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Chess Politics

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

3 Monster Issues Chess Will Have To Grapple With In 20262026 will see old issues and new. Here's what we think will dominate the news.December 22, 2025·7 min read

Chess Federations From England, Norway And Ukraine Stand Up To FIDE Over Return Of Russian TeamsA rebel alliance is forming. Could FIDE be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport? Meanwhile, Russia strips GM Vladimir Fedoseev of his titles.December 18, 2025·6 min read

Guinea, The Marshall Islands And Kiribati Welcomed Into The FIDE Fold (And Burkino Fasa Welcomed Back)It's not all doom and gloom in the world of chess politics as the FIDE family just bigger.December 16, 2025·3 min read

Chess World Left In Limbo As FIDE's Russia Vote Ends In Chaos And ConfusionWe knew there'd be a bunfight—there always is. But we didn't expect it to end like this.December 14, 2025·9 min read

There's One Big Thing On The Agenda At FIDE's General Assembly That Could Spark A Crisis In ChessThe chess world could see a momentous change this weekend as Russia pushes again to be readmitted to team sport next year. How strong is the opposition?December 10, 2025·7 min read

Carlsen and FIDE Are At Each Others' Throats Again—And Now Nakamura's Piling InCan't we all just get along? Gens una sumus, and all that.December 8, 2025·6 min read

Chess Politics Needs Real CoalitionsFor a game obsessed with coordination, chess politics has none. FIDE’s federations could move together — they just prefer not to move at all.October 11, 2025·4 min read

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Chess Terms

Term of the day

Chess Pin

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

More terms

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

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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