blog posts

Master the Scotch Game through its Classical, Schmidt, Mieses and Steinitz lines, plus the Scotch and Göring gambits, plans and common mistakes.

Wesley So’s U.S. Championship playoff win offers practical lessons in emotional reset, opening choice, clock management and conditional aggression.

Wesley So won his fourth U.S. Chess Championship by defeating defending champion Fabiano Caruana 1.5–0.5 in rapid tiebreaks in St. Louis. After drawing the first game, So won the second to secure his first national title in four years and a reported $56,000 prize. The playoff followed a dramatic final round that left the pair tied. Source: Chess.com’s October 22 report.

Learn the Italian Game through its Giuoco Piano, Pianissimo, Evans Gambit and Two Knights lines, with move orders, plans, tactics and common mistakes.

Nový Bor’s win over Alkaloid and SuperChess’s perfect run show why European Club Cup titles depend on depth, match strategy and every board.

Rachael Li won the 2026 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship in St. Louis after drawing Anna Zatonskih in the final round. The 16-year-old became the youngest first-time entrant to win the event and also earned her first IM norm. In the open championship, Wesley So lost to Sam Sevian while Fabiano Caruana beat Awonder Liang, forcing a playoff between So and Caruana. Source: Chess.com’s October 21 report.

Discover Vasily Smyslov’s life, harmonious playing style, 1957 World Championship victory, three matches with Botvinnik, extraordinary longevity, and enduring endgame legacy.

Master the Slav Defense with its defining moves, Classical main line, Geller Gambit, Exchange and Chebanenko systems, plans, mistakes, and player fit.

Wesley So and Rachael Li enter the final round with one-point leads. Here is what Round 10 changed, what each leader needs, and why their paths to control have been so different.

GM Hikaru Nakamura won Titled Tuesday on October 20 after starting 7/7 and defeating Alireza Firouzja in the final round. Nakamura finished on 9.5/11 and took first place on tiebreaks ahead of Dmitry Andreikin and Sina Movahed, who matched his score. The victory was Nakamura’s first Titled Tuesday title since May and extended his lead in the 2026–27 CCT standings. Source: Chess.com.

Explore Mikhail Botvinnik’s life, three reigns as world champion, defining matches against Bronstein, Smyslov and Tal, scientific playing style, and lasting influence on Soviet chess.

A practical Grünfeld Defense guide to the Exchange Variation, Russian System, Petrosian setup and key move orders—with plans for both sides, central pawn breaks, and common mistakes.

Plan how to follow Gukesh–Sindarov in Geneva: confirmed match dates, ticket categories and practical ways to learn from the 2026 World Championship.

GM Vahap Şanal won the 36th NATO Chess Championship in Jūrmala, Latvia, scoring a perfect 7/7 in the seven-round Swiss. The tournament, held October 11–17, brought together 148 military chess players from 18 NATO member nations. Türkiye also won the team competition with 23.5 points, ahead of Germany on 20. IM Laura Unuk finished second individually with 6/7 and was the top woman. Source: FIDE.

Learn the Pirc Defense move order, Black’s fianchetto and central counterplay, and White’s Austrian Attack, Classical Variation, and 150 Attack—with practical plans and common mistakes.

Three chess houses opened in Shymkent on 15 October. Explore what makes community chess venues welcoming, useful and sustainable beyond opening day.

The favorites kept winning in round two of the European Chess Club Cup in Budva on October 18. GMs Wei Yi, Arjun Erigaisi and Richard Rapport each moved to 2/2. Uzbekistan-born GM Temur Kuybokarov upset world No. 18 Amin Tabatabaei, while Volodar Murzin escaped a lost position to help top seed Bayegan Pendik win 5–1. In the women’s event, Monte-Carlo beat Odlar Yurdu, and Linares drew SuperChess Romania. Source: Chess.com.

Learn the Nimzo-Indian Defense from 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4: Rubinstein, Classical, Sämisch, Leningrad and key plans for both sides.

FIDE’s 2027 World Cup allocations explained: federation places, player selection, Israel’s Open slot and what the Women’s World Cup regulations say.

The 41st European Chess Club Cup opened in Budva, Montenegro, on October 17, with several favorites scoring 6–0 team wins. Serbian Candidate Master Slobodan Filipovic, 55, delivered a notable upset by defeating Swedish No. 1 GM Nils Grandelius; Grandelius’s Novy Bor Chess Club still won its match 5–1. The seven-round Open Cup runs alongside the 30th European Women’s Chess Club Cup. Source: Chess.com.