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

18 Aug 2026

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

15 Aug 2026

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

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15-Year-Old Jval Saurin Patel Becomes Gujarat's Youngest International Master

29/08/2026 -

Jval Saurin Patel secured his final IM norm at The Kanizsa Open 2026 to become one of the latest International Masters of India and the youngest in Gujarat. Jval scored his 1st IM Norm at the Vezerkepzo GM November 2025 in Budapest, where he scored 5.5/9. He scored his 2nd Norm at the Sixdays July Chess Tournament in Budapest, again scoring 5.5/9, and finally he scored his Open IM Norm at the Kanizsa Open, where he again scored 5.5/9. Read the life story of Gujarat's Youngest International Master.

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CHESSBASE '26 + MEGA DATABASE '26

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Praggnanandhaa Creates History After Winning The Grand Chess Tour 2026

29/08/2026 -

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu made history by becoming the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour 2026. Pragg defeated Fabiano Caruana in the final 15-13 to win the GCT. For almost a month, Pragg has been playing at Saint Louis Chess Club. He started by winning the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz; after that, he finished 2nd in the Sinquefield Cup and finally won the whole tour for the 1st time. With this win, Pragg also qualifies for the Grand Chess Tour 2027. Photos: Lennart Ootes

The 15-Year-Old Who Beats Magnus in Titled Tuesday: The Story of Vandan Alankar Sawai

29/08/2026 -

Defeating Magnus Carlsen in any format remains one of the most difficult tasks in modern chess. For 15-year-old Vandan Alankar Sawai of Delhi, that milestone arrived on August 18 during the late Titled Tuesday. Paired with the white pieces against the former World Champion in Round 2, Vandan kept pressing, but at one point Magnus mouse-slipped, and after that Vandan gave him no chance to come back. Read the story of this talented boy.

Jaffna to Host Landmark First-Ever IM Norm Round Robin Event in December 2026

29/08/2026 -

Sri Lankan chess is set to witness a historic breakthrough as the Jaffna District Chess Association (JDCA) announces the First-Ever International Master (IM) Norm Round Robin Tournament in Jaffna. Held under the banner of the Jaffna International Chess Championship 2026, the landmark 9-round classical event will take place from December 5 to December 9, 2026, at Chelva Palace, Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Mayank Chakraborty Became 2026 Asian Junior Champion; Daksh Goyal Secures Bronze

28/08/2026 -

GM Mayank Chakraborty scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 points to become the 2026 Asian Junior Champion. In the final round, Mayank drew against IM Artem Pingin to clinch the title. Three years ago, Mayank won the Asian Junior Rapid Championship, and this time he won the classical title. Mayank started the tournament as the top seed and finished in 1st place. Artem Pingin secured the silver medal with 7/9 points. Daksh Goyal of India scored 6.5/9 and had the best tiebreak score to finish in 3rd place. Photos: Nehal Deshmukh

13-Year-Old Pratitee Bordoloi Creates History to Become 2026 Asian Junior Girls Champion

28/08/2026 -

WFM Pratitee Bordoloi scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 points to become the 2026 Asian Junior Girls Champion. Pratitee started the tournament as the top seed, and she gained an early lead, which she kept throughout the tournament. In the final round, she drew against Sravyasree Bheemarasetty to clinch the title. Pratitee's FIDE rating has now crossed 2350, and she also directly earns the Woman International Master title. Photos: Nehal Deshmukh

GothamChess Joins BASILISK, Science's Esports Team, as Head of Chess

26/08/2026 -

Basilisk is an esports team that champions science. The first chess player to join their team was GM Vincent Keymer. Next one was Anish Giri. Two world class players. And now on 26th of August Basilisk made a huge announcement! World's Biggest Chess Content Creator - Gotham Chess aka Levy Rozman will join them as the head of Chess!

Pranesh M Wins Kanizsa Open 2026, 10 Indians Score Norms

26/08/2026 -

GM Pranesh M scored an unbeaten 7/9 points to win the Kanizsa Open 2026 Group A (Above 2200). In the final round, Pranesh scored a win on demand against IM Petrovskiy Vadym to reach 7 points. 3 other players, including Or Bronstein, Andrei Volokitin, and India's Karthik Venkataraman, also scored the same points to finish in 2nd to 4th place according to tiebreak scores. It was a great event for other Indian players as 10 Norms were scored by the Indian Contingent. Photos: David Llada

Praggnanandhaa reaches Grand Chess Tour Finals, takes on Fabiano Caruana for the title

25/08/2026 -

R. Praggnanandhaa defeated Vincent Keymer in the Semifinal Match to reach the 2026 Grand Chess Tour Finals. Praggnanandhaa started the semifinal with a draw in the 1st classical game; in the 2nd classical game, he defeated Keymer to gain the lead. In the Rapid format, Praggnanandhaa won both games and sealed his place in the finals irrespective of the Blitz Games. In the finals, he will face Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Wesley So in the Semis. The Finals will start on 25th August at 12 PM Local Time/10:30 PM IST. Photos: Lennart Ootes

Road to Weissenhaus 2027: Final qualification path confirmed

25/08/2026 -

Freestyle Chess and FIDE have confirmed the remaining qualification path for the 2027 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship. Three places are still open in both the Open and Women’s fields. They will be awarded through the Freestyle Friday Championship, Open and Women’s online qualifiers in November 2026, and final Open and Women’s online qualifiers in January 2027. Photos: FIDE

Jakhongir Vakhidov Wins 32nd Abu Dhabi Masters 2026, Avirat Chauhan Scores IM Norm

25/08/2026 -

Jakhongir Vakhidov scored an unbeaten 7/9 points to win the prestigious 32nd Abu Dhabi Masters. In the final round, Jakhongir drew against Aleksandr Rakhmanov to win the tournament. Five players, including Daniil Dubov, Aleksandr Rakhmanov, Rudik Makarian, Pranav Anand and Daniyal Sapenov, scored 6/9 points to secure 2nd to 6th places according to tiebreak scores. Young Indian Talent Avirat Chauhan scored his IM Norm. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

Asian Junior 2026 R8: Mayank Chakraborty and Pratitee Bordoloi Maintains Sole Lead

25/08/2026 -

GM Mayank Chakraborty and WFM Pratitee Bordoloi are in sole lead after the penultimate round of the Asian Junior Championship. Mayank started as the top seed in the Open section, and after 8 rounds, he is leading with 7 points. In the Girls section, Pratitee was the top seed, and she has a full point lead over the field. In the penultimate round, Mayank defeated Daksh Goyal, and Pratitee defeated Prishita Gupta. The Final round will start on 25th August at 10 AM IST. Photos: Tushar Damor

Celebrating Freedom on 64 Squares: Ichalkaranji Hosts Its First ‘Big Chess’ Camp

24/08/2026 -

A chance connection through a chess webinar eventually led to ChessBase India's Big Chess Camp making its way to Ichalkaranji, Maharashtra. On Independence Day, Rohit Pol and his team at Ken Chess Academy brought more than 80 children and chess enthusiasts together for a day of free chess learning, solving and discovery. From tactical themes and challenging positions to lessons in discipline, concentration and independent thinking, the camp captured the spirit of grassroots chess development. Rohit dreams of one day seeing a National Champion emerge from Ichalkaranji, and this could well be the beginning of that journey. We bring a detailed story.

Who is Going to Win 32nd Abu Dhabi Masters 2026?

24/08/2026 -

The 32nd edition of Abu Dhabi Masters is heading towards an exciting final round. After completion of 8 rounds, Jakhongir Vakhidov is leading with 6.5/8 points. 4 players, Aleksandr Rakhmanov, Daniil Dubov, Daniyal Sapenov, and India's Pranav Anand, are in joint second place with 6/8 points. Young talent Avirat Chauhan is on 5/8 points, and he is showing his class at the highest level. The Final round will start on 24th August at 10 AM Local Time. Photos: Anmol Bhargav

Asian Junior 2026 R3-4: Jaiveer Mahendru and Pratitee Bordoloi lead with perfect 4/4

22/08/2026 -

It was a double round day at the Asian Junior Chess Championship. In the open section, Jaiveer Mahendru is leading the tournament with a perfect 4/4. In the 4th round, Jaiveer defeated IM Aditya Dhingra with white pieces. In the 5th round, he will face top seed, GM Mayank Chakraborty. In the Girls section, Pratitee Bordoloi and Leyla Shohradova are on 4/4, and they are playing against each other in the 5th round. The 5th round will start on 22nd August at 3 PM IST. Photos: Tushar Damor

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News Bites

Sahithi Varshini scores her 2nd WGM norm at the Kanizsa Open 2026

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

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CHESSBASE '26 + MEGA DATABASE '26