3/16/2022 – FIDE has followed the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee and excluded the teams of Russia and Belarus from participating in all official FIDE tournaments.

3/16/2022 – From 11 to 13 March the Romanian Rapid, Blitz and Solving Championships took place in Bucharest, at the "Pentagon Events" venue and attracted a record number of 212 participants, 163 in the Open section and 49 in the Women’s section. Irina Bulmaga (pictured), who won the Solving and the Rapid event, reports. | Teaser Photo: David Llada > All other photos: Florin Ardelean / We Love Sport

3/16/2022 – The “Chess for Mental Health” international event was held on 9 March 2022 in Paris. According to the speakers, many recent studies have already highlighted the benefits of playing chess to support the development of children with autism spectrum disorders, the DYS (dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia) or attention and hyperactivity disorders.

3/16/2022 – The FIDE Council has approved today the bid presented by the All India Chess Federation (AICF) to host the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, the capital of the Tamil Nadu state. The exact schedule is still being discussed and will be announced in the coming days, but the event will take place between the end of July and the beginning of August, not very far off from the dates originally planned.

3/15/2022 – The $1.6 million Meltwater Champions Chess Tour will dedicate its next stage to fundraising for the victims of the war in Ukraine, it was announced today. The Charity Cup, starting March 19, will be the second leg of the world’s most prestigious elite online chess event.

3/15/2022 – In his "Weekly Show" Lawrence Trent will look at the final of the Howell-Grandelius match (game 8 being the feature game for the show) as well as the final of the FIDE Grand Prix. Lawrence will also discuss the implications of Richard Rapport’s victory. | Lawrence’s show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here

3/15/2022 – The American magazine "Mother Jones", seven times winner of the "Magazine of the Year" award from the American Society of Magazine Editors, just published interviews with 36 prominent personalities from the world of chess about the war in Ukraine. One of them is FIDE President and former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who spoke out against the war: "My thoughts are with Ukrainian civilians. ... Wars do not just kill priceless lives. Wars kill hopes and aspirations, freeze or destroy relationships and connections." | Photo: David Llada

3/15/2022 – With 6.5/9 (four wins, five draws, no loss) Sanan Sjugirov concinvingly won a strong Grandmaster tournament in Belgrade that was played in parallel to the FIDE Grand Prix. Nihal Sarin, Velimir Ivic and Nodirbek Abdusattorov shared places two to four with 5.5/9 each. | Photos: Tournament page

3/15/2022 – In the diagrammed position Black is an exchange up but both sides have dangerous passed pawns. What should Black do to make his passed pawn on the g-file more dangerous than White's passed pawn on the b-file?

3/15/2022 – In London, a match facing David Howell and Nils Grandelius was held at the residence of the Swedish Ambassador. The occasion was the 30th anniversary of Chess & Bridge. The 10-game confrontation was won by Howell. Three games ended decisively, and all of them had plenty to offer chess-wise. | Photo: Chess & Bridge

3/14/2022 – Sipke and Karsten look at recent endgames and analyse three endgames of Sipke. In one of these endgames he had two minor pieces against a rook and won in style. | You can watch the Endgame Magic Show on-demand with a ChessBase Premium account.

3/14/2022 – Cobicistat is a drug that was originally devised for HIV/AIDS therapy. Now a new study shows that it can inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 – which would mean we could have a powerful therapeutical drug against Covid-19. Very encouraging news – but why are we reporting this on a chess news page? Because one of the virologists working on the project happens to be a chess grandmaster. Here's his story. | Photos Lara Gallucci.