Active games

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

Notifications

No notifications

0

Game settings

Board & Game

Language

English

Sign in

Register

Chess Politics

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

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, 2026·6 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

11–20 of 83

Popular news

Mr Dodgy Nearly Took Over FIDE. Eighty-Five Federations Thought That Was a Good Idea.

Mr Dodgy Nearly Took Over FIDE. Eighty-Five Federations Thought That Was a Good Idea.

Chess Politics·Sep 29·6 min read

Chess Olympiad 2026: Everything You Need To Know

Chess Olympiad 2026: Everything You Need To Know

Chess Olympiad 2026·Sep 27·20 min read

Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, Becomes WGM And Scores Second IM Norm At Chess Olympiad

Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, Becomes WGM And Scores Second IM Norm At Chess Olympiad

Top players · Chess Olympiad 2026·Sep 27·4 min read

Turlov Backs Russia Suspension—As Former Russian Sports Minister Joins FIDE Leadership

Turlov Backs Russia Suspension—As Former Russian Sports Minister Joins FIDE Leadership

Chess Politics·Sep 27·5 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 138 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 →