World of chess

The story of Egon Mattaaq, who lives in the Arctic Circle where he experiences both polar darkness and midnight sun, will warm your heart.

Major upset as 2452-rated IM Roman Dehtiarov, aged just 17, comes out of nowhere to triumph at the European Individual Championship 2026 in Katowice.

The two new chess superpowers have profited in Cyprus. India and Uzbekistan have a chance to dominate chess this year.

The 20-year-old Uzbek has obliterated the field in Cyprus—and that is truly no exaggeration.

We are in awe of Javkohir Sindarov, who's dominating the Candidates. We really are. And so is Magnus Carlsen's wife apparently.

Magnus Carlsen nearly quit mid-game at the GRENKE Classic in Karlsruhe. Not to his opponent. To the weather.

The sport that once prided itself on pure intellect now scans its players before and after every game. This is what happens when a sport panics—and what it accidentally confesses in the process.

Javokhir Sindarov is 5.5 out of 6 at the FIDE Candidates. A country of 36 million is holding its breath.

He lost a game at the Candidates Tournament. He handled it the way your boss handles it when his team misses a deadline. Which is to say: very well.

At the Grenke Chess Festival in Germany this week, an 18-year-old Kazakh player named Alua Nurman did what any reasonable teenager would do when she found herself sitting across from the greatest chess player in history: she asked for a selfie.