TL;DR
- Arkady Dvorkovich voluntarily suspends as FIDE president after EU sanctions; former world champion Viswanathan Anand takes interim charge.
- Alireza Firouzja wins the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters and re-enters the world top ten as Gukesh finishes last on 2703.
- FIDE approves four performance-based qualification paths for the 2028 Candidates and scraps the old rating spot.
- Vladimir Kramnik lands a two-year FIDE ban over his conduct toward David Navara and the late Daniel Naroditsky, and vows to appeal.
Tournaments
Alireza Firouzja timed his form perfectly. The Frenchman won the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters, an eight-player classical round-robin that wrapped on July 22, scoring 4.5/7 after early wins over Pranesh M and world champion Gukesh, then coasting on draws to clear first. Dmitry Andreikin snatched second on tiebreak, a half point back and just ahead of home favorite Arjun Erigaisi. (via ChessBase)
At the top of the Dutch game, experience still wins. Veteran grandmaster Sergei Tiviakov claimed his fourth Netherlands Championship, edging 24-year-old Liam Vrolijk in a blitz tiebreak (a fast-play decider) after their classical games finished level. (via The Week in Chess)
Uzbekistan keeps producing teenage winners. 19-year-old Mukhiddin Madaminov took the 3rd UzChess Cup, a strong classical event, beating compatriot Shamsiddin Vokhidov in a blitz tiebreak after the pair finished tied for first. (via The Week in Chess)
World championship cycle
The biggest shakeup in chess this week happened off the board. FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich announced on July 23 that he is voluntarily suspending his powers "with immediate effect" after the EU added him to its 21st sanctions list, a listing he says he disputes and will challenge in court. Deputy president and former world champion Viswanathan Anand steps in as interim leader while the suspension stands. (via FIDE)
FIDE has also rewritten the road to the title. The Council approved four equally weighted qualification paths for the 2028 Candidates, two spots each from the Grand Swiss, the new World Championship Tour, the World Cup, and the FIDE Circuit, and scrapped the old rating qualifier entirely. Dvorkovich called the setup "more balanced, transparent, and performance-based." (via FIDE)
The next challengers are already locked in. Javokhir Sindarov won April's Candidates in Cyprus to earn a world championship match with title-holder Gukesh Dommaraju, while Vaishali Rameshbabu took the Women's Candidates on the final day and will challenge Ju Wenjun for the women's crown. (via Chess.com)
Players and ratings
Firouzja's Chennai win did more than fill the trophy cabinet. The result pushed him back into the world's top ten in the live ratings, the ranking updated game by game, capping a strong stretch of classical chess. (via ChessBase)
Gukesh is having the opposite month. The 19-year-old world champion finished dead last in Chennai on 2/7 and slid to about 2703, brushing close to dropping out of the 2700 club he has long called home. It is a jarring classical slump for the reigning titleholder as his defense against Sindarov looms. (via Chess.com)
FIDE eased a long-standing political freeze. The Council lifted restrictions on the Belarus Chess Federation, a move that reopens the door for its players and officials under the federation's own banner. (via FIDE)
Online chess
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave ended a five-month drought online. The French speed specialist won the July 21 Titled Tuesday on 9.5/11, edging Fabiano Caruana on tiebreak after both finished level and the two met head-to-head in round seven. It was MVL's 13th Titled Tuesday title and his first win since February. (via Chess.com)
The Women's Speed Chess Championship is throwing upsets. Bibisara Assaubayeva clawed back from a big deficit to beat Divya Deshmukh 10-9 on bullet (one-minute) tiebreaks, while Anastasia Avramidou dismantled Kateryna Lagno 10.5-4.5, including a 5-0 bullet sweep, to reach the semifinals. (via Chess.com)
Chess culture
FIDE brought the hammer down on Vladimir Kramnik. Its Ethics and Disciplinary Commission handed the former world champion a two-year ban, with the final year suspended, plus community service, finding him responsible for bullying and cyberbullying over his public statements about David Navara and the late Daniel Naroditsky. The Commission stressed that cheating allegations "must be handled through FIDE's established confidential procedures and supported by appropriate evidence." Kramnik, who denies wrongdoing, says he has prepared an appeal and is "absolutely confident" the verdict will be overturned. (via Chess.com)
The chess world gathered to remember one of its most beloved teachers. The inaugural Naroditsky Memorial Rapid and Blitz in Charlotte honored American grandmaster, author, and commentator Daniel Naroditsky (1995-2025), and Javokhir Sindarov swept both events, taking the rapid on a blitz tiebreak over Aravindh Chithambaram and running through the blitz undefeated. (via Chess.com)