10/9/2026 – Fabiano Caruana has won the US Championship five times, including four consecutive titles from 2022 to 2025. His first victory came on his debut in 2016, shortly after returning to the US federation. At the 2026 edition in Saint Louis, Caruana can equal Samuel Reshevsky’s record of five consecutive titles and, with a sixth overall win, draw level with Walter Browne on the all-time list. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

10/8/2026 – Christian Gloeckler is the sole leader of the Fagernes International Autumn after seven rounds. The 14-year-old German IM defeated Lukas Dotzer on Thursday to reach 6/7, while Rinat Jumabayev beat top seed Elham Amar to move into clear second place on 5½ points. Gloeckler and Jumabayev have already met, as they drew their round-four encounter after 84 moves. | Photo: Nils Rohde / ChessBase

10/5/2026 – Bent Larsen combined an unconventional approach to the opening with a strong understanding of dynamic positions. In the 20th volume of the ChessBase Master Class series, several experts examine different aspects of the Danish star's play. The strategy section includes his 1968 win over Florin Gheorghiu in Monte Carlo, a game in which Larsen used active piece play and structural imbalances to make the most of a lasting initiative.

10/5/2026 – The Fagernes International Autumn Tournament is under way in Norway, with six players sharing the lead in the GM Swiss after two rounds. Tiger Hillarp Persson, Aksel Bu Kvaloy, Christian Gloeckler (pictured, left), Harika Dronavalli, Frode Olav Olsen Urkedal and Mads Vestby-Ellingsen have all started with 2/2. The ten-round event, played at the Scandic Valdres hotel, continues until Sunday 11 October. | Photo: Anna Ovidia Young

10/3/2026 – The 12th Judit Polgar Global Chess Festival took place at the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest, with critical thinking as the central theme of its 2026 edition. The programme combined chess with education, technology and art, and included a Community Chess Simul with the strongest female chess player of all time, the public debut of the RubikChess Tournament, AI-related activities and a range of events aimed at families and young players. | Photo: Global Chess Festival

10/2/2026 – Jonathan Speelman turns 70 today, 2 October 2026. The English grandmaster was one of the world's leading players in the late 1980s, reaching the Candidates semifinals and climbing to the world top five in the FIDE rankings. A three-time British champion, Speelman also played a major role in England's Olympiad successes and later became well known for his work as a chess author, analyst and columnist. Happy birthday! | Photos: British Chess News / Gennadiy Titkov

9/27/2026 – Uzbekistan secured their second Chess Olympiad gold by beating Ukraine 2½–1½ in the final round in Samarkand. India took silver after drawing Hungary, while Germany claimed bronze and their first team medal since 2000 after beating the Netherlands. Nodirbek Abdusattorov won individual gold on board one, Frederik Svane repeated his individual success (also gold) from 2024, while Hungary's Gleb Dudin finished with five consecutive wins. | Photo: Nils Rohde / ChessBase

9/26/2026 – Uzbekistan will enter the final round of the Chess Olympiad with a one-point lead after beating Armenia 3½–½ in round ten. India remain their closest challengers following a clear victory over Uzbekistan 2, while Germany, Ukraine and Hungary are two points back. Ukraine will face the hosts directly on Sunday, with India meeting Hungary and Germany taking on the Netherlands. The decisive round will begin four hours earlier than usual, at 8.00 CEST. | Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz / FIDE

9/26/2026 – China moved two match points clear at the top of the Women's Chess Olympiad after beating Armenia 3–1 in round nine. India kept pace with a 3–1 victory over Uzbekistan, while Kazakhstan recovered from a 2–0 deficit to draw Mongolia. With two rounds remaining, China lead on 17/18, followed by India, Kazakhstan and Mongolia on 15/18. | Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz / FIDE

9/26/2026 – Uzbekistan regained sole first place in the Chess Olympiad by beating top seeds United States 2½–1½ in round nine, with Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Nodirbek Yakubboev again providing the decisive points - like they did against China in round seven. India, Armenia and the over-achieving Uzbekistan 2 are one match point behind, the latter after a striking 3½–½ victory over the Netherlands. Two rounds remain in Samarkand. | Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz / FIDE

9/25/2026 – Germany ended Uzbekistan's perfect run in round eight of the Chess Olympiad, beating the hosts 2½–1½ to join them on 14/16 match points. Brothers Frederik and Rasmus Svane (pictured) collected wins for Germany on the bottom boards for a second day in a row. Eight teams now sit only one point behind, including China, India, the United States and the Netherlands. With three rounds remaining, the standings have tightened considerably ahead of another set of direct clashes among the leading teams. | Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE

9/24/2026 – China and Kazakhstan remained tied for first place in the Women's Chess Olympiad after drawing their round-seven direct encounter. The two top seeds, India and Georgia, both closed to within one match point with wins over Germany and Poland. Bulgaria, Armenia and Mongolia also joined the chasing group and all three teams did it by obtaining upset wins over higher-rated opponents. With four rounds remaining, the standings have tightened considerably ahead of two key round-eight matches involving the top four seeds. | Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE

9/24/2026 – Uzbekistan opened a two-point lead in the Chess Olympiad after defeating China 3–1 in round seven, with Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Nodirbek Yakubboev scoring the decisive wins. The hosts remain the only team unbeaten on every individual board. Armenia, India, Germany, the Netherlands and Azerbaijan form the chasing group. On Wednesday, Armenia drew the United States, while the remaining four chasers all won their round-seven encounters. | Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz / FIDE

9/22/2026 – China and Kazakhstan reached the rest day as joint leaders of the Women's Chess Olympiad with perfect 12/12 match scores. Kazakhstan edged Azerbaijan 2½–1½, while China beat Poland 3½–½ after the latter had defeated defending champions India in round five. India responded by overcoming the United States 3–1, while second seeds from Georgia also moved into the chasing group with a convincing win over Uzbekistan. | Pictured: China's Zhu Jiner | Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz / FIDE

9/22/2026 – Uzbekistan reached the rest day as the sole leaders of the open Chess Olympiad after edging defending champions India 2½–1½ in round six. Nodirbek Yakubboev (pictured) scored the decisive win from what had been an inferior position against Nihal Sarin. China and Armenia moved into joint second on 11/12 match points after beating Germany and Iran, respectively. Uzbekistan, China and Armenia remain unbeaten on individual boards. | Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz / FIDE

9/21/2026 – India, Uzbekistan and Germany emerged from round five with perfect 10/10 match scores after winning their clashes against fellow co-leaders. Germany defeated top seeds United States 2½–1½, with Frederik Svane (pictured) scoring the decisive win over Hans Niemann, while India beat the Netherlands and Uzbekistan swept Hungary 4–0. China and Armenia drew 2–2 and now stand one match point behind the leading group. | Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz / FIDE

9/20/2026 – The United States continued their strong start in the Women’s Chess Olympiad, reaching 15/16 individual points as ten teams are now tied for first on 8/8 match points. Alice Lee leads the Americans with a perfect 4/4, while her teammates Carissa Yip (pictured) and Tatev Abrahamyan have perfect 3/3 scores. Like Lee, five other players from the co-leading teams have also won all four of their games. Sunday’s fifth round features key clashes between the leaders. | Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz / FIDE

9/20/2026 – The leading group in the open section of the Chess Olympiad was reduced to eight teams after round four, with China, Uzbekistan, Germany and Armenia still unbeaten on every individual board. Lithuania supplied the main surprise of the day by beating Croatia 3–1. With all eight co-leaders now paired against one another, Sunday's fifth round is set to reshape the top of the standings. | Pictured: China's Wei Yi | Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE