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FIDE Candidates 2026 R14: Vaishali creates history after defeating Lagno to win Women's Candidates 2026

16/04/2026 -

Vaishali Rameshbabu defeated Kateryna Lagno in the final round of FIDE Women's Candidates 2026 to win the tournament. By winning the Candidates, Vaishali secured her spot in the World Championship match against the reigning Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun. Going into the final round, Vaishali had a score of 7.5/13 points, the same as Bibisara Assaubayeva. Divya Deshmukh drew against Bibisara in a wild game, and Vaishali scored a huge win over Kateryna Lagno and was crowned the Champion. Vaishali played some incredible Chess throughout the tournament. She scored 5 wins, had 7 draws, and conceded only 2 losses. Vaishali scored 8.5/14 points to secure the title. Photos: Michal Walusza, Niki Riga/ FIDE, Prajwal Bhat/ChessBase India

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Soumya Swaminathan announces special online chess camp for differently-abled players

16/04/2026 -

IM Soumya Swaminathan has announced a special online chess camp for differently-abled players. The camp will run from 27th to 30th April. Soumya was inspired to conduct this camp after attending the Super Heroes Cup in Pune. The camp will focus on middlegame decision-making. It is open to differently-abled players rated between 1600 and 2200. Read the article to know how you can register.

Zanas Nainys clear first at Bled Chess Festival 2026

15/04/2026 -

FM Zanas Nainys (LTU) scored 7.5/9 to win Bled Chess Festival Under-2300 Rating Tournament 2026. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. 12-year-old Leonard Belyaletdinov (SLO) scored 7/9 to secure second place. IM Leon Mazi (SLO), FM Adam Dorrance (CAN) and FM Miha Furlan (SLO) scored 6.5/9 each. They were placed third, fourth and fifth according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund was €6000. The top three prizes were €1000, €700 and €400 each. Next year the festival will take place from 8th to 14th March 2027. Check out a huge report of the tournament and see if you cannot afford to miss the next edition. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

FIDE Candidates 2026 R13: Javokhir Sindarov crowned as Champion with a round to spare

15/04/2026 -

Javokhir Sindarov has done it!! He won the FIDE Candidates 2026 with a round to spare. In the penultimate round, Sindarov drew against Anish Giri and won the event with a round to spare. By winning the tournament, Sindarov has earned the right to challenge D Gukesh for the World Championship. This will be the youngest World Championship match in history, with both players being around 20 years old. The average age of the clash will be 20 years and 9 months. The Women's section is set for an amazing final round, with Vaishali Rameshbabu and Bibisara Assaubayeva as joint leaders, while Zhu Jiner is in sole second place. On one side, we have a clear winner, Javokhir Sindarov, while on the other side, 5 players are still in a run for the title. Final round will start on 15th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Niki Riga/ FIDE

Wisdom School wins the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship (Asian Continental Stage), Velammal finishes third

14/04/2026 -

Wisdom School of Uzbekistan scored a perfect 16/16 points to win the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026 (Asian Continental Stage). No team came close to beating the Wisdom School. Kurchatov School of Russia scored 14/16 points to secure 2nd place in the event. Velammal MHS School scored 12/16 points to secure 3rd position. The tournament was organised at the Kazakhstan Hotel, Almaty, from 7th to 10th April, with the time control of 45 minutes with 10 seconds increment from move 1. Photos: International School Chess Federation

Nihal Sarin wins Menorca Masters 2026, Gukesh finishes in 4th place

14/04/2026 -

Nihal Sarin scored 6/10 points to win the Menorca Masters 2026. In the final round, Nihal drew his game against Ruslan Ponomariov, who was a half point behind him. In this 10-round double round-robin event, Nihal secured 4 wins, 4 draws, and lost just 2 games. Notably, Nihal defeated World Champion D Gukesh in both games. Ruslan Ponomariov and Richard Rapport scored 5.5/10 points and secured 2nd and 3rd position according to tie-break scores. Nihal is playing some of the best chess of his life right now; he's in a career-high classical rating of 2723. Here in Menorca, he increased his rapid rating by 7 points. The total prize fund of the tournament was €22,000, with the top 3 Prizes of €7,000, €5,000, and €4,000. Photos: Saji Mathew

FIDE Candidates 2026 R12: Sindarov maintains his lead. Can Anish stop him in the penultimate round?

13/04/2026 -

After 12 rounds at the FIDE Candidates 2026, Javokhir Sindarov is still leading the field with 2 points; he is on 9/12, while Anish is still trailing with 7/12 points. In the 13th round, Anish and Sindarov are going to play against each other, and this round can be the decisive one. In the 12th round, all games ended in a draw in the Open Section, and the standings look the same. In the Women's section, there were 3 decisive results where Vaishali Rameshbabu, who was leading the event, lost against Zhu Jiner, and now both players are on 7/12 points. Divya Deshmukh suffered a tough loss against Tan Zhongyi, and Bibisara won against Kateryna Lagno. Today is the last rest day at Candidates, and Round 13 will start on 14th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Niki Riga/ FIDE

FIDE Candidates 2026 R11: Vaishali beats Goryachkina to gain a full point lead, Sindarov still going strong

12/04/2026 -

Vaishali Rameshbabu scored an important victory in the 11th round of FIDE Women's Candidates 2026 to gain a full-point lead over Zhu Jiner and Anna Muzychuk. Vaishali is on 7/11 points while Jiner and Muzychuk are on 6/11 points. In the 11th round of the FIDE Candidates 2026, there was only 1 decisive result in 8 games, including both sections. In the Open Section, all 4 games ended in a draw. Tournament leader Javokhir Sindarov drew his game against Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri also drew his game against Andrey Esipenko, and is still trailing Sindarov by 2 points. Praggnanandhaa missed some opportunities in a clear winning position against Matthias Bluebaum, and the game ended in a draw. Hikaru Nakamura and Wei Yi also played a solid draw. Round 12 will start on 12th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Niki Riga/ FIDE

