Active games

Start new game and compete for FIDE Online and Worldchess rating, or invite a friend and train with no hassle at all!

0

Chess Politics

The Horrible, Horrible FIDE Presidential Debate I Just Sat Through—Winners And LosersWadim Rosenstein promised to be available 24/7, then vanished after four minutes. Timur Turlov talked like a man who has built something. Jan Henric Buettner brought an org chart. Ilya Merenzon on FIDE's first, and worst, presidential debate.September 9, 2026·7 min read

FIDE Election 2026: Who Could Vote—And Why Russia Couldn'tThe 2026 FIDE presidential election was decided by national chess federations from around the world—but not every FIDE member had a vote. Here's who was eligible, why Russia was excluded and how many federations ultimately took part.September 2, 2026·5 min read

18 Candidates, Four Jobs: The Other FIDE Election Race Gets CrowdedForget the three-way battle to become FIDE President. Another extraordinary election is taking place in Samarkand this month, with 18 candidates from around the world fighting for just four elected Vice President positions.September 1, 2026·3 min read

Turlov Says He Renounced Russian Citizenship Because Of Ukraine WarFIDE presidential candidate Timur Turlov says Russia's invasion of Ukraine was behind his decision to renounce his Russian citizenship and become a Kazakh national.August 26, 2026·6 min read

'No Russian Teams': FIDE Blocks Russia From 2026 Chess OlympiadRussia will miss a third successive Chess Olympiad after FIDE rejected a last-minute attempt to return its national teams for Samarkand 2026 — even under a neutral flag.August 24, 2026·8 min read

How To Fix FIDE: What Can Be Done To Reform Chess's Governing Body?Timur Turlov's bid to succeed the suspended Arkady Dvorkovich has focused attention on the future of FIDE.August 19, 2026·8 min read

FIDE Election 2026: The Latest Standings (By Our Reckoning)With no obvious winner in sight, World Chess looks at the electoral maths that will decide who controls FIDE for the next four years.August 17, 2026·9 min read

They're All Turning On Each Other: FIDE Election Turns Into Bunfight Between CandidatesTurlov, Buettner and Rosenstein are fighting like rats in a barrel. One of them has to come out on top.August 13, 2026·7 min read

FIDE Hands Russia A Propaganda Victory As Russian University Wins World ChampionshipPresident of the Chess Federation of Russia congratulates winning team and hails "wonderful gift to Russian fans." But FIDE says this isn't a team representing Russia.August 9, 2026·6 min read

FIDE Defends Letting Russian Team Enter World Champs Event (Despite Having Banned Russian Teams)The world chess governing body insists a Russian university team is not a Russian national team. Critics say the distinction is just a loophole.August 6, 2026·5 min read

21–30 of 87

Popular news

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

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

Top players·Oct 20·4 min read

Think Magnus Carlsen Is Losing Interest In Chess? Think Again

Think Magnus Carlsen Is Losing Interest In Chess? Think Again

Top players·Oct 20·5 min read

FIDE Seeks Legal Opinion Over Russian Championships After Donetsk Row

FIDE Seeks Legal Opinion Over Russian Championships After Donetsk Row

Chess Politics·Oct 20·8 min read

FIDE Election 2026: Everything You Need To Know

FIDE Election 2026: Everything You Need To Know

Chess Politics·Oct 18·20 min read

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.

All 144 terms →

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.

More games

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.

All 3 games →