9/18/2026 – Poland won the 3rd FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities in Samarkand after finishing unbeaten on 13 match points, ahead of Cuba and hosts Uzbekistan 1. The final round saw Poland defeat the Philippines 3½–½ to secure gold. The event featured a record 41 teams and was staged alongside the main FIDE Chess Olympiad for the first time. | Photos: Mark Livshitz and Rafal Oleksiewicz

9/16/2026 – FIDE Press Officer Michael Rahal writes: "By now, I have attended my fair share of opening and closing ceremonies: Grand Prix events, several World Cups and Olympiads, and even the opening and closing ceremonies of the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. But none of them comes remotely close to what the chess community witnessed this evening in Samarkand, Uzbekistan." Here's what impressed him so.

9/15/2026 – Georgios Makropoulos, FIDE Vice President and a longstanding figure in Greek and international chess, has died at the age of 72. A seven-time Greek champion and former Olympiad player, Makropoulos later became one of the most prominent administrators in the game. He served in senior FIDE roles for four decades and also played a central part in Greek chess, including helping bring the 1984 and 1988 Chess Olympiads to Thessaloniki.

9/14/2026 – FIDE is pleased to announce the regulations for the Salesforce FIDE World Championship Match 2026, confirming the venue, format, schedule, and prize distribution for the meeting between reigning World Champion Grandmaster Gukesh D and his challenger, Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov. The match will be held at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny, Geneva, Switzerland, from 22 November to 13 December 2026, bringing a World Championship match back to Switzerland for the first time since Brissago in 2004.

9/14/2026 – For centuries, Samarkand stood at the crossroads of civilisations. Merchants, scholars and travellers crossed the ancient Silk Road, carrying ideas and cultures from one part of the world to another. Now, another kind of journey will bring the world to the legendary city: 400 chess teams from across the globe will gather for the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad.

9/13/2026 – It is the biggest contract in FIDE's history with a private entity: Salesforce is becoming the title sponsor and technological partner of the International Chess Federation. The partnership brings the Agentforce 360 portfolio, including Slack, to the world’s largest chess events and forums, powering real-time player rankings and AI-driven fan experiences for over 800 million global fans. Press release.

9/3/2026 – ChessCare.com, a new player management agency dedicated to professional chess players, has been launched by grandmaster Sebastian Siebrecht and marketing expert Oliver von Wersch. The agency will offer services covering career planning, contracts, travel logistics, sponsorship, communications and talent development. Its stated aim is to support players as the chess world becomes increasingly professional, allowing them to focus more fully on competition while receiving structured commercial and operational support.

9/2/2026 – FIDE and World Chess have submitted an application to ICANN for .chess, a proposed top-level domain intended to provide the chess community with a dedicated and verified online space. Filed as a community application on behalf of FIDE, the project would give federations, clubs, organisers, platforms, media and players recognisable chess-specific domains if approved. Registration will open only after ICANN's review, with an early-access list already available.

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.