7/13/2017 – The rest day in Geneva seems to have done the trick, since round six was sizzling. Five of the nine games ended in decisive results, and even the draw between the leaders Alexander Grischuk and Teimour Radjabov was hard-fought. At the top of the leaderboard, it was Harikrishna’s convincing win over Aronian that made the biggest waves, allowing him to join the leaders. Report, videos, and GM commentary.

7/11/2017 – As the Grand Prix in Geneva hits the official midway point after five rounds, it is safe to say that things are going to become make-or-break for a number of players who still wish to vie for one of the two coveted spots in the next Candidates. One player who clearly set out to make a stand was Alexander Grischuk, who defeated Pavel Eljanov in an important theoretical game. Enjoy this study of the various situations, accompanied by analysis by GM Mekhitarian.

7/10/2017 – Round four was a quiet round in terms of the leaderboard, since few attempts to really rock the boat were made. Radjabov continues to lead with 3.0/4 by half a point over a group of six players, but it wasn’t all dull as several did come to the board with a will to make a fight of it. The most interesting of these was no doubt the spectacular game between Saleh Salem and Richard Rapport, analyzed in the report by GM Alexandr Fier.

7/9/2017 – After two very strong rounds of fighting chess, and a wealth of results, it was inevitable that at some point the games would align for a tepid day, and that day was round three. Of the nine games, only two ended in a decisive result, though one player will really be kicking himself: Pentala Harikrishna, as he squandered an utterly won game against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Report with analysis by GM Krikor Mekhitarian.

7/8/2017 – Only two rounds into the third installment of the AGONizing FIDE Grand Prix series, and it already appears to be the best to date. After a snoozefest in Sharjah, it picked up a bit in Moscow, but in Geneva they just sprinted out of the gates at full steam. If round one was a pleasant surprise, round two was sensational with five decisive games, nearly six, including excellent wins by Aronian and Radjabov, who has 2.0/2. Report and analysis by GM Yermolinsky.

7/7/2017 – The 2017 FIDE World Chess Grand Prix series continues with the third tournament, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland from 5-16th July. The tournament is being held in Hotel Le Richemond, set on the banks of Lake Geneva, by the famous Jet d’Eau, and brings many intriguing names such as Levon Aronian, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and many more, but does that ensure a thrilling tournament? Round one brought several good wins, such as Teimour Radjabov over Anish Giri. Report with GM analysis.

6/17/2017 – For the first time the Open and the Women's Championships are being held at the same time, from June 16–27, 2017, in Khanty-Mansiysk, the oil boom town in western Siberia. The opening ceremony took place on Friday, with some spectacular cultural stage presentations, all meticulously documented in an hour-long video you should not miss. We will be covering the event on Playchess – check our "Live Broadcast" list on the right.

4/10/2017 – After the turmoil of the past weeks – the official FIDE web site announced the resignation of its President, followed within hours by emphatic denials from Kirsan Ilyumzhinov – an Extraordinary Presidential Board meeting was held in Athens today. It was attended by Ilyumzhinov, Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos, and fourteen other voting members, representing a quorum. Ilyumzhinov apologized for making certain statements, and seems to remain in power. FIDE press release.

4/5/2017 – You know about the power struggle for control of the International Chess Federation FIDE, on which we have reported extensively. On the eve of his 55th birthday the embattled President made an clear attacking move: Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announced that he has registered a charitable foundation, the "Kirsan Fund", in the United States, and plans to invest 30 million dollars in its activities: Chess in Schools, Chess in villages, Chess in families and Chess for people with disabilities. "We set an ambitious task to bring the number of chess players to one billion."

4/3/2017 – It was an April Fools' prank, as most of our readers quickly recognized. Pein, a harsh critic of the current FIDE leadership, had no role in the power struggle that is taking place in Athens. And no intention of running for FIDE President, as was claimed in the wholly invented interview we published on April 1st. Although: the idea is not completely out of hand. With his connections and organisational skill... But that is just a dream.

4/1/2017 – FIDE is in turmoil, the officers in Athens have apparently staged a coup attempt to oust the current President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. But what happens if they succeed: who will the new president be? In the middle of the current power struggle we bring you breaking news: Malcolm Pein, the organiser of the London Chess Classic, head of the program Chess in Schools, chess correspondent of the Telegraph, will be running for the highest office in chess. We asked him for details.

3/29/2017 – Georgios Makropoulos, seven time Greek Champion, is the Deputy President of FIDE, and has been in that role for twenty years now. In December 2015, after the US Treasury had placed FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov on the sanction list, forbidding US citizens from conducting business with him, FIDE decided transfer the powers of legal, financial and business operations to Makropoulos. In the latest FIDE power struggle "Makro", as he is known to friends, has described his view of the events.

