaugural Naroditsky Memorial Rapid & Blitz is taking place in Charlotte from 3 to 5 July, combining open tournaments with elite showcase events across a three-day festival. On Saturday, participants contest an 11-round blitz event, with the top ten in the final standings advancing to Sunday's finals. | Follow the games live starting at 17.00 CEST (11.00 ET, 20.30 IST)
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Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia - Live!

7/4/2026 – The Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia is being held at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb from 1 to 5 July. The 10-player event sees three days of rapid chess (single round-robin) followed by two days of blitz (double round-robin). A young, stellar lineup features, among others, world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, Vincent Keymer and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Follow the games live starting at 15.00 CEST (9.00 ET, 18.30 IST) | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission issues a decision in case involving GM Vladimir Kramnik

7/4/2026 – The FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission has issued its decision in proceedings involving former world champion Vladimir Kramnik, finding him responsible for multiple violations linked to public statements about David Navara, the late Daniel Naroditsky and other players. The EDC imposed a two-year worldwide ban, with the final year suspended for a three-year probationary period, as well as 12 months of unpaid service for the chess community. The decision may be appealed. | Photo: Amruta Mokal
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Zagreb: Pragg wins three games in a row, catches Firouzja

7/4/2026 – On the third day of the rapid chess section at the Super Rapid & Blitz in Zagreb, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu managed to draw level with Alireza Firouzja. Pragg won all three of his games on Friday, defeating Ivan Saric, Bogdan-Daniel Deac and Anish Giri. Firouzja and Pragg thus go into the blitz section sharing the lead with 12 points each, while Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Nodirbek Abdusattorov stand one point back. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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Simpson's in the Strand: The home of chess

7/3/2026 – At the end of last year, the famous chess café Simpson's-in-the-Strand reopened, and its new operator, Jeremy King, together with his friend Jason King, intends to preserve its chess tradition. To this end, a "chess menu" was recently put together. Luke McShane gave a blindfold chess exhibition - the first at Simpson's for 100 years.
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Game of the Week #728: Keymer vs Van Foreest

7/3/2026 – Germany's number one Vincent Keymer versus Dutch number two Jorden van Foreest tends to be a very interesting clash of styles and their mutual games are always interesting. Earlier this year Jorden managed to impressively beat Vincent twice, but this week at the Grand Chess Tour Rapid and Blitz in Croatia it was the other way around. Jorden's typical dynamic play was stifled bit by bit and eventually Vincent reached full domination. Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

Here's how!

7/3/2026 – In the diagram position, both queens are attacked, and Black only has one move that leads to victory. Your call!

Zagreb: In-form Firouzja now three points clear of the field

7/3/2026 – Alireza Firouzja increased his lead at the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia in Zagreb after scoring two wins and a draw for the second day in a row. He now has 10/12 points, 3 more than Vincent Keymer, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Gukesh Dommaraju and Bogdan-Daniel Deac. Firouzja won both his games with black on Thursday, while Gukesh and Deac both scored 4/6 to move into shared second place. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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KCF Friendship Festival Concludes

7/2/2026 – After nine hard-fought rounds, the Kasparov Chess Foundation Friendship Festival 2026 Open came to a thrilling conclusion. Chinese grandmaster Xu Xiangyu captured the title with an outstanding performance, prevailing in one of the strongest international open tournaments ever organized on Slovenian soil. Final report, with photos provided by Jernej Borovinšek.
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International Chess Day 2026: Celebrate, create and make a difference

7/2/2026 – FIDE has invited the global chess community to mark International Chess Day 2026 on 20 July through creative games, inclusive events and a live discussion on chess as a tool for social change. The programme includes the Creative Chess challenge, activities promoted by the FIDE Commission for Women's Chess and a Social Commission panel featuring speakers involved in prison chess, refugee projects and community programmes around the world.
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Pranav Venkatesh and Anna Muzychuk qualify for 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championships

