I played GothamChess in Chess-Tennis! FunMasterMike 2026-06-01 | What happens when you combine chess and tennis against the world's biggest chess Youtuber? He sacs his pieces and tried to mate you, and also tries to lob you at the net! Watch and find out whose tactics are stronger as we race to see who gets a checkmate or wins the tennis match first!
Terrible pairings for Team Jamaica! FunMasterMike 2026-09-16 | Poor Jamaica at the Chess Olympiad. They have to play the super strong Team Uzbekistan over and over and over and over and...
Epic Chess-Tennis fail against Eric Rosen. FunMasterMike 2026-09-12 | Step 1 to winning in Chess-Tennis against Eric Rosen: Don't fall down.
The 13 Best Tactics Played on Chess.com This Year FunMasterMike 2026-09-11 | Who doesn't love a sparkling tactic? Sac, sac, sac, mate! Get ready to see the best of the best -- all of the weekly winners of the "Best Move" in Chess.com's flagship event, Titled Tuesday.Do you agree with my rankings? Let me know in the comments!
Can I Get Revenge on Eric Rosen in Chess-Tennis? FunMasterMike 2026-08-27 | My friend @eric-rosen is one of the most popular chess content creators. More importantly, we are both nearly evenly matched in both chess and tennis. We played a match recently in 100F (38C) heat. Even some of the equipment couldn't survive. He had the benefit of youth while I brought more water. Who would get checkmate or get to 12 points first? And could both of us simply survive?This is the second of our two chess-tennis matches. To watch the first, head over the Eric's channel here: youtube.com/watch?v=wmOVVJ2eMUk
Want To Win Quickly? Play THIS! FunMasterMike 2026-08-11 | This is part 2 of the series on how to play the Scotch Gambit. The opening got me to 2000 so it can easily get you close -- if you learn both the main ideas and the traps! Today we look at what happens if Black misses even one tempo in the opening. Part 1 is here: youtube.com/watch?v=11lXLZ2ZfEI
GothamChess SHOCKS Wemby on the basketball court! FunMasterMike 2026-08-10 | GothamChess had just one chance to make a 3-pointer in front of the crowd in Paris. Watching was NBA Superstar Victor Wembanyama. Gotham had no warmup. What happened next no one expected!
Chess boxing with a WORLD CHAMPION! FunMasterMike 2026-07-28 | Did you think I would really box a world champion? Well, I did! Kind of.
Chess boxing with a WORLD CHAMPION?! FunMasterMike 2026-07-27 | What happens when I face off with a world champion in chess boxing? Mat Thomas would surely crush me, so I had to reinvent some rules for the sake of my face. Watch and see if my own version of chess boxing goes better than the real thing.
My favorite Queens Gambit Trap! FunMasterMike 2026-07-13 | This trap is a great was to quickly beat the Queen's Gambit. You have to move a piece twice in the opening, which your opponent won't be expecting. That's what makes it so tricky. Learn it and win easily out of the opening!
Can This Gum Improve Your Chess? FunMasterMike 2026-07-09 | Recently at the Speed Chess Championship in London, GM Magnus Carlsen appeared to be chewing gum throughout the finals. He won, probably because he's Magnus but maybe the gum helped. It is said to offer "energy and focus" so I did a short, non-scientific test. First, I attempted Puzzle Rush several times in the afternoon, when my mind is usually lagging (I skipped coffee that day to have a proper control test!). Then I chewed some gum and repeated Puzzle Rush. I was actually really surprised about the results!Note that I'm not sponsored by the gum, and they had no input in the design or the release of the results. This was just for fun and I'm not making any scientific or health claims.
Quick Checkmate Trap From Beginner Opening! #chess FunMasterMike 2026-07-07 | The Four Knights Opening is one of the most basic openings. You may not think much excitement can come of it, but that's not true! Watch and learned a lightning-fast checkmate trap that also involves a queen sac!
