Annotated Games
GM Levon Aronian won his third Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz title on Friday, August 15, netting a $40,000 first prize and 13 Grand Chess Tour (GCT)… Read More »
Update, August 18, 2025: This article has been updated to reflect the circumstances of GM Bryan Smith’s record-breaking loss. An earlier version of… Read More »
The USA delegation boasted 14 podium finishes — including five gold medals — across 12 sections at the XXXV Pan-American Youth Chess Festival. Led by… Read More »
The Caro-Kann Defense (Advance Variation) is, by far, the most popular opening over the last year, from June 2024 to May 2025, for players… Read More »
Normally, it would be cruel to describe anybody’s tournament as “heartbreaking” or even disappointing because they “only” tied for second place.… Read More »
After a week of competition, the final round of the 125th annual U.S. Open begins at 3 p.m. CDT in Middleton, WI, with a spot in this October’s U.S.… Read More »
At the U.S. Open, we know there are a ton of chess players around, but it doesn’t always feel that way during the first few days. Some players are… Read More »
The five 2025 national invitational tournaments of state champions came to a close Thursday, with prize money and scholarships on the line. Texas won… Read More »
The final round of the five national invitational tournaments of state champions begun this morning at 10:00 a.m. CDT, with four of the five events… Read More »
That’s a lot of chess! Tuesday was the first of two double-round days in Middleton for participants of the national state invitationals and the 7-day… Read More »