7/2/2026 – Pranav Venkatesh and Anna Muzychuk have qualified for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship through the first part of the 2026 Freestyle Friday Championship. Pranav topped the open standings after 19 weeks of online play, while Muzychuk finished first in the women's standings. Both will join the already confirmed players in Weissenhaus, where the women's and open events are scheduled for February 2027. | Image: Freestyle Chess
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Zagreb: Entertaining first day of rapid leaves Firouzja as sole leader

7/2/2026 – Alireza Firouzja took the sole lead after the first day of the Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia in Zagreb, scoring two wins and a draw in the opening three rapid rounds. His victories over Ivan Saric and Bogdan-Daniel Deac were not straightforward, while a third-round draw against Anish Giri left him on 5/6. Four players are one point behind: Giri, Vincent Keymer, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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Bodhana Sivanandan vs. Jose Capablanca (Level = Master Candidate)

7/1/2026 – Bodhana Sivanandan took on the virtual version of José Raúl Capablanca in Fritz 21 at Master Candidate strength and impressed with her calm, confident decision-making throughout the game. Despite facing one of history's greatest positional players, she consistently found strong plans, converted her advantage into a favourable endgame, and secured a convincing victory. The post-game analysis highlighted her excellent endgame understanding and tactical awareness, showing why she is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in chess.
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New: ChessBase Magazine #232

7/1/2026 – “Mate is great!”: Combinations, opening tactics, calculation drills – loads of training exercises + four interactive videos with Oliver Reeh – “Everything's ruined on the 50th move”: Peter Heine Nielsen comments on Carlsen’s game against Erdogmus at the TePe Sigeman 2026 – “Underrated and highly dangerous”: Yago Santiago examines the Sicilian Wing Gambit in the version 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.b4!? – “A spectacle guaranteed”: Dorian Rogozenco presents the “Modern Classic” Kramnik–Shirov from Linares 1994 – “Javokhir Sindarov, the new challenger”: ChessBase authors comment on 20 winning games by the young Uzbek in the “Special”, and much more. New: Download version including a comprehensive and redesigned accompanying PDF (42 pages)! Take a look – a sample chapter awaits you!
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FIDE ratings - July 2026

7/1/2026 – Magnus Carlsen may have lost a significant number of rating points at Norway Chess, but he remains the undisputed world number one. World Champion Gukesh continues to lead the junior rankings, though only by a narrow margin. In the girls' rankings, Anastasiia Hnatyshyn is the new number one.
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León Masters: Le, Oro, Santos and Alekseenko face off in rapid knockout

7/1/2026 – The 39th edition of the "Ciudad de León" Masters will take place from 3 to 5 July, with Le Quang Liem, Kirill Alekseenko, Faustino Oro and Jaime Santos in the four-player knockout. Le returns as defending champion, while Oro arrives with grandmaster-elect status and Santos once again represents the host city. The XI Open Internacional "Magistral de León" will be played alongside the main event. | Image: Official website
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KazChess Masters in Almaty: Shankland, Kovalenko start with wins

7/1/2026 – The KazChess Masters Almaty has begun in Kazakhstan's largest city, with five established international grandmasters facing five rising local players in a ten-player single round-robin. The opening round produced two decisive results, as Igor Kovalenko defeated Alexander Donchenko with a strong attacking display, while Sam Shankland converted an endgame against Aldiyar Ansat. | Photo: Official website

Elite field gathers in Zagreb for Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia

6/30/2026 – The Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia, the third leg of the Grand Chess Tour, will take place in Zagreb from 1 to 5 July. The 10-player field includes six members of the world top 20, among them Gukesh Dommaraju, Vincent Keymer, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri (pictured) and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. After events in Warsaw and Bucharest, the tournament will offer another chance to gain ground in the overall standings. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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Ganguly’s stunning a5 Attack - The Monthly Dragon

6/30/2026 – Chris Ward looks at a sharp Dragon main line from the French League, featuring GM Surya Ganguly with Black. The focus is on the fashionable Bishop c4 system and Black’s fresh-looking plan with ...a5, which helps activate the queenside pieces and create pressure before White can build a dangerous kingside attack. The game becomes a model Dragon victory, with Black taking over the b-file, pushing ...d4 at the right moment, and finishing with a powerful interference tactic that forces resignation. | Photo: John Upham
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