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Alireza Firouzja's Triveni Continental Kings to play in the grand finals of the GCL Season 3

Alireza Firouzja's Triveni Continental Kings to play in the grand finals of the GCL Season 3

The round-robin stage of GCL Season 3 concluded on December 22 with Alireza Firouzja's Triveni Continental Kings leading the tournament with 24 Match Points. The playoffs are scheduled for December 2…

Chess.com Awards 2025 — voting is open!

Chess.com Awards 2025 — voting is open!

Community voting for the 2025 Chess.com Awards winners opened on December 17. The vote covers ten categories for performances and events from the past year. Participants are entered into a draw for t…

“I don’t consider myself an active player anymore” — Vidit Gujrathi on reducing his tournament schedule

“I don’t consider myself an active player anymore” — Vidit Gujrathi on reducing his tournament schedule

Indian GM Santosh Gujrathi Vidit stated he no longer views himself as an active competitive player, explaining it was a conscious decision made late last year to reduce his tournament schedule. The g…

"Chess at the top-level needs renewing, but it's applicable for only few people" — Magnus Carlsen on chess format renewal for top players

"Chess at the top-level needs renewing, but it's applicable for only few people" — Magnus Carlsen on chess format renewal for top players

Magnus Carlsen addressed the debate on renewing top-level chess formats in a recent interview at Megacampus. Magnus stated that the need for new formats in top-level chess is often not fully understo…

“The younger generation don't have fundamental principles” — Vishy Anand on the mindset of the younger generation of chess players

“The younger generation don't have fundamental principles” — Vishy Anand on the mindset of the younger generation of chess players

Former World Champion Viswanathan Anand discussed the mindset shift between chess generations, from fundamental principles to computer-influenced flexibility. Viswanathan shared his thoughts in the i…

Record-breaking victory! — Hikaru Nakamura’s team defeats Maxime Vachier-Lagrave’s team 16–1 in GCL Season 3

Record-breaking victory! — Hikaru Nakamura’s team defeats Maxime Vachier-Lagrave’s team 16–1 in GCL Season 3

In the seventh round of GCL Season 3, the Fyers American Gambits defeated the upGrad Mumba Masters with a GCL-record 16-1 score. This victory moved the Fyers American Gambits past the Alpine SG Piper…

“Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura are overrated because they just barely play” — GM Hans Niemann names most overrated players from Top 20

“Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura are overrated because they just barely play” — GM Hans Niemann names most overrated players from Top 20

GM Hans Niemann was asked on a recent episode of Dina Belenkaya's YouTube podcast whom he considers the most overrated players in the world's top 20 rating list. Niemann selected the top two spots — …

Magnus Carlsen wins Freestyle Friday with 0.5 point lead on December 19

Magnus Carlsen wins Freestyle Friday with 0.5 point lead on December 19

Magnus Carlsen scored 9 wins and 1 draw to win the December 19 Freestyle Friday tournament with 9.5 points. He finished half a point ahead of runner-up GM Sam Sevian with 9 points.

"I think there's basically a 0% chance of that” — Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen on their children’s potential chess rivalry

"I think there's basically a 0% chance of that” — Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen on their children’s potential chess rivalry

Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen shared their views on a potential future chess rivalry between their children in the Freestyle Chess interview. Both grandmasters expressed doubt that they would pu…

Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 Finals peaks at nearly 80,000 viewers, almost 4 times less than EWC and Norway Chess

Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 Finals peaks at nearly 80,000 viewers, almost 4 times less than EWC and Norway Chess

Peak online viewership for the final stage of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour reached 79,334 people. This is three times lower than the peak figures for the Esports World Cup 2025 (254,003) and N…

Parham Maghsoodloo, Renato Terry and Jose Martinez won the First, Second and Third 3 0 Thursday on December 19

Parham Maghsoodloo, Renato Terry and Jose Martinez won the First, Second and Third 3 0 Thursday on December 19

Iranian GM Parham Maghsoodloo scored 9 points with 8 wins and 2 draws to win the First 3 0 Thursday on December 19. Peruvian IM Renato Terry scored 9.5 points with 9 wins and 1 draw to win the Second…

“Weird conversational dance, how much can I say, how much should I stop?” — Anish Giri details team dynamics with Candidates rivals at GCL

“Weird conversational dance, how much can I say, how much should I stop?” — Anish Giri details team dynamics with Candidates rivals at GCL

Anish Giri described the unique psychological dynamics of sharing a team with Candidates Tournament rivals Fabiano Caruana and R Praggnanandhaa at the Global Chess League in Mumbai. The Dutch grandma…

FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2025 is set for Doha

FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2025 is set for Doha

The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2025 will be held in Doha, Qatar from the 25th to the 30th of December with a €1,000,000 prize pool. The Open and Women’s tournaments will feature rapid and…

Alireza Firouzja’s fifth consecutive victory retains his team's first place in GCL Season 3

Alireza Firouzja’s fifth consecutive victory retains his team's first place in GCL Season 3

Alireza Firouzja defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the 5th tour of the Global Chess League Season 3 on December 18, securing a match win for Triveni Continental Kings against upGrad Mumba Masters. F…

"I think in a sense it has retained its weight" – Vishy Anand on the Classical World Chess Championship’s Standing

"I think in a sense it has retained its weight" – Vishy Anand on the Classical World Chess Championship’s Standing

Former World Champion Viswanathan Anand affirmed the classical world chess title still matters. He expresses the opinion that the new generation of players values the classical crown and that young g…

“Very happy not to play, don't mind playing either!” — Daniil Dubov on coming to Mumbai for the Global Chess League

“Very happy not to play, don't mind playing either!” — Daniil Dubov on coming to Mumbai for the Global Chess League

GM Daniil Dubov compared his Mumbai experience for the Global Chess League favorably to a previous tournament in Goa, praising the local food and normalcy. He noted his enjoyment of the city and his …

“Honored to be invited!” — Hans Niemann to play at Tata Steel India Rapid and Blitz

“Honored to be invited!” — Hans Niemann to play at Tata Steel India Rapid and Blitz

2026 will begin with a major Tata Steel India Rapid and Blitz tournament in Kolkata. The tournament in India will run from January 7th to 11th, ahead of the main Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk a…

“Sorry, that was super dirty!” — Magnus Carlsen on flagging Grischuk to win Titled Tuesday

“Sorry, that was super dirty!” — Magnus Carlsen on flagging Grischuk to win Titled Tuesday

Magnus Carlsen began the December 16 Titled Tuesday with a second-round loss to Indian GM Iniyan P. He then drew once and finished with victories over Blübaum, Nakamura, and Grischuk. In the final ga…

Twelve-year-old Faustino Oro one step away from becoming the youngest GM in history

Twelve-year-old Faustino Oro one step away from becoming the youngest GM in history

Twelve-year-old IM Faustino Oro is achieving norms for the grandmaster title. On December 17, the young chess player secured his second norm at the GM tournament in Argentina. Faustino has three mont…

“You can't disparage your teachers or your homeland” — Russian Chess Federation strips Vladimir Fedoseev of national titles

“You can't disparage your teachers or your homeland” — Russian Chess Federation strips Vladimir Fedoseev of national titles

The Russian Chess Federation revoked GM Vladimir Fedoseev's national Master of Sport and Grandmaster titles. The decision cites Fedoseev's 2022 statement that he would no longer play for the Russian …