5/14/2020 – In a press release World Champion Magnus Carlsen today revealed his $1 million vision for a new online chess tour designed to cement the game’s future in the public eye. Four super-tournaments culminating in a Grand Final in August will become the new "majors" for online chess, the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour. It follows the breakout success of the Magnus Carlsen Invitational which shattered all records for online viewership and now serves as the first leg of the Tour. Carlsen believes carrying the momentum into an online Tour presents the opportunity to establish chess permanently as a mass media sport.

5/8/2020 – China and Europe won both their Thursday games and are now in clear first and second places respectively at the FIDE chess.com Nations Cup. With four rounds to go, the United States and especially Russia need to rack up a streak of good results if they want to reach Sunday's final. India and Rest of the World are having a tough time in the online event. | Pictured: Ding Liren and Wei Yi. | Photos: FIDE / Amruta Mokal

2/7/2020 – The Chinese grandmaster is healthy, but the virus' spread has forced the cancellation of many international flights and, for the second year running, Wei Yi has had to pull out of the Prague Masters just days in advance. He will be replaced by the current top junior in the world, GM Alireza Firouzja from Iran, who now lives in France. An open question is whether the Coronavirus outbreak may impact other top Chinese players heading for next month's Candiates Tournament in Russia. | Photo: Niki Riga

12/23/2019 – A draw in the second game of the Jerusalem Grand Prix Final gave Ian Nepomniachtchi tournament victory and secured him a spot in next year's Candidates Tournament. Wei Yi managed to mix things up with the black pieces, only to get an inferior position which came to a close when a draw by repetition was agreed. The one remaining spot in the Candidates still up for grabs is the organizer's wildcard, and the Russian Chess Federation will more than likely grant it to Kirill Alekseenko. | Photos: Niki Riga

12/22/2019 – Game one of the final in Jerusalem favoured Ian Nepomniachtchi, who won a 96-move game with the black pieces after Wei Yi declined to force a draw by repetition in the middlegame. Nepomniachtchi now only needs a draw in the second classical game to reach the Candidates Tournament, leaving Maxime Vachier-Lagrave out of the race to challenge Magnus Carlsen in the next World Championship match. | Photo: Niki Riga

12/20/2019 – Have you ever heard the advice, "while solving positions in your practice sessions, don't think for more than 20 minutes!"? The logic is that usually in practical games we do not spend more than 20 minutes for any move or decision, so we shouldn't be spending too much time when training either. But now and then comes a moment when, in a tournament game, an elite GM digs down deep and thinks for over 30 minutes! In Wei Yi vs Sergey Karjakin at the Jerusalem Grand Prix 2019, we saw the young Chinese GM 'in the tank' for 35 minutes! IM SAGAR SHAH tries to decode his thought process!

12/20/2019 – Wei Yi will face Ian Nepomniachtchi in the final of the Jerusalem Grand Prix. The 20-year-old from China defeated David Navara in game two of tiebreaks after having split the point in a lengthy first encounter of the day. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and his fans will be following the final closely, as the French grandmaster will be granted a spot in the Candidates if Wei Yi gets match victory. | Photo: Niki Riga

12/19/2019 – Ian Nepomniachtchi drew Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in their semi-final rematch encounter to reach the final of the Jerusalem Grand Prix. The Russian is now one match win away from securing a spot in the Candidates, as Vachier-Lagrave is still leading the overall standings of the Grand Prix by a single point. David Navara and Wei Yi signed another draw, which means the winner will be decided in tiebreaks. | Photo: Niki Riga

12/18/2019 – Ian Nepomniachtchi obtained a crucial victory over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in their first encounter of the semi-finals in Jerusalem. The Russian needs a draw to reach the final and get a step closer to next year's Candidates Tournament. For Vachier-Lagrave, this surely brings back bad memories, as he fell just short of qualification in the previous cycle. Meanwhile, Wei Yi and David Navara signed a 52-move draw. | Photo: Niki Riga

12/17/2019 – Two of the three players that arrived in Jerusalem as favourites to get the remaining spot in the Candidates will face-off in the semi-finals. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave went through by defeating Wesley So and Dmitry Andreikin in the first pair of rapid games during Monday's tiebreakers. The other winner of the day was Wei Yi, who knocked out Sergey Karjakin. | Photo: Niki Riga

12/15/2019 – The first classical games of the quarter-finals at the FIDE Grand Prix in Jerusalem all ended in short draws. The longest game of the day lasted 23 moves and a little over an hour and a half. In the key encounter between Wesley So and Ian Nepomniachtchi, it was the American who conceded a draw with the white pieces. | Photo: Niki Riga