Argentine teenager claims Andorra Open; Sarin dominates bullet championship
Plus: Dortmund classic series begins, Firouzja returns to top 10, and Gukesh slips in August ratings.
TL;DR
- Francisco Fiorito, 15, wins Andorra Open with 7.5/9, defeating GMs Bogdanov and Sumets.
- Nihal Sarin triumphs at Bullet Chess Championship, crushing Alireza Firouzja 15.5–7.5 in the grand final.
- Alireza Firouzja rejoins top 10 on August FIDE ratings after Chennai Grand Masters victory.
- Dortmund Sparkassen Chess kicks off August 1 with top players and €20,000 prize fund.
Tournaments
Fiorito dominates Andorra; Dortmund festival opens
The Argentine phenom swept through the field at one of Europe's longest-running opens as Germany's classic series begins.
Francisco Fiorito, the 15-year-old Argentine IM, won the 42nd Andorra Open with 7.5 points from nine rounds. After his only loss in round four, he recovered to win four of his final five games, including victories over GMs Egor Bogdanov and Andrey Sumets. (via ChessBase)
Dortmund Sparkassen Chess begins. The 53rd International Dortmund Chess Days opened August 1 with nine rounds of classical chess under way through August 9. The festival features the A-Open and B-Open alongside the elite Women's Tournament, with World Championship candidate Matthias Blübaum in the field and Germany's Dinara Wagner defending her women's title. Prize money totals €20,000. (via Chessdom)
Players and ratings
Firouzja climbs back to top 10; Gukesh stumbles on new rating list
The August FIDE ratings reshuffle the elite as India's freshest prodigy overtakes the world champion and a rising star breaks into the top tier.
The August 2026 FIDE rating list reshuffled the elite. Alireza Firouzja rejoined the top 10 after winning the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters, defeating World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. Gukesh dropped 14 points to 2703 after three losses, slipping below 15-year-old GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. Russian IM Polina Shuvalova gained 24 points to enter the top 10 with her second GM norm. (via Chess.com)
Online chess
Nihal stuns Firouzja with historic bullet run
The 16-year-old Indian grandmaster dethroned the three-time champion with a relentless 15-game streak in the grand final.
Nihal Sarin claimed the Chess.com Bullet Chess Championship, upsetting three-time champion Alireza Firouzja. After running through the Losers Bracket, Sarin dominated the grand final with a 15-game winning streak, winning 15.5–7.5 to earn $10,000 and captivate the chess world. (via ChessBase India)