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The Relaxation Room Is Not a Content OpportunityUnless you're winning. In which case, apparently, it is.April 3, 2026·4 min read

Esports World Cup Chess WILL Go Ahead With Carlsen And Nakamura—But What About The Rest?The organisers of the EWC in Riyadh announce details of the 2026 event with no fear of the war in Iran or the Grand Chess Tour being annoyed about a schedule clash.March 26, 2026·5 min read

Humpy Pulls Out, Hikaru Has Concerns: It's Not Looking Good For The CandidatesHaving said she didn't feel safe travelling to Cyprus, GM Humpy Koneru has now officially withdrawn from the Women’s event. Who can blame her?March 22, 2026·4 min read

Haaland's Gambit: Football Money, Norway Chess, and the Future of the GameErling Haaland is putting his money where his mouth is, investing in Norway Chess and a bold new world championship tour. But can celebrity capital actually fix chess's monetization problem, or is this just a glamorous distraction?March 21, 2026·5 min read

Candidates Chaos: Humpy Koneru Considers Pulling Out Over Iran War FearsIndia's number-one female player is the first of FIDE's Candidates to break rank over safety concerns before the tournament kicks off this month.March 16, 2026·3 min read

The American Cup Ends—Now The Cold War Before The Candidates BeginsWesley So crashed Caruana's Candidates party at the Saint Louis Chess Club by winning The American Cup. But Fabi has bigger fish to fry.March 11, 2026·3 min read

Niemann’s Last-Minute Entry Turns Prague Masters Into True Super TournamentNiemann has worked hard to rehabilitate his image after that kerfuffle with Carlsen. Now he's reaping the rewards of redemption.February 16, 2026·5 min read

Magnus Carlsen Freestyles His Way To His 21st World Chess ChampionshipPoor GM Fabiano Caruana. He really deserves a world title—everyone else has one, after all.February 15, 2026·5 min read

Chess Takes Its Place At $45 Million Esports Nations Cup—An Invite Too Good To RefuseChess is doubling down on esports with an invitation to a second marquee event. And, as you'd expect from an event in Saudi Arabia, the money is serious.February 7, 2026·4 min read

Tata Steel Chess Claims Record Viewers As Abdusattorov Wins MastersThe Uzbek called it a "dream come true" as he scooped the Wimbledon of Chess and saw his countryman come second. Indian's stars, however, suffered disappointment.February 1, 2026·5 min read

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Popular news

Total Chess 2026: Everything You Need To Know

Total Chess 2026: Everything You Need To Know

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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

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

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

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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 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

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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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