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Chess Politics

Pein Moves to Remove the ECU PresidentMalcolm Pein wants Zurab out, and he needs 18 federations to do itSeptember 25, 2026·3 min read

Africa Endorsed Timur Turlov. First It Had to Decide Who Was Allowed to Sign the Letter.The African Chess Confederation, 48 votes strong, backed the Turlov–Anand ticket the day before the FIDE election. The endorsement took two months, one ethics hearing, and a ruling on who gets to hold the bank cards.September 25, 2026·5 min read

Everyone at FIDE Is Now a LawyerNotes from the official hotel lobby in Samarkand; by Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World ChessSeptember 24, 2026·3 min read

Somebody in Samarkand Has Already Called the FIDE ElectionThe most insightful document in the FIDE presidential race — until the votes are counted — is a prediction market with some traders on it. Let’s see if the market gets it right.September 22, 2026·3 min read

There Is, Allegedly, a Bentley Riding on the FIDE ElectionIn Samarkand, one candidate brought 30 people. Another brought five. A rumor says the two of them have a bet on the vote count. A dispatch by Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World ChessSeptember 22, 2026·3 min read

Lazavik Goes Too Far: Chess's New Edgelord Takes Aim At Women, Nakamura And MishraBelarusian GM Denis Lazavik has launched an extraordinary series of attacks on fellow players, declaring it "madness" to train with women, dismissing Hikaru Nakamura's chess and telling 17-year-old Abhimanyu Mishra that "no one needs you" at 2630.September 20, 2026·4 min read

Pakistan Boycotts Israel Match As Chess Olympiad Opens In ControversyPakistan refused to play Israel in the opening round of the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, with its federation saying the decision was taken in line with government policy and in solidarity with the Palestinian people.September 16, 2026·3 min read

Could Someone Please Get the Electorate a VisaChess is electing a president this month. Step one, it turns out, is letting the voters into the country. September 16, 2026·5 min read

FIDE Powerbroker Georgios Makropoulos Dies On Eve Of Samarkand ElectionFormer FIDE deputy president and seven-time Greek champion Georgios Makropoulos has died just days before he was due to stand for election again in Samarkand.September 15, 2026·4 min read

Turlov Wants Facial Recognition And AI In FIDE War On Chess CheatingOne policy proposal did pop out of the FIDE presidential debate.September 10, 2026·4 min read

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Popular news

Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, Eyes Third IM Norm After Holding Grandmaster

Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, Eyes Third IM Norm After Holding Grandmaster

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Think Magnus Carlsen Is Losing Interest In Chess? Think Again

Think Magnus Carlsen Is Losing Interest In Chess? Think Again

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FIDE Seeks Legal Opinion Over Russian Championships After Donetsk Row

FIDE Seeks Legal Opinion Over Russian Championships After Donetsk Row

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FIDE Election 2026: Everything You Need To Know

FIDE Election 2026: Everything You Need To Know

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Chess Terms

Term of the day

Chess Fork

One move, two threats: a fork attacks two pieces at once, and only one can be saved.

More terms

A pinned piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable one behind it.

The reverse of a pin: the valuable piece is hit first and the one behind it falls.

Discovered Attack

A piece steps aside and uncovers an attack from the piece it was blocking.

Back Rank Checkmate

Mate on the last rank: the king's own pawns leave it nowhere to run.

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Games & tests

Game of the day

How much chess do you actually know?

Think you know chess? Eight questions, from easy to unfair. Your score becomes a rating, and we'll tell you how many people you're ahead of.

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Puzzle · every day

A fresh tactic each morning, rated against the community.

Play a rated game

Find an opponent of your level in the lobby.

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