WR Chess Miami: USA v. Uzbekistan - Live!

7/27/2026 – WR Chess stages a USA v. Uzbekistan team event in Miami Beach on 27–28 July, bringing together ten leading grandmasters in a rapid and blitz Scheveningen format. Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Levon Aronian will represent Team USA, while Uzbekistan's lineup includes World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev and Shamsiddin Vokhidov. | Follow the games live starting at 19.00 CEST (13.00 ET, 22.30 IST)

Woodward and Tang retain US junior titles with convincing performances

7/27/2026 – Andy Woodward retained the US Junior Championship after finishing unbeaten on 6½/9, while Zoey Tang successfully defended the US Girls' Junior title with 7½/9. Both tournaments were held at the Saint Louis Chess Club, where Woodward edged Abhimanyu Mishra in the final round and Tang took control after defeating early leader Rachael Li in their direct encounter. | Photo: Austin Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club

Kirsan is back - no he isn't

7/27/2026 – Last Thursday the current FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich has abandoned his candidacy for reelection, after been sanctioned by the European Union. We were informed by ther Chess Federation of Russia that Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who had served as FIDE president for 23 years, received their full support as a candidate. And just as we were about to report this story we learn that he is not among the three candidates the FIDE Office received before the deadline. Turbulent times.

Akopian and Belakovskaia win US senior titles

7/27/2026 – Vladimir Akopian won his second US Senior Championship in three years after defeating Alexander Onischuk in a playoff, while Anjelina Belakovskaia claimed the US Senior Women's title with an unbeaten 7/8 score. Both events were held at the Saint Louis Chess Club, where Akopian prevailed 3–1 in rapid and blitz games after sharing first place, and Belakovskaia finished a full point ahead of defending champion Natalya Tsodikova. | Photo: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club
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How much faster are computers today?

7/27/2026 – In the early 1980s, as a fledgling TV journalist, I did a report on the fastest computer in the world. The Cray-1 cost eight million dollars and could do 130 million floating point operations per second. That was enough to calculate the weather, but also to win two consecutive world computer chess championships. How much faster are today's supercomputers? Take a guess – you are definitely not going to get it right.

Walther von Holzhausen: Military officer, chess problemist

7/26/2026 – Walther Freiherr von Holzhausen is not among the best-known players of the early twentieth century. Nevertheless, he was a very strong amateur and, above all, a chess problem composer of great importance. As a major in the Prussian Army, the First World War marked a profound turning point in his life.
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Leonardo Costa and Jana Schneider are the 2026 German chess champions

7/26/2026 – The German Championship has been decided: Leonardo Costa is the German champion in the open category with 6/9. Bennet Hagner, in second place, and Luis Engel, in third, follow in the standings with 5½ points each. Jana Schneider became the German women's champion with 7/9. Lara Schulze finished second and Sarah Papp third. A draw against Dmitrij Kollars was enough for Leonardo Costa to secure first place, while Jana Schneider clinched the title with a victory over Kateryna Dolzhykova. | Photos: Finn Engesser
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The Power of Initiative: Episode 18 - Dutch Championships 2026

7/26/2026 – 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?

ChessBase´26 – Tips for beginners, part 24: Always get the latest games via update

7/26/2026 – The Mega Database 2026 contains over eleven million games — an impressive archive of chess knowledge. And it keeps growing. Thanks to the weekly Mega Update service, you receive about 5,000 new games each week, directly from tournaments around the world. As with ChessBase´26, keeping the Mega Database up to date requires just a few clicks. In this tutorial episode, we’ll show you how.

Global Chess League to take place in India's Silicon Valley: Carlsen, Sindarov and Anand in the mix

7/26/2026 – The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League returns for its fourth season, bringing the world's biggest chess stars to Bengaluru from September 3–13, 2026. With six power-packed franchises, fresh team combinations, exciting debutants and fierce rivalries, here's a complete look at every squad, their strengths and what makes this season the most anticipated yet. | Pictured: Vishy Anand with Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group
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Bobby Fischer's first front-page appearance, 70 years on

7/25/2026 – Seventy years ago, Bobby Fischer appeared on the cover of a chess magazine for the first time. The then 13-year-old had won the U.S. Junior Championship in Philadelphia in commanding fashion. Chess Life, the magazine of the United States Chess Federation, celebrated his achievement with a cover story in its 20 July 1956 issue. Roger Lorenz takes us on a short journey back in time.
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Costa Rica to host the American Continental Stage of World Schools Team Championship 2026

7/25/2026 – San José will host the American Continental Stage of the FIDE-ISCF World Schools Team Championship from 11 to 16 August, marking the first time the event has been held in Costa Rica or Central America. School teams from across the Americas will compete for places in the Grand Final, while a parallel educational programme will include a ministerial conference, masterclasses, girls' chess activities and initiatives linked to the Year of Chess in Education.
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Review: ChessBase Magazine #232

7/25/2026 – The latest issue of ChessBase Magazine, No. 232, is once again packed with training material covering a wide range of chess topics. In his review, Lukas Köpl takes a closer look at the magazine's contents, with a particular focus on Jan Markos' article with "Practical Tips".
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Michal Krasenkow: "If you want a GM norm, beat a GM"

7/25/2026 – Michal Krasenkow gives an interview after a dramatic comeback win to talk about his turbulent game, his storied career and why he has no intention of making life easy for the Indian players chasing norms. Michal dominated the second edition of the Chola Chess Grandmaster Round Robin Tournament and won the event in style. | Photos and interview: Devansh Singh
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Freedom Holding Founder Timur Turlov to Run for FIDE President

7/24/2026 – Timur Turlov, president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and founder of Freedom Holding Corp., an international financial services and technology group, has announced his decision to run for president of the International Chess Federation, or FIDE. Viswanathan Anand, one of the world’s most accomplished grandmasters and a former world chess champion, will join Turlov’s ticket as a candidate for vice president.
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Fabien Libiszewski: Master the Pirc Defence! - A review

7/24/2026 – The Pirc Defence is a dynamic opening strategy that temporarily allows the opponent to control the centre, enabling you to attack more aggressively there later on. This creates complex and often imbalanced positions in the middle game, offering many opportunities for counterplay, even against well-prepared opponents. In a recent course, French grandmaster Fabien Libiszewski explored Black's possibilities in the Pirc. Bahne Fuhrmann took a look and was impressed.
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FIDE President Dvorkovich added to EU Sanctions List

7/24/2026 – In its 21st package of sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has added Arkady Dvorkovich to its list of sanctioned individuals. The FIDE President has temporarily stepped aside from his position, with Viswanathan Anand serving as acting president. A new FIDE Presidential Board will be elected in September.
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Ekstra class

7/24/2026 – White's many trumps in the diagram position are striking. Making the most of them is no easy task—so this might be just the thing for you!

Remembering Karel Mokry (1959-2026)

7/24/2026 – At the end of May, Czech grandmaster, publisher and author Karel Mokry passed away. He represented first Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic in international competition. In the 1990s, he won the Austrian Team Championship three times with SC Margareten. After retiring from competitive chess, Mokry, who was a renowned expert on chess literature, ran a chess bookshop.
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