With five of the eight places for the 2026 Women’s Candidates already decided, the focus now turns to the upcoming Women’s Grand Swiss and the conclusion of the Women’s Events 2024–25 series. Anna Muzychuk (pictured) currently leads the standings among players still in contention, ahead of Lei Tingjie, Harika Dronavalli and Kateryna Lagno. Their performances […]
Monthly Archives: September 2025
For two weeks in September, the ancient capital of the Silk Road will be home to many of the best chess players in the world. Since its initiation in 2019, the FIDE Grand Swiss – held every two years – has distinguished itself as the strongest classical chess tournament. Featuring eleven rounds played under the […]
The inaugural Fujairah Global Chess Championship concluded with 18-year-old Pranav Venkatesh winning the Superstars tournament outright on 7/9. The reigning world junior champion, seeded only 23rd at the start, sealed victory with a final-round win over Alan Pichot, finishing a full point ahead of Brandon Jacobson, Amin Tabatabaei and José Martínez. Zhu Jiner also impressed, […]
Under the heading “FIDE Grand Swiss 2025: Updated dress code offers more flexibility”, FIDE has introduced a new, more liberal dress code for the upcoming Grand Swiss tournament in Samarkand, which starts on 3 September. Now, ‘classic jeans’ (not ripped ones) are also permitted. Plain trainers may also be worn. Elastane has always been permitted.
The best news in the new FIDE world rankings from a German perspective is Vincent Keymer’s leap into the world’s top ten. For the first time since Robert Hübner, a German chess professional belongs to the absolute world elite. Never before has a German player achieved an Elo rating of 2751.
Kirill Shevchenko’s bid to overturn sanctions for alleged cheating at the 2024 Spanish Team Championship has failed. The FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission’s Appeal Chamber has unanimously confirmed his guilt and strengthened the penalties originally imposed. The decision follows earlier controversy in Melilla, where the 22-year-old grandmaster was excluded after suspicions arose over repeated absences […]
Pranav Venkatesh kept the sole lead at the Fujairah Global Chess Championship after drawing with Abhimanyu Mishra in round eight, reaching 6 points. Two players closed in on the leader, as Brandon Jacobson defeated Aydin Suleymanli and Amin Tabatabaei (pictured) outplayed Andrew Hong, both moving to 5½ points. In the final round, Pranav will face […]
The FIDE Grand Swiss, one of the most competitive events in the chess calendar, has been held three times so far, each edition producing distinct winners in both the open and women’s sections. In the open, the champions were Wang Hao, Alireza Firouzja and Vidit Gujrathi. The women’s tournaments, introduced in 2021, saw victories for […]