Attacking Chess

Norway Chess 2026: Lineup Announced The organizers have revealed 6 players for the open event. It could have been even more intriguing had Abdusattorov replaced Pragg that way, the field would feature 6 top-10 players from 6 different countries. As it stands, the tournament looks like a compact version of a regular Grand Chess Tour event, with 5 of the 6 participants, all except Magnus Carlsen, being official GCT players. The event will take place from May 24 to June 6

On International Women’s Day, @FIDE_chess released the Gender Equality in Chess Index 2026, ranking 119 federations based on women’s participation, performance, and youth development in chess. Top 10 federations in the 2026 index: Mongolia – 89.26 Sri Lanka – 86.99 Uganda – 84.62 United Arab Emirates – 82.97 Malaysia – 79.31 Kenya – 78.80 Bolivia – 78.54 Namibia – 77.93 Costa Rica – 77.74 Vietnam – 77.24 The ranking highlights countries where women are not only playing chess in higher numbers but also performing competitively and entering the game at younger ages. Mongolia keeps the No.1 spot, while Vietnam also makes the global Top 10, showing that progress in women’s chess is happening across many regions of the world. --- Simple explanation of how the index is calculated The Gender Equality in Chess Index (GECI) created by the International Chess Federation measures how balanced men and women are in chess within each federation. Each country receives a score between 0 and 100. The score is based on three factors: 1. Participation This measures how many chess players are women in a federation. Example: If 40–50% of registered players are women → high score If only 5–10% are women → low score So the more women who play chess in a country, the higher this component. 2. Performance This compares the average rating of women to the average rating of men. Example: If women’s ratings are close to men’s ratings → high score If there is a large rating gap → lower score This measures whether women are competing at a similar level, not just participating. 3. Progress This looks at girls in youth competitions. Specifically: How many girls participate in youth championships How well female participation is developing among young players If many girls are entering chess at a young age, the country receives a higher score. 4. How the final score is calculated Instead of a simple average, FIDE uses a geometric mean of the three factors: Participation Performance Progress This method means: If one factor is very low, it will pull the total score down significantly. So a federation needs to do well in all three areas to achieve a high ranking. In short, the index tries to answer three simple questions: Are women playing chess in this country? Are they competitive? Are girls entering the game for the future? Countries that perform well in all three areas rank highest in the index.

Group stage done at the ChessKid Youth Championships 2026 Under-16. Group A: GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus 7 (pts), GM Sina Movahed 7 advance. IM Patryk Cieslak 5, IM Henry Edward Tudor 5, FM Sergey Sklokin 4, IM Lu Miaoyi 2. Group B: IM Tani Adewumi 7.5, GM Andy Woodward 6.5 advance. IM Faustino Oro 6, IM Aaron Mendes 4.5, IM Ryo Chen 3.5, FM Megan Althea Paragua 2. Semifinals: Erdogmus vs Woodward Adewumi vs Movahed

🇦🇷♟️ Big news for the “Messi of Chess”. While 12-year-old Faustino Oro was playing his first round at the Aeroflot Open, another announcement arrived: the Argentine prodigy has been invited to join the national delegation for the Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan this September. He'll only turn 13 in October. According to reports, coach Sergio Slipak has called up: GM Diego Flores, GM Sandro Mareco, GM Fernando Peralta, GM Federico Pérez Ponsa, WGM Candela Francisco, WIM Anapaola Borda Rodas, WIM María José Campos, WIM Anna Laura Scarsi and WFM Ernestina Adam.

10 years of change in the FIDE Top Federations (Mar 2016 → Mar 2026). 🇷🇺 Russia: #1 → #4 🇺🇸 USA: #3 → #1 🇮🇳 India: #6 → #2 New Top 20: 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan, 🇳🇴 Norway, 🇮🇷 Iran, 🇹🇷 Türkiye Out of Top 20: 🇨🇺 Cuba, 🇬🇪 Georgia, 🇭🇷 Croatia, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic A decade that reshaped the chess map.

@jzi127 You could look up GM-elect

@attackingchess How's that possible?

