GCL Day 4: Triveni and Mumba pull ahead as PBG sink to fourth straight loss
Day 4 of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League reshaped the race at the top. The upGrad Mumbai Masters crushed the PBG Alaskan Knights 18–2, the Triveni Continental Kings hit back with an 11–6 win over the Ganges Grandmasters, and the Alpine SG Pipers rolled the Fyers American Gambits 10–4 to stay in the fight. It was a day when the favourites showed their strength. Triveni immediately recovered from their loss to the Gambits, with Alireza Firouzja and Wei Yi leading the way against Ganges. upGrad roared back after their defeat by Alpine with a ruthless performance against PBG, while the Pipers confirmed their revival as Nino Batsiashvili and Leon Luke Mendonca again delivered on the lower boards. The only team unable to stop the slide was the Knights, who suffered their fourth straight loss. Standings after Day 4 After four rounds, the upGrad Mumbai Masters and Triveni Continental Kings share the lead on nine Match Points, with upGrad slightly ahead on Game Points (51 to 43). The Ganges Grandmasters, Fyers American Gambits, and Alpine SG Pipers form a tight chasing pack on six Match Points each and remain very much in contention. The PBG Alaskan Knights are rooted to the bottom on zero, needing a perfect finish to have any hope of climbing back into the tournament. Match 10: Fyers American Gambits vs Alpine SG Pipers (4–10) Day 4 opened with a clash between two teams fresh off big wins. On Day 3, the Fyers American Gambits had shocked the defending champions Triveni Continental Kings 10–8 after Volodar Murzin turned a lost position into a match-winner on the prodigy board. The Alpine SG Pipers had finally broken their bad run by beating the upGrad Mumbai Masters 9–7, thanks to Leon Luke Mendonca delivering checkmate in another must-win prodigy game. The Gambits started the round on six Match Points, the Pipers on three. All eyes were on the Icon board, where Hikaru Nakamura faced Fabiano Caruana. The two US stars tested each other in a classical line of the Petrov. For most of the game, it was a pure theoretical battle between two well-prepared players, with many moves that looked strange to the audience still being theory. After the counterintuitive king move Kd7, Nakamura calmly walked around the stage and checked the other boards. Caruana then went for an exchange sacrifice, pushing his h-pawn down the board. The position looked tense, but the engines and the players knew it was balanced. After 59 moves, they agreed to a draw in an equal endgame. On the first men’s board, Anish Giri and Vladislav Artemiev also repeated preparation, reaching a balanced position where neither side could make real progress, and soon split the point. The second men’s board followed a similar script. Praggnanandhaa and Richard Rapport tested a rare line of the East Indian Defence. Rapport played creatively as usual, while Pragg never lost control despite spending more time on the clock. The game stayed level and ended in another draw. The real drama of the match came on the women’s and prodigy boards. Hou Yifan, the former Women’s World Champion, faced Bibisara Assaubayeva. Hou created a thorn-in-the-flesh e6-pawn in an Alapin Sicilian, emerging clearly better, but did not find the best continuation and sacrificed a pawn instead. After accepting the sacrifice, Bibisara defended patiently, equalised, and steered the game to a draw. On the second women’s board, Teodora Injac, playing the King’s Indian against Nino Batsiashvili, was clearly better for most of the game, building pressure and forcing Nino on the defensive. Then, in the space of three moves, everything changed. The position turned around, and Injac began to run low on time. Batsiashvili also slipped, blundering and allowing Black to win a bishop for two pawns. The ensuing endgame was about even, but Injac could not find a clear path. Move by move, she helped White advance her queenside pawns. Batsiashvili, in turn, allowed her opponent to blockade the pawns along the dark squares, handing Black the decisive advantage again. However, when the time came to collect these passers, Injac made a couple of mistakes, letting White’s king penetrate the kingside. After trading rooks, Injac was left with only a bishop while Batsiashvili had three pawns marching forward. In the time scramble that followed, Teodora made a grave error, moving her king back to e7 (instead of forward to e5 with a draw), which immediately changed the evaluation from “equal” to “lost” for Black. Nino showed good technical control and converted her advantage. The Pipers scored three vital Game Points and moved ahead 7–4. On the prodigy board, Leon Luke Mendonca once again became the main hero for Alpine. Facing Volodar Murzin, he won a pawn early and took over the initiative. Although Mendonca’s conversion was not ideal, Murzin was the last to err in a slightly inferior endgame. Leon finished the job and secured another three Game Points for his team. With four draws and two wins, the Alpine SG Pipers took the match 10–4 in Game Points. They