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Simul with GM Aravindh Chithambaram at Chola Chess Club, Chennai on 22nd August!

3 days ago

14-year-old Aadik Lenin scores his 2nd IM norm in Hungary

6 days ago

2009-born Jihan Tejas Shah scores his maiden IM norm!

9 Aug 2026

10-year-old Aarit Kapil scores his 2nd IM norm in Serbia

7 Aug 2026

Who is Kong Xiangrui?

5 Aug 2026

Latest News

32nd Abu Dhabi Masters R6: Dubov beats Ahmadzada, Avirat Scores Another Win

22/08/2026 -

In the 6th Round of the Abu Dhabi Masters, top seed Daniil Dubov defeated Ahmad Ahmadzada. Iniyan P. drew against Jakhongir Vakhidov. IM Usov Aleksandr E is showing an outstanding performance, and he defeated GM SL Narayanan in the 6th round. Talented Youngster Avirat Chauhan scored his 2nd consecutive win after beating Roman Shogdzhiev. The 7th round will start on 22nd August at 5 PM Local Time/6:30 PM IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

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Corporate Blitz and Summer Spritz: Two Sigma Claims Top Honors Alongside Premier Banks and Tech Firms at NYCCL Summer Celebration

21/08/2026 -

The NYC Corporate Chess League (NYCCL) recently hosted its "Summer Spritz & Speed Chess" event at Chief Flatiron, drawing over 60 competitive players from Manhattan’s finance, tech, and legal sectors. Sponsored by Sandline Global, the gathering featured a 5-round Blitz Swiss tournament that combined high-caliber play with corporate networking. Two Sigma secured their first top-spot team finish since 2018, while FM Alexander Bian, IM Michael Bodek, and NM Jalen Wang claimed the individual podium honors. The event underscored the league’s unique mission of fostering cross-industry connections through a shared passion for chess, offering a space where professional titles are set aside for the game

Asian Junior 2026 R2: Pratitee and Mayank Maintain Flawless Start

21/08/2026 -

The 2nd Round of the Asian Junior Championship is concluded, and all the top seeds are unshaken. In the Open, GM Mayank Chakroborty, GM Artim Pingin, and IM Apoorv Kamble won their games today, and in the Girls section, WFM Pratitee Bordoloi, WFM Mariya Kholyakov, and WFM Lala Shohradova scored wins and are on a perfect 2/2 so far. 21st August will be an interesting day, as there are two rounds of Classical Chess. Photos: Tushar Damor

Tan Zhongyi Convincingly Wins 6th Cairns Cup 2026

21/08/2026 -

GM Tan Zhongyi from China scored 6.5/9 points to win the 6th Edition of the Cairns Cup 2026. Zhongyi was leading the tournament from the start, and in the final round she had a full point lead over Alice Lee. A draw was enough for her to win the title, but unfortunately she lost the game against Stavroula Tsolakidou. Alice Lee could have caught her, but her game ended in a draw, and Tan Zhongyi won the tournament with a half-point lead. This is Zhongyi's 2nd Cairns Cup title, and she won $65,000. Photos: Lennart Ootes

Bharath Subramaniyam H Wins the Granada Open 2026

21/08/2026 -

GM Bharath Subramaniyam H scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to win the Granada Chess Open 2026. In the final round, Bharath drew against GM Yuri Solodovnichenko of Ukraine, and both players finished on 7.5/9, but a better tiebreak score helped Bharath clinch the title. The tournament was organised at Hotel Porcel Alixares, Granada, Spain, from 28th July to 2nd August. The total prize fund of this tournament was €13000, with the top three prizes being €2500, €2000, and €1500, along with trophies. Photos: Open Internacional de Ajedrez de Granada

12-Year-Old CM Vyom Malhotra Scores 2nd IM Norm at Czech Open 2026

21/08/2026 -

Twelve-year-old Candidate Master Vyom Malhotra from Haryana achieved a significant milestone at the Czech Open 2026 A – Pardubice Open, securing his second IM norm and crossing the 2400 Elo on the live rating list. The young Indian talent delivered a wonderful performance; he gained an impressive 140.8 rating points with a rating performance of 2494. Vyom's trainer, GM Shardul Gagare, wrote that Vyom faced technical issues with his laptop throughout the tournament, but managed his prep and training using his mobile.

Naitik Mehta Scores Maiden IM Norm at 19th Arad Open Grand Prix Classic 2026

21/08/2026 -

Talented Candidate Master from Gujarat, Naitik Mehta, scored his maiden IM Norm at the 9th Arad Open Grand Prix Classic (Above 2000). Naitik scored 6/9 points with a performance rating of 2446. After 2 consecutive wins in the first 2 rounds, he lost the 3rd game against Filip Magold. Naitik came back stronger in the upcoming rounds and won the final 2 rounds to score his Maiden Norm. Check out the Interview with Naitik in this report.

