Kingpin Chess Magazine » Kirsan Ilyumzhinov

Latest in Kirsan Ilyumzhinov

January 8, 2015 7 Comments

Sarah Hurst: 20 Questions

Sarah Hurst was a regular contributor to CHESS magazine in the 1990s and also edited the British Chess Federation’s newsletter, ChessMoves. Her fine book Curse of Kirsan: Adventures in the Chess Underworld is now available on Kindle at a bargain price. Since 2002 she has been translating…

December 12, 2014 3 Comments

#crapchessbooks

Inspired by Tony Miles’ famous two-word book review, several readers have offered suggestions for chess books that should never be written. There are more on Kingpin’s Facebook page. They say that everyone has a crap book in them, so please send us your ideas! (Mig…

August 11, 2014 No Comments

Ventriloquism for beginners (continued)

One hand grasps the controls in the back of the dummy – here a traditional design of badly fitting suit and inane grin.

August 10, 2014 No Comments

Breaking News: World Championship in Norway

July 21, 2014 No Comments

Gens una sumus

April 7, 2014 No Comments

16 years is a Short time to wait

Sarah Hurst It is very gratifying to live long enough to receive an acknowledgement that you have done something right. As some readers may recall, in 1998 I campaigned for a boycott of the chess Olympiad in Kalmykia in the wake of the murder of…

March 9, 2014 No Comments

Onward and Upward

“Chess is a kind of human activity which has room for manifestations of both intellect and the competitive spirit. But this is a bloodless competition. FIDE’s motto is Gens una sumus. And personally, I approve of only one kind of battles – the ones that…

February 26, 2014 No Comments

From the President of FIDE

First published in Kingpin 27 (Summer 1997)

January 28, 2014 No Comments

Kirsan Kit

Now you can show the FIDE president just how much you worship him with this elegant range of clothes and accessories featuring the image of our beloved leader.

November 20, 2013 No Comments

Another Bold FIDE Initiative

OLAF STEFFENS After years of trying, FIDE has finally succeeded in crafting a truly abysmal public image for itself. Its Vice President became embroiled in a fist-fight during the closing ceremony of one of its showcase events; the rules for the Candidates’ matches seem to…

No Regrets: Boris Spassky at 60

November 27, 2007· 9 Comments

Lev Khariton The attractive countryside of Meudon is a 15-minute train ride from Paris. Here I came to interview Boris Spassky just three days before his 60th birthday. He reminiscences about his life, his chess career, his rivals and friends. Dear Grandmaster, I should…

Arimaa, Computers and the Future of Chess

February 6, 2015· 7 Comments

Andy Lewis A common Arimaa starting position Anyone for a variation on chess? Is chess played out? This concern has been voiced periodically over the history of the game, and the challenges has never been more profound: over-refinement of opening-theory; perfection of endgame technique;…

Sarah Hurst: 20 Questions

January 8, 2015· 7 Comments

Buy all the back issues

March 4, 2020· 6 Comments

“a must-read for everyone who doesn’t take chess too seriously; it’s especially a must-read for everyone who does take chess seriously!” ChessVibes “. . . very, very entertaining . . . some of the back issues were classics and I have some of them at home ….

Boy George

April 9, 2024· No Comments

© Thomas family collection This is the earliest known photograph of George Thomas (later Sir George). It was taken in Southsea in September 1895 when George was 14 years old. A few weeks earlier he had been a spectator at the great Hastings tournament where…

The Mystery of the Chilled Chess Champ

September 11, 2023· No Comments

Ron Katz* The Carlsen/Niemann/Chess.com dust-up has recently been resolved, but not explained. This fictional explanation fills that gap… “According to this article,” Barb Silver said to her husband, Bernie, “Baby Boomers like us are responsible for inflation.” She was peering over the newspaper she held,…

It’s Really Him

April 23, 2023· No Comments

Nearly fifty years ago CHESS published this irate letter: CHESS (October 1973) It provoked a lively response: CHESS (November 1973) One reader sprang to Mr Lorley’s defence with knowing verve: CHESS (December 1973) Having made his point, Mr Lorley kept a dignified silence. No…

Steinitz the Great and Grumpy

April 10, 2023· No Comments

Adrian Harvey Steinitz in London A Chess Biography with 623 Games Tim Harding 421 pages | 84 photos | hardback | $75.00 Jefferson: McFarland, 2020 For three reasons this reviewer regards Steinitz as the greatest chess player of all time. In the first…

Reyk

November 30, 2023

H, has anyone tried this? I'm a bit irritated to land on a paypal site directly without having a chance…
→ Commenting on: Buy all the back issues

S.B. Cohen

July 19, 2023

An incredibly long article about nothing.
→ Commenting on: Chess and Sex – The Survey

Blair

April 13, 2023

Then you simply don't know Mike Basman RIP
→ Commenting on: Confessions of a Crooked Chess Master – Part 2

Moyra Ashford

November 17, 2022

Dear David, What an interesting read and I agree with everything you say about Biggs. I was a journalist in…
→ Commenting on: The Chess Player and the Train Robber

10 Seconds with 7
About Us 1
Archive 227
- April 11
- August 14
- December 5
- February 7
- January 10
- July 14
- June 9
- March 8
- May 12
- November 16
- October 7
- September 7
Articles 99
Back issues 48
Cheating 28
Creative chess 96
Features 224
FIDE 51
Front Page 119
Games 90
Hack Attack 54
History scrapbook 141
Homepage 114
Interviews 41
Kirsan 43
Letters 10
Nosher 11
Private Eye 4
Quotes 131
Reviews 92
Shop 30
The Penguin Files 38
- Books, journalism, plagiarism 23
- Brain Games 5
- Penguin profiles 10
The Poisoned Pawn 6
Uncategorized 9

More Articles