10/15/2026 – Sixteen-year-old Andy Woodward defeated defending champion Fabiano Caruana in round five of the US Championship to join Wesley So in the lead on 3½/5. Jeffery Xiong, Ray Robson and Abhimanyu Mishra also scored victories. In the women's tournament, Alice Lee claimed her fourth consecutive win to extend her lead to a full point. Meanwhile, Rose Atwell defeated defending champion Carissa Yip, who suffered her third loss in the event. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

10/15/2026 – This week we have a look at another masterpiece by Wei Yi he played in the 8th round of the Olympiad. With the Black pieces he came up with an aggressive setup dealing with the Keymer System (1.Nf3 d5 2.e3) and soon both kings were placed on opposite wings. With very precise play the Chinese top player managed to keep the position closed on the queenside, neutralizing all White's attacking attempts before launching an initiative on the other side of the board. In this episode, we'll have a look at some other examples on how to balance attack and defense. Make sure to check out the game Mendonca-Praggnanandhaa as well, another true modelgame form Black's perspective.

10/15/2026 – The Atyrau Masters in Kazakhstan has attracted a strong international field, with Shamsiddin Vokhidov and Leon Luke Mendonca heading the starting list. Both top seeds suffered unexpected defeats in the opening two rounds, losing to significantly lower-rated opponents. Nguyen Duc Hoa defeated Vokhidov in round one, while Sergey Sklokin-Bagiyan overcame Mendonca in round two. The nine-round Swiss tournament, part of the Kazakhstan Chess Cup, concludes on 20 October. | Photo: Kazakhstan Chess Federation

10/14/2026 – The English Chess Federation has congratulated 12-year-old chess prodigy Supratit Banerjee after his International Master title was officially approved by FIDE, making him the youngest English player to achieve the prestigious title. This is another milestone for a remarkable generation of young English chess talent that includes Britain's youngest WGM, 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan.

10/14/2026 – The 6th Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners began on 13 October with a record 140 teams from 56 countries competing across men's, women's and youth sections. Organised by FIDE and the Cook County Sheriff's Office, the three-day event continues a programme that uses chess as an educational and social tool in correctional facilities. Several teams completed the opening stage with perfect scores before advancing to the championship rounds.

10/14/2026 – FIDE is preparing changes to the regulations governing shorter classical time controls following a General Assembly resolution based on a proposal from the Icelandic Chess Federation. The FIDE Council plans to make 60+30 a standard classical control without special approval, while considering broader use of 45+30. Limits on games per day and title norms would remain, with further consultation planned before decisions on more extensive changes to classical tournament regulations. | Photo: FIDE

10/13/2026 – Fabiano Caruana defeated Ray Robson in round four of the US Championship to join Wesley So in the lead on 3/4. Awonder Liang suffered his first defeat against Jeffery Xiong, while Hans Niemann also collected a full point. In the women's tournament, Alice Lee took the sole lead by beating 13-year-old Megan Paragua, while Irina Krush scored her second victory of the event, defeating Nazi Paikidze. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

10/13/2026 – Bodhana Sivanandan made her debut in the Second Bundesliga this weekend, playing for the Hamburger SK's men's team. She is the youngest youngest player ever to play in the German Bundesliga, and the youngest WGM in history. Her score in the two games she played: 1½ points. Not bad for an 11-year-old girl. Before the matches she visited ChessBase in Hamburg and did some recordings for us.

10/13/2026 – The German Chess Bundesliga is known for its continuity. For decades, it has operated under well-established rules, although players, spectators and arbiters have not always agreed on how to apply them. A particularly curious case arose in the 1986/87 season: A match started late, raising the question of whether a grandmaster had arrived on time. What followed was a furious battle over the rules, a series of appeals, a replayed match, a relegation play-off and repeated changes to which team would be relegated. | Photo: Dr Robert Hübner playing in the Bundesliga in the 1980s (All photos courtesy of Eising and Treppner, Schachbundesliga)

10/13/2026 – Pin and win: Due to the reduced material White must convert his advantage very carefully: White to move and win.

10/13/2026 – At the Shenzhen Masters, China's leading players faced young talents. The matches were contested in a knockout format, with four rapid games per encounter. In the event of a draw, blitz tiebreaks decided the matches. Defending champion Ding Liren faced Yu Yangyi in the final match. After a lengthy battle, Yu Yangyi came out on top. | Photos: Chinese Chess Association

10/12/2026 – Fourteen-year-old Christian Gloeckler secured his second grandmaster norm at the International Autumn Tournament in Fagernes, Norway. Although the German youngster lost his final two games, this did not affect the norm he had already secured. Rinat Jumabayev, Tiger Hillarp Persson and G. B. Harshavardhan (pictured, left) shared first place with 7½/10 points each. | Photo: Anniken Vestby