Chess might be one of the least expressive sports I have ever watched

The current superstars of the Indian chess team, World Champion D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin, are today strong players in every format of the game, but the foundation for all of them was laid in classical chess. From childhood, all of them grew up playing classical events across India and around the world. It is classical chess that, in the true sense, balances your process of thinking, of understanding the game and then of taking the right decision. That is why it is important for every budding player to play it, and that is why we are organising the Khelo Chess India Classical tournament in Bhopal every three months, and we invite you to come and take part in this event.

Premier Chess Academy’s Chess for Everyone 3.0 combined four days of FIDE-rated Classical chess with outstanding performances by Kerala’s young talents and a memorable special appearance and simultaneous exhibition by Super Grandmaster and Arjuna Awardee Vidit Gujrathi. Sahoo Utkal Ranjan of Odisha scored a perfect 8/8 to win the tournament, while this edition gave young players an unforgettable opportunity to meet, interact with, and play with Vidit Gujrathi. Photos: Premier Chess Academy

IM Harsh Suresh scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win the 1st Vijay Anand Chess Academy Rapid Rating 2026 in dominating fashion. CM Sarveshwaran V., Vignesh B., and M.S. Midilesh scored 8/9 points to finish in 2nd to 4th place according to tiebreak scores. The tournament was organised by Vijay Anand Chess Academy at the Hall of Chess, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai. The total prize fund was ₹4,00,000, with top 3 prizes of ₹30,000, ₹25,000, and ₹20,000 along with trophies. Photo: Guna

The Western Asian Youth & Junior Chess Championships 2026 are set to take place in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, from October 22 to 31, 2026. Organized by the Gujarat State Chess Association, the prestigious regional championship offers ambitious young talents a great platform to earn direct FIDE titles and norms. All the players who took part in the age-category national championships last year are eligible to take part in this. Read more details.

Firgun Talent and Habitat Chess Club brought together eight FIDE-rated players for five days of training and serious practice under IM Nikhil Dixit at The Fern Habitat, Mundhwa, Pune. Organised by Deepti Shidore (Founder of Firgun Talent) and Balraj Ghai (Owner of The Habitat), the camp had an average rating of around 2200 and brought together a group of ambitious players, the group included two FMs, five titled players all of them 2100+ FIDE rated! Read all about the camp in the article below.

Chess lovers with a taste for solving have something special to look forward to this week in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi NCR. On October 9, a collaboration between ChessBase India and Chess Community Jabalpur will bring the city its first-ever chess solving contest. And the very next day, on October 10, a grand event will take place across Delhi NCR, which is already turning into a hub for chess solving thanks to the continued efforts of Chess Coffee Connect and the Shivika Rohilla Chess Academy. All details and registration links follow in this article.

“Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man,” Swami Vivekananda once wrote. Education, therefore, is not just about textbook knowledge, but about bringing out the potential within every student. This idea comes alive in the work of Sandip Upadhyay, a government school teacher from Gujarat who teaches chess absolutely free of cost. He has helped several young players begin their journeys in competitive chess, with some going on to become rated players. Read on to discover Sandip’s story and the journeys of the players he has helped nurture.

Kanishkaraj V of Chennai scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to win the 6th KCA International FIDE Classical Rating 2026. Kanishkaraj and Kolla Bhavan were both unbeaten throughout the tournament and scored 8/9 points to finish in the top 2 spots according to tiebreak scores. The tournament was organised in Melapalayam, Panruti, Tamil Nadu. The total prize fund was ₹4,00,000, with the top 3 prizes of ₹40,000, ₹30,000, and ₹20,000, along with trophies. Photos: R.Pandian

A unique All India Open Freestyle Chess Tournament took place on 27 September 2026 at Chennai Citi Centre, Chennai, under the All India Freestyle Chess Association, with support from 64 Squares Chess Academy. GM Ilamparthi A.R. and GM Srihari L.R. scored 5.5/6 points to secure the top 2 spots. The tournament had a total cash prize pool of Rs 2,00,000. The top 3 prizes were ₹50,000, ₹30,000, and ₹20,000, along with trophies. The tournament was sponsored by Mr Kailasanathan of Microsense, who has supported Indian chess for a long time. Photo: Mr. S.C. Subramaniam

14-year-old Vivaan Vishal Shah becomes an International Master. Vivaan scored his final IM norm at the SixDays Budapest Sept 2026 GM-A Round Robin to become India's Latest International Master. With this title, Vivaan also became the youngest IM from Gujarat at the age of 14, breaking the recent record of Jval Saurin Patel. We caught up with Vivaan after his tournament, where he talked about his journey, challenges, and much more.

