8/5/2026 – "Playmakers on the chessboard" was the title of the high-profile blitz tournament used to determine the tie-break standings in the women's event. Song Yuxin won ahead of Nataliya Buksa and Klaudia Kulon. Dinara Wagner had to settle for fourth place. In the A Open, defending champion Matthias Bluebaum conceded his first half-point against IM Yu Tian Poh. The young German IM Luka Schwitkowski could have taken the outright lead after a strong game, but eventually lost a theoretically drawn endgame. As a result, his opponent Amilal Munkhdalai is the sole leader after four rounds. | Photos: Dariusz Gorzinski / Nils Rohde

8/5/2026 – Svyatoslav Bazakutsa took sole possession of the lead at the British Chess Championship after defeating nine-time champion Michael Adams in round four. The 18-year-old Ukrainian now has a perfect 4/4, half a point ahead of a five-player chasing group. Among them is 11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan, who continued her strong start by beating fifth seed Ameet Ghasi with the black pieces. | Photo: Yury Krylov

8/5/2026 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu finished the rapid section of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz in first place with 12/18 points, despite losing to Jorden van Foreest in the final round. Javokhir Sindarov trails by one point, with Wesley So another point behind. Praggnanandhaa recorded four wins, four draws and one defeat across nine rounds, while also entering the top ten of the live rapid world rankings for the first time in his career. | Photo: Crystal Fuller / Grand Chess Tour

8/5/2026 – ... as the Inaugural FIDE World University Team Chess Championship gets underway, bringing together university teams from across the globe for the first-ever edition of the competition. Hosted by Al-Farabi Kazakh National University as part of FIDE's Year of Chess in Education 2026, the championship celebrates not only sporting excellence, but also the growing role of chess in higher education.

8/4/2026 – Dear chess friends! We’ve got another great offer for you: this week (until August 9th, 2026), you can get over 25% off all Fritz Trainer courses by Ivan Sokolov!

8/4/2026 – Do you know the feeling? You often come out of the opening with a promising position, only to struggle to convert your advantage because you do not fully understand the resulting middlegame. Jochen Schwarz, a club player from Bremen, wants to improve this aspect of his game and has enlisted Ivan Sokolov as his "coach" through the video series Understanding Middlegame Strategies. In the third and final part of his review, he looks at three courses (12 to 14) devoted to reversed-colour openings and their strategic characteristics, hoping to gain a better understanding of how to meet these systems with the black pieces.

8/4/2026 – Defending champion Matthias Bluebaum remains among the leaders in the A Open after claiming his third win in as many games, with the leading group now reduced to seven players. The second German in the top seven is IM Luka Schwitkowski. Rasmus Svane, meanwhile, has dropped out of the leading group after conceding half a point against Ebrahim Ahmadinia. In the International Women's Tournament, both Song Yuxin and Dinara Wagner, as well as tournament leader Nataliya Buksa (pictured) and Klaudia Kulon, agreed draws. | Photos: Dariusz Gorzinski

8/4/2026 – Welcome to The Initiative – a show dedicated to the relentless battle for momentum in chess! In every game, players fight to seize control, dictate the pace and keep their opponent on the back foot. But what does it really mean to have the initiative? How do the world's best players maintain pressure and transform small advantages into crushing attacks?

8/4/2026 – The bishop blocks the road: Pure opposite colored bishop endings have a large drawish tendency. So Black's way to win is very narrow: Black to move and win.

8/4/2026 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu remained in sole first place after six rounds of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, extending his lead to 2 points over Javokhir Sindarov. The Indian GM defeated Awonder Liang and drew his other two games on day two, including a 117-move encounter with Wesley So. Despite several missed opportunities and fluctuating positions, only two of the day's games ended decisively. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Grand Chess Tour

8/3/2026 – In his latest column, Jon Speelman moves from Hatfield House and Queen Elizabeth’s Oak to a series of chess puzzles, with rook endings, defensive choices and a spoof opening line among the themes. He also introduces the idea of a "Fluffy Duck" opening, inspired by an advocaat-based cocktail, and invites readers to suggest a suitable variation! | Photo: Puredrinkology

8/3/2026 – The British Championships in Coventry has opened as a wide-ranging chess festival, with 40 tournaments taking place over nine days across classical, rapid, blitz and variant formats. Alongside the main Championship, sections for juniors, veterans and rating groups have created a busy schedule. Early rounds have already produced testing games for the leading players, with Luke McShane held by Peter Wells and Michael Adams (pictured) overcoming Richard Bates after a difficult Catalan struggle. | Photo: Yury Krylov