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Aarav Dengla becomes India’s 93rd Grandmaster and Mumbai's third

02/03/2026 -

Aarav Dengla from Mumbai has become India’s 93rd Grandmaster and the third Grandmaster from the city. He completed all the requirements for the GM title in January 2026 at the GM i IM Round Robin "Festival Saha Bijeljina 2026. He delivered a splendid performance to finish first with 7/9 points. He crossed 2500 on the FIDE Rating list in February. He scored his first GM norm at Medjunarodni velemajstorski turnir in 2022, followed by his second GM norm at the Zupanja Celebrates Chess - 70 Years of Pride and Tradition in 2025. His third GM norm came at the GM Mix Bijeljina 2026. Read the article to know more about Aarav's path to becoming a Grandmaster. Photo: Groningen chess

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Pranav Anand wins 42nd Cappelle la Grande 2026, GM Rohith Krishna finished on 3rd

02/03/2026 -

GM Pranav Anand scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 points to secure the clear first place at the 42nd Cappelle la Grande International chess tournament 2026. Pranav was clearly half a point ahead of the field after completion of the tournament. 14 players scored 7/9 points, but IM Timothe Razafindratsima of France and GM Rohith Krishna S secured 2nd and 3rd positions respectively due to their tiebreak scores. GM Rohith Krishna S was unbeaten in the tournament with 4 draws, and he drew his game against Pranesh M in the last round. Pranesh secured 4th place on tiebreaks. The tournament was organized at Palais des Arts et Loisirs (Palace of Arts and Leisure) in Cappelle-La-Grande, France, from 21st to 27th February 2026, with a total prize fund of €12,000. Photos: L'Échiquier Cappellois

Your chance to play at Mavens Open International Chess Championship 2026 in Nairobi

02/03/2026 -

Mavens Chess Club is delighted to invite you to participate in the 2nd edition of the Mavens International Open Chess Championship 2026 to be held from 19th March to 22nd March 2026 at the Alx-The Piano Campus in Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya. This tournament is organized to promote competitive chess in the county and provide players with an opportunity to enhance their skills and ratings. Mavens Chess Club is excited to offer a well-structured event featuring the classical format in the Open and Ladies sections and the Rapid format in the Junior section. Check out the full details of the event in this report. Photos: Wambugu Wandina/Mavens Chess Club

Prague Chess Festival 2026 R4: Vincent gets his first win, Jorden on a winning streak

01/03/2026 -

After 4 days of action at the Prague International Chess Festival 2026, Jorden van Foreest has emerged as the sole leader of the Masters section after winning his round 4 game against Nodirbek Yakubboev with black pieces. Jorden is on 3/4 points with decisive results in all 4 of his games. In round 4, Vincent Keymer scored his first win of the tournament after beating defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram with white pieces. In the Masters, the other 3 games ended in a draw. In the Challengers section, Divya Deshmukh and Surya Shekhar Ganguly drew their respective games, and in round 5, they will be facing each other. The 5th round for Masters, Challengers, and Futures, and the 4th round of Open starts today at 3 pm local time, 7:30 pm IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

How Vishy and Aruna Anand are silently powering chess in India

28/02/2026 -

In 2019 Gukesh became the second youngest grandmaster in the world of chess at the age of 12 years and 7 months. When he achieved the feat, a lot of possibilities arose for him. However, one that was extremely special was visiting the home of Vishy and Aruna Anand. In this article we tell you how this ritual of young achievers of Indian chess visiting the home of the legend is powering chess in the country! Don't miss the beautiful testimonial by Rajinikanth, Gukesh's father.

Prague Chess Festival 2026 R3: Jorden van Foreest beats Gukesh, Divya lost to Zhu Jiner

28/02/2026 -

It was a bad day for Indian players in round 3 of the Prague International Chess Festival 2026, as in the Masters section, World Champion D Gukesh blundered in the opening and lost to Jorden Van Foreest. Meanwhile, in the Challengers section, both Indian participants, Divya Deshmukh and Surya Shekhar Ganguly, lost their respective games. Gukesh and Divya are on 1/3 points with 2 draws, while Surya is on 0.5/3 points. Defending Champion Aravindh Chithambaram played a solid draw against Parham Maghsoodloo in the 3rd round, and he is on 1.5/3 points. The 4th round for Masters, Challengers, and Futures, and the 3rd round of Open starts today at 3 pm local time, 7:30 pm IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

Can you solve these 15 positions from GM Swapnil Dhopade’s training camp?

28/02/2026 -

GM Swapnil Dhopade has taken a major step by opening his offline chess academy, Chess Pathshala, in Nagpur. He recently conducted the first offline training camp at the academy, where players worked on carefully selected strategic exercises. An advanced offline camp for players rated above 2100 is scheduled from 19th to 25th March. The article also features 15 strategic puzzles from the camp that readers can try solving themselves. Check out the full article to know more about how you can register for the upcoming camp. Photo: Swapnil Dhopade

Punjab State Rapid and Blitz 2026: Shubham wins Rapid, Nikhil shines in Blitz

27/02/2026 -

Top seed Shubham Shukla of Ludhiana scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to win the Punjab State Rapid Chess Championship. Nikhil Chehal of Patiala won the Punjab State Blitz Chess Championship with an unbeaten 8/9 points. The championship also served as a selection tournament, with the top 2 performers earning the opportunity to represent Punjab at the upcoming National Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships. The event was successfully conducted on January 31 and February 1, 2026, at the campus of Amity University, Mohali. The state championship was organized by the Punjab State Chess Association in collaboration with Social Substance. Photos: Ankush Kathuria

Is Gukesh calculating too much?

