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Welcome to the latest issue of The Chess Circuit, your monthly roundup of the most important developments in the chess world. This month, we're following the action from Liverpool's British Championships, some great major international tournaments, and the stories that are shaping our game. If you like what you find here, please consider a paid subscription to support our work bringing chess to the world! My Top 10 Chess News Stories1. British Chess Championships Begin in Liverpool's Historic St George's HallThe 111th British Chess Championships commenced on August 2nd at the magnificent St George's Hall in Liverpool, transforming the historic venue into England's premier chess battleground. Top seeds include Nikita Vitiugov, Michael Adams, Gawain Maroroa Jones, and Stuart Conquest, with nine categories of competition running until August 10th. The championship section features a 9-round Swiss format with classical time controls, while the venue's grandeur provides a fitting backdrop for Britain's most prestigious chess event. The tournament has attracted players from across the UK and beyond, with live coverage available on multiple platforms including Lichess broadcasts. You can see roundups of the action written by Tim Wall, ECF Junior Development Director here; Round One – https://www.britishchesschampionships.co.uk/round-1-report/ Round Two – https://www.britishchesschampionships.co.uk/round-2-report/ Source: Chessdom | The Week in Chess 2. Divya Deshmukh Claims FIDE Women's World Cup VictoryGM Divya Deshmukh defeated GM Koneru Humpy 1.5-0.5 in tiebreaks to win the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup, earning $50,000 and the grandmaster title. The young Indian player's triumph represents a significant breakthrough in her career, overcoming one of India's most experienced players in the final. Deshmukh's victory continues the remarkable rise of Indian women's chess, following in the footsteps of recent successes by players like Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya's sister Vantika Agrawal. The tournament showcased the depth of talent in women's chess globally. Source: Chess.com News 3. Esports World Cup Chess Tournament Concludes in Saudi ArabiaThe Esports World Cup 2025 chess tournament concluded on August 1st in Saudi Arabia, featuring 16 top players competing for a massive $1.5 million prize pool. This A-tier tournament, organized by ESL FACEIT Group and Chess.com, represents the continued growth of chess as a major esports discipline. The substantial prize fund demonstrates the increasing commercial viability of professional chess tournaments, attracting top global talent to compete in the Saudi Arabian chess scene.
Source: Liquipedia Chess 4. Magnus Carlsen's Perfect Score at Grenke Freestyle OpenMagnus Carlsen achieved a perfect 9/9 score to win the inaugural Grenke Freestyle Open on April 21st, demonstrating once again why he remains the world's strongest player despite relinquishing his classical world championship. The "freestyle" format allowed for creative opening choices and experimental play, suiting Carlsen's versatile style perfectly. This dominant performance adds to Carlsen's impressive 2025 tournament record and reinforces his status as the game's most formidable competitor across all formats. Source: Wikipedia - 2025 in Chess 5. Ju Wenjun Retains Women's World ChampionshipJu Wenjun successfully defended her Women's World Chess Championship title by defeating Tan Zhongyi 6½-2½ in April, becoming world champion for the fifth time. The Chinese grandmaster's convincing victory demonstrated her continued dominance in women's chess, having now held the title for multiple cycles. Her retention ensures stability at the top of women's chess and sets up potential future challenges from the emerging generation of female players making their mark on the international stage. Source: Wikipedia - 2025 in Chess 6. Saint Louis Chess Scene Gears Up for August Double-HeaderSaint Louis will host both the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament (August 9-16) and the prestigious Sinquefield Cup (August 16-29), making it the epicenter of American chess for the latter half of August. These back-to-back events are part of the FIDE Circuit 2025, offering crucial qualification points for the Candidates Tournament 2026. The chess capital of America continues to attract the world's elite players with its exceptional organization and significant prize funds. Source: FIDE Circuit 2025 7. FIDE Circuit 2025 Takes Shape with Key TournamentsThe 2025 FIDE Circuit serves as the primary qualification path for the Candidates Tournament 2026, with players' seven best results determining the circuit winner. Major tournaments throughout the year contribute points based on their strength and the player's performance, creating a year-long battle for qualification. This system ensures consistent high-level play across multiple events and gives players various opportunities to secure their path to challenge for the world championship cycle. Source: Wikipedia - 2025 FIDE Circuit 8. Polish Chess Festival Returns with International FieldThe 61st International Akiba Rubinstein Chess Festival will take place in Polanica-Zdroj, Poland, from August 15-24, continuing one of Europe's most traditional tournaments. Named after the great Polish master Akiba Rubinstein, this GM round-robin tournament attracts a strong international field and serves as an important FIDE Circuit event. The tournament's rich history and beautiful spa town setting make it a favorite among both players and chess tourists. Source: FIDE Circuit 2025 9. Online Chess Platforms Enhance Tournament CoverageLive chess broadcasting has reached new heights in 2025, with platforms like Lichess, Chess.com, and ChessBase providing comprehensive coverage of major tournaments. The integration of AI analysis, multiple camera angles, and expert commentary has transformed how fans experience professional chess. These technological advances have made top-level chess more accessible than ever, contributing to the game's growing global audience and commercial appeal. Source: Lichess Broadcast Calendar 10. National Championships Create Pathway OpportunitiesNational chess championships worldwide are gaining increased importance as part of the FIDE Circuit qualification system. FIDE-rated tournaments finishing between