5/19/2025 – The TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament returns to Malmö this May, bringing together a carefully selected mix of seasoned grandmasters and emerging talents, this year including the likes of Richard Rapport, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Nils Grandelius (pictured) and Turkish rising star Yagiz Erdogmus. Known for its thoughtful organisation and competitive format, the event continues its recent focus on promoting top female players, with Tan Zhongyi joining the 2025 edition. | Photo: Mikael Svensson

5/19/2025 – The 2025 Sharjah Masters has drawn 82 chess players with ratings ranging from 2453 to 2771, offering a platform for elite grandmasters and rising talents to compete for a $15,000 prize. After two rounds, several unexpected outcomes have highlighted the event's competitive nature, with lesser-known players such as Dai Changren and Visakh N R (pictured) taking the lead alongside 2024 European champion Aleksandar Indjic. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Faustino Oro has delivered a standout performance, and Bibisara Assaubayeva has emerged as the top-performing female player thus far. | Photos: Himank Ghosh / ChessBase India

5/17/2025 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu clinched his first-ever Grand Chess Tour title at the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest after prevailing in a three-way playoff against Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The 19-year-old Indian grandmaster secured a draw in the final round against Levon Aronian to guarantee a tie for first, while Firouzja and MVL won their respective games to force a playoff. Pragg's victory, his second major tournament win this year, also propelled him to second place in the GCT standings. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/16/2025 – Heading into the final round of the Superbet Chess Classic, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu holds the sole lead after defeating Wesley So with Black in a well-played Benko Gambit. Gukesh Dommaraju also secured a full point in round eight, overcoming Levon Aronian after a questionable pawn sacrifice by the US grandmaster. Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Fabiano Caruana remain half a point behind Pragg after drawing their games, setting up a tense finish in the second tournament of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/15/2025 – The seventh round of the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov scoring his first win of the event, defeating Jan-Krzysztof Duda to join the chasing pack standing a half point behind the four co-leaders. The remaining games ended drawn, with Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu missing a chance to press for a win against Alireza Firouzja after an imprecise bishop retreat. With two rounds to go, eight players remain in contention for the title in a tightly contested event. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/14/2025 – Following round six of the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest, Alireza Firouzja joined the group of co-leaders with a win over world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a complex struggle from an Italian Opening. With three rounds remaining, Firouzja, Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave share the lead with 3½ points, while Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Bogdan-Daniel Deac are just half a point behind. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/13/2025 – The Taliban government has banned chess in Afghanistan, citing concerns that the game is associated with gambling and may conflict with Islamic law. The suspension, announced by the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, includes the dissolution of the national chess federation. While some officials claim the ban is temporary, the decision aligns with broader efforts to curtail recreational and cultural activities under the Taliban's strict interpretation of sharia law. | Photo: Xinhua / Mohammad Jan Aria

5/12/2025 – After a day of all draws at the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest, the standings remain unchanged, with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu still sharing the lead on 3/5 points. Despite the lack of decisive games, round five featured tense battles across all boards, with Jan-Krzysztof Duda narrowly missing a chance to claim his first win against Gukesh Dommaraju and Wesley So pressing against Caruana in a sharp Sveshnikov Sicilian. Four rounds remain after Monday's rest day. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/11/2025 – Round four of the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest saw Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian securing crucial wins to shake up the standings. Vachier-Lagrave's victory over world champion Gukesh Dommaraju propelled him into a three-way tie for the lead alongside Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, both of whom drew their games. Meanwhile, Aronian claimed his first win of the tournament by outplaying Jan-Krzysztof Duda, while Alireza Firouzja missed a major opportunity against Wesley So. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/10/2025 – The Baku Open, the inaugural event of the newly launched "Chess Tour Azerbaijan", concluded on 6 May at the Baku Crystal Hall. Serbian GM Aleksandar Indjic emerged as the clear winner in the Group A section, finishing unbeaten with a score of 7/9. Georgian GM Baadur Jobava and Turkish GM Vahap Sanal shared second place, just half a point behind. Nearly 700 players from 16 countries competed across three sections, with prize funds totalling $55,000. | Photos: Azerbaijan Chess Federation

5/10/2025 – The third round of the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest delivered two decisive results as Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu claimed crucial victories and now share the lead with 2/3 points. Caruana defeated Alireza Firouzja in a 73-move struggle after the Frenchman's aggressive opening backfired, while Praggnanandhaa outplayed Nodirbek Abdusattorov in a strategic battle that highlighted his positional understanding. Meanwhile, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave missed a big chance to convert a promising position against Levon Aronian. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/9/2025 – The second round of the Superbet Chess Classic saw Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (pictured) and Bogdan-Daniel Deac bouncing back from first-round losses with victories over Wesley So and Levon Aronian, respectively. Vachier-Lagrave converted a very slightly favourable rook and knight endgame, while Deac prevailed in a long battle out of a Nimzo-Indian Defence. Alireza Firouzja is now the sole leader with 1½ points after drawing a tense, 55-move encounter against Jan-Krzysztof Duda. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/8/2025 – The Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest got underway with a mixed set of results, as Alireza Firouzja and Wesley So emerged as early co-leaders following the first round. Firouzja's convincing win over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and So's fortunate victory against wildcard Bogdan-Daniel Deac set the pace, while the remaining games ended in draws. The all-Indian clash between Gukesh Dommaraju and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu provided plenty of excitement. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/5/2025 – The 2025 Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest marks the second stage of this year's Grand Chess Tour and the first of two classical tournaments in the series. Held on 6–16 May, the event brings together ten top grandmasters in a single round-robin format. With high stakes and a strong international line-up, including reigning champion Fabiano Caruana and world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, the tournament will play a key role in shaping the race to qualify for the season-ending finals in São Paulo. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/4/2025 – The Baku Open, the first event in the newly established Chess Tour Azerbaijan, is underway at the Baku Crystal Hall (pictured) and has completed six of its nine scheduled rounds. Serbian grandmaster Aleksandar Indjic leads the field with 5 points, followed closely by Georgian GM Baadur Jobava and Turkish GM Vahap Sanal. The tournament features a strong mix of local and international players and forms part of a broader initiative to promote chess through events held in Azerbaijan's major cities and tourist destinations. | Photo: Florian Licht

5/3/2025 – Christopher Yoo, aged 18, obtained outright victory at the 2025 Sardinia World Chess Festival with a final score of 7½ out of 9. He remained unbeaten, finishing ahead of Ukrainian GM Ihor Samunenkov and Italian GM Lorenzo Lodici, who shared second place on 7 points. Yoo's recent career has drawn attention for an incident at the 2024 US Championship, where he was suspended for a year by the US Chess Federation following misconduct. | Photo: Niklesh Jain / ChessBase India

5/1/2025 – Vladimir Fedoseev delivered a standout performance at the 2025 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland tournament, securing overall victory with three rounds to spare and finishing five points ahead of the field. The Slovenian grandmaster lost only one game out of 27 and posted one of the highest scores in Grand Chess Tour history. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finished in clear second place, while Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu claimed third after a final-round win over Levon Aronian. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

4/30/2025 – Vladimir Fedoseev has taken a commanding lead at the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland tournament after scoring 8 out of 9 points in the first day of blitz. The Slovenian grandmaster now stands 3½ points ahead of the field with nine rounds left to play on Wednesday. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu sits in sole second place despite a shaky start to the day, while Levon Aronian, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Aravindh Chithambaram remain in close contention for a top finish. | Photo: Lennart Ootes