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ChessBase India hits 3 million subscribers on YouTube

26/07/2026 -

On 26th of July 2026, ChessBase India hit 3 million subscribers on their YouTube channel. In this article we tell you the stories of this channel through numbers! The channel is now 11 years old and has 19246 videos! A lot of people have contributed towards its success. After Gotham Chess, Hikaru Nakamura, ChessBase India becomes the third chess channel to hit 3 million subscribers.

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New Champions Crowned at the 2026 U.S. National Championships in Saint Louis

26/07/2026 -

America’s premier chess hub witnessed a spectacular showcase of talent as the 2026 U.S. Junior, U.S. Junior Girls', U.S. Senior, and the inaugural Saint Louis edition of the U.S. Senior Women’s National Championships concluded at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Held from July 13–24, 2026, the invitation-only event brought together top-tier prodigies and esteemed veterans vying for four national crowns and a total prize pool of $285,000. Photo: Lennart Ootes

Chess Super GM Anish Giri Joins BASILISK, Science's Esports Team

25/07/2026 -

The world of chess has another blockbuster move. World No. 8 Anish Giri has joined BASILISK, where he will team up with Vincent Keymer to form one of the strongest duos in competitive chess. Giri is expected to make his first appearance for the organization at the upcoming Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz.

Mentors Needed: Help Checkmate Betul Bring Chess to Girls Across India

25/07/2026 -

Checkmate Betul is expanding, and mentors are needed! What started as a small local initiative has grown into a movement empowering girls across India through chess. Got 1 hour a week to help a young player find her footing? A few years ago, Checkmate Betul was a small idea with a simple goal: get more girls in Betul in front of a chessboard. It has not stayed small. What began as a handful of local lessons has turned into a network of online classes reaching girls across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and now Nagaland, a state where opportunities for girls to learn and compete in chess have historically been hard to come by. That kind of growth is worth celebrating on its own. (Photos: Checkmate Betul)

Tharun Pranav G. B. Wins RV Chess Academy 2nd Below-1800 Classical Rating 2026

25/07/2026 -

Tharun Pranav G B scored 8/9 points to win the RV Chess Academy 2nd International FIDE Rating Chess Tournament for Below 1800. 6 players scored 7.5/9 points to finish in 2nd to 7th places according to tiebreak scores. Sriman V and Pradheep B secured 2nd and 3rd places. The tournament was organised by RV Chess Academy at New Prince Shri Bhavani College of Engineering, Chennai. The total prize fund was ₹4,00,000, with top 3 prizes of ₹40,000, ₹30,000 and ₹20,000, along with trophies. Photos: RV Chess Academy

Aswath S Wins Serbia Open 2026 Just After Becoming India's 98th Grandmaster

25/07/2026 -

Aswath S scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 points in a super-strong field to win the Serbia Open 2026 (Masters). Aswath made his final GM Norm in the Pune Round Robin event, where he won the last game on demand. Here in Serbia, Aswath defeated GM Mitrabha Guha in an important clash of the penultimate round. He gained a half-point lead going into the final round and drew against Ethan Vaz, who also recently became India's 96th Grandmaster. Matfey Yurasov and Ethan Vaz finished in 2nd and 3rd places, respectively. Photos: Serbia Chess Federation

Viswanathan Anand Takes Charge as FIDE Interim President

25/07/2026 -

In a major development in the governance of world chess, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich has announced that he is voluntarily suspending his powers and duties as President with immediate effect. In accordance with FIDE, Viswanathan Anand, the 15th World Chess Champion and current Deputy President of FIDE, has taken over as the Interim President of the International Chess Federation.

The Grandmasters Club: A Home for Every Chess Lover

24/07/2026 -

What makes someone spend every vacation chasing chess tournaments across the world? How does a simple passion grow into a mission to bring more people closer to the game? From unforgettable encounters with world champions to the launch of The Grandmasters Club, this is the story of Lokesh Natoo's extraordinary journey and why he believes chess belongs to everyone.