Menorca Masters 2026 R6-7: Nihal Sarin in joint lead with Ruslan Ponomariov going into 8th round

11/04/2026 -

Nihal Sarin and Ruslan Ponomariov are in joint lead after 7 rounds of play at Menorca Masters 2026. On the 4th day, Ruslan Ponomariov won both of his games to catch up to Nihal. In the 6th round, Ruslan Ponomariov defeated Richard Rapport, while in the 7th round, he defeated World Champion D Gukesh. Nihal had two draws. In the 6th round, he drew against Pentala Harikrishna, and in the 7th round, he drew against Leinier Dominguez Perez. Gukesh had both decisive games on the 4th day, first he won against Leinier Dominguez Perez, and then lost against Ponomariov. With 3 rounds to go, Nihal and Ponomariov are co-leading with 4.5/7, and Gukesh is in sole second place with 3.5/7. Round 8 will start on 10th April at 5 PM Local time/8:30 PM IST. Photos: Saji Mathew

Arkady Dvorkovich assesses his 8 years of work as a FIDE President

11/04/2026 -

Arkady Dvorkovich became the FIDE President in 2018 first and then once again won the elections in 2022. He has been at the helm of FIDE for 8 years now. We speak to him about the biggest challenges facing FIDE, what are his opinions on them, what is the thing is most proud of in his tenure as a FIDE President and what is that one thing he regrets the most. With 2026 elections coming, will be once again be running for FIDE Presidentship? If yes, what will be his vision for the next 4 years. All this and more in this interview.

Anustoop Biswas wins 3rd Maharathi Rapid Rating 2026, Anuj Shrivatri shines in Blitz

10/04/2026 -

Anustoop Biswas of West Bengal wins the 3rd Maharathi International Rapid Rating Chess Tournament 2026. Seven players, including Anustoop Biswas, Aradhya Garg, Dhrupad Kashyap, Soham Kamotra, Kushagra Mohan, Samar Dayal, and Anuj Shrivatri, scored 8/9 points, securing 1st to 7th positions respectively according to tie-break scores. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹10,00,000. In rapid, ₹7,00,000 were distributed along with trophies, while in blitz, ₹3,00,000 were distributed. The tournament was organised by Maharathi Chess Academy at Thyagraj Stadium, New Delhi, on 21st and 22nd March. Photos: Maharathi Chess Academy

Menorca Masters 2026 R4-5: D Gukesh scores his first win, Nihal still in lead

10/04/2026 -

After 5 rounds at Menorca Masters 2026, Nihal Sarin is still leading the tournament with 3.5/5 points. In the 4th round, Nihal Sarin won his game against Richard Rapport, World Champion D Gukesh also scored his first win of the tournament against Pentala Harikrishna, and Leinier Dominguez Perez vs Ruslan Ponomariov ended in a draw. In the 5th round, Pentala Harikrishna scored a win against Leinier Dominguez, and the other 2 games ended in a draw. Menorca Masters reached its halfway point, and now players will play against each other one more time. Round 6 will start on 10th April at 5 PM Local time/8:30 PM IST. Photos: Saji Mathew

FIDE Candidates 2026 R10: Sindarov Strikes again, beats Praggnanandhaa to extend his lead

10/04/2026 -

After 10 rounds of play at FIDE Candidates 2026, it seems like no one can stop Javokhir Sindarov's dream run. In the 10th round, Sindarov defeated R Praggnanandhaa for the 2nd consecutive time in the tournament to reach 8/10 points and extended his lead by 2 points over Anish Giri, who drew his game against Hikaru Nakamura. Other 2 games in the open section ended in a draw. In the Women's section, Vaishali Rameshbabu emerged as the sole leader after the 10th round. She drew her game against Anna Muzychuk, while Zhu Jiner, who was co-leading before this round, lost to Bibisara Assaubayeva. Divya Deshmukh also suffered a tough loss against Aleksandra Goryachkina. 10th April is the rest day, and Round 11 will start on 11th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Niki Riga/ FIDE

FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship round 5-6: Wisdom school in sole lead, can Velammal bounce back?

10/04/2026 -

The finals of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship 2026 (Asian Continental Stage) are set for today in Almaty. Velammal MHS School and Kalinga Institute of Social Science both started strong in round 5 with 3–1 victories but struggled in round 6, losing most of their games. Duolingo Dreamers endured a tough round 5, going down 0–4, but fought back in round 6 with a 2–2 draw. The stage is now set for an intense final round! Round 7 will start at 10 AM local time, followed by Round 8 at 1:30 PM. Photos: International School Chess Federation

Menorca Masters 2026 R2-3: Nihal Sarin wins against World Champion Gukesh, maintains his sole lead

09/04/2026 -

Nihal Sarin beats the World Champion D Gukesh in the 3rd round of the Menorca Masters 2026. This win helped Nihal get back into the 1st place, after losing his game against Leinier Dominguez Perez in the 2nd round. All 3 games have been decisive for Nihal so far, and he is leading the 6-player tournament with 2/3 points. Gukesh is yet to score his first win; he drew his second game against Ruslan Ponomariov and lost against Nihal in 3rd round. There are 4 players, Harikrishna, Leinier, Rapport, and Ponomariov, who are on 1.5/3 points, trailing Nihal Sarin. Round 4 will start on 9th April at 5 PM Local time/8:30 PM IST. Photos: Saji Mathew

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