Can Chess Strengthen Young Minds?

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.

After a dominating performance, Uzbekistan wins gold at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2026. Team India secured the silver medal in the Open section. In the final round, the Indian team drew with Hungary and finished with 18 points, tied with Germany. A better tiebreak score helped India secure 2nd place, while Germany finished 3rd. The hosts Uzbekistan showed a dominant performance throughout the tournament and lost only one game and won 10 remaining games. Read the full report to check individual and team performances. Photo: Michal Walusza

Today is the final round of the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, bringing two weeks of exciting chess to a close. As we cheer for the players, we are also raising funds to support Indian chess players working towards their own dreams. Here is a look at the funds raised during the Olympiad and everyone who contributed to the cause.

Team India scored a dominating 3.5-0.5 win over Uzbekistan's second team in the penultimate round. Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Nihal Sarin scored wins for Team India. India is currently in second place and will face Hungary in the final round. If India wins this match, a medal is confirmed for our team. In the Women's section, India drew their match against China, and a final-round win is required to get the podium finish. The final round will start at 11:30 IST on 27th September. Let's cheer for our team and join our live broadcast on our YouTube channel. Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz

The FIDE Excellence Awards took place yesterday to celebrate achievements from across the chess world. Among the 11 categories was the Best Creator Award, with 10 creators shortlisted from hundreds of nominations. ChessBase India was one of the nominees and we are incredibly happy to share that we won the inaugural Daniel Naroditsky Best Creator Award.

Chola Chess, an initiative of the Chola Foundation, in partnership with Chess Gurukul, announces the First Chola Chess Open International Grandmasters Chess Tournament 2026. The tournament is strictly for players rated above 2250! The tournament is scheduled from 30th October to 7th November 2026. After 3 successful round-robin events, Chola Chess is back with an Open event, which gives opportunity for players to score IM, WIM, GM, and WGM norms on Indian soil.

World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju scored a clutch win over Alexander Donchenko in the 9th round of the 46th Chess Olympiad. With this win, India defeated Germany 2.5-1.5 and climbed to 2nd place before the penultimate round against Uzbekistan's second team. Gukesh was completely losing, but he showed resilience and won the game. The women's team defeated Uzbekistan 3-1, and now they are also in 2nd place. The Indian women's team will face China in the penultimate round. Photo: Michal Walusza

FIDE Master Arpith S Bijoy of Kerala scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to win the 1st Rotaract RUAS - Children Chess Academy All India Open FIDE RATED Rapid Chess Tournament. A total of nine players scored 8 points to finish in the top 9 places according to tiebreak scores. GM Laxman R.R. and IM Harshad S. secured 2nd and 3rd places, respectively. The tournament was organised on 20th September at Dwaraka Hall, M. S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences (RUAS), Bengaluru. The total prize fund was ₹3,00,000. Photos: Jyothi S

Candidate Master Vedant Rupeshbhai Varasada went to play the Catalan Circuit with a FIDE Rating of 1975, and guess what he did? He increased his rating by almost 500 points in 2 months!! Vedant was rated 2222 in 2024, but then his rating went down to 1900; however, he never stopped working hard and came back in style, taking his published rating to 2464 in the FIDE rating list of September. We caught up with Vedant after his trip, where he talked about his journey; read it in full in this article.

Bent Larsen (1935–2010) was the greatest chess player in Danish history and, for a time, the second-strongest player in the Western world behind Bobby Fischer. Between 1954 and 1971, he won the Danish Championship six times and achieved numerous international tournament victories throughout his career. In this Course. Discover which openings he preferred, where his strengths in the middlegame lay, and how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame. The Tactics section highlights his remarkable tactical vision. As a special bonus, Peter Heine Nielsen contributes a dedicated chapter, offering personal insights, stories, and memories of Bent Larsen.

The Jaffna District Chess Association, in collaboration with the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka, has officially announced the 4th Edition of the Jaffna International Chess Championship. Set against the backdrop of northern Sri Lanka’s vibrant culture and warm hospitality, this landmark festival will run from December 5 to December 9, 2026, at the Chelva Palace in Kokuvil, Jaffna. Register Now!!

Nearly a decade ago, an open tournament in Nashik did something virtually unheard of in domestic chess: it slammed the registration door shut precisely at the deadline. When titled players arrived expecting the customary leeway of spot entries, they were politely turned away. The arbiters started round one on the dot, clocks ticked without delay, and Indian chess media ran headlines celebrating a rare triumph of organizational discipline and uncompromising standards.

In the 8th Round, Indian teams drew their matches in both the Open and Women sections. In the Open, all four games ended in a draw. Gukesh had a great chance against Muradli Mahammad but could not convert it into a win. In the Women's section, Savitha Shri helped Team India secure a draw against Kazakhstan. Savitha defeated Elnaz Kaliakhmet to score her 7th win in a row, making a perfect 7/7 points. In the 9th round, the Open team will face Germany while the Women's team will face Uzbekistan. Another big piece of news of the day was Germany's win against Uzbekistan. Photo: Michal Walusza

Prithvi Raj Prajeesh of India scored an unbeaten 6.5/7 points to win the Bahrain Prathibha Grandmasters Cup FIDE International Rapid Chess Tournament, powered by STC. Aghiad Mero of Syria also scored the same points and secured 2nd place according to tiebreak scores. The top 3 prizes were $600, $400, and $200, along with trophies and medals. The tournament was held on Friday, 11th September 2026, at Yousif Ahmed Abdulmalik Hall, Galali, Bahrain. Photo: Arjun Kakkadath

Team India is back to winning ways after the rest day. In the 7th round, the India Open team defeated England 2.5-1.5. Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh scored important wins, while Nihal suffered a tough loss. In the Women's section, the dominant performance continued as our team defeated Germany 3.5-0.5. Savitha is putting up a masterclasss as she is on a perfect 6/6. In the 8th round, the Open team will face Azerbaijan, and the Women's team will face Kazakhstan. Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz

The PICA Chess Festival 2026 was organised by PICA Chess Academy, founded by Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Pratyusha Bodda. The festival brought together chess players across different age groups and playing strengths, featuring a series of events with Blitz, Rapid and Classical time controls. The PICA Festival witnessed participation from more than 900 players, making it a major gathering of competitive chess. With hundreds of players competing across 64 squares, the festival provided an opportunity for participants to test their skills, gain valuable tournament experience and compete for prizes.|Photo: Pratyusha Bodda.

For years the same question has reached ChessBase India more often than almost any other: where do I find a good coach? Not a famous one, not a cheap one — the right one, for the level you are actually at, in a language you speak, at an hour you are actually free. ChessDial is our answer to it. It is a directory of chess coaches and academies, built and run by ChessBase India, where every listing has been read by a person before it went live and every rating was left by a student who actually booked a session. It is open now at coach.chessbase.in , it is free for coaches and academies to join, and there are already more than 45 listings on it. Here is the full tour — for students who are looking, and for coaches who want to be found.