The 88th edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament is taking place from 17 January to 1 February and once again features the traditional structure of parallel Masters and Challengers tournaments, each consisting of 14 players competing in a single round-robin. Round one sees world champion Gukesh Dommaraju playing black against one of the four […]
Category Archives: News
Today, on 17 January 2026, Maia Chiburdanidze celebrates her 65th birthday. For a long time, she was the best female chess player in the world, a world champion and a multiple gold medallist at Chess Olympiads. Like no other, Maia Chiburdanidze represents the golden era of Georgian women’s chess, though she initially competed under the […]
Gukesh, the World Chess Champion, endured a difficult 2025. Still, he produced a convincing win against Magnus Carlsen and finished tied for first at Tata Steel Chess, ultimately losing the blitz tiebreak to Praggnanandhaa. At the World Blitz Championship in Doha, he suffered a stunning upset against underdog Sergey Sklokin (2407), where an extraordinary endgame […]
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. | […]
The Argentine Olympic Committee has launched “Olympic Beach”, a nationwide summer programme that brings organised sport and Olympic values to Argentina’s coastal and riverside locations ahead of the Santa Fe 2026 South American Games. Running throughout January across eight venues, the initiative combines free sporting activities, youth engagement, environmental actions and federation-led events, including the […]
For nearly a century, Bled has held a special place in the history chess. In 1931, Bled hosted one of the most famous international tournaments of its time, won by World Champion Alexander Alekhine. In the decades that followed, Bled’s chess tournaments welcomed numerous greats of the game, including the legendary Bobby Fischer and Mikhail […]
The knockout stage of the online Play-In for the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship decided the last place in the February championship. Nodirbek Abdusattorov progressed through the semifinals and went on to face Pranav Venkatesh in the final. The four qualifiers competed in two-game matches with a 15+3 time control. Amin Tabatabaei prevailed in the […]
Beers by the Bay Chess & Social has announced the launch of a women’s-only beginner chess class in San Diego, created in collaboration with Let’s Go Girls – San Diego. Aimed at adult beginners, the monthly class offers a relaxed, social introduction to chess in an in-person setting. Held at a local venue in Pacific […]
The Estonian diplomat and chess enthusiast Mart Tarmak organized a consultation game between politicians and diplomats at the Estonian Embassy in Vilnius in commemoration of Paul Keres on the occasion of his 110th birthday. Viktorija Cmilyte and Peter Heine Nielsen led the teams. | Photos: Embassy of Estonia in Vilnius
The Swiss stage of the online Play-in for the Freestyle Chess World Championship has determined the four players who remain in contention for the final qualification place. Over nine rounds of Freestyle Chess, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Pranav Venkatesh (pictured), Grigoriy Oparin and Amin Tabatabaei finished level on 7/9 to secure places in Thursday’s knockout stage. | […]