27/02/2026 -

Is calculation becoming a strength that turns into a weakness? In this opinion piece, Ravi Abhyankar explores the delicate balance between calculation and instinct in modern chess. Can today’s elite players afford to rely only on deep calculation and ignore speed? Why does blitz matter so much for a classical World Champion today? By blending data, history, and modern realities, the article explains what dominance means in modern chess. Photo: Eng Chin Ann

Prague Chess Festival 2026 R2: Aravindh gets the winning start after beating Hans

27/02/2026 -

Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram scored a big win with the black pieces in the second round of the Prague International Chess Festival 2026. In the Masters section, there were 2 decisive results where Aravindh Chithambaram won his game against Hans Niemann, and David Anton Guijarro beat Jorden van Foreest with white pieces. In another important game, Nodirbek Yakubboev drew against D Gukesh. In the Challengers section, Divya Deshmukh drew her game against GM Daniil Yuffa, and Surya Shekhar Ganguly played a draw against Jonas Buhl Bjerre. In the 3rd round, Divya will be facing the World no.2 Zhu Jiner with black pieces. The third round for Masters, Challengers, and Futures, and Round 2 of Open starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

Rohit Jadhav wins the Mind Champions Challenge 3rd Edition

26/02/2026 -

The Mind Champions Challenge 3rd Edition was held on 21st February 2026 at the Phoenix ChessBase India Chess Club, Phoenix Marketcity Mall, Kurla. It was sponsored by the Lions Club of Bombay Uptown and organised in association with the All India Chess Federation for the Blind, ChessBase India, and Phoenix Marketcity Mall. Around 36 visually impaired players participated in the event. Rohit Jadhav emerged as the champion with a score of 4.5/5, followed by Swapnil Shah and Gaurav Khetre, who finished second and third, respectively, with 4/5 points. Check out the article for the report.

Prague Chess Festival 2026 R1: Gukesh and Divya starts with a draw

26/02/2026 -

The 8th edition of the Prague International Chess Festival 2026 started with many interesting games and some huge upsets. Masters section witnessed 4 decisive results with the white side winning in all 4 games. The only game that ended in a draw was between World Champion D Gukesh and Hans Niemann. In the Challengers section, there were 3 decisive results in which Surya Shekhar Ganguly (IND) lost to Thomas Beerdsen (NED). GM Divya Deshmukh (IND) drew her game against Benjamin Gledura (HUN) to start her campaign. The second round for Masters, Challengers, and Futures, and Round 1 of Open starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 7:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Abhyudaya Ram

Vaibhav Jayant Raut triumphs at 1st G H Raisoni Memorial Rapid Rating Jalna 2026

26/02/2026 -

FM Vaibhav Jayant Raut of Nagpur, Maharashtra, scored an unbeaten 8/9 points to claim first place at the 1st G H Raisoni Memorial FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Tournament. Kartavya Anadkat also scored 8/9 points to secure the 2nd Place. It was a five-way tie on 7.5/9 points for third place, but CM Naitik Mehta secured the 3rd place on better tirebreaks. This one-day rapid-rated tournament was organized by G H Raisoni Sports and Cultural Foundation & Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation at Sri Chaitanya Techno School, Jalna, Maharashtra, on 8th February, with a total prize fund of ₹2,00,000, and the top 3 prizes were ₹31,000, ₹25,000, and ₹20,000, respectively. Photos: Bhushan Shirwas

Sharjah Masters 9th edition starts from 30th April 2026

25/02/2026 -

One of the strongest classical tournaments in the chess calendar is back with its 9th edition! The Sharjah Masters 2026 is set to take place from 30th April to 10th May 2026. The last edition was won by Anish Giri (Category A), Mayank Chakraborty (Category B) and Shubham Shukla (Category C). Once again, the event will feature the same exciting categories. While the players' list is yet to be announced, we can expect some of the world’s best players fighting for the title. The total prize fund for the event is $100,000 (around Rs. 90 Lakh). It will be a nine-round Classical Swiss tournament with a time control of  90 minutes+30 seconds increment per move for the whole game. The tournament will be held at the Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club. Check out all the tournament details below. Photo: Sharjah Masters

Aditya Mittal clear first at 3rd Al-Beruniy Challengers 2026

25/02/2026 -

GM Aditya Mittal wins the 3rd Al-Beruniy Challengers 2026 with a clear half-point lead over the field. Aditya scored an unbeaten 6.5/9 points to win this round-robin event. Aditya started the event as a top seed and finished the tournament on a high note. GM Manuel Petrosyan of Armenia scored 6/9 points to secure second place, and GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov also scored 6/9 points to finish in third place. The tournament was organized by the Uzbekistan Chess Federation in Tashkent from 13th to 21st February, with the top 3 prizes in the Challengers of $5,000, $3,500, and $2,500, respectively. Photos: Uzbekistan Chess Federation

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