January 1 and December 15, 2025, including national championships and zonal events, are eligible for circuit points. This has elevated the status of domestic competitions, encouraging stronger participation and providing additional pathways for ambitious players to enter the world championship cycle. Source: Wikipedia - 2025 FIDE Circuit Chess in the MainstreamChess continues to capture mainstream attention through high-profile tournaments, celebrity endorsements, and cultural phenomena. The Esports World Cup's massive prize pool demonstrates how chess is increasingly viewed as a legitimate competitive sport worthy of major investment. Liverpool's decision to host the British Championships at the iconic St George's Hall shows how cities recognize chess tournaments as significant cultural events that can boost tourism and civic pride. Chess History From the Archives: The Chess News That Shaped the WorldRemembering the 1972 Reykjavik Match: When Chess Stopped the WorldFifty-three years ago, Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky faced off in Reykjavik, Iceland, in what became the most famous chess match in history. The 1972 World Championship wasn't just about chess—it was a Cold War proxy battle that captured global attention like no chess event before or since. Fischer's eventual victory marked the first time an American had won the world championship since the official title was established. The match was fraught with drama: Fischer's demands, late arrivals, and Game 2 forfeiture; Spassky's dignified responses; and the worldwide media circus that surrounded every move. Television audiences in dozens of countries followed the match move by move, with newspapers providing daily coverage typically reserved for major political events. This historic confrontation established the template for modern chess coverage and demonstrated the game's potential to transcend sport and become a cultural phenomenon. The legacy of Reykjavik continues to influence how we present and promote chess to this day. Historical Source: Chess Life & Review, September 1972 Video ChessRecommended YouTube Channel: "Chess Network"Jerry from ChessNetwork continues to provide excellent educational content for players of all levels. His recent analysis of games from the Candidates Tournament offers insights into high-level strategic thinking, while his "Beginner to Chess Master" series remains one of the best free educational resources available online. Jerry's clear explanations and engaging presentation style make complex concepts accessible to improving players. Watch: ChessNetwork on YouTube Chess PodcastsFeatured Podcast: "Chess Journeys: Tales of Adult Improvement"Dr. Kevin Scull's "Chess Journeys" podcast fills a crucial gap in chess content by focusing specifically on adult improvement stories. Each weekly episode features guests who share their personal chess development journeys - discussing what training methods worked, what didn't, and their current progress. This approach provides practical, relatable advice rather than theoretical instruction. What makes this podcast invaluable is its focus on the adult learner experience that most chess resources overlook. Recent episodes have featured inspiring stories of dramatic rating gains, including players who've improved by hundreds of points. The honest discussions about plateaus, breakthroughs, and the challenges of balancing chess improvement with adult responsibilities resonate strongly with amateur players. For Chess Circuit readers working on their own development, this podcast offers both motivation and concrete strategies from fellow adult improvers who've walked the same path. Listen: Available on all major podcast platforms - I use Spotify for everything! What I Am Reading / Listening to Right NowBook Review: "Think Like a Super-GM" by Michael Adams and Philip Hurtado (Quality Chess)People keep recommending this book to me! With Michael Adams competing in this month's British Championships, it's timely to revisit his excellent collaboration with Philip Hurtado, "Think Like a Super-GM." This unique book combines Adams's elite grandmaster insights with Hurtado's scientific investigation into chess thinking processes. What makes this book exceptional is its systematic approach to understanding how super-grandmasters actually think during games. Rather than simply presenting annotated games, Adams and Hurtado break down the cognitive processes behind high-level decision-making. The book examines pattern recognition, calculation methods, and evaluation techniques that separate elite players from club-level competitors. Adams's honesty about his own thinking process is refreshing. He doesn't pretend that every move flows from perfect logic, but instead reveals the intuitive leaps, practical considerations, and time management decisions that shape grandmaster play. The collaboration with Hurtado brings academic rigor to what could have been purely anecdotal observations. The most valuable chapters focus on practical thinking techniques that readers can immediately apply. The section on candidate move selection is particularly enlightening, showing how top players efficiently navigate the vast tree of possibilities. Adams demonstrates how experience creates shortcuts that aren't available to less experienced players, but also reveals systematic approaches that anyone can adopt. The book includes numerous exercises and thinking challenges that help readers internalize the concepts. Unlike traditional puzzle books, these positions require readers to think about their thinking—a meta-cognitive approach that addresses the real challenge of chess improvement. For serious players seeking to understand not just what moves to play but how to think about finding them, "Think Like a Super-GM" offers invaluable insights from one of England's greatest players. Rating: 4.5/5 stars Publisher: Quality Chess, 2022 Thank you for reading The Chess Circuit. If you enjoyed this newsletter and want to support in-depth chess journalism, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription for exclusive content, detailed game analysis, and early access to tournament reports. Follow us at chesscircuit.substack.com for regular updates and breaking chess news. The Chess Circuit is published monthly by Adam Raoof. All rights reserved. Thanks to you - and our supporters. 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