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

Inside World Chess

Chess Is Getting Its Own Home on the Internet: FIDE and World Chess Apply for the .chess Domain ExtensionThe application for the game’s official top-level domain has been submitted to ICANN — the first chance in over a decade to create one. If approved, every federation, club, tournament and titled player will be able to carry a verified domain name ending in .chess.September 1, 2026·4 min read

White Paper: The Proposed Method for Converting Online Ratings Into FIDE Over-the-Board RatingsThis is a work in progress, published in full for community review. Nothing here is final.August 13, 2026·3 min read

FIDE And World Chess Agree To Test A First Over-The-Board Official Rating, Earned OnlineFor the first time in the history of chess, online play can lead to an official FIDE rating.June 23, 2026·4 min read

World Chess Launches Global Campaign: 'Chess Is Very Good For You'Nearly 200 national chess federations will be offered help spreading the word—backed up by research—that chess is very good for you.May 27, 2026·4 min read

The Lincoln Stayed in Moscow. Warhol Took the Wall.A decade ago we bought a Lincoln portrait for the Championship VIP room; today, a Warhol arrived in the World Chess office — a small story about backgrounds, transitions, and the walls chess people stand in front of.May 6, 2026·2 min read

The World Chess Show Lands on Germany's Biggest Media PlatformChess is about to get a lot more visible in Europe's largest economy.January 23, 2026·3 min read

The Big Question: Will A Woman Ever Become Absolute World Chess Champion?The new episode of The World Chess Show features interviews with the former top-10 player GM Judit Polgar, her sister Susan, the first female grandmaster, and the former Women’s World Champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk.October 7, 2025·2 min read

Epic 'Hans Niemann vs. You' Match Wins W3 Award for ExcellenceIt was the record-setting match where GM Hans Niemann, yes him, was in a room at the Web Summit taking on 107,000 people with AI on their side. And Niemann won.October 2, 2025·3 min read

Welcome to family, Tajikistan! Why you'll be seeing more Tajiks on WorldChess.comTajikistan's national championships, the early stages, will be hosted on this platform under a new partnership with the Chess Federation of Tajikistan.September 26, 2025·3 min read

1–9 of 9

Popular news

Total Chess 2026: Everything You Need To Know

Total Chess 2026: Everything You Need To Know

Total Chess·Nov 9·16 min read

Total Chess Pilot: Five Things To Watch As Carlsen Tests Chess's New Format

Total Chess Pilot: Five Things To Watch As Carlsen Tests Chess's New Format

Total Chess·Nov 9·5 min read

Carlsen Makes Surprise London Detour For World Rapid & Blitz Champs Warm-Up

Carlsen Makes Surprise London Detour For World Rapid & Blitz Champs Warm-Up

Magnus Carlsen · World Rapid & Blitz Championships · London Chess Classic·Nov 8·4 min read

Carlsen Targets Esports World Cup Hat-Trick—And Another Monster Payday

Carlsen Targets Esports World Cup Hat-Trick—And Another Monster Payday

Esports World Cup · Magnus Carlsen · Norway·Nov 7·7 min read

Chess Terms

Term of the day

Chess Skewer

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

More terms

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

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

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

Daily puzzles

A fresh tactic each morning, rated against the community.

More games

How much chess do you actually know?

Quiz · 1 question

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.

Play a rated game

Find an opponent of your level in the lobby.

All 3 games →