5/12/2026 – About a month ago, the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament concluded in the picturesque village of Pegia, near Paphos, Cyprus. Yevgeny Levanzov had the privilege of spending an extended time at the event and delivering three lectures there. In the following review, he covers the tournament both from a professional chess perspective and by describing the surrounding atmosphere, including the various activities offered to spectators, notable figures who came to visit and some touching human stories. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

4/9/2026 – Following the hugely successful miniseries "The Queen's Gambit" and the documentary on Judit Polgar "The Queen of Chess", Netflix is bringing another chess-themed story to the screen. The documentary "Untold: Chess Mates" focuses on the controversy involving Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann. It premiered this week. | Photo: Screenshots from the series / Netflix

3/16/2026 – Hikaru Nakamura was defeated 6–4 by Awonder Liang in a three-day training match in Saint Louis held as preparation for the Candidates Tournament. After two drawn classical games, all eight encounters in the rapid and blitz sessions ended decisively, with Liang ultimately prevailing. The match provided Nakamura with competitive practice ahead of a demanding event, for which several of his future rivals have recently been active. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

3/14/2026 – The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 is set to begin on 29 March, when eight elite grandmasters will start their fourteen-round quest to earn the right to challenge reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju. The lineup combines seasoned contenders such as Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura with rising stars including Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Javokhir Sindarov. | Image: FIDE

3/13/2026 – The women's title at the American Cup was only decided after the Grand Final Reset on Thursday, as Alice Lee defeated Carissa Yip to claim the title. Lee won the first rapid game with the black pieces and then secured a 117-move draw to clinch her third consecutive triumph in the event. The victory capped another strong campaign for the 16-year-old, who also made significant rating gains across both classical and blitz formats. | Pictured: Alice Lee and Maurice Ashley | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

3/12/2026 – The American Cup, one of the United States' premier chess tournaments, returns to Saint Louis. Now in its fifth year, the event runs on March 3-12 at the Saint Louis Chess Club, featuring sixteen of America's top chess talents. The event concludes on Thursday with the Grand Final Reset of the women's competition, where Alice Lee and Carissa Yip battle for the title. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 18.00 CET (13.00 ET, 22.30 IST) | Pictured: Alice Lee | Photo: Lennart Ootes

3/12/2026 – Day nine of the American Cup in Saint Louis brought the open section to a conclusion, with Wesley So winning the fifth edition of the tournament, while the women's event remained unresolved after Carissa Yip forced a Grand Final Reset against Alice Lee. In the open, the title was settled without the need for further tiebreaks, as So converted his lead from Tuesday into overall victory. In the women's section, by contrast, another long day of classical and blitz play still proved insufficient to crown a champion. | Pictured: Wesley So and Maurice Ashley | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

3/11/2026 – The Grand Finals of the American Cup began with the first classical games in Saint Louis. In the open section, Wesley So defeated Levon Aronian to take the lead in the match after a convincing performance with the white pieces. Meanwhile, the women's Grand Final between Carissa Yip and Alice Lee ended in a draw, with both players obtaining promising chances at different stages of the game. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

3/10/2026 – The contenders of the Grand Finals in both sections of the American Cup were confirmed in Saint Louis after the conclusion of the Elimination Bracket finals. In the open section, Levon Aronian joined Wesley So in the Grand Final after defeating Fabiano Caruana. Meanwhile, in the women's event, Carissa Yip secured a rematch with defending champion Alice Lee by overcoming Tatev Abrahamyan. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

3/9/2026 – The Championship Bracket finals at the American Cup concluded on Sunday at the Saint Louis Chess Club. In the open section, Wesley So recovered from a first-game loss to defeat Fabiano Caruana in blitz tiebreaks and advance to the Grand Final. In the women's event, defending champion Alice Lee beat Carissa Yip in blitz to continue her streak of appearances in the deciding match, while the Elimination Brackets will determine their challengers. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Crystal Fuller

3/7/2026 – The Championship Bracket finals at the American Cup were set on Friday. In the open section, top seeds Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So advanced after winning their matches in blitz tiebreaks, while Sam Sevian and Awonder Liang were knocked down to the Elimination Bracket. In the women's event, Carissa Yip and defending champion Alice Lee secured classical victories to reach the final, leaving Tatev Abrahamyan and Zoey Tang fighting to stay in contention. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Crystal Fuller

3/6/2026 – Day three of the American Cup in Saint Louis featured the first classical games of the Championship Bracket semifinals and rapid elimination matches in the lower bracket. In the open section, both semifinal games ended drawn, while Leinier Dominguez and Levon Aronian eliminated their younger opponents. In the women's event, Carissa Yip and Alice Lee won their semifinal games in the Championship Bracket, while Rachel Li and Anna Sargsyan (pictured) survived tense elimination matches. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

3/6/2026 – This week's show features two top grandmaster games in which Black quickly collapsed against the Italian Opening. In the first game, Yakubboev came up with a spectacular theoretical innovation in his game with Anton. The Uzbek GM surprised his opponent with a nicely prepared exchange sacrifice which enabled him to develop a powerful attack. Some days later at the American Cup, Sevian repeated the same variation against Dominguez, who deviated on move 11. There followed a position with major pieces and opposite-coloured bishops in which should be doing fine. However, it turned out that Black's problems were difficult to solve OTB and White again managed to win in spectacular style.

