Happy New Year!
What are your goals for 2026?
Real blogging will resume soon, probably today, but let’s start 2026 with an early post. 2025 was a very busy chess year - every year is now - but 2026 will be even heavier when it comes to absolute elite events. In addition to all the usual tournaments, both in person and online, the Candidates will take place in March and April, the Olympiad in September, and the World Championship at the end of the year. The big events start as soon as next week - January 7 - with the Tata Steel India Rapid & Blitz (not to be confused with the Tata Steel Masters, a.k.a. Wijk aan Zee, which starts at a different location the week after the Rapid & Blitz).
We’ll take a look back at 2025 soon, but for the moment let’s look ahead. Be the first person this year to predict the winners of the Candidates and the next World Championship match. Alternatively, offer your own chess resolutions and goals for 2026. Make a public commitment, which is one of the best ways to help make resolutions stick. (I may do this myself…soon!)