10/5/2025 – Arlington welcomes the unprecedented event "Checkmate: USA v. India", an evening of chess presented as a live arena spectacle. Esports Stadium Arlington sees Hikaru Nakamura take on world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, Fabiano Caruana face Arjun Erigaisi, and further clashes featuring women stars, prodigies and leading chess streamers. | Follow the action live starting at 2.00 CEST (20.00 ET, 5.30 IST)

10/3/2025 – The Grand Chess Tour Finals return in 2025, taking place at the World Trade Center in São Paulo from 28 September to 3 October. The event features Maxime Vachier-LaGrave, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Fabiano Caruana and Levon Aronian facing off in a knockout tournament. | Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 20.00 CEST (14.00 ET, 23.30 IST)

10/2/2025 – Grandmasters Wang Hao and Hou Yifan triumphed in the Open and Women's sections of the chess competition at the 15th National Games of China, held in Shenzhen from 23 to 28 September. Featuring leading players such as Ding Liren, Wei Yi, Yu Yangyi, Ju Wenjun, Lei Tingjie and Zhu Jiner, the event saw Jiangsu win the team title ahead of Shandong and Hebei. The competition combined round-robin preliminaries with knockout finals, producing tense matches and surprise results. | Photos: Chinese Chess Association

10/1/2025 – The 11th Judit Polgar's Global Chess Festival drew thousands to the Hungarian National Gallery for a day of creativity, community and competition under the motto play, inspire, experience. Highlights included the debut of RubikChess, a live human–robot match and Judit Polgar's worldwide Community Simul. With events ranging from concerts and art performances to youth tournaments and workshops, the festival once again showcased chess as a cultural bridge across generations and nations.

9/30/2025 – Hikaru Nakamura, currently ranked second in the world, gained nine Elo points in the FIDE world rankings over the last two months by scoring 11 points from 11 games in weaker tournaments; his strongest opponent had an Elo rating of 2250. Each win earned him 0.8 Elo points. However, following a rule change by FIDE, such Elo gains will no longer be possible from 1 October. Previously, when calculating Elo ratings for players with 2650+ points, a maximum difference of 400 points from the opponent's rating was assumed. For example, for a player with 2750 points, all opponents, regardless of their actual strength, were assumed to have a minimum rating of 2350. According to the new rule, the actual Elo rating difference now counts.

9/28/2025 – The Chess Bundesliga kicks off this weekend with the new season. The venues are Deggendorf, Deizisau, Wolfhagen and Heimbach-Weis-Neuwied. Reigning champions, Düsseldorfer SK - without their top players following the withdrawal of their sponsor - together with their travel partner Solingen, face an initial test against Deggendorf and Bayern Munich. | Follow the action live starting at 14.00 CEST (8.00 ET, 17.30 IST)

9/26/2025 – The Queen's Gambit Challenge - Intermediate Stage has officially begun, with its opening ceremony bringing together over 580 women from more than 80 countries. Organised by the FIDE Commission for Women's Chess, the initiative provides free online training for players from developing federations, helping them improve their practical skills and prepare for Olympiad-level competition. The programme also fosters global connections, highlighting chess as both a pathway to representation and a tool for empowerment.

9/25/2025 – From 17 to 25 September, the closed tournament "Legends and Prodigies" is being held in Madrid, featuring five GMs and five IMs in a generational clash. The event is a single round-robin with a classical time control. Among the participants are Peruvian GM Julio Granda, a legend of Latin American chess, alongside young talents Faustino Oro and Lu Miaoyi. The tournament will award a GM norm to players scoring 6/9 points. | Follow the games live starting at 16.00 CEST (10.00 ET, 19.30 IST)

9/24/2025 – Educators and enthusiasts will gather at London's Mindsports Centre on 11–12 October for a weekend dedicated to exploring chess as a tool for learning and development. Supported by FIDE and the International Olympic Committee, the event features interactive masterclasses, practical teaching resources and opportunities to connect with peers. With only 60 places available, this initiative highlights chess' role in fostering critical thinking, creativity and confidence in the classroom. No prior experience required.

9/20/2025 – The FIDE World Cup 2025 in Goa will see five notable invitees joining the 206-player knockout field, as confirmed by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. Among them are 11-year-old Argentine prodigy Faustino Oro, Americans Abhimanyu Mishra and Andy Woodward, world rapid champion Volodar Murzin, and Austrian GM Kirill Alekseenko. The tournament, running from 30 October to 27 November, offers not only prestige and prizes but also qualification spots for the Candidates Tournament.

9/20/2025 – Judit Polgar's Global Chess Festival will return for its eleventh edition on 30 September, hosted in the Hungarian National Gallery. Thousands of visitors will have the chance to meet the world-famous Polgar sisters while exploring the many faces of chess. This year's highlight is RubikChess, a new mixed-pair event linking chess strategy with the Rubik's Cube. Alongside tournaments, simul displays and interactive activities, the festival offers a celebration of creativity, play and community.

9/18/2025 – On Friday, the FIDE Cadet World Championships will begin in Almaty (Kazakhstan) with the first round. Almost 90 countries have registered players who will compete in six age groups — U8, U10, and U12 — each with an open section and a girls’ tournament for the titles.

9/15/2025 – The FIDE Grand Swiss is taking place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 4-15 September. An open event and a women's event are being played concurrently. Both tournaments are 11-round Swiss opens with classical time controls. Each tournament grants two spots in the next edition of the Candidates. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 12.00 CEST (6.00 ET, 15.30 IST)

9/14/2025 – The FIDE Social Chess Storytelling Challenge 2025 is underway, inviting filmmakers, educators, and community leaders to share how chess transforms lives. Open to all ages and nationalities, the competition accepts both professional and grassroots submissions until 25 October. The best films will be showcased at the Social Chess Conference and across FIDE platforms, with winners receiving trophies, global recognition and an invitation to the 2026 Chess Olympiad Opening Ceremony.

9/10/2025 – The Saint Louis Chess Club will soon host the 2025 US Chess Championship and the 2025 US Women's Championship, running from 12 to 24 October in its newly expanded venue. With a prize fund exceeding $400,000, the 12-player fields feature America's elite, including Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Carissa Yip, Alice Lee and Irina Krush. Alongside the competitions, Hall of Fame inductions and cultural events promise a historic month for American chess in Saint Louis. | Pictured: 2024 US chess champions, Fabiano Caruana and Carissa Yip | Photo: Lennart Ootes

9/7/2025 – FIDE has approved a pilot project introducing "fast classic" tournaments with shorter time controls that will still count toward the standard rating list. Three events - the Qatar Cup, the QCA Training Center September Tournament, and the Women's World Team Championship - will be played at 45 minutes plus 30 seconds per move. While no title norms will be awarded, the initiative reflects growing interest in serious but shorter formats adapted to modern schedules.

9/4/2025 – On September 28, Czech Inn Chess is organizing a rapid chess tournament in honor of Vlastimil Hort. The venue is the Hotel Giovanni, where Vlastimil Hort always stayed whenever he visited Prague. The tournament is intended to be held annually from now on. Those who take part will feel the spirit of the great Czech chess legend, which surely still lingers in these rooms.

9/4/2025 – An experienced trainer, Ivan Sokolov helped the likes of Alireza Firouzja and Parham Maghsoodloo to develop their talent. In his FritzTrainer series for ChessBase, he showcases a pragmatic style, focusing on general ideas rather than specific lines. One of the games analysed in the section devoted to practical play is Garry Kasparov against Jan Timman from Corus 2001, which included a number of instructive mistakes by both legendary grandmasters. | Photo: Frederic Friedel