Final Round Showdown: High-Stakes Battle for GM and IM Norms in Chennai

IM Harshavardhan G B is just half a point away from becoming the 97th Grandmaster of India. Harshavardhan already has 2 GM Norms, and in this Chola Chess GM Norm Round Robin Tournament, his live rating went above 2500. A draw is enough for him to secure his final GM Norm. In the penultimate round, he defeated GM Alexei Fedorov with black pieces, and in the final round, he is facing GM Mihail Nikitenko with white pieces. Photos: Devansh Singh

HelpChess Foundation raises Rs. 80 Lakh in 2025–26 to support chess players

The HelpChess Foundation has raised Rs. 80,83,155 in the year 2025-26 through 936 contributions received from the chess community. These funds were directed towards supporting talented chess players across India. This article provides a detailed account of the beneficiaries, their achievements, and how the funds were utilized. Read the full report to understand how every contribution helped strengthen and grow the chess ecosystem.

Ashutosh Banerjee Wins 4th Gujarat GM Below 2000 Rating 2026

Ashutosh Banerjee scored 8.5/10 points to win the 4th Gujarat International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament-2026 (Category B - Below 2000). Vivek Sharma and Shreyas Ghadi also scored 8.5/10 points to secure 2nd and 3rd place according to tiebreak scores. The tournament was held at Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Ahmedabad, from 1st to 4th June 2026. The total prize fund was ₹15,00,000 with the top 3 prizes of ₹1,25,000, ₹1,00,000, and ₹80,000. Photos: Mr. Bhavesh Patel

Felix Blohberger Wins Friendly Match Against David Navara in Vienna

From June 8 to 13, a fascinating friendly match took place in Vienna, Austria, between 23-year-old Austrian Grandmaster Felix Blohberger and renowned Czech Grandmaster David Navara, a former 2750+ player and for many years the leading player of the Czech Republic. The match ended with a 3.5-2.5 victory for Blohberger and marks an important milestone in the Austrian grandmaster’s journey toward the 2600 mark, a goal he has set for himself. Photos: Emilia loren

World Youth Chess Championship Concludes in Grand Style Six New Champions Crowned

The FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2026 concluded with six new World Champions emerging across the age categories. IM Anthony Atanasov of Canada (Open Under-18), WFM Valeria Kleymenova of FIDE (Girls Under-18), IM Khagan Ahmad of Azerbaijan (Open Under-16), WFM Veranika Abramkina of FIDE (Girls Under-16), FM Antoni Radzimski of Poland (Open Under-14), and Zahra Allahverdi of Azerbaijan (Girls Under-14) captured the coveted world titles.

From an Indian perspective, the biggest highlight came in the Girls Under-18 section, where WFM Pratitee Bordoloi produced an unbeaten performance to win the silver medal, India's lone medal at this year's World Youth Championship. Read Full Report , Photos by FT Niklesh Jain

Harshavardhan G B, Aarit Kapil and Daakshin Arun in Race to Score Norms

7 rounds are completed at the Chola Chess IM and GM Norm Round Robin Tournament, and after 7 days of intense games and decisive results, only 3 players are left in the race to score IM and GM norms. In the GM Group, Harshavardhan G B scored a big win over tournament leader Michal Krasenkow, and now he has to score 1.5/2 to score his GM norm. In IM Group, Aarit Kapil needs 1 point in the last 2 games while Daakshin Arun needs 1.5. The next 2 days will be packed with action at Chola Chess, Chennai. Photos: Devansh Singh

Wadim Rosenstein to run for the post of FIDE President

Wadim Rosenstein has announced his candidacy for Presidency of FIDE through a post on X. 26th June 2026 is the day when people can annoucne their Candidacy and Wadim has made his announcement. Another person who has also joined the presidency race is Jan Henric Buettner. Read more about Wadim's plans related to FIDE Presidency.

Jan Henric Buettner Announces Candidacy for the Presidency of FIDE

The race for the FIDE Presidentship is getting very exciting. Two people have already announced that they will be running for the top spot of chess governance - Wadim Rosenstein and Jan Buettner. In this article we present to you the press release shared by Jan Henric Buettner and his team.

