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GothamChess is the head of chess of Basilisk! BASILISK, the global esports organization built to champion science, today announced the signing of Levy “GothamChess” Rozman as Head of Chess. Rozman will lead a brand new global chess content strategy for BASILISK and develop the team’s long-term competitive and impact initiatives. Joining top-10 Grandmasters Vincent Keymer and Anish Giri, Rozman’s arrival firmly solidifies BASILISK as a powerhouse in global chess.

Last Round Result After the penultimate round, Andrei Volokitin and Karthik Venkataraman were co-leading the tournament with 6.5/8 points. Pranesh was in joint second place with 6/8. He was in a must-win situation, and a draw was needed on the top board.

Three spots remain open: Freestyle Friday The next phase begins with Freestyle Friday Championship Part 2. It starts on October 2, 2026, and continues every Friday on Chess.com until December 4. Points earned during Freestyle Friday Part 1 carry over into Part 2. The best eligible players from the combined standings will qualify for the knockout stage, played on December 11 and December 18. The winner of the knockout stage in each field will qualify for the 2027 World Championship.

Total Domination by Pragg! Praggnanandhaa showed a dominant performance in the semifinals against Vincent Keymer. In the 1st Classical Game, Pragg outplayed Vincent, but he could not convert it to a win, and the game ended in a draw. In the 2nd Classical Game, Vincent had a better position, but then he blundered, and Pragg managed to win the game.

At ChessBase India Shop Visit now! by - 25/08/2026 Jakhongir Vakhidov scored an unbeaten 7/9 points to win the prestigious 32nd Abu Dhabi Masters. In the final round, Jakhongir drew against Aleksandr Rakhmanov to win the tournament. Five players, including Daniil Dubov, Aleksandr Rakhmanov, Rudik Makarian, Pranav Anand and Daniyal Sapenov, scored 6/9 points to secure 2nd to 6th places according to tiebreak scores. Young Indian Talent Avirat Chauhan scored his IM Norm.

In the 8th round, Mayank Chakraborty defeated Daksh Goyal with black pieces on board 1. On 2nd board, Artem Pingin defeated Vignesh Advaith Vemula to reach 6.5/8 points. Madhvendra Pratap Sharma defeated Gubatayev Ahmet on board 4. In the final round, Madhvendra will face Viresh Sharnarthi. Mayank Chakraborty is leading with 7/8 points Daksh Goyal vs. Mayank Chakraborty (0-1) Vignesh Advaith Vemula vs. Pingin Artem (0-1) Apoorv Kamble vs.

From a Chance Connection to a Chess Camp! Sometimes, a chess connection begins in an unexpected place. I first came across the name Ichalkaranji during one of my webinars on chess composition, Inside the Solver’s Mind. Among the participants was Rohit Pol, a chess coach from Ichalkaranji, a city in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district. Being the frog in a well that I am when it comes to geography, I had never heard of the place until then.

WIM Sahithi Varshini had an excellent tournament at the Kanizsa Open 2026 in Hungary. She scored her 2nd WGM norm with a powerpacked performance. Sahithi scored 5.0/9 with a performance of 2429 gaining 37 Elo points. With this Sahithi has once again crossed 2300 Elo. She now just needs one more WGM norm (2400+ performance) to become the latest WGM of the country.

Indian Stars Shining Bright! Young Indian prodigies are showing why they are considered the most dangerous and exciting players in the world. Untitled Avirat Chauhan is on 5/8 and playing with a performance rating of 2535. FM Advik Amit Agrawal is also on 5/8 and will face IM Urazayev Arystanbek in the final round. FM Advik Amit Agrawal (right) defeated WFM Anna Zhurova Avirat Chauhan defeated Viani Antonio Dcunha Usov Aleksandr E vs.

In the 3rd round, the games of the top 3 boards ended in a draw. Mayank Chakraborty drew against Nandish VS, Pingin Artem drew against Viresh Sharnarthi, and Apoorv Kamble drew against Kurbandurdyyev Shageldi. In the 4th round, Jaiveer defeated IM Aditya Dhingra with white pieces, and Mayank defeated Kurbandurdyyev Shageldi.