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November 14, 2013 No Comments

Controversy over President’s New World Championship Plan

The world of chess was plunged into controversy last night after the FIDE President, Kirsan Illunatic, unveiled his plans for a new system of deciding the world championship. Instead of the traditional 24 game match between champion and challenger, the title will instead be decided…

November 5, 2013 No Comments

Grandmaster Snap of the Week

October 26, 2013 No Comments

A Flightless Species?

When accusations of plagiarism hit the ice shelf one fortunate old bird always seems to wing it. The strange evolutionary advantages of Raymond Keene.

October 23, 2013 No Comments

Pub Chat with Chess Photographer Mark Huba

Video interview with Sarah Hurst. My introduction to chess photography was at the 1986 World Chess Championship, Kasparov v Karpov, where I took some photos for a small booklet on the sideshows at the event. At that time there was a lot of interest…

October 19, 2013 1 Comment

Hypermodern Poem

I bought a book by Nimzowitsch But to me it made no sense For I thought that a prophylactic Was a form of French Defence. Jim Hayes First published in Kingpin 28 (Spring 1998)

October 4, 2013 1 Comment

Elisabeth Paehtz: 20 Questions

Elisabeth Paehtz (pronounced ‘pates’) was born on 8 January 1985. She learnt chess from her father Thomas, himself a Grandmaster, and became the youngest ever German women’s chess champion in 1999. Three years later she won the World Youth Championship (U-18) and became World Junior Champion (U-20)…

September 27, 2013 No Comments

We Are Family

A big family too – one that’s grown from 60 member countries in 1970 to 185 in 2015. Its vast bawling brood of small and poor satellites has made FIDE the world’s second largest sports body after FIFA. Membership and birth rate aren’t the only…

September 26, 2013 1 Comment

John Healy: 20 Questions

John Healy was born on 11 November 1942 in London, the son of Irish immigrants. Consistently beaten by his father, he left school at 14 and took up boxing. According to his trainer George Francis, ‘Healy at 16 was a supreme stylist possessing concussive…

September 21, 2013 No Comments

“I ask again WHO ARE YOU?”

In the face of bitter opposition a maverick businessman fights a campaign to lead the English Chess Federation. And succeeds. Sounds familiar? As Andrew Paulson spars with his detractors in the bear pit that is the English Chess Forum, he can take heart from…

September 19, 2013 No Comments

Nick de Firmian: 20 Questions

Nick de Firmian was born on 26 July 1957. He became a Grandmaster in 1985 and won the US Championship three times, in 1987, 1995 and 1998. Noted for his deep knowledge of the openings, he wrote the latest edition of Modern Chess Openings. As…

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

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…

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

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