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FIDE Candidates 2026 R9: Anish Giri scores second consecutive win, Climbs up to 2nd spot

09/04/2026 -

Anish Giri scored a huge win in the 9th round of FIDE Candidates 2026. Anish won a beautiful game against Fabiano Caruana to climb up to 2nd position. Javokhir Sindarov missed a huge chance against Matthias Bluebaum and drew his game. Anish is currently on 5.5/9 points while Sindarov is on 7/9 points. R Praggnanandhaa was also clearly winning his game, but made some inaccurate moves, and the game ended in a draw. In the Women's Section, Vaishali Rameshbabu scored a big win over Divya Deshmukh, and Zhu Jiner beat Kateryna Lagno. After round 9, both players are in joint 1st place, going into the 10th round. Round 10 will start on 9th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Niki Riga/ FIDE

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Menorca Masters 2026: Nihal starts with a win, Gukesh back in action

08/04/2026 -

Nihal Sarin kicked off the Menorca Masters 2026 with a win. It was an all Indian clash between Nihal and Pentala Harikrishna. Nihal was looking into some trouble in the opening, but he came back and outplayed Pentala Harikrishna to score the full point. The World Champion D Gukesh started with a draw against Leinier Dominguez Perez, while the game between Richard Rapport and Ruslan Ponomariov also ended in a solid draw. The Menorca Masters 2026 is an Invitational Rapid tournament with 6 players taking part in it. This exciting event will take place from 7th to 12th April in Ciutadella de Menorca. Round 2 will start at 5 PM Local time/8:30 PM IST. Photos: Saji Mathew

FIDE Candidates 2026 R8: Anish beats Praggnanandhaa, Caruana loses to Nakamura

08/04/2026 -

The FIDE Candidates 2026 is now in its second half, after completion of 8 rounds, Sindarov is still leading the event and getting closer to a perfect finish. In the 8th round, Anish Giri secured an important win over R Praggnanandhaa to get into the joint lead with Caruana in second place, who lost his game against Nakamura. Javokhir Sindarov drew his game against Andrey Esipenko, but Nakamura's win over Caruana helped Sindarov to increase his lead by 2 points. The 8th round in the Women's Section was very eventful as it witnessed 3 decisive results, and the standings have completely changed. It is anyone's title to grab as 5 players are in a joint lead. Round 9 will start on 8th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Yoav Nis/ FIDE

Velammal MHS School starts strong at FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026

07/04/2026 -

The FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026 (Asian Continental Stage) began in Almaty, Kazakhstan. They brought together some of the strongest school teams from across the continent. Three teams are representing India: Velammal MHS School, Duolingo Dreamers, and Kalinga Institute of Social Science. After two rounds, Velammal MHS School has made a flying start, winning both matches to sit among the early leaders with a perfect score. The other two Indian teams faced tough competition and are still looking for their first match points. Read the article for the report. Photos: International School Chess Federation

How did Cyprus and Cap St. Georges become the venue for FIDE Candidates 2026?

07/04/2026 -

We speak to the CEO of FIDE Emil Sutovsky on how the FIDE Candidates tournament was put together. How were the funds raised and how was the venue Cap St. Georges in Cyprus decided. As we speak on this subject, we get an understanding of what is needed to organize an event of this magnitude. Emil also shares his thoughts on Koneru Humpy pulling out of the event, and why it was logistically not possible to shift the venue.

FIDE Candidates 2026 R7: Wei Yi scores his first win, Vaishali beats Zhongyi

06/04/2026 -

The Candidates 2026 is halfway through, and all the players have played a game against each other. After completion of 7 rounds, Javokhir Sindarov is still leading the tournament with 1.5 points over Caruana. In the 7th round, there was only one decisive result: Wei Yi played an excellent, aggressive game against Andrey Esipenko to score his first win of the Candidates. The other 3 games ended in a draw. In the Women's section, Vaishali Rameshbabu won her game against Tan Zhongyi. Vaishali was in great trouble, but Zhongyi made a huge blunder, and Vaishali won the game. The other 3 games ended in a draw. 6th April is the rest day, and players will be ready for the second half of the event after this. Round 8 will start on 7th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Yoav Nis/ FIDE

Grenke Chess Festival 2026 R4-R7: Vincent Keymer in sole lead after 7 rounds

06/04/2026 -

After completion of 7 rounds at the Grenke Chess Festival 2026, Vincent Keymer is leading the Freestyle Chess Open with 6.5/7 points. On the 4th day of the festival, the 6th and 7th rounds were played. Vincent won his 6th round against Hans Niemann and drew his 7th round against Magnus Carlsen to take the sole lead. Alexey Sarana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Pranav V are tied in the second place with 6/7 points. Magnus Carlsen drew both of his games today, and he is one point behind the tournament leader, Vincent Keymer. Vincent will play against Sarana in the 8th round. Round 8 will start on 6th April at 10 am Local time and 13:30 IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram/Prajwal Bhat

