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

Scandals

Anish Giri Asks FIDE to Pay for Its Own CircuitAnish Giri went on ChessBase India this week and asked, on camera, if FIDE might consider paying for the tournament series that bears its name.April 20, 2026·3 min read

The Greatest Chess Player Alive Almost Resigned on Saturday. The Room Was Too Hot.Magnus Carlsen nearly quit mid-game at the GRENKE Classic in Karlsruhe. Not to his opponent. To the weather.April 5, 2026·2 min read

Chess Needs Better Beef: Giri Vs Nakamura Just Doesn't Cut ItOnly the most modern of chess players could start the build-up to a big fight by trash-talking about analytics and viewership numbers.February 17, 2026·5 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

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

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

Did We Just Ignore a Chess Miracle Because He’s Not Streaming?Over the past few weeks, 56-year-old Grandmaster Vasyl Ivanchuk quietly went 27 games without a loss across three international events — Reykjavik, San Vicente, and Menorca. That’s three tournaments, three time zones, and zero defeats. He beat 2600-rated players. He drew teenage prodigies. He gained enough ELO to return to the FIDE Top 100 for the first time in years. And almost no one noticed.May 2, 2025·3 min read

So, Uh, Wasn’t Christopher Yoo Banned for Assault?A teenage grandmaster hit a videographer. He got suspended in the U.S., but now he’s playing again — abroad. Here’s what we got wrong (and right).April 30, 2025·4 min read

Chess Twitter Logs On, Immediately Regrets ItA light Twitter exchange about a Magnus Carlsen stat turns into a lecture on propaganda, trust, and the soul of modern chess.April 20, 2025·3 min read

Former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik Takes Poligrah Test; Sparks Major Anti-Cheating Initiative in ChessIn a move to combat the growing scourge of cheating in chess, World Chess (LSE: CHSS) is introducing voluntary polygraph testing as a significant new tool in its anti-cheating arsenal. This initiative, to be added immediately to the list of anti-cheating measures for chessarena.com, the World Chess official gaming platform, follows a high-profile polygraph test taken by former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik.October 17, 2024·5 min read

11–20 of 20

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 →