Chess Base

• UzChess Cup: Madaminov on 2/2 as all five games end decisively on Monday

  The UzChess Cup saw all five games end decisively in Monday's second round, leaving Mukhiddin Madaminov (pictured, left) as the sole leader on 2/2. The lowest-rated player in the field followed his upset win over Ian Nepomniachtchi by beating Nikolas Theodorou. Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Arjun Erigaisi also scored wins, while Nepomniachtchi and Hans Niemann recovered from their opening-round defeats. | Photo: Official website

• Schackcykeln: "The Chess Bike" project launches in Trelleborg, Sweden

  Schackcykeln (The Chess Bike) will launch in Trelleborg on 15 June as a free mobile chess initiative for summer 2026. Run by volunteers from Söderslätt Schacksällskap and funded by the Swedish Postcode Foundation, the project will bring chess sets, tables and chairs to public spaces across the city. With live GPS tracking and a custom app, organisers aim to make casual chess easier to find and more accessible. | Photo: Agnes Orre

• Under the Hammer

  It isn't easy to weave Sotheby’s, Queen Isabella of Spain, Fischer-Spassky 1972, Michael Caine and a vigilante killer into the same article. But that is exactly what John Henderson does, in this piece that appears in the June issue of CHESS magazine. He tells us how the vast collection of chess memorabilia of GM Lothar Schmid, considered to be the largest and most important of its kind in private hands, went under the hammer recently at Sotheby’s in London. You will not believe the prices they received.