3/28/2017 – We reported yesterday: the official International Chess Federation web site announced the resignation of its President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, followed within hours by emphatic denials from Ilyumzhinov. Today there are new letters on the FIDE page, describing the circumstances of his alleged resignation: "During the Presidental Board Meeting in Athens, you several time threatened to resign, and at the end of the meeting three times you repeated 'I resign' before leaving the room." In a press conference of the Russian Chess Federation Ilyumzhinov explained his position.

3/27/2017 – It is on the official FIDE web site: at the end of the Board meeting on the 26th March 2017, "Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announced his resignation from the position of FIDE President. The Presidential Board has been formally advised of this announcement..." But within hours there was a denial from Ilyumzhinov: "They wanted to oust me, but they could not pull it off," he said in an interview with TASS. A failed putsch by the FIDE officials in Athens? Read about it in the news.

3/4/2017 – The dramatic final tiebreaker of the Women’s World Championship ended with a victory for the one with steel-like nerves: Tan Zhongyi from China. As we expected, the Chinese showed a great control over her nerves to bring the best of her game forward and defeated yet another favorite to win the tournament, Anna Muzychuk, to win the coveted title. Illustrated report and analysis by GM Elshan Moradiabadi.

2/10/2017 – FIDE has partnered with ChessBase to provide FIDE training courses via Playchess. Anyone who wishes to acquire a FIDE Trainer title, can now register for this series of lectures and participate online without geographical restrictions. All participants will not only be eligible for one of four FIDE Trainer titles, but will also receive a full copy of ChessBase 14 upon registration. Please note that the course is limited to 30 participants, and will run from March 3 - 5. Don't miss this opportunity!

12/7/2016 – Having a World Championship in Manhattan, in New York, the financial and media capital of the world - this sounds like a dream come true. A golden opportunity to put chess into the limelight, to experience three weeks of chess fever and a chance to show the world why the game is so exciting. But in his first part of a three-part review of the Carlsen vs Karjakin match in New York, Yasser Seirawan critizes that a lot of opportunities were missed.

12/1/2016 – On December 1, one day after the end of the World Championship match, the Fide published its new ranking list. Magnus Carlsen lost 13 points in New York but with 2840 is still the world's number one, 17 points ahead of Fabiano Caruana. Hou Yifan and Ju Wenjun lead the women's ranking list, Richard Rapport and Wei Yi are the best juniors, Lei Tingjie leads the girls' ranking list. The lists...

11/28/2016 – Game 12 ended in a short draw - we will witness tiebreaks on Wednesday. Carlsen's 26th birthday. Carlsen chose to avoid a fight and settled for a quick draw by playing one of the most solid variations against the Berlin Defence. Karjakin also seemed to be happy with the draw. Maybe the press conference after the game was harder than the game itself. Yasser Seirawan shows mixed emotions. Newsblog 2016-11-29...

11/27/2016 – Game 11, 5.5-.5.5: Last regular White for Karjakin. What happened? After 1.e4 Carlsen avoided the Berlin and went for a classical system. He later tried to generate some threats, and Karjakin wasn't too impressed by his own play, as he later told after the game. Wesley So shares his perspective in our Newsblog 2016-11-27...

11/26/2016 – With one game to go the the World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin is tied at 5.5-5.5. After 34 moves game 11 ended in a draw. Karjakin had White but could not exert any pressure on Black. Carlsen impressed with the brilliant idea 19...d5 which gave him the initiative but that was not enough to win the game. Game 12 will follow on Monday. Newsblog - Nov. 26 ...

11/25/2016 – The World Champion wins his first game in New York City and evens the score: 5-5 now with two games to go. Sergey Karjakin had several chances to equalize but the game was tense and both players missed a lot of opportunities. Wesley So tells us why this was a great game. Newsblog - Nov. 25 ...

11/10/2016 – The Chess World Championship 2016 is about to begin. The whole world will turn their eyes to New York to see whether World Champion Magnus Carlsen retains his title against challenger Sergey Karjakin. Millions of people all over the world will follow the match via the internet. More than ever before.

11/10/2016 – Magnus Carlsen vs Sergey Karjakin - who will win the match in New York? Is there a clear favorite? What are strengths, what are weaknesses of Carlsen and Karjakin? We asked experts, officials, and chess authors how they see the match and what they expect from Carlsen and Karjakin. A lot of experts, a lot of opinions. Statements.