Training tips, tournament breakdowns, and lessons from our FIDE coaching team.
The 2026 Women's Speed Chess Championship quarterfinals begin today, July 16. After a wild round of 16 - where world number-one Hou Yifan crushed Dinara Wagner 13.5-2.5 and underdog Anastasia Avramidou stunned Polina Shuvalova - eight players remain. First up: Divya Deshmukh vs. Bibisara Assaubayeva. A simple, warm guide to fast chess and the drama to watch.
Chess is more than a game — it quietly builds focus, patience, and problem-solving skills in children aged 6 to 13. Here's what the stories and science tell us, and how your child can start today.
Grandmaster Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran won Titled Tuesday on July 14, 2026 - his first win of the year. He scored 10 out of 11, beating young Indian star Praggnanandhaa, who had a perfect run until their round-eight clash. Hikaru Nakamura took third. A simple, warm look at one fast night of online chess and why the win mattered.
FIDE has approved a brand-new format for the 2027 World Cup: shorter, bigger, and with a Swiss stage so nobody goes home after two bad days. Meanwhile 550 players from 38 countries opened the Serbia Open in Belgrade, and Hanne Goossens won the Belgian women's title with a flawless 9/9. Here is everything that happened in chess in the last 24 hours, explained in simple words.
Levon Aronian played the Biel Chess Festival for the first time in his life and won four rapid games in a row to take a commanding lead. A young Turkish star lost his first three. Meanwhile Belgium and the Netherlands crowned new national champions, one of them with a perfect 9/9. Here is everything that happened in chess in the last 24 hours.
Hikaru Nakamura lost the opening game of Saturday's Bullet Brawl, then won 50 more to take his 12th title of 2026 - finishing 27 points clear of Arjun Erigaisi. Magnus Carlsen dropped in and left. Plus quarterfinal news from the Women's Speed Chess Championship and a school team gold for Uganda. Chess news from the last 24 hours, in plain English.
Two stars shone at the Women's Speed Chess Championship on Friday. India's Divya Deshmukh crushed Rose Atwell 14-1, losing just one game in fifteen. Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva beat Afruza Khamdamova 10.5-3.5. Both reach the quarterfinals, where they now face each other. A simple, friendly look at the last 24 hours in chess.
The 2026 Women's Speed Chess Championship is heating up. In the last 24 hours, Kateryna Lagno stormed through with seven straight wins and Alice Lee fought back from behind to win in a tiebreak. Two more quarterfinals are played today, July 10: Divya Deshmukh and Bibisara Assaubayeva are in action. Sixteen of the world's best women play fast, thrilling chess for a $75,000 prize — a perfect place for new fans to start.
In the last 24 hours, the Women's Speed Chess Championship gave us a thriller. Teenage star Alice Lee fell behind former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, then stayed calm and won in the tiebreaks. Grandmaster Kateryna Lagno also won big. Here is the story, told in simple words.