5/15/2026 – All five games ended drawn in the first round of the Super Chess Classic Romania, though several players had chances to grab full points. Alireza Firouzja missed the clearest opportunity against defending champion Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (pictured), while Fabiano Caruana failed to make the most of an extra pawn against Jorden van Foreest. Wesley So v. Vincent Keymer was a double-edged, remarkable battle. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/14/2026 – Simpson's in the Strand has reopened with a nod to its origins as a chess venue, a detail explored by Harry Wallop in The Times. Wallop's article uses the London restaurant's history to examine a wider revival of over-the-board chess, from social clubs and café events to rising sales of physical chess sets, and considers why the game's face-to-face appeal has endured in a screen-heavy age. | Photo: Matt Brown via Wikimedia Commons

5/13/2026 – Jose Martinez won the opening stage of the 2026 Romania Grand Prix in Bucharest after drawing (with black) an Armageddon decider against Aydin Suleymanli. The rapid tournament, held at the Palace of Parliament on 9-10 May, attracted 581 players from 27 countries. Five players tied for first place on 8½/10, with Martinez and Suleymanli advancing to the playoff thanks to superior Buchholz scores. | Photo: Romanian Chess Federation

5/12/2026 – Frederik Svane won the Sardinia World Chess Festival outright with 7½/9 points, defeating Karthikeyan Murali in the final round after both had entered the day tied for first place. The event in Orosei also saw 12-year-old Faustino Oro secure his third grandmaster norm, completing the title requirements and becoming the second-youngest grandmaster in chess history. | Photo: Sardinia World Chess Festival / KNZO Photography

5/9/2026 – Alireza Firouzja scored 6½/9 to top the first day of blitz at the Super Rapid & Blitz Poland tournament, but his difficult rapid section left him only eighth overall. Hans Niemann remains the sole leader despite scoring 3½/9 on Friday, with Wesley So half a point behind. Fabiano Caruana and Vladimir Fedoseev are tied for third, a full point behind So. The standings remain tightly packed before Saturday's final day of action. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/7/2026 – Hans Niemann won the rapid section of the Super Rapid & Blitz tournament in Warsaw, scoring 13/18 as the only unbeaten player across the nine rounds. The 22-year-old Californian enters the 18 blitz rounds with a one-point lead over Wesley So and a two-point lead over defending champion Vladimir Fedoseev, while Fabiano Caruana, Gukesh Dommaraju and Jan-Krzysztof Duda share fourth place on 9/18. | Pictured: Hans Niemann and commentator Cristian Chirila | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/7/2026 – Arjun Erigaisi took the sole lead at the TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament after beating Zhu Jiner with black in round six. Magnus Carlsen also won with black, defeating Andy Woodward, and is now half a point behind the leader alongside Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, who drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Erigaisi will face Woodward in the final round, while Carlsen meets Erdogmus in a key encounter. | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website

5/7/2026 – Wesley So (pictured) and Hans Niemann are tied for first place after day two of the Super Rapid & Blitz tournament in Warsaw, reaching 9/12 with six rapid rounds completed. Defending champion Vladimir Fedoseev stands one point behind, while Gukesh Dommaraju stands on fifty percent and, importantly, defeated Javokhir Sindarov with black in their first encounter since Sindarov gained the right to challenge the Indian star in a match for the world title. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/6/2026 – Arjun Erigaisi and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus share the lead on 3½ points after round five of the TePe Sigeman & Co tournament in Malmö. Erigaisi defeated Jorden van Foreest, while Erdogmus held a 104-move draw against Andy Woodward to remain atop the standings. Magnus Carlsen (pictured) bounced back from his loss to Van Foreest by beating Zhu Jiner, while Nils Grandelius drew quickly with Nodirbek Abdusattorov. | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website

5/6/2026 – The Super Rapid & Blitz Poland tournament opened in Warsaw, with the three first rounds of rapid chess leaving a five-way tie for first place in the standings. Fabiano Caruana, Javokhir Sindarov, Wesley So (pictured), Vladimir Fedoseev and Hans Niemann all scored 4/6, with Sindarov and Niemann the only unbeaten players among them. Gukesh Dommaraju finished one point behind, ahead of Wednesday's round-five clash with Sindarov, his future World Championship challenger. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/5/2026 – Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (pictured) became the sole leader of the TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament after beating Nils Grandelius on Monday, as the Turkish prodigy is the only player on a plus-two score with three rounds to go in Malmö. Jorden van Foreest scored his first-ever win over Magnus Carlsen in what turned out to be an exciting, 88-move battle, while Zhu Jiner defeated Andy Woodward. Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Arjun Erigaisi drew and are tied for second place with Van Foreest, half a point behind Erdogmus. | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website

5/4/2026 – Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Arjun Erigaisi scored their first wins of the TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament in round three, joining Magnus Carlsen, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Andy Woodward in a five-way tie for first place. Erdogmus beat Zhu Jiner and climbed further on the live ratings list, while Erigaisi defeated Nils Grandelius to return to the world top ten. | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website

5/3/2026 – Magnus Carlsen scored the only win of round two at the TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament, beating Nils Grandelius with the black pieces to join Andy Woodward and Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the lead on 1½/2 points. Abdusattorov missed clear winning chances against Woodward, while Arjun Erigaisi and Jorden van Foreest pressed in what turned out to be long draws against Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Zhu Jiner, respectively. | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website

5/2/2026 – Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Andy Woodward took the early lead at the TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament after scoring the only wins of round one in Malmö. Abdusattorov beat Zhu Jiner, while Woodward (pictured) defeated local representative Nils Grandelius. Magnus Carlsen's first classical game in almost a year ended in a draw against Arjun Erigaisi, while 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus also drew with Jorden van Foreest. | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website

4/30/2026 – World number one Magnus Carlsen is set to return to classical tournament play at the TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament, scheduled for 1–7 May in Malmö. The Norwegian will face an ambitious field that includes Tata Steel Masters winner Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun Erigaisi and rising star Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (pictured), who recently became the youngest player to ever cross the 2700 rating mark. Played as an eight-player round-robin, the long-running Swedish event once again combines established elite names with emerging contenders. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/29/2026 – Changes to the 2026 lineup of the Grand Chess Tour have been confirmed ahead of the opening events in May. Gukesh Dommaraju has withdrawn from the full tour schedule, with Javokhir Sindarov stepping in as his replacement - though the two upcoming World Championship contenders will still meet at the first leg in Poland. Levon Aronian will miss the Bucharest event due to illness, with Jorden van Foreest (pictured) stepping in as tour regular. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/28/2026 – "Madwoman's Game" premiered on 16 April at the Miami Chess Festival, presenting a chess-focused documentary that follows Bianca Mitchell-Avila's journey through competition, mentorship and personal development. The film explores how the game informs decision-making beyond the board. Its production was notably supported by Keanu Reeves, whose involvement came as an unexpected boost to the project. | Image: Screenshot from "Madwoman's Game"

4/27/2026 – Magnus Carlsen won the Chess.com Open after overcoming Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the Grand Final, despite losing the initial match and being taken to a Reset. Duda, playing on his 28th birthday, forced a decider with a 2½–½ victory but could not maintain the momentum. Carlsen, who competed throughout the event using a tablet, secured the title in the final two-game match, with both players qualifying for the Esports World Cup. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde