4/30/2026 – Recent events, including the Candidates and the European Championship, have significantly reshaped the FIDE Circuit standings. Nodirbek Abdusattorov remains in front, but Javokhir Sindarov has closed the gap, while Anish Giri and Fabiano Caruana have moved into the top ten. In the women's circuit, Vaishali Rameshbabu now leads after her Candidates victory, with several new contenders rising in the rankings. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/29/2026 – Changes to the 2026 lineup of the Grand Chess Tour have been confirmed ahead of the opening events in May. Gukesh Dommaraju has withdrawn from the full tour schedule, with Javokhir Sindarov stepping in as his replacement - though the two upcoming World Championship contenders will still meet at the first leg in Poland. Levon Aronian will miss the Bucharest event due to illness, with Jorden van Foreest (pictured) stepping in as tour regular. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde

4/29/2026 – This time a very spectacular attack for Black in the Sicilian Rossolimo with 3...e6. In the game Ljepic-Anton Guijarro from the European Individual Championships in Katowice the players were following the opening theory for quite some time. White's plan of expanding on the queenside was nicely met by a powerful bishop sacrifice on h2, offering Black two pawns for the piece. Although objectively speaking White's position was still OK, from a practical perspective it seemed pretty difficult for him to navigate these complications, as Black's pawncentre dominated the board and prevented White from activating its forces. A true modelgame how to play against the Rossolimo and an inspiring performance for all of us seeing the uselessness of White's extra rook.

4/29/2026 – This episode explains how to use the quick access toolbar in ChessBase to manage game notation more efficiently. It shows how to handle variations, delete or hide moves, and quickly add comments, diagrams, and evaluation symbols.

4/29/2026 – The chess pieces for the 2026 Candidates have only just been put back in their boxes, but I am getting in early to preview the Gukesh-Sindarov match by looking at their previous classical encounters. There are only three of them, but they were all thrilling affairs. | Free for all to watch. All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer.

4/29/2026 – The World Senior Team Championship 2026 has concluded in Durrës, with USA 1 securing the 50+ title after drawing their final match, while Italy and Kazakhstan completed the podium. In the 65+ section, Germany – Lasker claimed gold ahead of Italy, with Iceland taking bronze on tiebreaks. The women's standings were led by USA Women and the FIDE Women's Team respectively, following closely contested tournaments across both categories. | Pictured: Artur Yusupov (top board for Germany-Lasker in the 65+ section) | Photo: International Senior Chess Events

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

4/24/2026 – This weekend KCF Academy subscribers will have the opportunity to meet the extraordinary Peter Svidler during a regular live Sunday session. Don't miss this unique opportunity to enhance your chess understanding with insights from a true chess legend and get an expert's take on the just-concluded 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament. Add to Your Calendar: Sunday, April 26, 2026, 17:00 CET.

4/24/2026 – Four players remain unbeaten after the opening day of the Chess.com Open Playoffs, with Magnus Carlsen, Denis Lazavik, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Nihal Sarin progressing through the Winners Bracket. Several close matches and multiple Armageddon deciders marked the early rounds, while eight players dropped into the Losers Bracket and four were eliminated, including new World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde