Daniel Weil, renown architect and designer, took on a mission to reinvent the chess pieces for World Chess. In the process, he redesigned the entire way chess feels and looks today, ranging from the chess pieces to stage design to lighting to furniture.

In this unique lecture, Weil breaks down the process of redesigning chess and explains the basis for each piece and reference. World Chess has partnered with Daniel since the outset, and his vision and respect for the game are visible in all events and products that World Chess brings to the market today.

New features and updates for the FIDE Online Arena, the official FIDE gaming platform, are being introduced every week. Here we are keeping you up-to-date with the latest:

Active game widget that follows you around the platform

Sometimes when you are deep into a game and waiting for an opponent’s move (especially in longer time controls) you want to visit the platform’s lobby or see other games or profiles. Now you can — a useful widget with the last move indicator will follow you around and you can track your opponent’s move. When you are ready to return to the game, use the ‘go back to the game’ button on the widget.

Changes in the top-level menu

Now the menu reflects the platform’s structure. The Arena tab has a useful sub-menu that makes it easy to navigate the platform. You can choose between single games and tournaments. More options will be available soon.

New avatar for those who didn’t upload a profile photo

Now those who didn’t yet upload their profile photo will have a new friendly avatar — a reminder that it’s always a good idea to upload a photo and show your fellow members who they are playing against!

Reminders in the mail

If you register in a tournament, we will send you a friendly reminder that the tournament will start soon. You will receive the reminder 30 minutes before the tournament so you have time to prepare and make sure your interment is stable. Good luck in the tournament.

Register for free and play on FIDE Online Arena. You can always upgrade to play for the official FOA rating recognized by FIDE and have a go at the official Arena titles!

FIDE Online Arena, the official chess gaming platform, released a native iOS app which was met with hmmms because it didn’t happen earlier. After all, it’s 2021, most of the gaming is mobile-first, and the app should have been released ages ago.

“Yes, it’s even cringeworthy to announce it now, — says Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess, the company that manages FIDE Online Arena. ‘We apologize sincerely to the users for not releasing it a decade ago. Of course, in the next few months, we will be adding some cool features to the app that became possible only recently with the new iOS, but still — if you wanted to play for the officially-recognized rating on your mobile device, you should have been able to do it earlier. However, we are happy to join a selection of other excellent chess apps that are available in the App Store.‘

The mobile version of the platform, new.arena.myfide.net, is also optimized for mobile users, including both iOS and Android devices.

Follow this link to download the app.

Last year, World Chess and Match TV, the leading Russian sports TV channel, premiered “Armageddon”, a chess competition designed specifically for broadcasting on live television.

The tournament, filmed is a special pavilion, was different from typical chess events — it was visually engaging, lightning-fast, and featured novelties like heart beat metrics. The event was a prime-time hit.

The series will resume next year, and we are happy to give you the insider view of the first time Vladimir Kramnik, one of the participants of the series, visited the playing arena.

Rustam Kasimdzhanov, a former FIDE World Champion himself, is one of the most famous chess coaches — he was on Vishy Anand’s side when he was #1 in the world, and was Fabiano Caruana’s second during Fabi’s bid for the title in 2018.

Rustam posted a chess problem during his Masterclass with World Chess. Listen to the problem and share your response in the comments section.