FIDE Candidates 2026 R6: Sindarov wins again, beats Wei Yi to maintain his lead

05/04/2026 -

It looks like Javokhir Sindarov wants to win the FIDE Candidates 2026 with rounds to spare. He scored his 4th win in a row, now taking down Wei Yi with the black pieces in round 6. He played a daring game, allowing doubled pawns and keeping his king in the center. Despite the complexity, he maintained a "calm and quiet" dynamic style, eventually crushing Wei Yi under time pressure. With R Praggnanandhaa making a solid draw against Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana drawing Andrey Esipenko, and Anish Giri trying for a long time but drawing against Matthias Bluebaum, Javokhir's win is all the more significant as he now has a 1.5-point lead in the field going into the 7th round. Round 7 will start on 5th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Yoav Nis/ FIDE

Niranjan Navalgund’s new Chessable course: How to beat a Grandmaster

05/04/2026 -

FIDE Master Niranjan Navalgund has officially launched his first Chessable course, “How to Beat a Grandmaster.” The course moves beyond traditional opening theory to explore the psychology, practical preparation, and mindset required to compete against elite opposition. Drawing from his personal journey, including his maiden GM norm in 2017, Niranjan has crafted a cinematic guide for players of all levels. In an interview with ChessBase India, he discusses the motivation behind the course and why this material is relevant even for non-chess players. Read the article to know more. Photo: Chessable

Petroleum Sports Promotion Board wins 23rd National Women Team Chess Championship 2026

04/04/2026 -

The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board scored 12/14 points to win the 23rd National Women's Team Chess Championship 2026. Airport Authority of India and PSPB both scored 12/14 points, but a better tie-break score helped PSPB clinch the title. West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh B, and Telangana A scored 9/14 each to secure 3rd to 6th place, respectively. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹5,00,000. The top three prizes were ₹1,25,000, ₹1,00,000, and ₹75,000 each. The championship was smoothly organized at Agrasen Dham, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, by Chhattisgarh State Chess Association from 16th to 22nd March 2026. Photos: Ayush Jain/ChessBase India

Grenke Chess Festival 2026 R1-R3: Magnus, Nepo, Hans get the winning start

04/04/2026 -

The Grenke Chess Festival 2026 has started, with more than 3,500 participants playing in Karlsruhe, Germany, making it the biggest chess tournament in the World. The Festival consists of two formats played in 3 different groups: Freestyle Chess Open A, B, and C, and Classical Open A, B, and C, in which all the World's best players are taking part. After 2 days of play and completion of 3 rounds, Magnus Carlsen is on 3/3 and co-leading the Freestyle Open with Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hans Niemann, MVL, and 15 other players who are on full points. The Participants were welcomed with a film showing highlights from last year, accompanied by the European anthem, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” Round 4 will start on 4th April at 10 am Local time and 13:30 IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram/ Prajwal Bhat

FIDE Candidates 2026 R5: Sindarov’s Supremacy continues as he scores a hat-trick

04/04/2026 -

After 5 rounds of play at the FIDE Candidates 2026, it looks like Uzbek Star Javokhir Sindarov is an unstoppable force who has no immovable object in his way to win the Candidates. He scored a hat-trick of wins to maintain his sole lead over Fabiano Caruana, who is still in second place. In the 5th round, Sindarov won his game against the World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura with black pieces to lead the event with 4.5/5 points. In another decisive result, Fabiano Caruana won his game against Matthias Bluebaum to keep himself in the race with 3.5/5 points. Pragganandha drew his game against Esipenko, while Anish Giri and Wei Yi also played a solid draw. Round 6 will start on 4th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Yoav Nis/ FIDE

Bala Chandra Prasad Dhulipalla dominates at 6th Navin Kumar Sinha Memorial Rapid Rating 2026

03/04/2026 -

IM Bala Chandra Prasad Dhulipalla won the 6th Navin Kumar Sinha Memorial International FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Championship 2026. He scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to clinch the title with a clear half-point lead over Arnav Agrawal, who scored 8/9 points and secured 2nd place. Utsab Chatterjee, Aaryan Varshney, Himal Gusain, and Prakhar Tripathi scored 7.5/9 to finish from 3rd to 6th place, respectively, according to their tiebreak scores. The tournament was organized by West Singhbhum District Chess Association at Khirwal Banquet Hall, Chaibasa, Jharkhand, on 15th March 2026. Photos: Basant Khandelwal

How Chola Chess is making an impact on Indian chess

03/04/2026 -

Chola Chess was launched in July 2025 with a clear vision to nurture young talent in India. Even before its launch, the initiative had already begun conducting training camps from January 2025. Since then, it has conducted 100 camps and trained over 1300 players. It provides a space for promising players to train under experienced coaches. On 1st April, they conducted their 100th camp, marking an important milestone in their journey. Read the article to know how Chola Chess is making a difference. Photos: Chola Chess

FIDE Rating list April 2026: Divya Deshmukh breaks into world top 10

02/04/2026 -

The FIDE April 2026 rating list has shown some significant changes for Indian chess. The most prominent one is Divya Deshmukh’s historic entry into the Women’s Top 10. Arjun Erigaisi is back in the World Top 10. World Champion D Gukesh, however, slipped to World No. 15 after a dip in form. Nihal Sarin climbed to World No. 22, while Pranav V made a big jump to World No. 52 after a strong run of results. In the women’s section, Koneru Humpy remained unchanged, R Vaishali slipped one place to World No. 19, and Harika Dronavalli climbed to World No. 18. Read the article to know more. Photo: Abhyudaya Ram

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