Chess.com News
Nakamura Scores 4/4 For Gotham Knights, Croatia Bulldogs Outclass Berlin Bears
As the Pro Chess League's second week reached its conclusion on Friday, the Croatia Bulldogs and the Gotham Knights secured narrow match wins over the Berlin Bears and the California Unicorns respectively. Following a hard-fought loss in week on...
Keymer Beats So With Black; Aronian 'Over The Moon With Joy' After Saving Lost Game
GM Levon Aronian evaded a second consecutive loss by the skin of his teeth in round eight of the WR Chess Masters 2023. After making an unsound piece sacrifice, he managed to draw GM Andrey Esipenko and keep his dreams of title victory alive. GM G...
A Year Of War For Ukrainian Chess Players
One year ago, Russia invaded Ukraine and started a war that has been going on much longer than expected and that is probably not ending soon. In March of 2022, Chess.com spoke to several Ukrainian chess players about how the terrible developments ...
Balance Over MVPs: Shanghai Tigers, Team MGD1 Defeat Heavyweights
On Thursday, the Shanghai Tigers again proved themselves to frontrunners, reaching 2-0 by taking down Blitz―the team with the highest-rated lineup―in week two of the Pro Chess League. Meanwhile, Team MGD1 bounced back to defeat the three-time cham...
Nepomniachtchi Declines Draw, Topples Leader; Gukesh Jumps Into Tie For 1st
Round seven may be a turning point in the WR Chess Masters 2023 as GM Ian Nepomniachtchi defeated the tournament leader, GM Levon Aronian, with the black pieces. Nepomniachtchi slips into a tie for third-fourth place with GM Wesley So, who drew GM...
Player Expelled From Romanian Championship After Alleged Phone Cheating
A chess player was expelled from the Romanian Chess Championship after a phone was found in the restroom with a chess app showing his game's position after move 15. Although certain information on the phone strongly suggested it was his, the playe...
Levitov Chess Wizards Win Again, Garden State Passers Fry Spanish Maniac Shrimps
The Levitov Chess Wizards and the Garden State Passers recorded comfortable victories in the second week of the Pro Chess League on Wednesday after gaining momentum from their respective board-fours who defeated their opponents' board ones. Join...
So Survives Close Call Vs. Aronian, All Games Drawn
GM Levon Aronian nearly extended his lead with a win on Wednesday in the WR Chess Masters 2023, but GM Wesley So escaped the danger and drew the game. With draws in all five games of round six, leaving the order of the standings unchanged, Aronian...
Nakamura Continues Tuesday Run
GM Hikaru Nakamura won his third consecutive Titled Tuesday in the early tournament on February 21. GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave followed up with a win in the late tournament. Both won with 9.5 points out of 11. GM Fabiano Caruana was another top p...
FIDE To Waive Transfer Fees For Russian Players Switching To Europe
In the likely event that the Chess Federation of Russia (CFR) will join the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), Russian chess players can start representing a European chess federation immediately without any restrictions or transfer fees. The FIDE Coun...
Yogis 4-0 Turnaround Stuns Chessbrahs, Capybaras Crush Cobras
The Indian Yogis and the Brazil Capybaras emerged victorious from their matches in the Pro Chess League on Tuesday after a day of grueling chess and an epic boilover. Staring down the barrel of a 5.5-6.5 deficit, the Yogis clutched up with a 4-0...
Aronian Cracks Berlin Defense, Leads By Full Point; Keymer Scores 1st Win
More than halfway through the WR Chess Masters 2023, GM Levon Aronian leads by a full point after beating GM Anish Giri in round five. GM Vincent Keymer scored his first win of the event against GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov after the latter's aggres...
Fireworks In Clash Of Youth, No Blood Spilled In Day Of Draws
Round four of the WR Chess Masters 2023 saw all five games end in draws. This leaves GM Levon Aronian in the sole lead on three points after his draw with GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda. GM Gukesh D played a stunning pawn sacrifice, and later an exchange...
Aronian Slays Sicilian Dragon, Assumes Sole Lead
For the first time, the WR Chess Masters 2023 has a sole leader. GM Levon Aronian is in first place after round three following a smooth win against GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov. GMs Wesley So and Gukesh D, who made a draw in their game, are a half-po...
Shanghai Tigers, California Unicorns Post Comfortable Wins
As the first week of the 2023 Pro Chess League came to a close, the Shanghai Tigers and the California Unicorns became the final teams to secure victories in their opening fixtures. The Shanghai Tigers, who fielded world number-29 GM Wei Yi as w...
Abdusattorov Wins With Greek Gift, Gukesh Triumphs In Indian Clash
Four players lead the WR Chess Masters 2023 after round two with 1.5 points apiece: GMs Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, Gukesh D, and Levon Aronian. GM Andrey Esipenko outplayed GM Vincent Keymer on Thursday and was featured in the round...
Play Chess Against The Luk.AI Bot of Luka Dončić
Luk.AI, the official AI sidekick of NBA All-Star Luka Dončić, has been unleashed as a Chess.com bot—and you can challenge him today. The Dallas Mavericks guard is a huge chess fan and a regular on Chess.com. Now, the 23-year-old NBA supersta...
Tactics, Traps, Tricks at WR Masters
The first round of the inaugural WR Chess Masters 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany, started with a bang, when American GMs Wesley So and Levon Aronian both picked up wins in the first game. They were accompanied by Russian GM Andrey Esipenko who took ...
Blitz Flips Script In Tiebreaks, Gotham Knights Dominate After Shocking Upset
Two teams, Blitz and the Gotham Knights, emerged triumphant on Thursday in the Pro Chess League after wins against Team MGD1 and the Berlin Bears, respectively. Both matches featured seismic comebacks for the favorites after tough starts. Despit...
Gnomes Win 'One Of The Craziest' Turnarounds, Wizards Conjure Match Win
The Pro Chess League returned on Wednesday with two thrilling matchups which the Levitov Chess Wizards and the Norway Gnomes won in contrasting styles. The number-one seed by average rating, the Wizards put on a strong performance against the Ga...
Alejandro Ramirez Under Investigation For Sexual Misconduct
GM Alejandro Ramirez is currently under investigation by US Chess and the Saint Louis Chess Club for sexual misconduct. In a tweet on Wednesday, WGM Jennifer Shahade claims to have been assaulted twice by Ramirez and also that she saw "alarming ev...
Nakamura With Another Titled Tuesday Sweep
For the second straight week, there was only one first-place finisher in the week's two Titled Tuesday events. And for the fifth time out of six total, it was GM Hikaru Nakamura who accomplished the feat. Nakamura didn't even need tiebreak scoring...
Carlsen Swindles For Chessbrah Victory, Indian Yogis Dominate Brazil Capybaras
The Pro Chess League 2023 started with a bang on Tuesday with two high-octane matchups that resulted in convincing wins for the prodigious Indian Yogis and the GM Magnus Carlsen-led Canada Chessbrahs. The Yogis kicked off their campaign in the b...
Firouzja: New Career In Fashion Industry Takes Time Away From Chess
World number-four GM Alireza Firouzja has been mysteriously inactive in the last year with remarkably few tournament appearances. In a rare, new interview, the teenager confirmed rumors about him seeking an alternative career. Firouzja, the Iran...
Kosteniuk Loses Final Round, Still Claims Crown In Munich
GM Alexandra Kosteniuk was crowned as the winner of the second leg of the 2022/2023 FIDE Women's Grand Prix on Monday with a score of 7.5/11 despite losing her final game to WGM Zhu Jiner. Peace was the theme of the final round in Munich as five...