My Totally WILD Blitz Game Against Anna Cramling! FunMasterMike 2026-06-29 | I finally played my first-ever blitz game against WFM Anna Cramling. It was in the freezing cold of Washington Square Park. As she usually does, she tried to checkmate my king right from the start. But what the game so crazy was the finish. We ended up in an endgame that was "mutual zugzwang" -- whoever moves first LOSES! That almost never happens. Watch and see how it happened!
Blitz Specialist Checkmates Nakamura With 21 Moves in 22 Seconds! FunMasterMike 2026-06-24 | I asked GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, twice runner-up in the Chess.com Bullet Championship, to send me his best bullet game of all time. He chose this one, where he amazingly checkmated GM Hikaru Nakamura by playing nearly one move every second (no increment!).
I Found the COOLEST New Chess.com Feature (Makes Me Feel Smart)! FunMasterMike 2026-06-17 | I work at Chess.com and even I was surprised when I stumbled upon this hidden new feature on the site. Instead of hunting in my own games for my best double-exclam !! moves, I can now find them with only a few clicks! I can even find my best queen sacrifices, which I've shown here. Let me know in the comments how many "!!" moves you've played in the last 90 days!
GothamChess Tennis Elo 3000 After Amazing Lob FunMasterMike 2026-06-15 | GothamChess wins the first point of a Chess-Tennis match with me with a lob that landed in by an inch.
GothamChess Trolls Me in Chess-Tennis FunMasterMike 2026-06-12 | When trying to explain that I know the chess opening, GothamChess quickly reminds me that theory might have changed in the last 30 years.
The Most Aggressive Opening Choice For White! FunMasterMike 2026-06-09 | There's many openings you can play as White but in all of my years of teaching I've found the Scotch Gambit to be the best choice for most players. Why? You quickly put your opponent in danger as early as move 3 and give them many chances to mess up. The Scotch Gambit is full of tricks and tactics and it is all I played as White to get to the rating of 2000 over the board!
How Many Wins Did I Miss vs. GothamChess?! FunMasterMike 2026-06-05 | Fresh off my Chess-Tennis match vs. GothamChess, I decided to analyze the chess part. I knew I missed a few wins, but I didn't realize how many! I even missed a super cool opening tactic that I joked didn't exist, but it did!! You'll see all the times I could have converted the advantage, but also the resilient play by GothamChess who understands how to make a comeback! As for the tennis, both of us are mid and the tennis speaks for itself! In case you missed the Chess-Tennis battle with GothamChess, here it is: youtube.com/watch?v=xkEZX9TVkCA&t
I Was Beating GothamChess! #chess #chessmaster FunMasterMike 2026-06-04 | I can't believe I didn't finish off this game. GothamChess is tricky when he's down and almost out!
3-Peat Alert: Is This The Most Dominant Player in the NFL? FunMasterMike 2026-05-25 | New Orleans Saints Safety Justin Reid has won the last two BlitzChamps events on Chess.com. In this all-blitz event, he's proven himself the fastest chess-playing defensive back in the league. Soon he goes for an unprecedented 3-peat in BlitzChamps V, hosted by Chess.com. The event has a $100,000 prize fund, and winning players get to choose which charity their winnings go to.BlitzChamps V will be May 26-28, 2026. You can read all the information about the event here: www.chess.com/events/2026-blitzchamps-5Watch and see the entire field and who will try to tackle him along the way!
Win In 10 MOVES With This Trap! #chess FunMasterMike 2026-05-24 | This type I used to be an a 1800 when I was 8 years old. Learn how to defeat a common mistake from Black in the Scotch Gambit!
