14-Year-Old Vivaan Vishal Shah Became Gujarat's Youngest International Master

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.

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!!