chess

Boris Spassky, Soviet chess champion who lost to Bobby Fischer, dies at 88

12:51am February 28, 2025

A televised 1972 match between Spassky and Fischer, at the height of the Cold War, became an international sensation and was known as the "Match of the Century."

National

Top chess player Magnus Carlsen is back in competition after quitting over dress code

2:25pm December 30, 2024

Magnus Carlsen, the No. 1 ranked chess player, quit the World Rapid Chess Championship in New York on Friday after refusing to change out of jeans to conform to a strict dress code.

National

Magnus Carlsen quits chess championship after refusing to change out of jeans

2:38pm December 28, 2024

The Norwegian chess grandmaster was fined $200 and given a warning by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to change into acceptable attire or be disqualified.

At 18, India's Gukesh Dommaraju becomes the youngest world chess champion ever

4:19pm December 12, 2024

Dommaraju unseated China's Ding Liren to become the new world chess champion. "Every chess player wants to experience this moment, and very few get the chance," Dommaraju said after the match.

Queue Listen Now

"Obviously, it's very disheartening to be accused of cheating," chess grandmaster Hans Niemann said. Asked about a bizarre idea that vibrating anal beads could signal players about the best moves, he replied, "That is not a serious theory."

Hans Niemann pooh-poohs a chess cheating theory that's based on vibrating beads

1:31pm September 26, 2023

by Bill Chappell

Chess prodigy Hans Niemann is competing in the World Junior Chess Championship — but he's also answering questions about an outlandish cheating theory.

Visitors play chess at The World Chess Club Berlin in Germany on May 9. The German Chess Federation described the new international policies for transgender chess players as discriminatory.

World chess just placed restrictions on both trans women and trans men

1:41pm August 18, 2023

by Juliana Kim

The International Chess Federation will stop allowing transgender women to participate in women's tournaments. The group said changing genders has a "significant impact" on a player's status.

Recreation

Chess grandmaster to take on all challengers - simultaneously - at LeBauer Park in Greensboro

4:24pm July 21, 2023

by David Ford

French-Israeli chess player Gabriel Flom has returned to Greensboro for a series of public events.

Hans Niemann has filed a lawsuit accusing chess world champion Magnus Carlsen and others of defamation, in the latest twist to a cheating scandal that has roiled the world of elite chess.

Hans Niemann sues Magnus Carlsen for $100 million, accusing him of defamation

10:27am October 21, 2022

by Bill Chappell

The 19-year-old chess grandmaster says the world champion has mounted a libelous campaign against him since Niemann defeated Carlsen in September.

Chess.com alleges that 19-year-old grandmaster Hans Niemann has cheated in more than 100 games.

Hans Niemann is accused of cheating in more than 100 chess games. He's playing today

3:49pm October 05, 2022

by Bill Chappell

Niemann, a grandmaster, is slated to compete in the U.S. Chess Championships tournament that began Wednesday in St. Louis.

Magnus Carlsen (left) and Hans Niemann face off at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis on Sept. 4. The two had a rematch on Monday, but Carlsen only played one move before resigning from the game.

The cheating scandal roiling the chess world has a new wrinkle

2:51pm September 21, 2022

by Bill Chappell

World champion Magnus Carlsen abruptly resigned after making a single move in his highly anticipated rematch with Hans Niemann. Calls have increased for an investigation.