7 HUGE Names Playing in First Naroditsky Memorial FunMasterMike 2026-05-20 | The inaugural Naroditsky Memorial Rapid and Blitz is bringing out the stars. The first tournament to honor the legacy of the late GM Daniel Naroditsky will bring the strongest-ever field to the city of Charlotte in July and here are 7 big names who have registered to play. Thanks to all those who contributed to the Naroditsky Fund. Let's keep Danya's legacy going!Also, you too can play or come by a ticket to watch! cltccf.org/naroditskymemorial
I HATE Playing Against This Opening But She Made Me FunMasterMike 2026-05-12 | Recently I challenged IM Irene Sukandar to a single blitz game. There was a LOT riding on the game. If I lost, it would cost me coffee for one year! Then she made it worse by playing the London System against me and I was totally lost out of the opening. But then as the clock ticked down I fought my way back into the game. Watch and see how to fight back in losing positions and if I became Irene's personal barista.
This FANTASTIC Grandmaster Tactic Help Me Win My Own Game! FunMasterMike 2026-05-08 | I go to many top-level events as a chess journalist. I love getting to know the personalities of the players and hearing their thoughts. Sometimes I even accidentally learn something by watching their games! Watch and see how a recent fantastic game between GMs Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh helped me win a game on Chess.com.
How Hikaru Won His First Titled Tuesday in 6 Months! FunMasterMike 2026-05-06 | Hikaru Nakamura had not won Titled Tuesday in 6 months, which he said felt like "500 years." Today I break down every one of his 10 wins (and 1 loss!) in his 11 games. He began relying on speed to beat some lower-rated players, but as the competition got more difficult, there were several queen sacs and discovered attacks that got him to first place. Enjoy the fun!0:00 Introduction0:21 Round 11:16 Round 22:01 Round 35:54 Round 48:29 Round 510:55 Round 612:14 Round 714:57 Round 819:59 Round 920:30 Round 1021:18 Round 11 and EWC standings
This Famous Streamer Did NOT Want to Play These 4 Kids FunMasterMike 2026-05-02 | What happens when you lose a bet to Anna Cramling? You have to face the music, and Alexandra Botez did just that. She played 4 kids in a clock simul and was losing after only 8 moves in the first game? Could she battle back to win the match? Watch and find out!
Magnus vs. Hans: What About The Actual Game? FunMasterMike 2026-04-29 | By now you probably know all about the Magnus Carlsen vs. Hans Niemann cheating scandal from 2022. And you may have also seen the Netflix "Untold" documentary about the entire incident. But while reliving this pivotal moment in chess history, it occurred to me that I actually forgot mostly about the game itself from the 2022 Sinquefield Cup. Today let's leave behind the accusations and fighting off the board and focus on the actual game itself with my in-depth analysis. You can of course let me know in the comments anything you think of the documentary or the game -- I'm interested to hear your thoughts!Here's my interview with Thomas Tancred, the director of "Untold: Chess Mates" youtube.com/watch?v=v-jkkUSZ3mI
Somehow When He Loses He Still Wins! FunMasterMike 2026-04-27 | Magnus Carlsen lost 2.5-0.5 in the best-of-4 Chess.com Open Grand Finals to Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Normally beating Magnus convincingly in a finals would be the end, but not here! Next came a "Grand Finals Reset" -- since Duda was coming out of the Loser's Bracket he had to win another mini-match. You can probably guess what happened next. Magnus stopped playing exotic openings and got down to the business of winning!
Can Magnus Carlsen Beat the Worlds Best Using a Tablet? FunMasterMike 2026-04-25 | Days 1 and 2 of the 2026 Chesscom Open featured 16 qualified players. Magnus Carlsen had his hands full, dropping the first game of several of his matches. Could he still get the job done, using a tablet, in an event with no increment? And how would Javokhir Sindarov do in his first competitive event since the Candidates? Here's a wrapup of everything you need to know from the first two days of action!
Top 9 SURPRISING Lessons Learned At Candidates 2026 FunMasterMike 2026-04-23 | The 2026 Candidates Tournament is now behind us, and after three weeks on site reporting, I've compiled the top 9 things I learned while watching the action and being there live in Cyprus. It was a pleasure bringing you all the interviews and flavor of the event. I'm so glad to all the subscribers and people who began watching my channel. Thank you, truly! Much more to come.
