Ideas, Openings & Improvement

Four years after the scandal that defined his career, Hans Niemann is back at the board with the world's elite. Here is what that actually looked like in Chennai.

Sixteen months after losing his title and walking away from classical chess, Ding Liren came back and played like he had never left.

He was once the youngest player ever to reach 2800. Then his rating drifted for years. In 2026, Alireza Firouzja is finally playing like that prodigy again.