Jagreet Misra Prevails at 2nd Bina Refinery's Project Lakshya Rapid Rating 2026

Candidate Master Jagreet Misra scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to win the 2nd BPCL Bina Refinery's Project Lakshya Rapid Rating Chess Tournament 2026. Vedant Bharadwaj of Madhya Pradesh scored 8/9 points to secure 2nd place. 4 players scored 7.5/9 to finish in 3rd to 6th place. The tournament was organised at Punjabi Bhavan, Bina, Madhya Pradesh, on 6th and 7th June. The total prize fund was ₹1,50,000, with the top 3 prizes of ₹15,000, ₹11,000, and ₹8,000 respectively. Photos: IA Yashpal Arora

12-year-old Faustino Oro defeats Jose Martinez 4-2 in Lima!

The Argentine prodigy 12-year-old Faustino Oro travelled to his rival José Martínez's home city Lima in Peru and beat him at his own game - speed chess. Faustino and Jose played a match of 6 games - 2 rapid encounters and 4 blitz games and the score stood 4-2 in the favour of Faustino Oro. How did the youngster manage to do it? Check it out in this article!

Chola Chess 2026: Can Indian Players Secure IM and GM Norms?

With each passing round at the Chola Chess IM and GM Norm Tournament, some players are closing in on a norm, while others are running out of time. In the GM Group, Harshavardhan G B scored an important win over Kushagra Mohan to stay in the race for GM Norm. In the IM Group, Aarit Kapil scored a second consecutive win after defeating Arshpreet Singh with black pieces. Chances of IM Norms are higher, and with just 3 rounds to go, players are going to be all in now. Photos: Devansh Singh

67 hours of non-stop chess: the World Record Chess Marathon begins in Lima

Lima, Peru - From 25 to 28 June 2026, the Sheraton Lima becomes the stage for one of the most unusual chess festivals of the year. Eight tournaments, elite simultaneous exhibitions, a top showdown, US$100,000 prize fund and a clock that essentially never stops for four days and nights for chess. Here is everything you need to know about the World Record Chess Marathon.

Aarit Kapil Moves to Joint Lead at 1st Chola Chess IM Norm Round Robin

The 5th Day at the Chola Chess IM and GM Norm Tournament saw exciting results. In the IM Group, there were 4 decisive results. Tournament leader Arshpreet Singh suffered a loss against Madhesh Kumar, Aarit Kapil defeated Daakshin Arun, and Madhvendra Pratap Sharma scored a win against Devindya Oshini. In the GM Group, Michal Krasenkow is performing at the highest level. He scored another win to reach 4.5/5 and gained a full 1.5 points lead. Photos: Devansh Singh

Arul Anandh S P K Dominates United Educational Institution 3rd Classical Rating 2026

Arul Anandh S P K scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 points to win the United Educational Institution and Coimbatore District Chess Association's 3rd International FIDE Rating Open Classical 2026. IM Girinath P.D.S and Nigash G scored 8/9 points to secure 2nd and 3rd place on tiebreak scores. The tournament was organised at United Educational Institution, Coimbatore, from 26th to 30th May. The total prize fund was ₹4,00,000, with the top 3 prizes of ₹50,001, ₹35,000, and ₹25,000 along with trophies. Photos: Mr Sandeep

Rahul N Kamath Wins 21st Late Bharatbai Halkude Memorial Below 1800 Rating

Rahul N Kamath, Ruturaj Rushikesh Dhotre, and Prabal Pandey scored 8/9 points to finish in the top 3 at the 21st Late Bharatbai Halkude Memorial Below 1800 Chess Tournament. Rahul secured the 1st place on better tiebreak scores. The tournament was organised at Dhruv Global School with a total prize fund of ₹12,05,010. The top 3 prizes were ₹1,05,010, ₹65,000, and ₹50,000, along with trophies. Photos: Nagnath Halkude