8/29/2026 – Chess has been introduced into the school curriculum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with students in Grades 7, 8 and 9 now set to learn the game through a structured educational programme. Developed by Khanzad Chess Club in cooperation with the regional Ministry of Education and supported by the Iraqi Chess Federation, the initiative includes dedicated teaching materials and training for 150 Physical Education teachers in Erbil. | Photos: FIDE

8/29/2026 – The Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot will take place in Budapest from 10 to 21 November, bringing together an elite field led by Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer and Wesley So. Created by Norway Chess and approved by FIDE, the event will test players across Fast Classic, Rapid and Blitz formats. The Budapest pilot will serve as the first step towards a multi-city tour launching in 2027. | Photo: FIDE

8/28/2026 – Alan Pichot and Marta García Martín won the 2026 Spanish Absolute and Women's Chess Championships in Linares. Pichot, born in Argentina, claimed his first Spanish title after defeating Alex Villa Tornero in the final round to win the tournament outright on 7½/9. Daniil Yuffa took silver on tiebreaks ahead of Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli. In the women's standings, García defended her title with 6/9, ahead of Sabrina Vega and Adhara Rodríguez Redondo. | Photo: Spanish Chess Federation

8/27/2026 – Levy Rozman, known online as GothamChess, has joined BASILISK as Head of Chess, taking charge of the organisation's global chess content strategy and long-term competitive plans. Rozman brings a large online audience and joins a chess roster that already includes Vincent Keymer and Anish Giri. BASILISK, which presents itself as an esports organisation for science-minded gaming communities, says the appointment will expand its reach and support new chess-related initiatives. | Photo: BASILISK

8/23/2026 – Indian grandmasters Vidit Gujrathi and Divya Deshmukh have been named among the 17 recipients of the Arjuna Award for 2025, India's second-highest sporting honour. The National Sports Awards were announced on 18 August 2026 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Divya's selection follows her victory at the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup, while Vidit is recognised for his sustained contribution to Indian chess. | Photo: FIDE

8/22/2026 – FIDE has opened nominations for the Svetozar Gligoric Trophy 2026, an award recognising exemplary fair play and sportsmanship in chess. Candidates will be assessed for actions or initiatives carried out between September 2024 and September 2026, including gestures of sportsmanship, promotion of fair play values and support for integrity in the game. Nominations must be submitted by 10 September, with the award ceremony to take place during the Samarkand Olympiad.

8/21/2026 – Ukrainian grandmaster Vereslav Eingorn has died at the age of 69. A leading figure in Soviet chess during the 1980s, he won three USSR Championship bronze medals, qualified for the 1987 Zagreb Interzonal and later represented Ukraine at team events, including the 2000 Olympiad and the 2001 World Team Championship. Eingorn also became a respected coach and author, guiding Ukraine's women's team to Olympiad gold in 2006.

8/19/2026 – Étienne Bacrot and Sophie Milliet were crowned French chess champions, winning their ninth and seventh national titles, respectively. The 2026 edition of the French Championship took place from August 7 to 16 in Vichy and featured 16-player knockout competitions in the Open and Women’s sections, as well as several side Swiss tournaments. In the main events, if a match was tied after two classical games, a 2-game rapid tiebreak (15+10) was played, followed by a 2-game blitz tiebreak (5+3) and an Armageddon game if necessary. | All photos: Ambrose Ducable

8/17/2026 – Saco Oliveros de Lince won the American Continental Stage of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship in San José, finishing unbeaten on 15/16 match points. Harvest Park Middle School from the United States and Crescent Heights Academy from Canada took second and third, with all three teams qualifying for the Grand Final in December. The closing day also featured board prizes, perfect individual scores and final side events for the young players. | Photos: ISCF, Arlan Olzhabay

8/14/2026 – While the first moves were being made at the World Schools Team Championship in Costa Rica, a second conversation was taking place a short distance away. At the Cariari Country Club in Heredia, ministers of education and sport, government officials, federation presidents and school leaders from across the Americas gathered for “Smart Moves Americas: Governments That Think Ahead”, the ISCF and CCA conference on chess as public policy.

8/12/2026 – Freestyle Chess and FIDE have confirmed the remaining qualification path for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship, with three places still available in both the open and women's fields. Spots will be decided through the second part of the Freestyle Friday Championship and online qualifiers in November 2026 and January 2027. Five players have already qualified for each section, with the final lineups to be completed by 7 January.

8/11/2026 – From 11 to 16 August, school teams from across the Americas will compete in San José, Costa Rica, for places in the FIDE-ISCF World Schools Team Championship Finals. The continental stage, held in Central America for the first time, will also feature a ministerial conference on chess in education. Freedom Holding Corp. is the event's General Partner.

8/10/2026 – Ural State Mining University has been crowned champion of the inaugural FIDE World University Team Championship Finals, defeating Saint Louis University in Sunday's final in Almaty. The final day of competition brought the championship down to its two decisive encounters: Ural State Mining University against Saint Louis University for the title and Kazakh National University of Sports against The University of Texas at Dallas for third place.

8/10/2026 – Shreyas Royal and Bodhana Sivanandan claimed the main titles at the 2026 British Chess Championships in Coventry, bringing the largest edition in the event's history to a record-breaking conclusion. Royal, 17, won his first overall British title after finishing ahead of Luke McShane and Michael Adams, while 11-year-old Sivanandan became Britain's youngest-ever women's champion after defeating Trisha Kanyamarala in a rapid playoff. | Photos: Yury Krylov

8/9/2026 – One of the world's strongest women's super-tournaments returns to Saint Louis this summer as the 2026 Cairns Cup welcomes ten of the world's top women chess players to compete for a $250,000 prize fund - one of the largest in women's chess. The tournament will take place on 10-19 August at the recently expanded Saint Louis Chess Club (STLCC), where it will run alongside the prestigious Sinquefield Cup, creating one of the world's premier showcases of elite chess. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club

8/9/2026 – Following three days of group-stage competition and Friday's quarterfinals of the inaugural FIDE World University Team Championship, the original field of sixteen universities had been reduced to four: Kazakh National University of Sports (KNUS), Ural State Mining University, Saint Louis University, and The University of Texas at Dallas. On Saturday, the finalists were confirmed: Saint Louis University and Ural State Mining University.

8/8/2026 – Day four of the FIDE World University Team Championship Finals began away from the chessboard, as participants traded the playing hall for the mountains surrounding Almaty. Before the start of the quarterfinals, players had an opportunity to visit Shymbulak, one of the city’s best-known mountain destinations. After three intense days of group-stage competition, the morning excursion gave the students a chance to experience another side of Almaty and spend time together before returning to the tournament venue for the start of the knockout stage. A few hours later, attention turned firmly back to chess.

8/7/2026 – The group stage of the inaugural FIDE World University Team Championship Finals came to an exciting conclusion on Thursday in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with the eight quarterfinalists now confirmed after three days of intense competition. With all sixteen participating universities in action for the final time, the last rounds determined which teams would continue their quest for the inaugural title and which would conclude their championship journey.