A Game That Outlasted the Day (3)

4/6/2026 – Two months ago Valery Golubenko played what may well have been one of the longest chess games ever seen, measured by number of moves, under the rather restrictive conditions of modern chess life. At move 88, with queen and b-pawn against queen, Golubenko's opponent held for 37 moves, until he missed an only move, and it was theoretically a mate in 47. | Photo during the game by Chess Club Kaksikodad – from the right, GM Aleksandr Volodin and the chief arbiter Askold Nassar
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Women's Candidates R7: Vaishali climbs to sole second place

4/6/2026 – Anna Muzychuk leads the Women's Candidates Tournament at the halfway stage with 4½/7 after drawing a quiet game with Bibisara Assaubayeva in round seven. Vaishali Rameshbabu secured the only win of the day, capitalising on a late mistake by Tan Zhongyi to move into sole second place. The other games saw long, hard-fought draws, including a 135-move marathon between Divya Deshmukh and Kateryna Lagno. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
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Henri Rinck Championship in Lyon

4/6/2026 – Lyon Olympique Échecs, founded in 1905, is one of the largest chess clubs in France. From 8–19 April 2026 they are staging the Henri Rinck International Chess Championships. If you are able to attend, you can explore the 600m² club, which is like a chess museum. For those who can't, here are visual impressions of the club and some of the remarkable collections it houses.
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grenke Chess Open - Live!

4/6/2026 – The grenke Freestyle Chess Open is taking place from 2 to 6 April at the Karlsruhe Convention Centre in Germany. The tournament follows a nine-round Swiss format with a classical time control of 90 minutes for the game plus a 30-second increment per move. Players from the parallel grenke Chess Open could switch to the Freestyle event between rounds two and five while keeping their scores. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 16.00 CEST (10.00 ET, 19.30 IST) | Photo: Nils Rohde / ChessBase
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Candidates R7: Wei scores brilliant win, Giri holds Sindarov to a draw

4/6/2026 – Javokhir Sindarov reached the halfway point of the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus with a 1½-point lead after drawing Anish Giri from a position of strength in round seven. Meanwhile, Wei Yi scored his first win of the event with a sharp attacking performance against Andrey Esipenko. The remaining two games were drawn, leaving Fabiano Caruana as Sindarov's closest pursuer going into the second half. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
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Fritz 20 & Fritz Powerbook 2026

4/6/2026 – Meet the ultimate training-and-prep bundle: Fritz 20 plus Fritz Powerbook 2026 - your personal chess trainer combined with a modern, statistics-based opening reference. With opponent-style simulation, Bullet Training, and AI voice commentary on the Fritz side, you can turn preparation into realistic practice games. And with 25 million opening positions built from 1.7 million high-class tournament games, Powerbook 2026 gives you a clear, structured picture of what actually works in today's openings.
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grenke: Keymer takes control ahead of final day

4/6/2026 – Vincent Keymer holds the sole lead at the grenke Freestyle Open A with 6½/7 points after defeating Hans Niemann and drawing Magnus Carlsen in a tense encounter. A chasing group consisting of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Alexey Sarana and Pranav Venkatesh remains within striking distance as the final two rounds of the event are set to take place on Monday. | Photo: Nils Rohde / ChessBase
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Jon Speelman: Royal March

4/5/2026 – Drawing on a game from the previous Candidates, Hikaru Nakamura's win over Alireza Firouzja is revisited through a detailed analytical lens, leading to a study-like endgame. The position, refined after further work, offers a challenging exercise inspired by practical play. Alongside this, a brief statistical note highlights recurring opposite-coloured bishop endings in encounters involving Fabiano Caruana, adding context to recent Candidates battles. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza (Candidates 2024)
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Candidates Round 7 - Live!