59th Biel Chess Festival 2026: Levon Aronian Wins Masters, Finek Vaclav Triumphs in Generations Challenge

24/07/2026 -

The 59th edition of the legendary Biel International Chess Festival in Switzerland has come to a close. Levon Aronian drew his final game against Suleymanli to win the Masters Triathlon. Aydin Suleymanli finished second, ahead of Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Le Quang Liem. Finek Vaclav shines in the Generational Challenge; he took the tournament lead on Day 1 in the Rapid phase and never looked back. Xiao Tong and Marco Materia finish in second and third place, respectively. Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Test your skills with positions from the Chola Chess camp: 4th Edition

23/07/2026 -

Chola Chess is building a dedicated space for India's strongest young chess players to train and improve. It is led by R. B. Ramesh and Aarthie Ramaswamy and supported by a committed team. The initiative has already registered over 270 players, providing them with consistent, high-quality training through its camps. In this fourth edition of the series, we bring you another set of instructive positions discussed during a Chola Chess camp. Take your time, calculate deeply, and see how many you can solve.

Budapest to Host Official Pilot of the FIDE-Approved Total Chess World Championship Tour

23/07/2026 -

A new era in professional chess is set to launch this winter as Budapest hosts the official pilot event for the Total Chess World Championship Tour. Running from 10–21 November 2026, the landmark event developed by Norway Chess and approved by FIDE aims to redefine how elite competitive chess is conducted and consumed worldwide. Hosted at the historic Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel, the pilot tournament will gather the world's top male and female players, including World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, to crown chess’s most complete player.

Rohith Krishna S wins 1st Menuires International Chess Open, Raja Rithvik finishes second

23/07/2026 -

GM Rohith Krishna S scored an unbeaten 7/9 points to win the 1st Menuires International Chess Open - Masters Tournament 2026 held in Les Ménuires. GM Rohith and GM Raja Rithvik R both scored 7/9, but the better tiebreaks helped Rohith clinch the title. The tournament was organised from 11th to 18th July 2026 at Les Ménuires. The total prize fund was €20,000, with the top 3 prizes of €3,000, €2,000 and €1,500. Photos: Official Site

Alireza Firouzja Triumphs at 4th Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters 2026

23/07/2026 -

Alireza Firouzja scored an unbeaten 4.5/7 to win the 4th Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters 2026. Alireza started the event with 2 consecutive wins over Pranesh M and D Gukesh; after that, he drew his next 5 games to clinch the title with ease. In the final round, Alireza drew against Arjun Erigaisi, who was just a half point behind. Dmitry Andreikin scored his 1st win in the last round against Nodirbek Abdusattorov to score 4/7 and finish in 2nd place due to better tiebreaks than Arjun Erigaisi, who was also on 4/7. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

59th Biel Chess Festival 2026 Day 10: Aronian Keeps the Lead, 14-Year-Old Gloeckler Shines in MTO

22/07/2026 -

Action resumed at the 59th Biel Chess Festival as the four qualified finalists in the Masters Triathlon and Three Generations Challenge kicked off their final classical round-robin phase. With 12 massive classical points up for grabs across the final three rounds, Tuesday witnessed Levon Aronian defending his tournament lead after drawing against Le Quang Liem. Meanwhile, 14-year-old German sensation Christian Gloeckler surged further ahead in the Masters Open. Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Chaos in Chennai: Nihal and Pranesh Cause Major Upsets in Round 6 at Quantbox Chennai GM

22/07/2026 -

The Penultimate round delivered an absolute thriller of a day at 4th Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters 2026. As in the previous round, Gukesh was clearly better, and this time he fumbled against Pranesh M, and Pranesh managed to beat Gukesh to reach 3 points. The tournament leader, Arjun Erigaisi, suffered a tough loss against Nihal Sarin, and now Nihal is also on 3 points. The tournament is open for anyone to grab, and the last round will be most exciting to watch. The final round will start on 21st July at 2:30 PM IST. Photos: Tushar Damor

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CHESSBASE '26 + MEGA DATABASE '26