climbed to six Match Points and joined the leading group in the standings. For the Fyers American Gambits, it was a painful defeat. After their inspiring comeback against Triveni, they managed to create only one serious winning chance across six boards and will want to move on quickly from this match. Match 11: PBG Alaskan Knights vs upGrad Mumbai Masters (2–18) This was a make-or-break moment for the PBG Alaskan Knights. After three straight losses, they were the only team without a single Match Point. On the other side stood the upGrad Mumbai Masters, still part of the leading pack despite their painful collapse against Alpine on Day 3. The Knights had the small practical edge of playing with the White pieces, but the pressure of needing a result in front of the home crowd felt heavy from the start. On the Icon board, World Champion Gukesh D met Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The French grandmaster had started the season well,
FIDE delegation participates in UNHCR Global Refugee Forum
From December 15 to 17, 2025, a FIDE delegation consisting of André Voegtlin, Chair of the FIDE Social Commission, and Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, attended the UNHCR Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in Geneva. The GRF is the world’s largest international gathering on refugee issues, convened every four years. It serves as a critical platform for UN Member States and a diverse array of stakeholders—including international organizations, NGOs, civil society, the private sector, and refugee representatives—to discuss and forge concrete solutions for the challenges confronting refugees and their host communities. The Forum was established to bolster the practical implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2018, the GCR seeks to transform the global response to refugee situations through more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing. Its four key objectives are: Easing pressures on host countries; Enhancing refugee self-reliance; Expanding access to third-country solutions (such as resettlement and complementary pathways); and Supporting conditions in countries of origin for safe, dignified, and voluntary returns. The FIDE delegation participated in several side events. One of particular interest was “Gender Equality and Ending Violence Against Refugee Women and Girls,” a multi-stakeholder event featuring a keynote intervention by Khalida Popal of Girl Power. Focus:The event centered on the critical issues of gender equality and the protection of refugee women and girls from gender-based violence (GBV). It highlighted the unique vulnerabilities and strengths of this demographic. Key Outcome:It served as a platform to advance and gather support for a specific pledge on “Gender Equality and Protection Against GBV” under the “Avec Elle” initiative. This pledge represents a concrete commitment by various actors to take actionable steps toward these goals within the refugee response framework. The FIDE delegation found the Forum an invaluable opportunity to engage with the latest developments, challenges, and partnerships in the global refugee response. The focus on gender equality and protection aligns closely with FIDE’s core principles and operational priorities. The delegation will analyze the insights and connections gained to inform FIDE’s ongoing and future strategies in supporting displaced populations, with a particular emphasis on promoting the rights and empowerment of women and girls. The delegation also held productive meetings with the Sport for Refugees Coalition, engaging with representatives, leaders, and colleagues from the sector. These exchanges focused on cooperation opportunities, best practices, and the role of sport as a tool for the inclusion, protection, and empowerment of refugee communities. The Sport for Refugees Coalition was represented at the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review by a wide range of international sports federations, organizations, foundations, and advocates. Participating sports federations and governing bodies included: FIFA Foundation, UEFA, World Athletics, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the International Judo Federation (IJF), the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Special Olympics, LIV Golf, and the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF). They were joined by major foundations and sport-for-development organisations such as Adidas Foundation, Scott Foundation, Olympic Refuge Foundation, the Yusra Mardini Foundation, Girl Power, Play International, Klabu, and Union Sportive des Jeunes Réfugiés (USJR). The forum also featured high-profile refugee advocates and athletes, including Zakia Khudadadi, Paralympic medalist and UNHCR High-Profile Supporter and Masomah Ali Zada, Chef de Mission of the Refugee Olympic Team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and UNHCR High-Profile Supporter. André Voegtlin and Anastasia Sorokina welcomed the extensive cooperation plans discussed with UNHCR colleagues ahead of the World Chess Olympiad 2026 in Uzbekistan.
