Rookreview · Chess news, lifestyle and commentary

Titled Tuesday Gets Single Weekly Format, 5+0 Time Control and Take Take Take Broadcast

Titled Tuesday returns to one tournament per week starting September 2, 2025, with 5+0 time control replacing 3+1 blitz format. The changes align with Esports World Cup qualification requirements, featuring $276,000 annual prize pool and...

08.26 14:57

"My parents gave up their jobs completely for our chess experiment" - Judit Polgar on the Polgar family method

In the recent interview to Dina Belenkaya Judit Polgar revealed the total dedication her parents showed to create three chess prodigies during a discussion about the famous Polgar experiment. The Hungarian GM explained the unique family ...

08.23 18:50

Alexander Grischuk wins 22.08 Freestyle Friday 2025 with 9.5 points

GM Alexander Grischuk secured first place at Freestyle Friday 2025 with 9.5 points from 11 rounds. The Russian grandmaster finished ahead of GM Mahammad Muradli (9 points) and GM Hikaru Nakamura (9 points) in the 139-player tournament he...

08.22 22:11

Ju Wenjun defeats Hou Yifan 4.5-2.5 to win Women's Speed Chess Championship 2025

Ju Wenjun claimed her second consecutive Women's Speed Chess Championship title by defeating Hou Yifan 4.5-2.5 in the final. The reigning champion secured victory in seven games across three time control segments, earning the $7,000 winn...

08.22 20:25

ICC Chess Club releases playful guide to chess legends from Carlsen to Bronstein

ICC Chess Club published a bite-sized guide featuring 25 chess legends spanning world champions, prodigies, and tactical wizards. The collection includes profiles of Magnus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and rising stars like Gu...

08.22 12:29

EWC 2026 and Chess.com Year-Round Qualifying Competition

Chess.com announces major changes for the 2026 Esports World Cup qualifying cycle, combining three events under the Champions Chess Tour umbrella. The expanded system offers year-round competition through Titled Tuesday, Speed Chess Cham...

08.22 10:00

"If everything collapses for them in a year it will be a tragedy" - Levy Rozman warns about Freestyle Chess future

Levy Rozman, biggest chess youtuber, expressed concerns about Freestyle Chess sustainability and its potential impact on chess innovation during a interview with Levitov Chess. The GothamChess warned that failure could discourage future ...

08.21 13:10

Kasparov and Anand face off in 12-game Chess960 exhibition match in St. Louis

Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand will compete in a 12-game Chess960 exhibition match from October 7-11 in St. Louis. The former world champions will play a mix of rapid and blitz games in the event organized by the Saint Louis Chess ...

08.21 12:50

FIDE launches chess puns merchandise collection with Anand and Tsatsalashvili

The World Chess Federation (FIDE) introduced the FIDE Puns collection featuring chess-themed merchandise with humorous wordplay designs modeled by 5-time World Champion Vishy Anand and WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili.

08.20 20:55

Results of the 7th round Chennai Grandmasters. Giri draws 7th game

GM Anish Giri drew his seventh consecutive game against GM Arjun Erigaisi in Round 7 of the Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters Chess Tournament 2025.

08.13 20:44

Magnus wins Late Titled Tuesday 12.08, four-way tie in Early TT

Four players shared first place in the early Titled Tuesday tournament with 9.5 points from 11 games, while GM Magnus Carlsen won the late session with 10.5 points. GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, GM Mukhiddin Madaminov, and GM...

08.13 00:40

Van Foreest stuns Nihal Sarin, Liang bounces back in Chennai Round 6

Round 6 of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 produced three decisive results on August 12. GM Jorden van Foreest defeated GM Nihal Sarin while GM Awonder Liang secured a victory against GM Pranav V.

08.12 16:02

"Alireza started ghosting me" - Team Vitality Director on chess player recruitment

Team Vitality's Danny Engels revealed his failed recruitment of Alireza Firouzja who ultimately signed with Team Falcons, in The World Chess Show Episode 5 video from World Chess.

08.12 10:10

Nakamura defeats Carlsen to claim sixth Freestyle Friday victory

GM Hikaru Nakamura won Freestyle Friday with 10 points from 11 rounds, defeating GM Magnus Carlsen in round seven to secure his sixth tournament victory. Carlsen finished second with 9.5 points after drawing with GM Amin Tabatabaei in th...

08.08 18:00

OpenAI o3 wins Kaggle Game Arena Chess Exhibition Tournament 2025

OpenAI o3 defeated Grok 4 in the final to win the Kaggle Game Arena Chess Exhibition Tournament 2025. The tournament featured eight leading Large Language Models competing in chess from August 5-7.

08.07 20:00