IM P. D. S. Girinath emerged as the champion of the Masters Chess Academy, Kanyakumari 1st International FIDE-rated Open Chess Tournament 2026, held from 3 to 7 September 2026 at Jubilee Hall, Holy Cross College, Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. Top-seeded International Master P. D. S. Girinath scored an impressive 7.5/8 points to claim the championship. Girinath finished on the same score as Kolla Bhaavan of Andhra Pradesh, who also scored 7.5/8. However, Girinath secured the first place on tie-break, with Bhaavan finishing as the runner-up. Photos: IA M Ephrame

GM Shyaam Nikhil P emerged as the champion of the MEPCO Sports Academy 1st International FIDE-rated Open Chess Tournament, scoring 8.5/9. Vignesh Kannan P, Nishant Abhijeet Jawalkar and CM Sarveshwaran V finished on 8/9, making the race for the top places closely contested. The nine-round event featured a ₹2,00,000 prize fund, 56 cash prizes and 51 trophies. Photos: Jeyam Subbaiah

The biggest obstacles to progress in chess are the habits and mistakes that players do not even realise they are making. After six years of coaching, IM Nikhil Dixit has identified several recurring issues among players, particularly those rated between 1400 and 1900. In this article, he shares 10 common problems he has observed and explains how players can address them to make their training more effective.

The October 2026 FIDE rating list is out. Savitha Shri Baskar gained 23 rating points after a dominant performance at the 46th FIDE Olympiad. Savitha was 2400 in July 2023, and after 3 years, she is back in the 2400 club. R. Praggnanandhaa climbed a spot, and he is now World No.7. India has 14 players in the Open Top 100 and 12 players in the Women’s Top 100. Check out the updated October rating list.

Savitha Shri Baskar had an Olympiad to remember! She didn't lose a single game, finished the event unbeaten and won an individual gold, and played a massive role in India's Bronze medal finish. It was nothing short of extraordinary. In this article, we take a look at Savitha's journey so far in pictures.

Chess philanthropist Evren Ucok has committed over $5 million in just three years to transform the global chess ecosystem. Moving beyond traditional sponsorships, his visionary investment provides holistic support for emerging prodigies like Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Sivanandan Bodhana, backs elite European clubs, and funds cutting-edge anti-cheating technology. This is the story of a profound commitment to shaping the next generation of grandmasters.

Kings Chess Academy will host a four-day chess masterclass with Coach Lokeswara Rao in Hyderabad from October 7 to 10, 2026. Titled “ A Practical Approach to Decoding Invisible Moves, ” the programme, intended for players with a rating of 2000 or higher, will focus on finding hidden moves, intermediate moves, and subtle resources that can be difficult to figure out, even for strong players. The four-day programme costs Rs. 8,000 and has a maximum of 15 participants to support focused discussion and individual attention. Registration closes on October 6 at 5:00 PM. Photos: Lokeswara Rao

What exactly makes a Grandmaster title different from a Woman Grandmaster title? And if women are allowed to earn the same GM title as men, why does a separate system exist at all? We take a look at where women’s chess titles came from, how they work, and why FIDE still has them today.

WCM Aaradhya Das scored an unbeaten 9.5/11 to become the 2026 National Under-13 Girls Champion. Aaradhya is from Tripura, and after learning that she had won the national title, she was greeted with a grand welcome at Agartala Airport. We caught up with Aaradhya after the tournament, where she shared her experience, games, and much more.

IM Nikhil Dixit scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to win the 5th Pinnacle FIDE-rated Rapid Chess Tournament 2026. Nikhil and IM Suyog Wagh had the same points as they drew against each other, but a better tiebreak score helped Nikhil clinch the tournament. Anuj Shrivatri scored 8 points to secure 3rd place. Pinnacle Chess Events organised this tournament on 27th September at Korum Mall, Thane, Maharashtra. The total prize fund was ₹3,00,000, with top 3 prizes of ₹50,000, ₹35,000 and ₹20,000 along with trophies. Photos: IA Mohit Ladhe

Young chess aspirants from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu go head-to-head with some of the biggest names in chess at the YiPPee! Checkmate Challenge. The clocks were ticking, the boards were set, and across them sat some of the biggest names in chess. 25 young chess players from Bengaluru and Chennai, aged 13 to 19, got the chance to fulfill their dream and play against World No. 1 and five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen, Indian chess icon Koneru Humpy, Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, and Indian Grandmaster Pravin Mahadeo Thipsay at the YiPPee! Checkmate Challenge, held at ITC Windsor, Bengaluru.

The Indian Women's team secured a bronze medal at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad. In the final round, Team India drew against Georgia to finish in 3rd place with 17 match points. China dominated the Women's section and scored 20 points to clinch the Gold. Kazakhstan secured the silver medal with 18 points. Savitha Shri played another fantastic game in the final round to make sure the Indian team secured a medal. She scored an unbeaten 9/10 points to secure the gold medal on the 5th board. Read more to see the individual performance and overall result. Photo: Michal Walusza

Uzbekistan are Olympiad champions again! They finished two match points clear of Germany and India. After the celebrations, ChessBase India caught up with the Uzbek team to talk about the games, the pressure, and what this win means to them. Read what the champions had to say.