FIDE Moves To Spice Up 2025 World Rapid & Blitz. Will It Work?FIDE loves a rule-change. And this year it brought in a series of tweaks for the upcoming 2025 World Rapid & Blitz in Doha. They won't, however, prevent a repeat of last year's rule-based furore.September 17, 2025·3 min read
The Wonder Of Chess: Prodigy, 10, Takes On Golden Oldie, 92Sometimes chess just gives you a nice warm feeling inside. So it was when Bodhana Sivanandan faced U.S. Chess Hall of Famer James Sherwin at the 2025 UK Open Blitz Qualifier.September 16, 2025·3 min read
Chess Cheating Should Be A Criminal Offence, Kramnik Tells The World Chess ShowHe argues that only legal consequences will protect the integrity of the game as online chess grapples with a surge in foul play.September 14, 2025·3 min read
We Did Something Strange. We Made Our board… NormalWorld Chess is introducing a new default board — brighter, more familiar, and designed to test how players respond. Some will welcome the change, others may resist it, but everyone will notice. Here’s why we made the switch, and what it means for your next game.August 29, 2025·2 min read
A Final Worth Watching (and Remembering): The Women's World Cup Hits Peak Drama in BatumiThe World Cup is one of the most important events on the women’s calendar. It’s not just about the €50,000 prize fund (though that helps). It’s about one thing: the road to the Women’s Candidates Tournament. The two finalists already punched their ticket. The bronze match? That’s for the last open seat at the Candidates table.July 26, 2025·4 min read
The BBC Made a Chess Reality Show. Somehow It Was Both Too Dumb and Too Smart.It happened. The BBC finally aired Chess Masters: The Endgame, a highly produced, slightly deranged attempt to turn chess into a hybrid of The Great British Bake Off, Survivor, and The Queen’s Gambit — minus the pills and wigs.May 2, 2025·3 min read
Did We Just Ignore a Chess Miracle Because He’s Not Streaming?Over the past few weeks, 56-year-old Grandmaster Vasyl Ivanchuk quietly went 27 games without a loss across three international events — Reykjavik, San Vicente, and Menorca. That’s three tournaments, three time zones, and zero defeats. He beat 2600-rated players. He drew teenage prodigies. He gained enough ELO to return to the FIDE Top 100 for the first time in years. And almost no one noticed.May 2, 2025·3 min read
So, Uh, Wasn’t Christopher Yoo Banned for Assault?A teenage grandmaster hit a videographer. He got suspended in the U.S., but now he’s playing again — abroad. Here’s what we got wrong (and right).April 30, 2025·4 min read
Magnus Carlsen Went 9–0 in Freestyle Chess. Which Was the One Thing That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen.The whole point was chaos. Magnus made it feel scripted.April 21, 2025·2 min read
The Villain Is on 5.5/8. You Still Care.Hans Niemann keeps winning just enough to stay in your head.April 21, 2025·2 min read
Total Chess Pilot: Five Things To Watch As Carlsen Tests Chess's New FormatTotal Chess·Nov 9·5 min read
Carlsen Makes Surprise London Detour For World Rapid & Blitz Champs Warm-UpMagnus Carlsen · World Rapid & Blitz Championships · London Chess Classic·Nov 8·4 min read
Carlsen Targets Esports World Cup Hat-Trick—And Another Monster PaydayEsports World Cup · Magnus Carlsen · Norway·Nov 7·7 min read
Term of the dayChess SkewerThe reverse of a pin: the valuable piece is hit first and the one behind it falls.
