Chess

Magnus Carlsen (left) and Hikaru Nakamura (right) will enter their respective Speed Chess Championship quarterfinals as heavy favorites. (Image: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com)

Carlsen, Nakamura Heavy Favorites in Speed Chess Championship Matches

Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen came into the Speed Chess Championship as the top two seeds and the prohibitive favorites to reach the final. On Thursday, both will get the chance to prove their dominance and move into the semifinals, though they’ll face dangerous Russian opponents gunning for upsets. Carlsen […]

Wesley So defeated Magnus Carlsen to win the Skilling Open final on Monday. (Image: Spectrum Studios/Grand Chess Tour)

Wesley So Upsets Magnus Carlsen in Final to Win Skilling Open

Magnus Carlsen won three of the four regular-season events on his namesake online chess tour earlier this year, along with the Grand Final. But Wesley So showed that it may not be as easy this time around, upsetting the World Champion to win the Skilling Open. After two days of […]

Magnus Carlsen moved into the Skilling Open semfinals after turning back a strong challenge by Anish Giri. (Image: Maria Emelianova/FIDE)

Skilling Open Semifinals: Carlsen Battles Nepomniachtchi, Nakamura Faces So

Hikaru Nakamura came back from down a set, and then again down a game in blitz tiebreakers to get past Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and advance to the semifinals of the Skilling Open online chess tournament. Nakamura moved on to face fellow American Wesley So, while World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen will […]

Top-seeded Hikaru Nakamura comes in as an overwhelming favorite to win his first-round match in the Speed Chess Championship. (Image: Getty)

Speed Chess Championship Odds: Aronian, Caruana, Giri First-Round Underdogs

Many of the world’s top chess players are competing in the 2020 Speed Chess Championship on Chess.com, a $100,000 online knockout competition that pits grandmasters against each other in a series of blitz and bullet games. While Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura are heavy favorites to get through the early […]

Magnus Carlsen (left) will enter the Champions Chess Tour as the favorite, just as he has in every online and live chess event in 2020. (Image: Lennart Ootes/Altibox Norway Chess)

Play Magnus Group Launches 10-Event, $1.5 Million Champions Chess Tour

The Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour burst on the scene earlier this year to provide world-class chess players with big money online tournaments throughout the spring and summer. Now, the Play Magnus Group is expanding on that idea with the Champions Chess Tour, a 10-event series beginning later this month. The […]

At least one bettor scored big when World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen lost to Jan-Krzysztof Duda in Round 5 of Norway Chess. (Image: Lennart Ootes/Altibox Norway Chess)

Chess Betting Flourishes Alongside Online Events During COVID-19 Pandemic

When Jan-Krzysztof Duda defeated World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in the fifth round of the Altibox Norway Chess tournament on Oct. 10, it caused a sensation in the chess world. The victory ended Carlsen’s 125-game unbeaten run in classical play, the longest known streak in chess history. The result also […]

Magnus Carlsen defeated Alireza Firouzja in Round 9 to win Norway Chess with a full round to spare. (Image: Lennart Ootes/Altibox Norway Chess)

Chess Bets: Carlsen Wins Norway Chess, Firouzja Takes Second

Magnus Carlsen tricked Alireza Firouzja in a theoretically drawn endgame to win their Round 9 encounter and clinch first place at Norway Chess with a round to spare. Carlsen would go on to lose his final game to Levon Aronian – his second classical loss of the tournament, after his […]

Magnus Carlsen plays blindfold chess during the rest day after Round 4 of Norway Chess. (Image: Lennart Ootes/Altibox Norway Chess)

Chess Bets: Norway Chess Round 5 Odds and Picks

Magnus Carlsen is asserting himself at Norway Chess, taking the tournament lead after defeating his closest rival, Fabiano Caruana, in the fourth round of the super tournament. Carlsen now leads Norway Chess on nine points, with Levon Aronian just one point back, while Caruana and Alireza Firouzja sit just two […]

Fabiano Caruana started strong at Norway Chess, beating Aryan Tari with Black in his Round 1 game. (Image: Lennart Ootes/Altibox Norway Chess)

Chess Bets: Caruana, Firouzja Strike First at Norway Chess

Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja both won classical games with Black in the first round to take the early lead in the Altibox Norway Chess tournament on Monday. World Champion Magnus Carlsen also picked up a victory with Black, but needed an Armageddon game to get past Levon Aronian after […]

Magnus Carlsen (right) deserves to be the favorite at Norway Chess, but Fabiano Caruana (left) could provide significant value for bettors. (Image: Lennart Ootes)

Chess Bets: Fading Magnus Carlsen in Norway Chess

Live chess is back! Norway Chess begins on Monday, and the return to over-the-board action means no more disconnects, no more mouse slips, and maybe fewer disqualifications due to computer cheating. Most importantly, it means more chances for us to bet on chess. And after going with the chalk last […]

Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So have distanced themselves from the field heading into the final day of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz chess tournament. (Image: Saint Louis Chess Club/YouTube)

Chess: Carlsen, So Dueling for Title on Final Day of Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz

Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So separated themselves from the field on Friday, setting up a two-man race for the title on the final day of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz online chess tournament. Carlsen leads the way with 18.5 points following a blistering 6.5/9 performance in Friday’s blitz round-robin, […]