Tiger Kings Osaka Dominates to Win Japan Team Chess Championship 2026

IM Ramnathan Balasubramaniam scored an unbeaten 7.5/8 points to win the long-running 24th Edition of the Adyar Times FIDE Rating Open Classical Chess Tournament 2026. It was his 6th time winning this tournament. The final standings beautifully illustrated the phrase "old is gold." International Master Ramanathan Balasubramaniam and FIDE Master Ram S. Krishnan, both veteran players from Tamil Nadu, claimed the top two spots, outpacing a field packed with talented teenagers. Read this full report by CM & IA S. Paul Arokia Raj

Behind the Under-12 Girls World Cup Champion Divi Bijesh’s success on the chessboard is a family’s story of sacrifice, resilience and hope. Her parents, Prabha and Bijesh, have navigated financial strain and long periods apart while supporting Divi’s rise in chess and Devnath’s determination to pursue his own. After years of seeking support, Divi’s third world title brought recognition from the Kerala Government. Her parents share the journey behind that milestone and their hopes for the road ahead. Let's hear from Divi's Father, Bijesh, about their incredible journey.

Between long gaps in her College, a student and her friends turned a cheap plastic chess set into a new campus ritual. Then a fiercely competitive game against her long-distance partner took an unexpected turn when a puppy ran off with a bishop. What followed became a story about student life, love, laughter and the unlikely ways chess can bring people together.

Team India secured a total of 12 medals at the 20th Asian Schools Chess Championships 2026, including 6 individual medals (3 Gold and 3 Silver) and 6 team medals (1 gold and 5 Silver). Rajeswari Aiyappan won the Gold Medal in the Girls Under-11 Standard format; Nimalan Dharanipathy secured Double Silver in the Boys Under-7 Standard and Rapid. WCM Anvi Deepak Hinge secured a double gold and silver in Standard and Blitz in Girls Under-9, and WCM Yakshini P dominated the U-11 Girls Rapid format to claim Individual Gold. Photo: Asian Chess Federation

Winning the 2025 National Championship marked a major milestone for Grandmaster Iniyan Panneerselvam, but he has treated the crown as a launching pad rather than a finish line. This year, Iniyan won 2 strong tournaments, 360 One Masters in Mumbai and La Plagne Open in France, with a dominant 2700 performance. Iniyan also won Gold at the Rapid and Blitz Commonwealth Chess Championship 2026. In this interview, the reigning national champion reflects on his recent performances, the mindset behind his momentum, and his sights set on crossing the 2650 barrier.

The 41st Edition of the prestigious European Club Cup 2026 concluded with Bayegan Pandik Sports Chess Club (Turkey) and Novy Bor Chess Club (Czech Republic) finishing in the top 2 places according to tiebreak scores. Both teams finished on 13/14, but Bayegan Pandik Sports had the better tiebreak scores. Nihal Sarin and Harikrishna Pentala played a major role in Novy Bor Chess Club's success, as Nihal secured individual gold on the 2nd board with an unbeaten 5/6, and Harikrishna secured Silver on the 3rd board with an unbeaten 5/6. Photos: ECU/Mark Livshitz

FM Nishant Abhijeet Jawalkar, IM Nitin S, CM Karthik Sai Ch, Arul Anandh SPK, Prasanna Karthick M, and FM Rohith S scored 7.5/9 points, finishing in the top 6 according to tiebreak scores at the 1st Manchester City International Open FIDE-rated Classical Chess Tournament. Nishanth Abhijeet Jawalkar had the best tiebreak score to clinch the title. Veer Chess Academy organised this 5-day classical tournament. The total prize fund was ₹11,50,001, along with trophies, laptops, and televisions. Photos: IA Vijayaraghavan V

On October 10, ChessBase India teamed up with Chess Coffee Connect to organise "The Chess Solving Cup" across multiple venues in Delhi NCR. Around 45 participants came together to tackle challenging chess compositions, test their analytical skills and discover a different dimension of the game. With contests for different age groups and a mix of chess solving and over-the-board action, the day celebrated the many facets of chess. In this pictorial report, we bring you glimpses from the day's events and introduce the wonderful team whose dedication helped make it all happen.

Vignesh B of Tamil Nadu scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to win the 2nd Rotaract RUAS – Children Chess Academy All India Open FIDE-rated Rapid Chess Tournament. IM Harshad S also scored 8.5/9 points and secured 2nd place according to tiebreak scores. Five players scored 8/9 points, and IM Gusain Himal secured 3rd place. The tournament was organised on 18th October at Dwaraka Hall, M. S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences (RUAS), Bengaluru. Photos: IA Vasanth BH

WIM Prishita Gupta of Delhi and CM Divith Reddy Adulla of Telangana are newly crowned Indian National Sub-Junior Champions. Prishita scored an unbeaten 10/11 points to win the 42nd Girls Sub-Junior National Championship with a full-point lead. WFM Nivedita VC and WFM Maitreyi Mondal secured 2nd and 3rd places in Girls. CM Divith Reddy Adulla scored 9.5/11 points to win the 51st Open Sub-Junior National Championship. Meanwhile, FM Madhesh Kumar S and Niladri Banerjee secured 2nd and 3rd places in the Open. Photos: Akshat Prajapati

Building on the encouraging response to its 1st training camp, SBG Chess Academy has organised its second chess training camp in Moranhat, Dibrugarh, Assam. The camp was scheduled from October 10th to October 16th, 2026, and continues the academy’s long-term mission of bringing structured, high-quality chess coaching to promising young players from remote and underserved regions. IM Neeraj Kumar Mishra conducted his 2nd Camp to strengthen chess in Assam. Photos: R K Pancham Singh

The 4th Mind Champions Challenge was held at Phoenix Marketcity, Mumbai. After six rounds, 11-year-old Ved Phaur won the title, beating defending champion Rohit Jadhav in the final round. Ved needed a win from a position that looked drawn, and he kept playing until he got it! Here is how the day went, along with the people and partners who made it happen.

