Luke Mcshane

While the open Candidates was a procession – Javokhir Sindarov clinched the event with a round to spare – the women's event could not have been more different.

White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Georges Emile Barbier, The Westminster Papers, 1873. Email answers (first…

The European Individual Championship is a gigantic brawl, and since it began in 2000 the winner has always been a seasoned grandmaster. This year’s event in Katowice, Poland, drew 500 competitors, including 90 grandmasters. Lasting 11 rounds, it is not the kind of event you can win ‘by chance’. So it was astonishing to see

Black to play. Sipila-Maltsevskaya, European Individual Championship, 2026. Black’s next move decided the game immediately. What did she play? Email answers to [email protected] by Monday 11 May. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks

White to play and win. Composed by Pogosyants, Shakhmaty v SSSR , 1976. The straightforward 1 Ra1 Kxh3 is a standard draw, but White has an ingenious winning move.

Watching Magnus Carlsen win tournaments feels like watching an escape artist: you're never quite sure how he succeeds, but it's no surprise when he does.

At the start of May, 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus became the youngest player in history to cross the symbolic 2700 threshold on the international rating scale, placing at no. 31 in the world rankings.

Black to play. Pranav-Movahed, Baku Open 2026. Movahed won the game and the tournament with a beautiful combination here. What…

White to play. Keymer-Deac, Grand Chess Tour, Romania, 2026. Keymer found by far the strongest way to prosecute his attack. Which move did he play to force resignation? Email answers to [email protected] by Monday 1 June. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat.

‘A healthy mind in a healthy body’ – a fine aspiration, but what do you do when both let you down at once? That was the case for Alireza Firouzja at the Superbet Chess Classic Romania 2026. He struggled at the outset, scoring just a draw and two losses from his first three games. The