7/10/2026 – In July 1976, Viktor Korchnoi, then the second-best player in the world, used his participation in the IBM tournament in Amsterdam to defect from the USSR. A cat-and-mouse game worthy of a spy thriller began. The Soviet authorities responded with offensive statements and an almost total boycott - almost. | Photo: Viktor Korchnoi in 1976 / Dutch National Archive

7/8/2026 – Norwegian football is currently enjoying something of a high. Last Sunday, the Norwegian team knocked Brazil out of the World Cup, and they did it in style. In Norway, football and chess go well together - and not only because of Magnus Carlsen. Edith and Monika Machlik are also among the country's dual-sport stars! | Photos: tromsosjakk.no / Lars Elevold and Anniken Vestby

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.

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.

6/27/2026 – Larry Christiansen is one of the finest players in the history of American chess. He was US Champion three times, represented the United States at nine Chess Olympiads, where he won a number of medals. In the Bundesliga, he played for SG Porz for many years and was once the league's top player with 12 points from 13 games. Today he turns 70. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Austin Fuller

6/25/2026 – Peter Dankert was one of Hamburg's best players in the 1970s. He was Hamburg junior champion, German Cup winner, competed in German championships, played in the Bundesliga and was invited to international tournaments. His life came to a tragically premature end. Memories of a wonderful player and a great person. | Photos: Private collection

6/24/2026 – The great 2026 chess summit in Dresden is just weeks away from beginning. Wolfgang Uhlmann is now being honoured in an impressive exhibition at the City Museum. In an AI simulation, visitors can even play chess against the late world-class player. | Photos: Jörg Hutschenreiter

6/24/2026 – Alexander Donchenko lived up to his status as favourite at the German Rapid Chess Championship and claimed the national title. In the women's championship, Olgy Babiy prevailed over rating favourite Lara Schulze. The tournament was hosted by the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum (HNF) in Paderborn. Report, standings and games. | Photo: Wolfgang Vullhorst / German Chess Federation

6/23/2026 – On 21 June 1851, on the sidelines of the first major international chess tournament in London, Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky played what was later known as the "Immortal Game". Anderssen sacrificed both his rooks and delivered checkmate. The game has captivated the chess world to this day. Deutschland Radio commemorated the game with a calendar feature.

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.

6/16/2026 – A little over ten years ago, Viktor Korchnoi, one of the true greats of chess history, passed away. Korchnoi had many facets and remained one of the world's best players well into old age. But trying to talk to him about Curaçao 1962 was not a good idea. A recollection. | Photo: Rob Bogaerts / Anefo

6/9/2026 – At just 15 year of age, Anastasiia Hnatyshyn became the surprise winner of the Women's European Championship. However, looking at the Ukrainian's career so far, her success is not quite so surprising. She began playing competitive chess at the age of seven and has already played in over 200 tournaments. A portrait. | Pictured: Sabrina Vega, Anastasiia Hnatyshyn and Olga Badelka | Photo: European Chess Union

5/26/2026 – Christian Gloeckler's tournament victory at the Limburg Open has taken him past the 2500 rating mark, confirming his status as one of the world's best players in his age group. At the end of the tournament, eight players were tied on points at the top. The best tiebreak score gave Gloeckler overall victory. | Photos: Frans Peeters /Limburg Open

5/13/2026 – A little over a hundred years ago, the Dresden Chess Club celebrated its 50th anniversary with a major international tournament. It was not the favoured Alexander Alekhine, who became World Champion a year later, but Aron Nimzowitsch who emerged as the winner of the tournament.

5/7/2026 – Since 2012, chess has played a prominent role at Webster University in Saint Louis, as part of a chess scholarship programme. Now, despite great sportive success, the university has abruptly ended the programme and its collaboration with Susan Polgar's SPICE institute. | Photos: Webster University / SPICE

5/2/2026 – With the results of the Candidates Tournament and several other tournaments, there was some movement in the top of the FIDE world rankings. Javokhir Sindarov is the rising star in the overall list. Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus also gained many points and extended his lead in the juniors list.

4/30/2026 – Two weeks ago, the chess auction at Sotheby's concluded, featuring numerous items from the collection of Lothar Schmid. The most valuable pieces fetched well over £100,000. The online auction was accompanied by an exhibition and a lecture. The musician and chess enthusiast Jason Kouchak was in attendance. | Photo: Jason Kouchak in front of the painting "The Chess Players" (or "The Devil's Checkmate") by Friedrich Moritz August Retzsch, circa 1831.

4/23/2026 – Ding Liren is back. After losing the World Championship title in December 2024, Ding Liren took a long break from classical chess tournaments and only participated in online or rapid events. At the Chinese Team Championships, he has now returned to classical chess - successfully. | Photos: Sports Bureau of Heilongjiang Province