The World Championship match between Gukesh and Sindarov is getting closer, and everyone wants to know who their seconds will be. But what if we turn the question around and ask who won't be on their teams? We have a few names in mind, and some rather interesting reasons why they might not make the cut. Let's see if you agree!

The 2026 World Championship takes place at the Fondation Martin Bodmer in Cologny, a venue that is half library, half museum. Founded by Zurich-born collector Martin Bodmer, it houses over 150,000 documents, from ancient papyri to rare books, and is listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. Read about the fascinating and rich history of this legendary place.

India's 97th Grandmaster Harshavardhan G.B. scored 7.5/9 points to share 1st place at the Fagernes International Autumn Chess Tournament (GM Group). GM Rinat Jumabayev of Kazakhstan had the best tiebreaks to take 1st place. GM Tiger Hillarp of Sweden scored second, and Harshavardhan was third. The top three prizes were €3000, €2000, and €1000, which were equally shared among the top three finishers. Photo: Anniken Vestby

Chess Club IIT Kanpur is set to host the second edition of the SBI GIC Ltd. Presents FIDE-rated Open Rapid Chess Tournament on 25 October 2026. Following the massive success of its inaugural edition earlier this year, which brought together over 330 players, including titled masters and fresh campus talent, the tournament returns with an upgraded prize fund of ₹2,50,000. The team at Chess Club IITK shared details and insights about their journey, the previous edition, and the growing chess culture at the institute. Read on to know more.

The Penultimate round of the 51st Open and 42nd Girls National Junior Chess Championship is concluded. In the Girls section, WIM Prishita Gupta got a full-point lead going into the final round; she will be facing WFM Saranya Devi Narahari for the championship. In the Open section, FM Madhesh Kumar S. has a half-point lead over the field, and in the final round he is facing FM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma on the top board. The final round will start on 20th October at 10 am IST. Photos: Akshat Prajapati

At the Commonwealth Schools Chess Championship 2026 in Kuala Lumpur(Malaysia), 25 Indian players reached the podium. Among them were CM Mitul K H, Dhyaan Patel and Ameya A R, who each won gold in all three formats: Standard, Rapid and Blitz. Together, the Indian contingent collected 42 medals. Here is a look at the young players who made it happen. Photos: Malaysian Chess Federation

Champions Chess Centre organised two editions of Champions Chess Rapid in Delhi on 23 August and 10 October 2026. Together, both editions recorded 434 player entries. The tournaments featured four categories: Under-8, Under-10, Under-12 and Under-16. Take a look at the winners and results from both tournaments. Photos: Ayush Jain & Champions Chess Centre

After 8 rounds at the 51st National Under-15 Open and 42nd National Under-15 Girls, Madhesh Kumar S and Shaunak Badola are co-leading with 7.5/8 points. In the Girls, top seed Prishita Gupta is showing a dominating performance as she defeated Nihira Koul to maintain her sole lead. In the 9th round, Madhesh and Shaunak will face each other in the open, while Prishita will face Maitreyi Mondal on the top board. The 9th round will start on 18th October at 10 am IST. Photos: Akshat Prajapati

Balkishan A. scored an unbeaten 7.5/8 points to win the 3rd ICC-Chessfee International Classical Rating Chess Tournament 2026. Five players scored 7/8 points to finish in 2nd to 6th place according to tiebreak scores. FM Ram S. Krishnan and Padmaesh MK secured 2nd and 3rd places. Indian Chess Consortium organised this 4-day classical chess tournament in Coimbatore from 1st to 4th October 2026. The total prize fund was ₹5,00,000, with top 3 prizes of ₹40,000, ₹30,000 and ₹20,000 along with trophies. Photos: Dr. G. G. Sathiesh

Nimzo-Indian is far more than just a sequence of opening moves. It's a profound strategic system, an education in itself. In this course, we won't merely memorize lines; we'll delve deep into its typical pawn structures, understand the crucial positional maneuvers, and grasp the underlying strategic ideas that make this defense so incredibly potent. It teaches you how to play chess, not just an opening.

The 7th round of the 51st National Sub Junior Championship witnessed a lot of upsets in the Open section. Top seed IM Jval Saurin Patel suffered a loss against Shaunak Badole of Maharashtra. Parambrata Sarkar defeated second seed Madhvendra Pratap Sharma to gain the joint lead with 3 others. In the 42nd National Sub Junior Girls Championship, Top seed Prishita Gupta is leading with a half point. The 8th round will start on 17th October at 10 am IST. Photos: Akshat Prajapati