Chess News Network: latest chess news

• Hikaru Clutches Day 1
  Tournaments
  Nakamura Leads the Champions Showdown After an Unbeaten Day One, While Praggnanandhaa, Fresh Off His Grand Chess Tour Win, Finishes Last
• Game of the Day: GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov Beats GM Mahammad Muradli
  Tournaments
  GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov beat GM Mahammad Muradli in round 2, board 4 of the KazChess Masters Almaty 2026, winning in 42 moves.
• The Priest, the Manuscript and the Wall: How the Ruy Lopez Became Chess's Most Enduring Opening
  Opinion
  Three moves. That is all it takes to start one of the longest-running stories in chess.
• Turlov Unveils a "New" FIDE
  Politics
  A month after winning the presidency, Timur Turlov has shown how he wants to run FIDE. In a first-person statement published on October 26, he says the federation has reached its next stage of development.
• FIDE Calls an Online Extraordinary General Assembly
  Politics
  Timur Turlov said earlier this year that FIDE would hold another General Assembly before 2026 ended, and he has now put a date on it. In an invitation published on October 26, FIDE announced an Extraordinary General Assembly for December 27 at 14:30 CET, held online.
• Game of the Day: GM Artem Uskov Beats IM Sanjin Culum
  Tournaments
  GM Artem Uskov beat IM Sanjin Culum in round 2, board 7 of the 2026 Serbian Second League group Voivodina, winning in 31 moves.
• Clutch Chess Returns
  Tournaments
  Clutch Chess Returns to Saint Louis With Carlsen Gone and Sindarov Weeks From His Gukesh Match: Who Takes the Champions Showdown?
• Business or Pleasure in the Maldives?
  Politics
  It is a long way from a FIDE election count to a small island federation's meeting room. Yet this autumn the two men who contested the world federation's presidency, Timur Turlov and Wadim Rosenstein, both made time for the Maldives' chess community
• Nakamura Extends Winning Streak in Bullet Brawl
  Tournaments
  GM Hikaru Nakamura wins seventh consecutive Bullet Brawl
• Bodhana Breaks ANOTHER Record!
  Junior
  Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, Becomes the Youngest Female International Master in History, Ending a 38-Year-Old Record Held by Judit Polgar.
• Niemann Claim Freestyle Friday
  Tournaments
  Hans Niemann ended his week on a high. Two days after the U.S. Championship's final round, where Chess.com says his loss to Jeffery Xiong dropped him out of the 2700 club, he won Chess.com's Freestyle Friday on October 23.
• Bayegan Pendik Wins the ECCC on Tiebreaks, Monte-Carlo Defends the Women's Title
  Tournaments
  Both European Club Cup titles in Budva, Montenegro, came down to tiebreaks. In the open section, top seed Bayegan Pendik of Turkey finished level with Novy Bor on 13 match points and took gold. In the women's, Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo tied Gambit Bonnevoie on 12 and held on to the title it won last year.
• Game of the Day: GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov Beats GM Nodirbek Yakubboev
  Tournaments
  GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat GM Nodirbek Yakubboev in round 6, board 1 of the 41st European Chess Club Cup 2026 (Open), winning in 40 moves.
• Sindarov Admits This Might Be His Only Chance
  World
  Javokhir Sindarov does not pretend the match ahead of him will be easy. With the World Championship a month away, one of his most candid interviews is worth another look.
• Wesley So Beats Fabiano Caruana in the Playoff to Win His Fourth U.S. Championship
  Tournaments
  Wesley So had the U.S. Championship in his hands, watched it slip away on Wednesday, and took it back on Thursday beating Fabiano Caruana for the crown.
• FIDE Divided Over Podolyak and Kolobkov
  Politics
  A Month After Timur Turlov's Election, Meduza Describes a FIDE Leadership Divided Over Podolyak and Kolobkov and a Russian Case Dropped Without Explanation
• Lionel Messi Coached by ChatGPT
  World
  Lionel Messi has just handed chess a very large audience, and a questionable opening to go with it. On Wednesday, October 21, he posted a chess-themed ChatGPT ad to his 517 million Instagram followers.
• Rachael Li: From America's Youngest Female Master at Nine to a Three-Year Break and a Record-Setting Return
  Women
  We have a new U.S. Chess Champion! But who is Rachael Li and how did she get to the top at the age of 16?
• U.S. Championship: Round 11
  Tournaments
  Rachael Li Wins the Women's Title at 16, While Wesley So Loses to Sam Sevian and Faces Fabiano Caruana in a Playoff.
• IM Levy Rozman Achieves New York Times Bestseller Status
  Business
  IM Levy Rozman's latest book reaches New York Times bestseller list, while his other titles dominate Amazon's chess bestsellers
• European Club Cup Rounds 3 and 4: Abdusattorov, Giri and Erdogmus All Lose
  Tournaments
  The European Chess Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro reached its halfway point with upsets in both sections. In the open, Round 3 belonged to the favorites, with 15-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus climbing to world No. 15, before Round 4 saw Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Anish Giri and Erdogmus all lose. In the women's, CE Gambit Bonnevoie beat both of the top two seeds in a row and leads alone on a perfect 8 match points.
• U.S. Championship: Round 10
  Tournaments
  Wesley So drew Hans Niemann in under an hour and leads on 7/10, a full point clear of Fabiano Caruana and Grigoriy Oparin. In the women's, rookie Rachael Li beat Rose Atwell and leads Alice Lee by a point, but Lee won too and stays alive.
• Rosenstein Keeps His CAS Appeal Over Turlov's FIDE Eligibility Alive
  Politics
  Wadim Rosenstein lost the FIDE presidential election to Timur Turlov in the second round on September 26, 110 votes to 85, but his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over Turlov's eligibility has not gone away.
• Asset-Seizure Against Turlov Withdrawn
  Politics
  Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has dropped a lawsuit seeking to seize the Russian assets of new FIDE President Timur Turlov and companies linked to his Freedom Holding group.
• US Championship: Round 9
  Tournaments
  Round 9 in Saint Louis left both sections with a clear leader and two rounds to play. In the open, Wesley So drew defending champion Fabiano Caruana in a sharp Italian and stays a full point ahead on 6.5/9, in a round with five draws and one decisive game. In the women's, rookie Rachael Li beat Nazi Paikidze after a late blunder to reach 7/9 and secure her first IM norm, while all six games were decisive.
• Favorites Dominate in Round 2 of European Chess Club Cup
  Tournaments
  Top players continued their strong performance in the second round of the European Chess Club Cup
• FIDE Announces Upcoming Chess in Education Courses
  Politics
  The FIDE Chess in Education Commission has announced a series of online and in-person courses for autumn and winter 2026
• Game of the Day: GM Erigaisi Arjun Beats GM Vignir Vatnar Stefansson
  Tournaments
  GM Erigaisi Arjun beat GM Vignir Vatnar Stefansson in round 2, board 7 of the 41st European Chess Club Cup 2026 (Open), winning in 42 moves.
• Wesley So Extends Lead at 2026 U.S. Chess Championship
  Tournaments
  GM Wesley So defeats GM Andy Woodward, increasing his lead
• Chess Documentary 'Grandmasters' Released in US Theaters
  World
  A documentary film featuring Magnus Carlsen, Wesley So, and Hans Niemann has been released in US theaters.