Final Candidates Report: We Have Another Winner! FunMasterMike 2026-04-15 | GM Vaishali won her game today to pull ahead of GM Bibisara Assaubayeva and win the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament. She will play the world championship later this year against GM Ju Wenjun and will attempt to become the first-ever Women's World Chess Champion from India!
Candidates Round 13: We Have Just Witnessed History! FunMasterMike 2026-04-14 | GM Javokhir Sindarov is the 2026 FIDE Candidates Champion. He will face GM Gukesh Dommaraju in the next world championship. Today Sindarov drew with Black against GM Anish Giri, and so the next world championship will be against two 20-year-olds. Sindarov is going for even more history tomorrow. If he wins or draws, he will set the record for most points in the modern era of the Candidates Tournament! In the Women's event, a crazy day ended with GMs Vaishali and Bibisara Assaubayeva atop the leaderboard, with everything to play for in tomorrow's final round!
The Two Trickiest Endgames of the Entire Candidates Were the Most Important FunMasterMike 2026-04-12 | The two longest games of round 12 of the 2026 FIDE Candidates did a TON to decide the outcome. First, Anish Giri pushed and pushed with the rook vs bishop but could not break through to put a dent in Javokhir Sindarov's lead. Then Anna Muzychuk got into an extremely technical endgame, and in fact played 64 moves of near perfect chess before letting the win slip away. Still, her draw, combined with Zhu Jiner's win over Vaishali, means there's a large group of women all tightly clustered with two rounds to go!
Candidates Round 11: Youve NEVER Seen a Piece Get Trapped Like This Before! FunMasterMike 2026-04-11 | There's one player who always plays their best chess at the Candidates Tournament. And that would be GM Vaishali. In 2024 she won 5 in a row and now in 2026 in Cyprus she has 4 wins and 2 draws in her last 6 games. She leads the women's event by a full point thanks to her sorcery today, trapping her opponent's rook. In the open division, GM Javokir Sindarov played one of the best defensive games of his life according to him, and held the draw against GM Fabiano Caruana. He could possibly clinch the event tomorrow with his 2 point lead!
Top 10 WILDEST Tactics From Candidates 2026! FunMasterMike 2026-04-09 | Here are the top 10 tactics from the first 10 rounds of the 2026 FIDE Candidates and 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates, as chosen by me and as put in order by IM Irene Sukandar. Javokhir Sindarov has many of them, but is he number one? Watch and find out!
Live from the Candidates: Sindarov Misses Chance While Anish Inches Closer! FunMasterMike 2026-04-08 | In round 9 of the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament, Javokhir Sindarov got another promising position but missed a win and bailed out into an endgame instead of keeping the tension with the queens on the board. His safe draw allowed Anish Giri to get a half point closer, as he beat Fabiano Caruana. This essentially ended the American's chances. On the women's side, two of the five women won who went into the round with a share of the lead -- Zhu Jiner and Vaishali.This wrapup is with WIM Charlize van Zyl. Make sure to follow here on instagram: @charlizevz
Hikaru Wins! Hikaru Wins! Hikaru Wins! FunMasterMike 2026-04-07 | Since Hikaru Nakamura is a big fan of hockey, I hope he gets the "Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!" reference. Nakamura avenged his round 1 loss to fellow American Fabiano Caruana but in doing so took some of the drama out of the event. Javokhir Sindarov is now two points clear of the field after playing his most uneventful game. In the Women's section, an unfortunate collapse by Anna Muzychuk against Divya Deshmukh has group nearly everyone together. There are now 5(!) women on 4.5/8 and two more only one point behind. That section is going to be crazy!
Every Sindarov Interview From the Candidates! FunMasterMike 2026-04-06 | For the rest day, here's every Javokhir Sindarov interview I did in the first half of the 2026 Candidates. Sorry there's nothing from his round 2 draw -- we didn't know he would go on to have a historic run. Oh, and I'm still working on those childhood photos with Hikaru and Fabiano!
