The ‘Wimbledon of Chess’ is underway in the Netherlands. Meanwhile in Spain, there’s a gaming industry expo. Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, the world’s no. 1 and no. 2, are at the trade show, where they had a fireside chat with YouTuber Levy Rozman – better known as GothamChess. One theme was how much chess has changed since the pandemic. The landscape has shifted away from classical formats toward rapid events, online play and streaming. Both players have shaped that change and thrived in it. But the calendar remains fragmented, with no unified circuit incentivising the top players to compete at the same events.

The Barcelona event was a case in point. The two played a blindfold exhibition match – the first blindfold head-to-head between them – at ICE Barcelona (International Casinos Exhibition), with Rozman commentating for a crowd of industry professionals. It was a 15-minute rapid game, but no stunt; the game below illustrates that top players can navigate blindfold games with impressive precision.

Meanwhile, in Wijk aan Zee, the next generation vied to make their names in classical chess: 13 rounds over two weeks, with the world champion Gukesh Dommaraju present. There was drama there too: the second diagram shows an egregious blunder from the world champion.

M. Carlsen-H. Nakamura
Blindfold exhibition game, Barcelona, Jan 2026

1 Nf3 d5 2 e3 Nf6 3 c4 e6 4 Nc3 b6 5 b3 Bb7 6 Bb2 Bd6 7 cxd5 exd5 8 Rc1 a6 9 Ne2 O-O 10 g3 Nbd7 11 Bg2 Re8 12 O-O Bf8 13 Qc2 c5 14 d4 a5 15 Rfd1 Rc8 16 dxc5 Nxc5 17 Nc3 Qe7 18 Nd4 Nfe4 19 Qe2 g6 20 Ndb5 Rcd8 21 Na4 Bh6! Carlsen has strong queenside pressure, but this response highlights the fierce counterplay which would arise after 22 Nxb6? Nxf2! 22 Bd4 Ba6 (see diagram) Resourceful defence. Now if 23 Nxb6 Ne6! threatens Qe7-b7 to frighten the horses. The players now plunge into a bewildering series of a dozen consecutive captures. 23 Bxc5 Nxc5 24 Nxc5 bxc5 25 Bxd5 At first glance, Carlsen has won a clean pawn, but Nakamura is ready.

White to play, position after 22…Bb7-a6

Bxb5 26 Qxb5 Bxe3 27 fxe3 Rxd5 28 Rxd5 Qxe3+ 29 Kg2 Qe4+ 30 Kf2 Qe3+ 30…Qxd5? 31 Qxe8+ 31 Kg2 Qe4+ 32 Kh3 Qe6+ 33 g4? He gets away with this slip, but Carlsen was better off to accede to the perpetual check. Qe3+ 34 Kg2 Qe4+ Missing a small opportunity. 34…Re4! forces 35 Qc4 Rxc4 36 Rxc4 Qe2+ 37 Kg3 Qxa2 38 Rd3 and White must work hard to get a draw. 35 Kg3 Qe3+ 36 Kg2 Qe4+ 37 Kg3 Draw agreed

N. Abdusattorov-Gukesh D.
Tata Steel Masters, Wijk aan Zee 2026

Black to play, position after 36 Qg4-f5

36…Rg5?? 37 Qxf6+ Black resigns