Souvik sir's chess academy

04/09/2026

“Chess Paid No Money at All” - Hikaru Nakamura

Speaking on his YouTube channel, GM Hikaru Nakamura opened up about why he started exploring poker and the stock market as a teenager.

In the 2000s, professional chess in the U.S. offered very little financial security. At just 15–16 years old, Hikaru began wondering whether chess could really provide a sustainable career.

With few major events in America and big opportunities largely reserved for the world’s elite, he started looking for other ways to make money.

“Chess paid no money at all.”

Since he didn’t attend regular school, pursuing a degree would have taken significant time. Instead, he spent time learning about poker and the stock market.

Hikaru also recalled that playing chess for money simply wasn’t common at the time.

Today, the chess world is a very different place, with major tournaments offering hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money.



📷: Lennart Ootes

02/09/2026

Judit Polgar Reveals the Moment She Realized Kasparov Wasn’t Unbeatable!

GM Judit Polgar has revealed how training with 13th world champion GM Garry Kasparov changed her perception of one of chess history’s greatest players-and ultimately gave her the confidence to believe he could be beaten.

Polgar recalled that her two draws against Kasparov at the Linares supertournament meant more to her personally than almost anything else in her career.

“Those were truly the two greatest moments of my career.”

Kasparov then invited Polgar to train with him for a week. They spent hours together training, talking, eating and discussing chess.

For Polgar, that experience changed everything.

“That was a big mistake. When you train together for many hours, you inevitably reveal your weaknesses.”

She no longer saw him as the seemingly unbeatable “Kasparov the god,” but simply as a human being.
“That’s when I realized that maybe he wasn’t actually unbeatable after all.”



📷: judit.polgar.official

30/08/2026

28/08/2026

Hikaru Nakamura might be the best player alive who will never be remembered as the best.

He's a five time US Champion. Genuinely one of the sharpest minds chess has ever produced, especially in speed formats where his instincts border on inhuman. Younger fans discovered him through streaming and walked away thinking he might be untouchable.

Then he sits across from Magnus Carlsen, and something changes.

Nakamura has admitted it himself, on camera, more than once. That playing Carlsen feels different. That there's a weight to it he doesn't feel against anyone else in the world. This is a man who talks trash to everybody, who built a career on swagger and confidence.

And even he can't shake it against one player.

The head to head tells the story before the games even start. Across classical, rapid, and blitz, Carlsen has owned this matchup for over a decade. Not close wins. Not split records that could go either way on a given day. A gap that never really closes no matter how much Nakamura improves.

That's the cruelest part.

Nakamura keeps getting better. Keeps racking up titles and results that would define most careers. And it still doesn't matter, because history isn't going to remember him as the guy who challenged the king.

It's going to remember him as the guy who was always one step behind him.

Brilliant enough to rule almost anyone else on earth, and still destined to be remembered as the uncrowned king standing in Carlsen's shadow.

Is that the most heartbreaking part of Hikaru's entire career, or is losing to the greatest of all time nothing to be ashamed of at all?

28/08/2026

🇮🇳🔥 𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐆 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘! 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍! 🏆♟️

R Praggnanandhaa has done it...and what a COMEBACK! 🤯👊

The Indian chess superstar has become the FIRST PLAYER FROM INDIA TO WIN THE GRAND CHESS TOUR! 🇮🇳🏆

And he did it the hard way. 😱🔥

📉 3–9 points behind heading into the final day
⚡ Then came a sensational charge in Rapid & Blitz
💥 A statement battle against one of the world’s elite, Fabiano Caruana 🇺🇸
🏆 And finally… PRAGG IS THE CHAMPION!

From staring at a huge deficit to producing a breathtaking final-day turnaround...this was a masterclass in resilience, fighting spirit and fearless chess. 🧠🔥

🇮🇳 FIRST INDIAN GRAND CHESS TOUR WINNER
🏆 A MASSIVE MILESTONE FOR INDIAN CHESS
♟️ AN UNFORGETTABLE COMEBACK

Pragg has once again shown why he is one of the brightest stars of the new generation. 🌟🇮🇳

One of the biggest moments in Indian chess history! 👑♟️

Congratulations, Praggnanandhaa! 👏🔥
You didn’t just win the title, you fought your way back to it! 🇮🇳🏆❤️

07/08/2026

Magnus Carlsen to Miss the 2026 Chess Olympiad.

World No. 1 GM Magnus Carlsen will not represent Norway at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand (September 15–27). According to the French chess magazine Europe Échecs, Carlsen, along with A***n Tari and Jon Ludvig Hammer, has declined the invitation to play.

Their absence is a major blow to Norway's medal hopes. The team's average rating has dropped significantly, pushing them down to 21st in the starting rankings. Norway will now be led by Johan-Sebastian Christiansen (2656), alongside Elham Amar (2587), Frode Urkedal (2571), Tor Fredrik Kaasen( 2499), and Aksel Bu Kvaløy (2498).

Carlsen has played in eight of the last ten Olympiads, winning an individual bronze medal on Board 1 in both 2022 and 2024. His decision is surprising, as an Olympiad team gold remains one of the few major titles missing from his remarkable career.

Many believe the decision reflects Carlsen's growing preference for rapid, blitz, freestyle, and online chess over long classical tournaments.



📷: Michal Walusza / FIDE