Battle for the final Candidates spot: Women’s Events 2024-2025 race heats up
The Women’s Events 2024-2025 has entered its decisive phase. Following the triumphs of Vaishali R and Kateryna Lagno in the Women’s Grand Swiss, all seven leading players in the Women’s Events race secured qualification for the Women’s Candidates 2026 through various pathways. The eighth and final spot in the competition – which will determine the challenger for the women’s world title – remains open. Currently leading the race for that last berth is Bibisara Assaubayeva (99.4 points), who sits eighth, just behind the already-qualified players. Given her impressive resume in fast time controls, the two-time World Women’s Blitz Champion appears to have the strongest claim on paper heading to the Women’s Rapid and Blitz Championships 2025. Chasing her are Song Yuxin, Anna Muzychuk (both on 80 points), the winner of the 2022–23 Women’s Candidates Lei Tingjie (62 points), and the experienced Harika Dronavalli (58.5). All four remain strong candidates for the final slot, provided they deliver strong results at the upcoming events in Qatar. Further down the standings, young Afruza Khamdamova, former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk (both on 38.5), Mariya Muzychuk (26.40), Nana Dzagnidze (25), Ulviyya Fataliyeva (20), and Irina Krush (20) still have mathematical chances. With significant number of points available at the upcoming Women’s Rapid and Blitz Championships, none of them can yet be ruled out. Each of these contenders faces the formidable challenge of outperforming the competition in the season’s final events to claim the last coveted place in the Women’s Candidates 2026. We maintain a dedicated page on our website for the FIDE Women’s Events 2024–2025, featuring the latest information on eligible tournaments, current standings, and regulations. Visit: FIDE Women’s Events 2024-2025
FIDE U9–U17 Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship kicks off in Antalya, Türkiye
The FIDE U9–U17 Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship, organized by FIDE and the Turkish Chess Federation, officially commenced on December 16 at the Aska Lara Hotel in Antalya. A total of 314 participants from 33 countries, including 97 titled players, are competing in the event. Both the rapid and blitz events are 9-round Swiss tournaments, held across five age groups (U9, U11, U13, U15, U17) and separate Open and Girls sections. The rapid segment will be played over three days, followed by the two-day blitz tournaments. The top seeds in the open categories (from U17 to U9, respectively) are: IM Arda Çamlar (TUR), GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş (TUR; pictured above), Andrey Kryakvin (FIDE), FM Marc Llari (FRA) and Marc Barcelo Melnyk (ESP). WFM Alexia-Andreea Iordache (ROU), WFM Rosha Akbari (IRI), WCM Kristina Zavivaeva (FIDE; pictured below), WFM Alisa Genrietta Yunker (FIDE), WCM Eliza-Ioana Badescu (ROU) headline the girls categories. The opening ceremony was attended by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, along with the President of the hosting Turkish Chess Federation Fethi Apaydin; TCF Deputy President Bulent Mert Dikec; FIDE Events Commission Honorary Chair ABD Chief Events Inspector Ozgur Solakoglu; TCF Board Member and FIDE Events Commission Member Alper Efe Ataman; Kemal Can Comez, Betul Buyukasik, and other sports sport and federation officials. Arkady Dvorkovich and Fethi Apaydin made the first ceremonial moves, officially launching the competition. Pairing and results: [HERE] Official website: youthrapidblitz2025.tsf.org.tr/ Photo gallery: photos.app.goo.gl/8haNV29TMiGgSNvm8 Written by Özgür Akman Photos: Ozan Koşar
Cape Verde Championship 2025: Mariano Ortega retains title
International Master Mariano Ortega has reaffirmed his dominance in Cape Verdean chess by successfully defending his title as Absolute National Champion. The championship was held from December 7–14 at the Hotel Oásis Atlântico Porto Grande in the city of Mindelo on the island of São Vicente. The 9-round Swiss event brought together 26 players from across the country and the diaspora. Featuring a strong field and a highly competitive atmosphere, the event proved both challenging and exciting. Mariano Ortega dominated the competition, winning all nine games to claim his fifth national title. This achievement cements his status as the leading figure in Cape Verdean chess and serves as an inspiration for a new generation of players. His success celebrates his personal milestone and underscores the growth and rising competitiveness of chess in Cape Verde, as demonstrated by the high-quality games and genuine sportsmanship on display throughout the event. FM Diogo Alho (pictured above, right), who fell to Ortega in Round 4, won all his other games to secure the silver medal. CM José Carlos Vaz completed the podium with a score of 7/9. Final standings (chess-results) The closing ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Sport of Cape Verde, Dr. Carlos Monteiro, who highlighted the progress of chess in the nation and commended the efforts of the national federation. Photos: Federação Cabo-verdiana de Xadrez