1/31/2026 – With two rounds left, the race for first place remains closely contested in both sections of the Tata Steel Chess tournament. In the Masters, Javokhir Sindarov caught Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the lead after beating Arjun Erigaisi, while Hans Niemann scored a full point to join Matthias Bluebaum and Jorden van Foreest in the chasing pack. In the Challengers, Andy Woodward won and moved into sole first place after Vasyl Ivanchuk defeated former sole leader Aydin Suleymanli. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

1/29/2026 – As the Tata Steel Chess tournament approaches its final stretch, the Masters section saw another eventful day: Matthias Bluebaum's second straight win moved him into shared second place, while Gukesh Dommaraju, Vincent Keymer and Aravindh Chithambaram also scored victories. Nodirbek Abdusattorov remains in front after signing a non-trivial draw with Vladimir Fedoseev. In the Challengers, Vasyl Ivanchuk defeated former leader Andy Woodward, allowing Aydin Suleymanli's third consecutive win to carry him into sole first place. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

1/28/2026 – Round nine in Wijk aan Zee featured several influential results in both sections of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. In the Masters, Matthias Bluebaum defeated world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, while Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, Jorden van Foreest and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu also scored important wins. Nodirbek Abdusattorov kept the lead with a draw against Javokhir Sindarov, who now shares second place with Erdogmus and Van Foreest. In the Challengers, Andy Woodward moved into sole first place. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

1/27/2026 – The Brazil Chess Series - Floripa Open brought together 542 players from 19 federations for a 10-round Swiss tournament in Florianópolis from 17 to 25 January. A strong field featuring 19 GMs produced a tightly contested event, with four players tying for first place on 8½/10. The title was ultimately decided according to tiebreak criteria, with André Diamant, Aryan Tari and Luis Paulo Supi finishing on the podium. | Photo: Vivian Passig

1/26/2026 – Play in Wijk aan Zee continued with an important result in the Masters, where Anish Giri defeated leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov, though Abdusattorov remains in first place. Javokhir Sindarov stays close behind after drawing Vinceny Keymer. Meanwhile, world champion Gukesh Dommaraju scored a win with the black pieces over Vladimir Fedoseev to bounce back from a pair of painful losses. In the Challengers, Andy Woodward and Marc'Andria Maurizzi both won to remain co-leaders, with Aydin Suleymanli half a point back. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

1/25/2026 – Round seven of the Tata Steel Masters saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov extend his lead with a second straight win, defeating top seed Vincent Keymer in a sharp Semi-Slav. Javokhir Sindarov remains in sole second place, while Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus scored a second win in a row and Anish Giri grabbed his first victory of the event. In the Challengers, a quieter day allowed Marc'Andria Maurizzi to catch Andy Woodward in the lead. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lenart Ootes

1/24/2026 – Round six of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament featured a number of pivotal games in both sections. In the Masters, Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated world champion Gukesh Dommaraju after a sudden one-move blunder, moving ahead of the field, while Vincent Keymer and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus also collected important wins. The Challengers saw Andy Woodward claim a marathon victory over Carissa Yip to take clear first place. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lenart Ootes

1/22/2026 – Song Yuxin's 2025 season marked a decisive step forward in her career. Focusing exclusively on classical chess, this analysis looks at how a heavy tournament schedule, largely centred on open events, translated into a major rating climb, a rise from the fringes of the top 100 to the women's top 25, and a strong finish to her final year as a junior. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

1/22/2026 – Post-game, thoughtful interviews from the Tata Steel Chess Tournament offer insight into form, temperament and longevity at the top level, guided by the calm questioning of Fiona Steil-Antoni. Carissa Yip speaks openly about nerves during critical moments, Faustino Oro displays unusual poise for his age, while Vasyl Ivanchuk gives an account of a notable incident in round three - his making the time control with just one second on the clock! | Image: Tata Steel Chess

1/22/2026 – Round five of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament saw four decisive games in the Masters, with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Hans Niemann and Javokhir Sindarov emerging as co-leaders on 3½/5. Sindarov joined the lead after inflicting a first loss on Turkish prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. In the Challengers, Andy Woodward and Faustino Oro both grabbed wins to catch Aydin Suleymanli at the top. | Photo: Nils Rohde

1/21/2026 – Round four of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament featured three decisive games in the Masters, with Hans Niemann scoring an impressive win over Aravind Chithambaram, which included a well-timed queen sacrifice. Nodirbek Abdusattorov also won to share the lead, while Javokhir Sindarov defeated Matthias Bluebaim to stay in close contention. In the Challengers, Aydin Suleymanli kept the sole lead after defeating Lu Miaoyi with the white pieces. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lenart Ootes

1/20/2026 – Round three of the Tata Steel Chess tournament brought notable shifts in the standings. In the Masters, Matthias Bluebaum defeated Vincent Keymer in an all-German battle, while Jorden van Foreest overcame Anish Giri in the all-Dutch derby. Both Bluebaum and Van Foreest joined the leading group on 2/3. In the Challengers, Aydin Suleymanli moved into sole first place after beating Eline Roebers with the black pieces. | Photo: Nils Rohde

1/19/2026 – Round two of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament produced two decisive games in the Masters, with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (pictured) and Vladimir Fedoseev both scoring with the white peices. Abdusattorov now shares the lead on 1½ points with Hans Niemann and Arjun Erigaisi. In the Challengers, Lu Miaoyi emerged as the sole leader on 2/2, while Faustino Oro added a notable win against a 2600-rated GM. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

1/18/2026 – The third edition of the Temuco International Chess Tournament brought together a strong international field in southern Chile for nine rounds of classical play. After six days of competition, José "Pepe" Cuenca of Spain and Argentina's Diego Flores finished level on 7½ points. Cuenca claimed the title on Sonneborn–Berger tiebreaks, having led the tournament early and maintained his advantage through consistent results. | Photo: Official website

1/18/2026 – Round one of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee began after an unusual delay provoked by protests outside the playing hall. In the Masters, decisive games followed uncharacteristic early blunders, with Hans Niemann, Vincent Keymer and Arjun Erigaisi all scoring with the white pieces. Later in the day, world champion Gukesh Dommaraju failed to make the most of a clear advantage, as Javokhir Sindarov narrowly escaped with a draw. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

1/16/2026 – The Argentine Olympic Committee has launched "Olympic Beach", a nationwide summer programme that brings organised sport and Olympic values to Argentina's coastal and riverside locations ahead of the Santa Fe 2026 South American Games. Running throughout January across eight venues, the initiative combines free sporting activities, youth engagement, environmental actions and federation-led events, including the integration of chess into the programme's public beach setting. | Photo: Argentine Chess Federation

1/16/2026 – The knockout stage of the online Play-In for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship decided the last place in the February championship. Nodirbek Abdusattorov progressed through the semifinals and went on to face Pranav Venkatesh in the final. The four qualifiers competed in two-game matches with a 15+3 time control. Amin Tabatabaei prevailed in the Armageddon tiebreak against Grigoriy Oparin to grab third place. | Photo: Amruta Mokal / Freestyle Chess Grand Slam

1/15/2026 – The Swiss stage of the online Play-in for the Freestyle Chess World Championship has determined the four players who remain in contention for the final qualification place. Over nine rounds of Freestyle Chess, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Pranav Venkatesh (pictured), Grigoriy Oparin and Amin Tabatabaei finished level on 7/9 to secure places in Thursday's knockout stage. | Photo: Fujairah Superstars / Anna Shtourman