3/5/2026 – The quarterfinal stage of the American Cup was played over the first two days of action, with players contesting two classical games followed by blitz tiebreaks if required. In the open section, Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So advanced alongside Sam Sevian and Awonder Liang (pictured). The women's event saw rating favourites Carissa Yip, Tatev Abrahamyan and defending champion Alice Lee progress, while Zoey Tang produced the only upset. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes

2/24/2026 – The Saint Louis Masters will take place from 25 February to 1 March as a nine-round Swiss invitational, bringing together a competitive international field. The event features a $100,000 prize fund and classical time controls, with 69 players taking part. World number three Fabiano Caruana is set to participate, ahead of a demanding schedule in March, which includes the American Cup and the Candidates Tournament. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

2/9/2026 – The Speed Chess Championship concluded in London, with live matches deciding both the title and third place. Magnus Carlsen defeated Alireza Firouzja 15–12 to claim a third consecutive crown, while Denis Lazavik edged Hikaru Nakamura in the consolation match. The event introduced the Daniel Naroditsky Cup, with past and future champions' names to be engraved on the trophy. | Photo: chess.com / Luc Bouchon

2/4/2026 – FIDE traces the history of the Candidates Tournament, the event that determines who earns the right to challenge for the world chess title. Established in 1950 to replace earlier informal arrangements, the Candidates has evolved through different formats and eras, reflecting changes in the championship cycle. From Budapest to recent editions in major cities, the tournament has remained the decisive stage in the path to a world title match, with Cyprus set to host the next chapter. | Image: FIDE

1/28/2026 – The Grand Chess Tour will return in 2026 with a full season of classical, rapid and blitz events, a $2 million overall prize fund and the Finals staged in Saint Louis. Featuring a field of leading grandmasters, including world champion Gukesh Dommaraju and recent Tour winner Fabiano Caruana (pictured), the circuit continues its established format of elite tournaments across multiple time controls, with the top performers advancing to a knockout finale. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

1/22/2026 – The Floripa Open, part of the Brazil Chess Series, is taking place on 17-25 January as a 10-round Swiss open in Florianópolis. Niclas Huschenbeth recently announced that he would be competing in the popular Brazilian event. After six rounds, he has realised how difficult it is to consistently live up to the role of being among the top seeds. | Photo: Niclas Huschenbeth at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam | Photo: Lennart Ootes

1/16/2026 – The Saint Louis Chess Club has unveiled its 2026 tournament calendar, outlining a full season of elite events in the United States and abroad. Anchored by an expanded 30,000-square-foot home campus, the schedule includes established fixtures such as the American Cup, Sinquefield Cup and U.S. Championships, alongside international stops on the Grand Chess Tour. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club

12/23/2025 – The round-robin phase of the Global Chess League concluded with the finalists confirmed after a closely contested final day. Triveni Continental Kings finished well clear at the top, while Alpine SG Pipers claimed the second finals place on tiebreaks despite losing their last match. Narrow margins elsewhere shaped the final standings, with the Ganges Grandmasters and the PBG Alaskan Knights now set to contest the match for third place. | Pictured: Gukesh Dommaraju (Alaskan Knights) facing Fabiano Caruana (SG Pipers). | Photo: Official website

12/21/2025 – Day seven of the Global Chess League produced a clearer picture at the top of the table, with the leaders, Triveni Continental Kings, opening a commanding gap over the rest of the field. A heavy defeat for one of the main challengers, upGrad Mumba Masters, reshaped the standings, while several tightly contested matches kept the battle for second place wide open. | Pictured: Continental Kings' Marc'Andria Maurizzi | Photos: Official website

12/19/2025 – The Global Chess League reached a turning point as the first half of the double round-robin came to an end in Mumbai. Triveni Continental Kings emerged as the sole leaders after defeating their closest rivals, upGrad Mumba Masters. The defending champions were again led by Alireza Firouzja, who maintained a perfect record by winning his fifth consecutive game. | Photos: Official website

12/16/2025 – High tension in Buenos Aires: with his draw against Julio Granda Zuniga, Faustino Oro stayed in contention both for the tournament victory and for the second grandmaster norm that is so important to him. A lot would have to go his way to win the tournament, but the norm is firmly in his own hands: a draw in the final round would be enough. First place is still shared, yet after Alexei Shirov’s fighting win against the former co-leader Ivan Cheparinov, Shirov and Aryan Tari have the best chances to win the tournament. | Photo: Faustino Oro at the World Cup 2025 | Photo: Michal Walusza