4/5/2026 – The Candidates Tournaments form the final qualifying stage of the FIDE World Championship cycle. Each tournament features eight of the world's strongest players competing in a double round-robin format over fourteen rounds of classical chess. In the open, sole leader Javohkir Sindarov plays white against Anish Giri in Sunday's seventh round. In the women's tournament, leader Anna Muzychuk faces Bibisara Assaubayeva. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 14.30 CEST (8.30 ET, 18.00 IST) | Photo: Yoav Nis
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Candidates R7: Head-to-head stats

4/5/2026 – Head-to-head records between the participants of the Candidates Tournaments provide useful context for each pairing. Drawing on data compiled via Mega Database 2026, the key statistics from past encounters highlight imbalances and trends. While such figures are not decisive, they offer an additional perspective on how rivalries have developed before a tournament that will determine the next challenger for the world title.
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Women's Candidates R6: Muzychuk sole leader, as three games end decisively

4/5/2026 – Anna Muzychuk moved into the sole lead at the Women's Candidates after defeating Zhu Jiner with the black pieces, opening a one-point gap in the standings. Bibisara Assaubayeva suffered a second consecutive loss, while Aleksandra Goryachkina was held to a draw despite getting winning chances. Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya Deshmukh scored their first wins of the event. | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis

Candidates R6: Sindarov keeps on winning, widens gap to 1½ points

4/5/2026 – Javokhir Sindarov's astonishing run continued in round six of the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, as he defeated Wei Yi with the black pieces to reach 5½/6. The 20-year-old now leads by 1½ points over Fabiano Caruana, with the rest of the field even further behind. The remaining three games were drawn, leaving Sindarov as the clear frontrunner ahead of the final round of the event's first half. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
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grenke: Keymer and Niemann still perfect after five rounds

4/5/2026 – After five rounds in Karlsruhe, Vincent Keymer and Hans Niemann are the only players left on a perfect score at the grenke Freestyle Chess Open, setting up a direct encounter for the sole lead. Magnus Carlsen follows half a point behind, alongside five other players, after conceding a draw in round four. Two starting positions close to classical chess were seen on Saturday, but results remain varied, with long games, time pressure and a notable upset influencing the standings. | Photo: Nils Rohde / ChessBase
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"Imagine..."

4/4/2026 – At the beginning of the 1970s, John Lennon dreamed of a world without war, and his partner Yoko Ono symbolised the futility of fighting and wars with a chessboard in which all the pieces are white. On the occasion of the Speed Chess Championship in London, which too place in February, Jason Kouchak draws a link between modern fast-paced chess and a peaceful world united through chess and music. | Photo: André Schulz
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Candidates R6: Head-to-head stats

4/4/2026 – Head-to-head records between the participants of the Candidates Tournaments provide useful context for each pairing. Drawing on data compiled via Mega Database 2026, the key statistics from past encounters highlight imbalances and trends. While such figures are not decisive, they offer an additional perspective on how rivalries have developed before a tournament that will determine the next challenger for the world title.

Live Masterclass: The Thinking Trap

4/4/2026 – We have an exciting new live lecture coming up! On April 5, 2026, KCF Academy welcomes GM Mykhailo Oleksienko to host a live masterclass for what promises to be a deeply practical lecture: thinking too long in a complicated position and what to actually do about it.

Women's Candidates R5: Zhu and Lagno join the lead

4/4/2026 – Three players share the lead after five rounds at the Women's Candidates Tournament, with Zhu Jiner and Kateryna Lagno joining Anna Muzychuk on 3/5. Both Zhu and Lagno scored their second wins of the event, while Muzychuk agreed a quick draw with Aleksandra Goryachkina, who remains unbeaten with five draws. Tan Zhongyi and Divya Deshmukh also split the point in a balanced game, leaving the standings tightly packed with all eight players separated by just one point. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
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Candidates R5: Sindarov takes down Nakamura, Caruana beats Bluebaum

4/4/2026 – Javokhir Sindarov's formidable start continued in round five of the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, as he defeated top seed Hikaru Nakamura with the black pieces to reach a 4½/5 score. Fabiano Caruana also won, beating Matthias Bluebaum to remain one point behind. The decisive games saw Nakamura and Bluebaum faltering in the opening phase. The remaining two encounters ended drawn. | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis
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grenke: Carlsen, Keymer and Niemann among 19 players on 3/3

4/4/2026 – After three rounds at the grenke Chess Festival in Karlsruhe, 19 players lead the Freestyle Open A on a perfect score. Magnus Carlsen, Hans Niemann and Vincent Keymer belong to the leading group. Early rounds have already produced demanding games and upsets, with qualification stakes and a crowded leaderboard shaping the next stage of the event. | Photo: Jeroen van den Belt / ChessBase
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