The current Top 10 highest-rated IMs in the world are all packed between 2547 and 2522, an incredibly tight race just below GM level. 1️⃣ Vaclav Finek – 2547 2️⃣ Jan Vykouk – 2533 3️⃣ Dmitry Obolenskikh – 2528 4️⃣ Aaryan Varshney – 2528 (basically a GM) 5️⃣ Faustino Oro – 2526 (pictured, only 12 years old!) 6️⃣ A R Ilamparthi – 2525 7️⃣ Aronyak Ghosh – 2524 8️⃣ Justin Wang – 2524 9️⃣ Nico Chasin – 2523 🔟 Ethan Vaz – 2522 Several teenagers. Several future GMs. The next generation is already knocking on the door.

@jzi127 He’s become a GM, just not officially.

@attackingchess What do you mean by "basically a GM"?

Heartbreak for Faustino Oro. 💔 He loses the final round to Aleksey Grebnev and the dream of breaking the youngest-ever GM record slips away. The record of Abhimanyu Mishra still stands. But Fausti’s story isn’t over. He remains one of the strongest players of his generation. If he secures the final norm at the Semana Santa Open or the Menorca Open in April, he will likely become the second-youngest GM in history. So close to history today. But the future is still his. ♟️

@MisterPadilla Yes, this is the last chance for him to break the record

@attackingchess is this the last chance he has to do so?

Faustino Oro is just ONE win away from becoming the youngest GM in chess history. Final round of the Aeroflot Open. Black pieces. Opponent: Aleksey Grebnev (2621). Grebnev is no joke. A rock-solid GM who defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave at the 2025 World Cup. History is one game away. Best of luck, Fausti ♟️🔥

Suddenly, TePe Sigeman just turned into a Tier 1 showdown. From May 1–7 in Malmö, Sweden, the historic TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament brings together eight elite players in a single round-robin with classical time control (90/40, SD 30+30). World No.1 Magnus Carlsen headlines a stacked field featuring Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun Erigaisi, Jorden van Foreest, Nils Grandelius, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, Andy Woodward, and Zhu Jiner. It may also mark the first-ever classical clash between Carlsen and Erdogmus. Experience vs. fearless youth.

Surprise twist in the ratings list: FIDE has removed Sergey Karjakin’s games against a much lower-rated Russian junior after tightening eligibility rules. The results are voided, his status returns to inactive, and he drops out of the top 10.

12-year-old Argentine prodigy Faustino Oro is heading to Moscow with history in sight. At the 21st Aeroflot Open, he will attempt to become the youngest Grandmaster ever — and this is his final shot. Oro already has two GM norms and has surpassed the 2500 Elo requirement, currently rated 2516. His first norm came in Madrid, where he won the Legends & Prodigies event undefeated with 7½/9. After narrowly missing his second norm at the Argentine Championship, he secured it at the Magistral Szmetan-Giardelli in Buenos Aires with a final-round draw, posting a 2608 TPR. The only thing missing now is a third norm. Born on 14 October 2013, Oro must complete the final norm before 11 March 2026 to break the record held by Abhimanyu Mishra, who earned the title at 12 years, 4 months and 25 days. The Aeroflot Open, running from 27 February to 6 March at The Carlton in Moscow, is his last eligible opportunity. The challenge could hardly be tougher. The field includes elite names such as Ian Nepomniachtchi, Andrey Esipenko and Daniil Dubov, along with 14 players rated 2600+. Oro enters as the 35th seed — the highest-rated IM in a field where the 34 players above him are all Grandmasters. Fresh off a 2575 TPR performance at Tata Steel Challengers, Oro now faces nine grueling rounds, including three double-round days, at a 60+30 time control.

Dutch chess legend JAN TIMMAN (1951–2026) has passed away at 74. A nine-time Dutch Champion, World Championship Candidate, and the 1993 FIDE title challenger against Anatoly Karpov, Timman was once ranked World No. 2 and known as “The Best of the West.” Rest in peace to one of chess’s greats.

Sindarov couldn’t hide his reaction following Carlsen’s promotion queen sac at the 2026 FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship.

Magnus Carlsen, with an interesting mustache (not showed in the image), advances to the finals with a ruthless 17–9 win over Denis Lazavik at the Speed Chess Championship 2025. Absolute domination, barely out of first gear. Props to Lazavik, but the GOAT made it look easy.

Finished 2nd at @tatasteelchess Gained +19.4 elo This tournament was a great training before candidates 😁 Let's continue like this until Cyprus 🔥

That gotta hurt especially it’s Nodirbek who made that prediction

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