6/2/2026 – A match between Hans Niemann and Ian Nepomniachtchi was held in Belgrade from 29 May to 1 June. The confrontation ended in a 4–4 draw. The Russian GM took the lead in the first encounter, and after six drawn games, Niemann levelled the score in the final contest. | Photo: Ljubomir Ljubojevic playing the honorary first move / Endgame AI on X

6/2/2026 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world's best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?

6/2/2026 – Bibisara Assaubayeva extended her lead at Norway Chess Women with a classical win over Zhu Jiner, her second three-pointer of the event. Divya Deshmukh missed a chance to keep pace in classical play against Humpy Koneru but won the Armageddon decider, while Anna Muzychuk defeated Ju Wenjun in the tiebreak to move into sole third place. Assubayeva is set to face second-placed Deshmukh in round eight. | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

6/2/2026 – On the top board in round seven of the 2026 European Women's Championship in Batumi, 2023 European Champion Meri Arabidze (pictured left) defeated 15-year-old Anastasiia Hnatyshyn, bringing the Ukrainian youngster's winning streak to an end. With the victory, Arabidze caught up with Hnatyshyn in the standings. The third co-leader is Sabrina Vega Gutierrez, who defeated Ulviyya Fataliyeva. | Photos: European Chess Union

6/2/2026 – There has been some movement at the top of the world rankings. Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana both lost rating points at the Candidates Tournament. As Nakamura's losses were more significant, both players dropped below the 2800 mark. In May, however, Caruana gained four rating points and caught up with Nakamura. As a result, Caruana is now listed in second place, with Nakamura in third. Magnus Carlsen, meanwhile, is currently competing in Norway, where one of his goals is to avoid losing rating points. He remains the clear world number one. Players ranked fourth through seventh are Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vincent Keymer and Anish Giri. Hou Yifan remains the world's top-ranked female player, while World Champion Gukesh is the highest-rated player in the U20 category. Anna Shukhman is the new number one among the girls.

6/2/2026 – Counterplay counts: Queen and knight can often drum up a dangerous attack: White to move and draw.

5/30/2026 – What do a teenage endgame played almost blindfolded (in every sense) in 1977 and a 239-move grandmaster game from the Czech Extraliga in 2016 have in common? In Part 6 of this series, Valery Golubenko combines personal memory, endgame tablebases, and hard logic to show how easily won positions can turn into marathon absurdities – and why some “record” games may owe their length not to difficulty, but to something far more human.

5/30/2026 – Anastasiia Hnatyshyn took the sole lead at the European Women's Championship in Batumi after defeating Elmira Mirzoeva to reach 5/5. The 15-year-old Ukrainian WFM, seeded 76th in the 165-player field, has now scored four consecutive upset wins. Oliwia Kiolbasa from Poland and Gulenay Aydin from Türkiye stand half a point behind, while an 11-player group on 4/5 includes Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Anna Ushenina and Meri Arabidze. | Photo: European Chess Union

5/29/2026 – Eight teams have qualified online for the final stage of the 2026 FIDE World University Team Championship, which will be held in Almaty from 4 to 9 August. They will be joined by eight wildcard entries in a 16-team over-the-board final. The event will feature a group stage followed by knockouts, with the winners earning the FIDE World University Team Champion title and a €25,000 first prize.

5/29/2026 – The new CBM Extra 231 features three repertoire ideas for 1.e4 players in video format: Nico Zwirs examines side lines in the Petroff that were tested at the 2026 Candidates Tournament. Robert Ris presents a concept against the popular 3...c5 in the Caro-Kann Advance Variation. And in the “Special”, Fiona Sieber presents a surprise weapon against the Najdorf in a short video series. Plus the “Lucky Bag” with 40 analyses by Surya Ganguly, Erwin l’Ami, Nikita Vitugov and many more. Tip: With a subscription, you pay just €9.17 per issue for CBM Extra (instead of €14.90 for a single issue)!

5/29/2026 – Bibisara Assaubayeva has a 1½-point lead at Norway Chess Women going into the rest day after drawing her classical game against Ju Wenjun and then winning the Armageddon decider. All three classical games in round four were drawn, with Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner also prevailing in the tiebreaks. Assaubayeva's first-round win remains the tournament's only decisive classical result so far. | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

5/29/2026 – Elmira Mirzoeva (pictured left) of England tops the standings after four rounds of the 2026 European Women’s Championship in Batumi. She shares first place with 15-year-old Ukrainian Anastasia Hnatyshyn. Seeded 53rd and 76th respectively, the two surprise leaders are half a point ahead of the next four players. Another half point behind them is a large chasing group of 29 players. | Photo: European Chess Union