10/17/2026 – Wesley So defeated Ray Robson in round seven of the US Championship to take the sole lead on 5/7, half a point ahead of Fabiano Caruana and Andy Woodward. Awonder Liang suffered his second defeat, as he lost to Grigoriy Oparin. In the women's tournament, Alice Lee and Rachael Li share first place on 5½/7, followed closely by Irina Krush, while Thalia Cervantes suffered her first defeat of the event, against Anna Sargsyan. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

10/17/2026 – The European Club Cup is taking place on 17-23 October in Budva, Montenegro, bringing together 108 teams in the open section and 22 teams in the women's competition. The seven-round event features a number of elite players, including Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wei Yi, Alexandra Goryachkina and Humpy Koneru. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST)

10/17/2026 – From 17 to 23 October, Budva in Montenegro will host the European Club Cup. With over 100 teams competing in the open section and 22 teams in the women's competition, it is a large-scale event. The favourites, in each of the sections, are teams from Türkiye and Monaco. The highest-rated players in the field are Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wei Yi and Anish Giri. | Image: European Chess Union

10/17/2026 – On 17th October 1956, a sensational sacrificial game played in New York City by a 13-year-old chess upstart from Brooklyn shot across the globe. It was a game that literally took the chess world by storm. It contains a stunning sacrificial onslaught and is regarded as one of the most famous games of chess that has ever been played. In the October issue of CHESS magazine John Henderson recalls the game that made 13-year-old Bobby Fischer famous. It was played seventy years ago, today.

10/17/2026 – In his latest ChessBase course, Grandmaster Sipke Ernst thoroughly dispels the Benko Gambit's poor reputation. His modern approach, featuring an early 5...e6!, revolutionises the gambit, breathes new life into it and elegantly sidesteps White's traditional attempts at refutation. A new chapter in the history of the Benko Gambit has been written – and Christian Höthe takes a close look!

10/16/2026 – Fabiano Caruana and Awonder Liang scored victories in round six of the US Championship to join Wesley So and Andy Woodward in the lead on 4/6. Caruana bounced back from his defeat against Woodward by beating Sam Shankland. In the women's tournament, Rachael Li defeated overnight leader Alice Lee, allowing Thalia Cervantes to join them in first place. Irina Krush also won and stands half a point behind. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

10/16/2026 – In 2027, the 54th International Dortmund Chess Days will mark a special chapter in their history spanning more than 50 years: from 8 to 15 August 2027, the Sparkassen Chess Trophy will be held for the first time in the “Salzlager” at the Hansa Coking Plant. As part of the 2027 International Garden Exhibition (IGA 2027), Germany’s longest-running chess festival will thus combine top-level international sport, grassroots chess and an extraordinary venue. The new venue allows for expansion to up to 450 participants.

10/16/2026 – In the diagram position, White has an extra piece and the mating idea Qh6-g7++ – so it's no wonder that the game only lasts two moves after 27.Kh2, right?

10/16/2026 – Three new Chess Houses have opened in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, providing public spaces where residents can play, train with coaches and take part in tournaments. Located in Abay Park, Metallurgists Park and the 17th microdistrict, the facilities were opened by FIDE President Timur Turlov and Shymkent Mayor Gabit Syzdykbekov. The launch was followed by a children’s blitz tournament involving more than 100 young players across the three venues. | Photos: FIDE

10/15/2026 – Today, Rafael Vaganian celebrates his 75th birthday. In 1971, he became the first Armenian chess player after Tigran Petrosian to be awarded the grandmaster title by FIDE. He won numerous medals in team competitions representing the Soviet Union and Armenia, was at one point ranked fourth in the world and played for SG Porz in the German Bundesliga for many years. | Photo: Frank Hoppe

10/15/2026 – Sixteen-year-old Andy Woodward defeated defending champion Fabiano Caruana in round five of the US Championship to join Wesley So in the lead on 3½/5. Jeffery Xiong, Ray Robson and Abhimanyu Mishra also scored victories. In the women's tournament, Alice Lee claimed her fourth consecutive win to extend her lead to a full point. Meanwhile, Rose Atwell defeated defending champion Carissa Yip, who suffered her third loss in the event. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club

10/15/2026 – This week we have a look at another masterpiece by Wei Yi he played in the 8th round of the Olympiad. With the Black pieces he came up with an aggressive setup dealing with the Keymer System (1.Nf3 d5 2.e3) and soon both kings were placed on opposite wings. With very precise play the Chinese top player managed to keep the position closed on the queenside, neutralizing all White's attacking attempts before launching an initiative on the other side of the board. In this episode, we'll have a look at some other examples on how to balance attack and defense. Make sure to check out the game Mendonca-Praggnanandhaa as well, another true modelgame form Black's perspective.