5/24/2025 – Magnus Carlsen won the Chess.com Classic with a game to spare in the Grand Final against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The former world champion remained unbeaten throughout the event and secured the title with two wins and a draw in the final match. A swift victory in game one and a well-converted rook endgame in game three sealed the result. Carlsen now turns his attention to Norway Chess, where he returns to classical over-the-board play against an elite field.

5/23/2025 – After four rounds at the TePe Sigeman & Co chess tournament, Javokhir Sindarov and Yagiz Erdogmus (pictured) share the lead with 3 points each. Nils Grandelius is half a point behind on 2½, followed by Ray Robson and Tan Zhongyi on 2 points. Tan, who lost her first two games, has bounced back with consecutive wins in rounds three and four. Eight of the sixteen games played so far have ended decisively in what has been an entertaining tournament for spectators. | Photo: Mikael Svensson

5/23/2025 – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave has reached the Grand Final of the Chess.com Classic after a string of victories in the Losers Bracket, where he eliminated Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Hikaru Nakamura. He will now face Magnus Carlsen, needing to defeat the Norwegian twice to claim the title. MVL heads into the Grand Final with confidence, since he managed to defeat Carlsen twice in one day at the 2023 AI Cup. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/23/2025 – With six rounds completed at the Sharjah Masters, Anish Giri and Aleksandar Indjic share the lead on 5 points, closely followed by top seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov on 4½. The open tournament remains tightly contested, with fourteen players trailing half a point behind Abdusattorov. Among the standout performers are lower-rated contenders Dai Changren and Visakh N R, as well as 11-year-old Faustino Oro, who remains undefeated. | Photos: Himank Ghosh / ChessBase India

5/22/2025 – Magnus Carlsen has reached the Grand Final of the Chess.com Classic after victories over Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Hikaru Nakamura in the Winners Bracket. Nakamura's unexpected resignation in a winning position brought the day's play to a dramatic close. Several top players, including Fabiano Caruana and Ding Liren, were eliminated, while Abdusattorov, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Vladimir Fedoseev and, of course, Nakamura continue their campaigns in the Losers Bracket. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/22/2025 – The first two rounds of the 2025 TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament have produced a mix of decisive results and hard-fought draws in Malmö. Richard Rapport, Javokhir Sindarov (pictured) and Yagiz Erdogmus lead the standings with 1½ points each. Tan Zhongyi, meanwhile, has suffered two losses and both with the white pieces. Round three will feature a clash between co-leaders Sindarov and Erdogmus, the youngest players in the field. | Photo: Mikael Svensson

5/21/2025 – The first day of the Chess.com Classic Playoffs determined the four semi-finalists in the Winners Bracket: Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Ian Nepomniachtchi. World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju was eliminated after two defeats—first by Vladimir Fedoseev in the round of 16, then by compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in the Losers Bracket. Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Denis Lazavik and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu were also knocked out. | Photo: Anmol Bhargav

5/21/2025 – Following round four of the Sharjah Masters, Anish Giri (pictured) and Aleksandar Indjic are sharing the lead with 3½ points. Ten players are in close pursuit, just half a point behind, including both pre-tournament favourites and lower-rated contenders. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Faustino Orocontinues to perform well against experienced opponents, as he has collected an undefeated 2½ score so far. | Photos: Himank Ghosh / ChessBase India

5/20/2025 – The Play-In stage of the Chess.com Classic was held on Monday and decided the final eight players who qualified for the upcoming Playoffs. Vladimir Fedoseev secured first place in the nine-round Swiss event and advanced directly. Seven others - Arjun, Caruana, Praggnanandhaa, Aronian, Duda, Artemiev and Lazavik - earned their spots through two-game matches. They will join eight invited grandmasters (pictured) in the next stage, which runs from 20 to 23 May

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