Wesley So Wins Sinquefield Cup 2026 After Epic Playoff Against R. Praggnanandhaa

20/08/2026 -

Wesley So has defended his crown at the 2026 Sinquefield Cup, defeating R Praggnanandhaa in a dramatic playoff finale in Saint Louis. Following a tie at 5.5/9 in the classical section and a 1-1 in the rapid tiebreak games, the championship came down to an Armageddon clash. Under immense pressure, Wesley pulled off a gritty hold with Black from a losing position to claim his back-to-back title and third overall Sinquefield Cup trophy. With this win, Wesley also qualifies for the GCT finals. Photo: Lennart Ootes

Asian Junior Championship 2026 Round 1: Top Seeds Start with Smooth Wins

20/08/2026 -

The 2026 Asian Junior Chess Championship started on 17th August with a Blitz and Rapid Format. From 19th August, the Classical Format started, and the Top seeds in both Open and Girls categories registered smooth victories in the 1st round. The top 3 seeds of Open; GM Mayank Chakraborty, IM Artem Pingin and IM Apoorv Kamble started with a win. In the Girls section, top seed Pratitee Bordoloi also won her 1st game. The 2nd round starts on 20th August at 3 PM IST. Photos: Tushar Damor

32nd Abu Dhabi Masters R5: Avirat Chauhan Beats IM Bakhrom Bakhrillaev

20/08/2026 -

The 32nd Abu Dhabi Masters is past the halfway mark, and after completion of 5 rounds, 10 players are in joint first place with 4/5. GM Iniyan P. and GM SL Narayanan are also among those 10 players. In the 5th round, untitled Avirat Chauhan defeated Bakhrom Bakhrillaev to reach 3/5 points. Avirat is increasing his rating by 28 points as he scored all 3 points against International Masters. 20th August is a rest day, and the 6th round will start on 21st August at 5 PM Local Time/6:30 PM IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

Kalyani Sirin scores her maiden WGM norm in Arad, pumps up her Elo to 2365

20/08/2026 -

Born in 2010, 16-year-old Kalyani Sirin from Kerala is an incredible player. She likes to play in open tournaments, her chess.com Elo is 2800+ in blitz. In 2026, Kalyani has moved ahead with great rigour and persistence and achieved her first WGM norm. She also gained massive rating in Europe and her Live Elo is somewhere close to 2365! Absolutely stunning!

This chess loving cafe is about to be shut down

19/08/2026 -

Cut Coffee Paste is a chess loving cafe started by Harsh Sirohi in Gurugram. In fact the cafe has a name for its chess club as well - Espresso Chess Defense! Over the last few months, the place has become a go-to place for the chess lovers in the city. However, the cafe is under financial crunch and is in danger of shutting down. It is for this reason that Harsh is hoping that the community that he invested in could come and save his dream.

Meet Chess Enrich: A "Homework" Platform Built by Grandmasters for Chess Learners

19/08/2026 -

Every chess parent with big dreams asks the same thing: “Will you give my child regular homework?” For GM Stany G A, this question sparked an idea. He and his co-founders, GM Swayams Mishra and IM Swayangsu Satyapragyan, launched a platform called Chess Enrich to answer it. Their pitch is simple: You don’t level up in chess just by attending classes; you get better by practising consistently and with smart, coach-backed assignments.

Praggnanandhaa Defeats Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in 27 moves, Becomes India No. 1

19/08/2026 -

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has delivered a masterclass with the Black pieces in the penultimate round of the Sinquefield Cup 2026. Taking down French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in just 27 moves, Pragg has not only caught tournament leader Wesley So at the top of the leaderboard with 5/8, but has also climbed to the India No. 1 spot in the live rating lists. The Final round will start on 19th August at 12 PM Local Time / 10:30 PM IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes

Tan Zhongyi on the Verge of Winning the 6th Cairns Cup 2026

19/08/2026 -

Tan Zhongyi is looking unstoppable at the 6th Cairns Cup; she scored her 2nd consecutive win after defeating Bibisara Assaubayeva in the penultimate round. Zhongyi is leading the tournament with 6.5/8 points, and only Alice Lee can catch up with her if she wins and Zhongyi loses in the final round. In the 8th round, Alice Lee defeated World Championship Challenger Vaishali Rameshbabu with black pieces. A draw is enough for Zhongyi to clinch the title, while Alice Lee will be playing for a win in the last round. The Final round will start on 19th August at 12 PM Local Time / 10:30 PM IST. Photos: Lennart Ootes

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News Bites

Live FIDE Presidential Debate With Buettner, Rosenstein, Turlov on chess.com

Vidit Gujrathi launches the chess vertical of Physics Wallah

Vidit Gujrathi and Divya Deshmukh feted with Arjuna Award

Simul with GM Aravindh Chithambaram at Chola Chess Club, Chennai on 22nd August!

14-year-old Aadik Lenin scores his 2nd IM norm in Hungary

2009-born Jihan Tejas Shah scores his maiden IM norm!

10-year-old Aarit Kapil scores his 2nd IM norm in Serbia

Who is Kong Xiangrui?

Latest News

CHESSBASE '26 + MEGA DATABASE '26