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Chess Politics

Women Are Gaining Ground In Chess—But The Game Is Still Vastly Male-DominatedAt first glance, a new FIDE report is great headline news for the chess world. But don't for one minute think the gender gap in the game has gone.March 8, 2026·5 min read

Karjakin Briefly Back In The World's Top 10, Then FIDE Boots Him Out AgainGM Sergey Karjakin appeared, and then disappeared. He remains the most controversial figure in chess.March 1, 2026·5 min read

Oro Targets Record At Aeroflot Open: Like It Or Not, Chess History Could Be Made In MoscowBoy wonder has until March 11 to secure the final grandmaster norm needed to break the record as the youngest grandmaster in history.February 20, 2026·6 min read

Chess Stars Caught In Schedule Showdown Between Grand Chess Tour And Esports World CupThe Grand Chess Tour effectively says, "It's not fair, we announced our events first."February 11, 2026·4 min read

The FIDE President Went to the Olympics and Found the One Guy in a USSR JerseyA photo from Milan-Cortina. Arkady Dvorkovich, the man who runs world chess, standing next to a fan in full Soviet kit waving a banner of Misha the Olympic bear. Dvorkovich is clapping. He looks delighted.February 8, 2026·1 min read

Iranian Chess Emigre Alireza Firouzja Shows Support For National UprisingHe's a superstar in the chess world who left his home country to flee restrictions the Iranian regime places on sport—now he's calling for change.January 12, 2026·2 min read

FIDE Signals It Will Defend Russia Decision—But What's Really Behind This?Russian teams playing in international chess tournaments isn't the only issue at stake in the sport's looming legal battle.January 11, 2026·5 min read

What Happens When Chess Goes to CourtFive federations just sued FIDE at something called "CAS." Here's what that means, what it costs, and whether anyone wears a wig.January 9, 2026·6 min read

Chess At War: Rebel Federations Take FIDE's Russia Decision To CASUkraine, England, Norway, Estonia and Germany have submitted a complaint to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIDE. This is a battle which is far from ending.January 6, 2026·4 min read

Kramnik Takes FIDE to Swiss Civil Court—Bypassing Sport's Usual Arbitration SystemIn a dramatic year-end move, former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik has launched formal legal proceedings against FIDE—not through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where chess disputes typically land, but in the Swiss civil court system in Lausanne.December 30, 2025·5 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

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.

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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.

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Find an opponent of your level in the lobby.

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