4/25/2026 – Magnus Carlsen reached the Grand Final of the Chess.com Open after two closely contested 3–2 victories over Denis Lazavik and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Despite falling short, Duda secured qualification for the Esports World Cup by reaching the Winners Final. In the Losers Bracket, Sina Movahed and Nodirbek Abdusattorov advanced with two wins each, while six players were eliminated as the field narrowed further ahead of the final two days of action. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/25/2026 – SC Viernheim extended their lead in the 2025/26 Chess Bundesliga with a narrow win over Sfr. Wolfhagen in round thirteen, while OSG Baden-Baden were held to a draw by Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied. The results leave Viernheim four match points clear of Baden-Baden with two rounds remaining. A draw in Saturday's direct encounter with Baden-Baden would be sufficient for the leaders to secure the title. | Pictured: 14-year-old Turkish prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (Viernheim) | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/24/2026 – Four players remain unbeaten after the opening day of the Chess.com Open Playoffs, with Magnus Carlsen, Denis Lazavik, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Nihal Sarin progressing through the Winners Bracket. Several close matches and multiple Armageddon deciders marked the early rounds, while eight players dropped into the Losers Bracket and four were eliminated, including new World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/23/2026 – The 2025/26 Chess Bundesliga season concludes with three rounds in Berlin from 24 to 26 April. SC Viernheim lead the standings by three match points over OSG Baden-Baden, with Schachfreunde Wolfhagen still within reach in third place (a win grants two MPs). The final weekend features direct encounters between all three teams, while teams at the bottom of the table will fight hard to avoid relegation. | Photo: Berlin.de

4/22/2026 – Fabiano Caruana reflects on his showing at the Candidates Tournament while explaining why he believes Javokhir Sindarov produced one of the strongest performances in the event's history. Caruana discusses Sindarov's opening preparation, his own missed chances, Hikaru Nakamura's costly opening preparation mistake and the likely balance of the forthcoming world title match against Gukesh Dommaraju. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/22/2026 – Chess has become an increasingly common pastime among NBA players, and an ESPN article published on 18 April explores why. From Victor Wembanyama's games in New York to Derrick Rose's chess event in Las Vegas, the report looks at how players are embracing the game as a way to sharpen focus, improve decision-making and stay mentally engaged during the long NBA season. | Photo: Wemby's X account

4/20/2026 – Roman Dehtiarov produced a huge surprise at the European Championship in Katowice by defeating David Anton in the final round to win the title outright with 9/11 points. The 17-year-old Ukrainian entered the tournament as the 126th seed and an international master rated 2452. He finished with eight wins, two draws and one loss, defeated six higher-rated opponents and earned the grandmaster title after a 2781 tournament performance rating. | Photo: Official website

4/18/2026 – Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus scored a convincing 5-1 victory over former world champion Veselin Topalov in their six-game classical match held in Monte Carlo from 12 to 17 April. After a tense draw in the opening game, the Turkish teenager won four of the next five encounters, showing strong tactical and positional play throughout the match. The result allowed Erdogmus to become the youngest-ever player to surpass the 2700 rating mark, breaking Wei Yi's record by a considerable margin. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

4/18/2026 – With two rounds to go at the European Championship in Katowice, David Anton (pictured) and Nijat Abasov share the lead on 7½/9 and are set to meet in Saturday's tenth round. Ten players stand just half a point behind, including Aydin Suleymanli, Ediz Gurel and Haik Martirosyan, while a further 24 players remain within a point of first place. The battle for both the title and World Cup qualification spots remains wide open. | Photo: Official website

4/18/2026 – Abhimanyu Mishra scored 7½/9 in consecutive open tournaments in Spain, finishing tied for first place both at the Semana Santa Open in Alicante and at the Menorca Open. The 17-year-old remained undefeated across both events, gaining 15.3 rating points in the process. His recent run brought him up to sixth place in the live ratings list among junior players. | Pictured: Star organiser Patricia Claros and Abhimanyu Mishra | Photo: Luis Barona / Semana Santa Open

4/16/2026 – Javokhir Sindarov concluded the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus with a quick draw against Wei Yi, finishing on 10/14 and recording the highest score of the modern Candidates era. Anish Giri secured sole second place by beating Matthias Bluebaum, while Fabiano Caruana ended the event in third after defeating Andrey Esipenko. Sindarov gained more than 30 rating points and climbed to fifth place in the live ratings list. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/16/2026 – Vaishali Rameshbabu won the Women's Candidates Tournament by defeating Kateryna Lagno in the final round, finishing clear first on 8½/14 and earning the right to challenge Ju Wenjun for the world title. Bibisara Assaubayeva drew with Divya Deshmukh and finished in sole second place, while Zhu Jiner and Aleksandra Goryachkina shared third. Arne Kähler caught first impressions from the players. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/15/2026 – Head-to-head records between the participants of the Candidates Tournaments provide useful context for each pairing. Drawing on data compiled via Mega Database 2026, the key statistics from past encounters highlight imbalances and trends. While such figures are not decisive, they offer an additional perspective on how rivalries have developed before a tournament that will determine the next challenger for the world title.

4/15/2026 – Bibisara Assaubayeva joined Vaishali Rameshbabu in the lead of the Women's Candidates Tournament after defeating Anna Muzychuk in round thirteen. Vaishali remained atop the standings after escaping with a draw against Tan Zhongyi, while Zhu Jiner first missed a chance to move into sole first place and then even lost to Aleksandra Goryachkina. Kateryna Lagno stayed in contention by beating Divya Deshmukh, leaving six players still with chances ahead of the final round. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga

4/14/2026 – Javokhir Sindarov secured overall victory at the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus with a draw against Anish Giri in round thirteen. The 20-year-old clinched first place with a round to spare and will face Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title later this year. Wei Yi scored the only win of the day, while the remaining games were drawn, leaving the standings settled at the top. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/14/2026 – Head-to-head records between the participants of the Candidates Tournaments provide useful context for each pairing. Drawing on data compiled via Mega Database 2026, the key statistics from past encounters highlight imbalances and trends. While such figures are not decisive, they offer an additional perspective on how rivalries have developed before a tournament that will determine the next challenger for the world title.

4/14/2026 – After eight games of their twelve-game match in Paris, Hans Niemann leads Awonder Liang by two points, having scored the only victories so far in games three and eight. The remaining six encounters have been drawn, though Liang missed clear chances in two of them. Niemann's most recent win came with black in a 31-move game, leaving Liang with limited time to respond as the match heads into its final two days. | Photo: Blitz Society

4/13/2026 – Zhu Jiner caught Vaishali Rameshbabu in the lead after defeating her in round twelve of the Women's Candidates Tournament, with both players now on 7 points. Bibisara Assaubayeva moved to within half a point after overcoming Kateryna Lagno, while Tan Zhongyi secured her first win of the event, as she defeated Divya Deshmukh. Anna Muzychuk narrowly missed joining the leaders after allowing a stalemate in a winning rook endgame against Aleksandra Goryachkina. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga