7/29/2026 – From August 3 to 10, 2026, Almaty will become the center of global university chess. Kazakhstan’s largest city will host the finals of the FIDE World University Team Chess Championship, the first-ever world team championship for universities. The tournament will feature 16 university teams. Among them are institutions with centuries of academic history and deep-rooted chess traditions, such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard. | Photo: FIDE

7/29/2026 – A year ago problem composer Werner Keym issued a challenge: compose a study in which White is winning – but one that can be shifted and mirrored vertically and horizontally, with all vertically shifted and mirrored positions drawing, and all horizontally shifted and mirrored positions losing. Here is the elegant solution, which reminds us of the famous Babson task.

7/29/2026 – Team USA defeated Uzbekistan 14–10 in the WR Chess Rapid & Blitz Miami event, clinching the match with one round to spare. The Americans followed their 5–3 advantage in the rapid section by winning the blitz phase 9–7. Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov posted the highest individual scores, but the greater consistency of the US lineup proved decisive across the twelve-round contest. | Photo: Abhyudaya Ram

7/28/2026 – The Ragozin Defence is one of those opening systems that are very popular in modern tournament chess. It combines solid classical elements with dynamic ideas. For those looking for active and dynamic play against 1.d4 without taking any significant risks, Grandmaster Surya Ganguly has created a high-class Fritz trainer in "Reinventing the Ragozin". The course impresses not only with its modern repertoire against the Queen's Gambit Declined in impressive depth, but also with valuable insights into the modern opening preparation of current top players. Lukas Köpl has taken a close look at Ganguly's Fritz trainer.

7/28/2026 – WR Chess stages a USA v. Uzbekistan team event in Miami Beach on 27–28 July, bringing together ten leading grandmasters in a rapid and blitz Scheveningen format. After the first day of rapid chess, Team USA have a 5-3 lead over Uzbekistan. On Tuesday, eight rounds of blitz will decide the winner of the match. | Follow the games live starting at 19.00 CEST (13.00 ET, 22.30 IST)

7/28/2026 – In a press release, FIDE just announced that Geneva will host the 2026 FIDE World Championship match between reigning champion Gukesh Dommaraju and challenger Javokhir Sindarov from November 25 to December 15. The announcement ends months of speculation over the venue and brings the title match back to Switzerland for the first time since Kramnik and Leko met in Brissago in 2004. At just 20 years of age, Gukesh and Sindarov will contest the youngest World Championship match in chess history.

7/26/2026 – The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League returns for its fourth season, bringing the world's biggest chess stars to Bengaluru from September 3–13, 2026. With six power-packed franchises, fresh team combinations, exciting debutants and fierce rivalries, here's a complete look at every squad, their strengths and what makes this season the most anticipated yet. | Pictured: Vishy Anand with Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group

7/25/2026 – Seventy years ago, Bobby Fischer appeared on the cover of a chess magazine for the first time. The then 13-year-old had won the U.S. Junior Championship in Philadelphia in commanding fashion. Chess Life, the magazine of the United States Chess Federation, celebrated his achievement with a cover story in its 20 July 1956 issue. Roger Lorenz takes us on a short journey back in time.

7/25/2026 – San José will host the American Continental Stage of the FIDE-ISCF World Schools Team Championship from 11 to 16 August, marking the first time the event has been held in Costa Rica or Central America. School teams from across the Americas will compete for places in the Grand Final, while a parallel educational programme will include a ministerial conference, masterclasses, girls' chess activities and initiatives linked to the Year of Chess in Education.

7/25/2026 – The latest issue of ChessBase Magazine, No. 232, is once again packed with training material covering a wide range of chess topics. In his review, Lukas Köpl takes a closer look at the magazine's contents, with a particular focus on Jan Markos' article with "Practical Tips".

7/25/2026 – Michal Krasenkow gives an interview after a dramatic comeback win to talk about his turbulent game, his storied career and why he has no intention of making life easy for the Indian players chasing norms. Michal dominated the second edition of the Chola Chess Grandmaster Round Robin Tournament and won the event in style. | Photos and interview: Devansh Singh

7/24/2026 – Timur Turlov, president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and founder of Freedom Holding Corp., an international financial services and technology group, has announced his decision to run for president of the International Chess Federation, or FIDE. Viswanathan Anand, one of the world’s most accomplished grandmasters and a former world chess champion, will join Turlov’s ticket as a candidate for vice president.