Hikaru Nakamura closed in on tournament leader Magnus Carlsen by winning an Armageddon thriller on time, reducing the gap to just half a point behind Carlsen.

FIDE released its latest world ranking list on June 1. The top positions remain unchanged, with Magnus Carlsen leading the open category and Hou Yifan leading the women’s category. However, several notable players lost significant points and dropped in the rankings following the recent open tournaments in Dubai and Sharjah. Notably, Karjakin’s name is absent from the list, seemingly due to inactivity.

Norway Chess 2024: Carlsen Takes Lead at End of Round 6 June 3, 2024 Chess

On Wednesday, during the 2024 American Cup, Grandmaster Levon Aronian clinched his first-ever championship title in the event. Embracing a strategy he describes as “adventurous chess,” Aronian emerged victorious over Grandmaster Wesley So in the climactic rapid game, notably achieving his win with the black pieces.

Young chess enthusiast Bodhana Sivanandan has become a sensation beyond England’s borders. At just eight years old, she participated in the European Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Zagreb, where she achieved remarkable success, securing the title of best female participant in the blitz category with an impressive score of 8½ points out of 13.

At the Chessable Sunway Sitges Chess Festival 2023, India’s Grandmaster Abhimanyu Puranik showcased remarkable skill, winning his last four matches to secure the top spot with a score of 8.5 out of 10. The competition was fierce, with four contestants tying for second place. The United States’ Grandmaster Brandon Jacobson emerged as the runner-up after a tie-breaking playoff against Grandmaster Volodar Murzin. The young talent, 12-year-old Turkish International Master Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, made headlines by earning his first grandmaster norm without losing a single match, scoring an impressive 7.5 out of 10.

At the close of November, Fabiano Caruana impressively maintained his winning streak in 2023. His victory at the 2023 GCT Sinquefield Cup marked his triumph as the FIDE Circuit champion. Since Caruana has already secured a place in the Candidates through the World Cup, the focus now shifts to the intense battle for the second position in the FIDE Circuit, a spot that guarantees entry into the prestigious Candidates tournament.

Magnus Carlsen, the Grandmaster, triumphed for the third time at the Champions Chess Tour Finals of 2023, clinching victory over Wesley So with a score of 2.5-1.5 on Saturday. Carlsen reflected on the tour’s trajectory, culminating in a pivotal game where he outmaneuvered So’s renowned defensive play.

The FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission has made a decision regarding Magnus Carlsen’s exit from the Sinquefield Cup after his match with Hans Niemann in September 2022. The verdict is that Carlsen must pay a fine of €10,000 due to his exit without a valid reason.

In an exciting intersection of sports intellect, Magnus Carlsen, the reigning titan of chess, encountered the football strategist par excellence, Pep Guardiola. Guardiola, whose innovative tactics have steered teams like FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City to the pinnacle of success, sat down with Carlsen in a discussion moderated by PUMA to delve into the strategic parallels between the cerebral game of chess and the dynamic world of football.