Jonathan Rowson A polished pine bedroom in a convent school, Tallinn, Estonia, September 1997. A bottle of whisky, unpacked suitcases, and three drunken chess players playing blitz. Andrew Martin, Simon Williams, Jonathan Rowson. And, our invisible friend, ‘The Spirit’. It is intriguing. It is intriguing…
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Kingpin is not a chess magazine in the normal sense of the word
the magazine I most enjoy . . . Gary Lane’s agony column is a must for all chess addicts
Kingpin is a very, very nice magazine
very, very entertaining
A great English chess favourite
very, very entertaining . . . some of the back issues of Kingpin were instant classics
I actually paid good money for No.9
[its] satirical nature and penchant for sharp games makes it compulsive reading for the average club player
Publication of the British magazine Kingpin is always an eagerly-awaited event
the ‘Private Eye’ of the chess world
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…
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 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…
Why Life Does Not Imitate Chess Part 3: The Visionary Followers of Garry Kasparov on Facebook will have noted that he has taken to styling himself as a ‘politician’. What’s his track record? All chess players will know about his campaign for FIDE president…
Michael Basman’s Questionnaire
What is your earliest memory of playing chess? I went up to Selfridges with my dad and we bought a wooden set for 10s. 6d. He taught us to play chess that evening. I remember him showing us the knight move. What is…
Basman at the British
Michael Basman Editor’s note: What is striking about these games is how each highlights different aspects of Mike’s playing style. As you might expect, there is his calling card – the outlandish opening 1 e4 g5 (‘totally bonkers’ –Nigel Short), but next is an epic…
B is for Basman
In 1968, the American magazine Chess Review introduced Michael Basman as ‘another bright B’ in the tradition of famous British chess players represented by Bird, Blackburne and Burn. That’s some billing for a 21-year-old. Basman would never be the brightest chess star in this firmament…
Dvorkovich Wins Second Term as FIDE President
That victory speech in full: See also Dvorkovich re-elected FIDE president by landslide A New Dawn for Chess The Election of Arkady Dvorkovich The Perfect Combination We Are Family
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Moyra Ashford
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