4/27/2026 – "I was intrigued to see the list of the youngest players to reach the top ten," said chess statistician Jeff Sonas. "As the article states, my monthly Chessmetrics historical ratings are indeed unofficial, but being able to look further back, more than a century before FIDE Elo ratings started, certainly does help to place the modern FIDE-rated players into a historical context for comparisons like this." Here is Jeff's historical data.

4/27/2026 – He is one of the most remarkable figures in the world of chess. Born in a rural village in British India, and receiving only rudimentary schooling, Sultan Khan became very adept at the game. When he moved to England he won numerous prestigeous tournaments, and beat the likes of U.S. Champion Marshall and World Champion Capablanca. A new book by his oldest son and his granddaughter is due for release in July. We had a preview. | All pictures shown courtesy of chesshistory.com.

4/27/2026 – Magnus Carlsen won the Chess.com Open after overcoming Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the Grand Final, despite losing the initial match and being taken to a Reset. Duda, playing on his 28th birthday, forced a decider with a 2½–½ victory but could not maintain the momentum. Carlsen, who competed throughout the event using a tablet, secured the title in the final two-game match, with both players qualifying for the Esports World Cup. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/26/2026 – SC Viernheim completed the 2025/26 Chess Bundesliga season with a perfect record, winning all fifteen matches to secure the title on 30/30 match points. The team finished 7 match points ahead of OSG Baden-Baden and Sfr. Wolfhagen. Baden-Baden took second place thanks to their superior tiebreak score (board points). Consistent performances across the lineup, including a leading score by Bassem Amin, underpinned Viernheim's second championship success in three seasons. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/26/2026 – The Chess.com Open Playoffs, running from 23 to 26 April, offer a direct route to the Esports World Cup, with up to three qualification places at stake. Leading grandmasters contest a double-elimination playoff bracket in a rapid format (10+0) with Armageddon tiebreaks deciding drawn matches. Magnus Carlsen and Jan-Krzysztof Duda face off in Sunday's Grand Final. | Follow the games live starting at 17.15 CEST (11.15 ET, 20.45 IST)

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)

4/26/2026 – Have you admired how beautifully the authors colour fields and insert arrows in the ChessBase videos? Would you like to be able to do the same? In this tutorial series, we show you how you can improve your own analyses in ChessBase´26 with clear graphical elements.

4/25/2026 – In Barcelona and across Catalonia, chess is being integrated into public education as a tool for learning and inclusion. Schools such as Escola Jaume Balmes and Escola Ramon y Cajal use the game to teach subjects ranging from mathematics to language, while also helping students from diverse backgrounds connect. Supported by educators and institutions, the initiative demonstrates how chess can foster engagement, participation and personal development in the classroom. | Photo: KNZO Photography

4/25/2026 – Zachary’s journey is a remarkable rise from a small content creator to the face behind the YouTube channel thechessnerd, now with over 227,000 subscribers, and a presenter for FIDE, hosting press conferences at the 2026 Candidates Tournament. He began in 2019 at just 18 years old, uploading chess videos, and saw explosive growth during the pandemic as his content reached a global audience. Alongside this, his playing strength climbed from 1680 Elo in 2016 to over 2100 within a decade. So how did he make the leap from creator to official FIDE presenter, and how did his chess level improve? In this interview with Arne Kaehler, he shares the full story.

4/25/2026 – Magnus Carlsen reached the Grand Final of the Chess.com Open after two closely contested 3–2 victories over Denis Lazavik and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Despite falling short, Duda secured qualification for the Esports World Cup by reaching the Winners Final. In the Losers Bracket, Sina Movahed and Nodirbek Abdusattorov advanced with two wins each, while six players were eliminated as the field narrowed further ahead of the final two days of action. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/25/2026 – The two-part FritzTrainer series "King’s Indian – A Complete Repertoire for Black" by Grandmaster Felix Blohberger is devoted to one of the most dynamic and at the same time complex openings in modern chess: the King’s Indian Defence. Lukas Köpl examines the series with regard to its structure, content, didactic quality and practical relevance.

4/25/2026 – SC Viernheim extended their lead in the 2025/26 Chess Bundesliga with a narrow win over Sfr. Wolfhagen in round thirteen, while OSG Baden-Baden were held to a draw by Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied. The results leave Viernheim four match points clear of Baden-Baden with two rounds remaining. A draw in Saturday's direct encounter with Baden-Baden would be sufficient for the leaders to secure the title. | Pictured: 14-year-old Turkish prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (Viernheim) | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde