9/25/2025 – Norway's GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen emerged victorious at the inaugural Sahel Chess Festival, held in Monastir, Tunisia, from 1 to 9 September 2025. Scoring 8½/9 in the main Open, Christiansen also won the blitz event, highlighting the high level of play at a tournament that attracted 263 participants from 11 federations. The festival, hosted at the Amir Palace Hotel, showcased Tunisia's vibrant chess scene and signalled the start of a promising new tradition in the Sahel region. | All photos: Diana Mihajlova

9/24/2025 – As is well known, chess not only offers the opportunity to play games, but also opens up further possibilities for intellectual engagement. These include composing and solving chess problems. The World Federation for Chess Composition has now published the FIDE Album 2019–2021, featuring the finest compositions and studies from this period.

9/24/2025 – Educators and enthusiasts will gather at London's Mindsports Centre on 11–12 October for a weekend dedicated to exploring chess as a tool for learning and development. Supported by FIDE and the International Olympic Committee, the event features interactive masterclasses, practical teaching resources and opportunities to connect with peers. With only 60 places available, this initiative highlights chess' role in fostering critical thinking, creativity and confidence in the classroom. No prior experience required.

9/24/2025 – The chess world is no stranger to scandals. A prominent recent controversy erupted in November 2023, when Vladimir Kramnik insinuated on his chess.com blog and in a YouTube video that Hikaru Nakamura cheated - when he scored 45.5/50 in a blitz tournament. Kramnik pointed out the statistical improbability of Nakamura's streak. But a research team, using Bayesian analysis and historical performance data, has found a 99.6% probability that Nakamura did not cheat.

9/23/2025 – Argentina's 11-year-old Faustino Oro is leading the Legends & Prodigies tournament in Madrid after scoring 6 points from his first 7 games. His victories included a crucial win over former co-leader Alan Pichot, and his performance has already secured him a first grandmaster norm. With his rating now above 2500, Oro has moved closer to becoming the youngest grandmaster in history. The event also saw Lu Miaoyi withdraw due to health issues. | Photo: Raúl Martínez

9/23/2025 – The legendary world champion and political activist has issued a warning regarding the current media crackdown in the US, comparing it to the early days of Putin's rule in Russia. Kasparov appeared for an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, and on MSNBC with Jen Psaki. You can read his article and watch the videos of his eloquent admonitions here.

9/19/2025 – Doha gets ready to welcome the participants of the world’s fastest chess tournament for a spectacular end to the year. FIDE today announced the regulations for the 2025 World Rapid and Blitz, which will be held from 25 to 30 December and feature a one million euro prize fund.

9/19/2025 – In his new Game of the Week show, Merijn van Delft takes a look at a game by Matthias Blübaum, who won the European Individual Championship in 2022 and 2025, and recently qualified for the 2026 Candidates Tournament by finishing second at the 2025 Grand Swiss in Samarkand. One of the key moments was his win with Black against Arjun Erigaisi. | Merijn's show is available on-demand with a ChessBase Premium Account. You can register a Premium account here.

9/19/2025 – Vincent Keymer needed a win in the final round of the FIDE Grand Swiss to get a spot in next year's Candidates Tournament, and faced second seed Arjun Erigaisi with black. The German star obtained a promising advantage but failed to find the precise continuation on several key moments, allowing Arjun to hold a draw. Below, Wolfram Schön analyses the critical points where Keymer could have pressed for more. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

9/18/2025 – Victor Bologan’s Chess Academy Vol. 3 & 4 offers a complete, low-maintenance repertoire for both White and Black, built on the philosophy of his legendary coach Chebanenko: focus on understanding typical pawn structures and recurring piece setups rather than memorising endless theory. For Black, Bologan recommends the universal 1…d6 system, leading to flexible Philidor-style positions against 1.e4 and solid setups against 1.d4, emphasizing resilience and strategic clarity. For White, the repertoire begins with 1.e4 followed by d3, using quiet but powerful systems like the King’s Indian Attack, Closed Sicilian ideas, and anti-Caro-Kann setups—practical approaches that avoid heavy theory while still being played successfully at the highest level.

9/18/2025 – On October 12, the U.S. Championship begins in St. Louis. Twelve of the country’s top players will compete, nine of whom also played in the Grand Swiss, which concluded on September 15 in Samarkand. Their performances there point to an interesting championship, with Abhimanyu Mishra and Andy Woodward delivering particularly notable results. | Photo: Michal Walusza/FIDE

9/18/2025 – On Friday, the FIDE Cadet World Championships will begin in Almaty (Kazakhstan) with the first round. Almost 90 countries have registered players who will compete in six age groups — U8, U10, and U12 — each with an open section and a girls’ tournament for the titles.