Candidates Round 7 Live: Sindarov Pauses Streak While Vaishali Starts Another!! FunMasterMike 2026-04-05 | Round 7 of the 2026 FIDE Candidates saw a rarity: Javokhir Sindarov was not able to win. He tried his best by playing all the way to king vs king but could not break down the defenses of the wily veteran Anish Giri, who foresaw a worse but holdable ending. Meanwhile Wei Yi played a blistering attack complete with a slew of brilliant moves, and Vaishali began another winning streak with the help of a massive blunder by her opponent.
Javokhir Sindarov Increases Lead at Candidates How Is This Possible?? FunMasterMike 2026-04-04 | Javokhir Sindarov won. Again. He is now 5.5/6 and if he even draws all 8 remaining game he will tie the record for the most points in the modern Candidates Tournament. But why should we expect that? He gets good positions in nearly every game. His prep is better. He plays faster. He's more confident. Oh, and he's just plain fun to be around. Here's my thoughts on this historic performance. Also, in the women's section. Anna Muzychuk beat another pre-round leader with clever knight maneuvering to take over sole possession of first place. She's played the most solid chess of any woman!
Hikaru Nakamura Just Went ALL OUT to Try to Beat Javokhir Sindarov FunMasterMike 2026-04-03 | Nakamura thought he had to win to have any chance to win the tournament. He sacrificed 3 pawns out of the opening, but Javokhir Sindarov once again was better prepared. After surprising Nakamura by castling, the top-seeded American spent more than 1 hour(!) on a single move, and it was the wrong one! The kid defended perfectly and is now on 4.5 out of 5, even better than any historical start. Oh, and he plays Padel and Counterstrike too. He's so fun and he's unbeatable it seems!
Javokhir Sindarov CANNOT BE STOPPED at 2026 Candidates FunMasterMike 2026-04-01 | The youngest player in the field, Javokhir Sindarov, is on a record pace at the 2026 Candidates Tournament. No other player in the modern era has started with 3.5 out of 4 until today. He beat the other pre-round leader, veteran GM Fabiano Caruana with better preparation and cool nerves. Today we look at his win, as well as Anish Giri's crazy king walk and Anna Muzychuk's long-overdue breakthrough.
Live From the Candidates: All the Wins From a CRAZY Round 3! FunMasterMike 2026-03-31 | There were four winners in round 3 of the FIDE Candidates and Women's Candidates and there could have been 5. Most of the winners were worse at some moment and one almost resigned before making a comeback. This was by far the craziest round so far in Cyprus! I was live in the press room to talk to the players and I'm brining you the highlights here.
Candidates Round 2 Live Report: HUGE Chance Missed in All-India Matchup! FunMasterMike 2026-03-30 | Live from the press room in Cyprus, here's the quick wrapup of round 2 of the FIDE Candidates and Women's Candidates. No wins today, but a few missed chances. Once again Hikaru Nakamura played the longest game of the day, and once again he had to defend for most of it!
Live From Cyprus: All the WINS from Candidates Round 1! FunMasterMike 2026-03-29 | Here's the analysis of all 3 wins from the opening round of the 2026 FIDE Candidates from Cyprus. I interviewed all the winners -- Pragg, Fabiano, and Sindarov. Let me know who think played the best chess of the day!
The BEST Game From Each of the 2026 Candidates! FunMasterMike 2026-03-29 | A sampling of the best games of all 8 players of the 2026 FIDE Candidates. Who played the best game and who do you think will win?
This Endgame Idea Will Convert Your Advantage into WINS! FunMasterMike 2026-03-19 | In endgames, you usually need to give your opponent two different "weaknesses" or things to be concerned about, to convert the win. This video will show you some real life examples and how to make this work in your games!
Most Instructive Pawn Endgame (Harder Than You Think!) FunMasterMike 2026-03-17 | This is the most instructive King and Pawn endgame position that I've used in my years of teaching. I'm going to break down the elements that help you solve it! You'l learn opposition, "shouldering", related squares, and triangulation, all from one position!
