7/3/2026 – The inaugural Naroditsky Memorial Rapid & Blitz is taking place in Charlotte from 3 to 5 July, combining open tournaments with elite showcase events across a three-day festival. Friday is devoted to a seven-round rapid competition, divided into Masters and Challengers sections, with a time control of 10+5. Fabiano Caruana, Javokhir Sindarov and Wesley So are the top seeds in the Masters. | Follow the games live starting at 17.00 CEST (11.00 ET, 20.30 IST)

7/3/2026 – The Super Rapid & Blitz Croatia is being held at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb from 1 to 5 July. The 10-player event sees three days of rapid chess (single round-robin) followed by two days of blitz (double round-robin). A young, stellar lineup features, among others, world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, Vincent Keymer and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Follow the games live starting at 15.00 CEST (9.00 ET, 18.30 IST) | Photo: Lennart Ootes

6/27/2026 – Bilel Bellahcene and Shahenda Wafa won the African Chess Championship titles in Jwaneng, Botswana, both prevailing on tiebreaks after close finishes. Bellahcene defended his open title after sharing first place with Bassem Amin on 7½/9, while Wafa claimed her fourth continental crown after tying with her sister Shrook in the women's section. Banele Mhango and Sasha Mongeli completed the podiums with bronze-medal performances. | Photos: African Chess Confederation

6/25/2026 – The World Youth Chess Championships 2026 are taking place in Montesilvano, Italy, from 14 to 27 June. Organised by FIDE, the Italian Chess Federation and UniChess, the event features under-14, under-16 and under-18 sections, with open and girls' tournaments in each category. With two rounds to go at the 11-round Swiss opens taking place at the Congress Center Pala Dean Martin, we bring a collection of photos from the multitudinous event. | Pictured: Jiang Tianyu from China | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

6/24/2026 – Wadim Rosenstein is currently organising a Chess World Tour with his company WR Chess. Following the Women's Chess Tour in Tokyo and Magnus Carlsen's appearance at the ASEAN E-Sports Chess Cup in Bangkok, the WR Chess Group is now making a stop in Lima, Peru, with the World Record Chess Marathon. Eight events will be held over four days.

6/21/2026 – The World Team Blitz Chess Championship is taking place on 20-21 June in Hong Kong. The tournament consists of a pool stage, with the 48 teams divided in 4 groups of 12, followed by a knockout stage with the top 16 teams. Elite GMs Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and Viswanathan Anand, alongside female superstars Ju Wenjun, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Alexandra Kosteniuk are among the participants. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 8.00 CEST (2.00 ET, 11.30 IST) | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

6/15/2026 – The third edition of the UzChess Cup is taking place on 7-15 June in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Four Uzbek representatives face six international grandmasters in a single round-robin with a classical time control. Shamsiddin Vokhidov and Mukhiddin Madaminov are tied for first place after seven rounds. | Photo: Official website | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 12.00 CEST (6.00 ET, 15.30 IST)

6/5/2026 – The 14th edition of the Norway Chess super-tournament is taking place from 25 May to 5 June at Deichman Bjorvika in Oslo. An open event and a women's event are being played concurrently with an identical number of players, the same format and an equivalent prize fund. Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Alireza Firouzja enter the final round with chances to take the title. Key pairings: Firouzja v. So and Pragg v. Keymer. | Follow the games live starting at 17.00 CEST (11.00 ET, 20.30 IST) | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

6/5/2026 – The 25th edition of the European Women's Chess Championship is taking place from 25 May to 5 June in the Georgian city of Batumi. The tournament is played over 11 rounds using the Swiss system. More than 150 players from 32 European federations have registered to participate. Ten players have an Elo rating above 2400. | Follow the games live starting at 11.00 CEST (5.00 ET, 14.30 IST) | Pictured: Adhara Rodríguez | Photo: European Chess Union

5/27/2026 – After two rounds, as many as 18 players remain on a perfect 2/2 score and share the lead at the European Women’s Championship in Batumi, Georgia. But some of the favourites stumbled. Second seed IM Yuliia Osmak of Ukraine (2451) lost to Germany’s Charis Peglau (2238), while England’s Bodhana Sivanandan (2374, pictured) lost a theoretical battle against Switzerland’s Sofiia Hryzlova. | Photo: Tournament page

5/23/2026 – The second event of the 2026 Grand Chess Tour is the Super Chess Classic Romania, which is taking place on 14-23 May in Bucharest. Vincent Keymer and Fabiano Caruana enter the final round tied for first place, while Javokhir Sindarov, Wesley So and Jorden van Foreest stand a half point back and still have chances of taking the title. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting two hours earlier than usual, at 13.00 CEST (7.00 ET, 16.30 IST) | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/20/2026 – Alireza Firouzja withdrew from the Grand Chess Tour tournament in Bucharest and said: "Unfortunately, due to an ankle injury sustained during the event, I have decided to withdraw from the tournament. Thank you to the organizers for their support and accommodations, and thank you to everyone following the games. I wish the players and organizers the best for the rest of the tournament." | Photos: Lennart Ootes

5/14/2026 – Four days, thousands of rapid and blitz chess games, international and national participants such as Maghsoodloo, Pranav and Blohberger - the 2026 Grand Prix at PlusCity in the Austrian town of Pasching is once again set to become one of Europe's biggest chess festivals. Anyone who wants not only to think chess, but to experience it, should be there in person and enjoy the chess atmosphere at the Austrian National Championships. | Photos: Official website

5/9/2026 – Kicking off the 2026 Grand Chess Tour is the Super Rapid & Blitz Poland, the first of three speed chess events, which is taking place on 5-9 May in Warsaw. Ahead of the final day of action, Hans Niemann is the sole leader, with Wesley So standing close behind, at a mere half-point distance. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 12.00 CEST (6.00 ET, 15.30 IST) | Photo: Lennart Ootes

5/8/2026 – Recently we had the remarkable British rapid chess champion Bodhana Sivanandan, 11 years old, for a visit. Now we learn that English chess has found another primary school super-talent: nine-year-old Kayal Vijay, from Hertfordshire, triumphed at the 2026 European School Chess Championships in Croatia. The two London schoolgirls have something in common: Indian heritage.

5/7/2026 – The TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament is taking place on 1–7 May in Malmö, Sweden. World number one Magnus Carlsen heads the field, as he faces ambitious opposition that includes Tata Steel Masters winner Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun Erigaisi and rising star Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, who recently became the youngest player to ever cross the 2700 rating mark. The event is an eight-player single round-robin. Follow the games live starting at 15.00 CEST (9.00 ET, 18.30 IST) | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website

4/30/2026 – Recent events, including the Candidates and the European Championship, have significantly reshaped the FIDE Circuit standings. Nodirbek Abdusattorov remains in front, but Javokhir Sindarov has closed the gap, while Anish Giri and Fabiano Caruana have moved into the top ten. In the women's circuit, Vaishali Rameshbabu now leads after her Candidates victory, with several new contenders rising in the rankings. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/26/2026 – The 2025/26 Chess Bundesliga season concludes with three rounds in Berlin from 24 to 26 April. SC Viernheim secured overall victory with a round to spare. Baden-Baden and Wolfhagen enter the final round tied for third place. | Follow the action live starting at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST)