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Newsroom Archive
Every article posted to the Inter Mezzo Newsroom, newest to oldest.
Sri Lanka climb 43 places as Vietnam and Slovenia reach the top ten
Sri Lanka moved from seed 77 to 34th. Vietnam and Slovenia both reached the top ten, while Turkmenistan climbed 22 places and finished 33rd.
Source: Chess-Results
Vietnam lead the Open teams that finished well above seed
Vietnam climbed from seed 47 to 19th, while Uzbekistan 2 and Mongolia also turned difficult schedules into 15 match points. Wales made a 27 place climb from seed 100.
Source: Chess-Results
Before Ruy López: How Spain Helped Build Modern Chess
Modern chess did not have a single inventor. But Spain in the late fifteenth century, especially Valencia, produced some of the earliest evidence for the game we recognise today, before Ruy López turned opening study into something systematic.
England Women climb five places from seed to finish 15th in Samarkand
Five complete games from five England players trace a 15-point campaign that finished with victory over the Philippines.
Source: Chess-Results
Scotland Open finish 96th after a tournament of sharp swings
Five complete games show Scotland's 11-point Olympiad, from two 4-0 wins to the late results that pulled them down the table.
Source: Chess-Results
Scotland Women finish 55th after final-round win over the UAE
Five complete games from five Scotland players trace a campaign that finished five places above seed and ended with a 3-1 win.
Source: Chess-Results
Wales Open climb 27 places from seed to finish 73rd
Five complete games show how Wales turned a 100th seed into a 73rd-place finish, including two notable late upsets.
Source: Chess-Results
Wales Women finish 94th after a late two-match recovery
Five complete games from five Wales players cover a volatile Olympiad that included two late 3½-½ victories and several rating upsets.
Source: Chess-Results
Ireland Open finish 65th after a three-match winning run
Five complete games from five Ireland players trace a tournament that climbed sharply in Rounds 8-10 before a final-round loss to Canada.
Source: Chess-Results
Ireland Women finish 57th after final-round win over Albania
Five complete games from five Ireland players include two Round 7 rating upsets and the decisive final-round win over Albania.
Source: Chess-Results
England finish 12th after a late Olympiad recovery
Five complete games from five England players chart their strong opening, two narrow defeats and three-match finish in Samarkand.
Source: Chess-Results
China went unbeaten to win Women's Olympiad gold in Samarkand
Five games from five squad members tell the story of China's title: nine match wins, two draws and the points they needed across all four boards.
Source: Chess-Results
Uzbekistan won ten matches to take Open gold at home
Five games explain the hosts’ title: contributions from every member of the squad, including two long endings on the lower boards.
Source: Chess-Results
Learn Like Ruy López: Understand the Move Before You Memorise It
Learn the ideas behind the Ruy Lopez: pressure on e5, a common pawn-grabbing mistake, and a practical way to study your own openings.
Chess Olympiad Round 11: Uzbekistan and China take gold as England finish with two wins
Uzbekistan and China win gold. England win both final matches, Scotland Women and Ireland Women finish strongly, and the Home Nations final standings are settled.
Source: Chess-Results
Chess Olympiad Round 10: Uzbekistan pull clear as Kazakhstan close on China
Uzbekistan lead the Open by one match point. Kazakhstan narrow the Women’s gap to one, while Wales win both Home Nations matches again.
Source: Chess-Results
Timur Turlov elected FIDE President after second-round vote
Timur Turlov has been elected FIDE President after defeating Wadim Rosenstein 110–85 in the second round of voting in Samarkand. Viswanathan Anand was elected Deputy President.
Source: FIDE
Chess Olympiad Round 9: Uzbekistan beat the USA as England and Wales bounce back
Uzbekistan beat the USA to reclaim the sole Open lead. England and Wales won both Home Nations matches, while China moved two points clear in the Women’s section.
Source: Chess-Results
Chess Olympiad Round 8: Germany beat Uzbekistan as Scotland and Ireland win big
Germany beat Uzbekistan 2½–1½ to open up the Open standings. Scotland and Ireland won 3½–½, Cave upset Mao, and Bodhana Sivanandan suffered her first defeat.
Source: Chess-Results
Chess Olympiad Round 7: McShane beats Nihal as England fall narrowly to India
England lost 2.5-1.5 to India despite Luke McShane's 120-point upset of Nihal Sarin, while England Women and Scotland swept 4-0, Wales Open climbed to 78th, and Ireland Women beat Latvia.
Source: Chess-Results
Olympiad Home Nations Watch: England unbeaten at the halfway break
England's Open team reach the rest day 10th and unbeaten, Bodhana Sivanandan is 5/6 without a loss, Wales Women are 16 places above their starting rank, and Round 6 produces new highs in the Upsets of the Olympiad tracker.
Source: Chess-Results
Olympiad Round 5 Open: Germany beat the top seeds, and Samarkand gets its showdown
Frederik Svane's win over Hans Niemann handed the United States their first defeat, Uzbekistan crushed Hungary 4-0, and India's win over the Netherlands sets up 2022 champions against 2024 champions in Round 6.
Source: FIDE daily report
Olympiad Round 5 Women: Poland beat India for the third Olympiad running
Aleksandra Maltsevskaya's win over Vaishali Rameshbabu sank the defending champions, Alice Lee rescued the United States against Uzbekistan, and four teams remain perfect.
Source: FIDE daily report
Olympiad Round 4 Open: The leading group is cut from 21 to eight
Thirteen teams dropped out of the perfect-score group, Lithuania beat Croatia 3-1, and 30 games qualified as rating upsets.
Source: FIDE daily report
Olympiad Round 4 Women: The leaderboard sorts itself by seeding
Ten teams reach eight match points and every one of them is seeded inside the top 14, with the United States clear on board points.
Source: FIDE daily report
Olympiad Round 3 Open: Romania lead a crowded table on six match points
Ten teams hold the maximum after three rounds, and 46 games qualified as rating upsets, the highest count so far.
Source: FIDE daily report
Olympiad Round 3 Women: Argentina beat Ukraine 3.5-0.5
Argentina and Iran took the team results of the round, with the United States and Romania sharing the official lead.
Source: FIDE daily report
Madrid 1575: The First World Chess Championship That Wasn't
Madrid 1575 is often called chess's first international tournament or World Championship. The surviving evidence supports a less tidy, and more interesting, story.
Olympiad Round 2 Open: El Salvador beat Cuba and the upset count quadruples
El Salvador took the team result of the round, and 35 games qualified as rating upsets, up from nine.
Source: FIDE daily report
Olympiad Round 2 Women: Montenegro take two points off Georgia
Georgia were the first leading team to drop match points, and 30 games qualified as rating upsets.
Source: FIDE daily report
Olympiad Round 1 Open: The biggest upset was not the one that made the reports
Brazil were the first seeded team to drop points, held by Botswana, and nine games qualified as rating upsets.
Source: FIDE daily report
Olympiad Round 1 Women: 372 games, one upset
Five of the leading teams won 4-0, and a single decisive result across the round met the rating-upset test.
Source: FIDE daily report
Ruy López de Segura: The Priest Behind the Opening
The opening carries his name, but Ruy López did not invent 3.Bb5. His real legacy lies in helping turn opening study into something systematic.
Philidor at 300: More Than a Name in an Opening
Three hundred years after Philidor's birth, his legacy still runs through pawn play, rook endings and one of chess history's most unusual double careers.
Gukesh vs Sindarov Confirmed for Geneva, the Youngest World Championship Match in History
FIDE has announced Geneva as host for the 2026 World Championship Match, Gukesh defending the title against challenger Javokhir Sindarov from 25 November to 15 December. Both players will be 20, making it the youngest World Championship contest ever held.
Source: FIDE.com
Sussex University Masters 2026 Recap: Gasanov Wins by a Clear Point, Puzzle Book Now Available
GM Eldar Gasanov took the Sussex University Masters 2026 on 8/9, a full point clear of the field. GM Simon Williams let two winning positions slip in the same game. Full Stockfish-flagged puzzle book now available.
Source: Chess-Results.com
Chennai Grand Masters 2026 Recap: Firouzja Wins It Unbeaten While Gukesh Collapses to Last, See His Missed Chances in the Free Puzzle Book
GM Alireza Firouzja won the 2026 Chennai Grand Masters unbeaten on 4.5/7 in a stacked eight-player round robin, while Gukesh, the man who won this event's first edition in 2023, finished dead last after letting winnable positions slip in all three of his losses.
Source: Chess-Results.com
Wood Green Invitational 2026 Recap: Royal Wins It Despite Letting It Slip Three Times, Find the Moments in the Free Puzzle Book
GM Shreyas Royal won the 6th Wood Green Invitational outright on 7/9, but the engine tells a shakier story than the five-game winning start suggests, three winning positions let slip back to equal before his only loss finally arrived in round 6.
Source: Chess-Results.com
Wood Green Blitz 2026 Recap: Badacsonyi Wins It on Tiebreak After Nearly Giving It Away Twice, Find Their Mistakes in the Free Puzzle Book
FM Stanley Badacsonyi won the Wood Green Invitational Blitz 2026 in Stafford, but only just, letting winning positions slip in three separate games before the tournament came down to a tiebreak against the only other player who matched his score.
Source: Chess-Results.com
FIDE Announces Its First-Ever Excellence Awards Shortlists, and It's a Lot
FIDE has revealed the shortlists for its brand new, biennial Excellence Awards, eleven categories, ten nominees each, covering players, tournaments, federations, teams, and more. Winners announced in Samarkand this September alongside the Chess Olympiad.
Source: FIDE.com
FIDE Scraps the Candidates Rating Spot After Nakamura and Firouzja Showed How Easy It Was to Game
FIDE has removed the rating qualification place for the 2028 Candidates entirely, replacing it with four results-based pathways. The change follows two years of controversy over players engineering their schedules to farm a rating spot rather than earn it on the board.
Source: FIDE.com
Dardha Wins Fourth Belgian Title in a Photo Finish, Goossens Perfect at 9/9
Daniel Dardha edged Elias Ruzhansky in a photo finish for his fourth Belgian title, while Hanne Goossens swept the women's section 9/9 for her fifth. All 18 games from both champions, fully annotated.
Source: FIDE.com