Should there ever be an underrated underdog, it would be Shreyas Royal. In the London Chess Classics, the 14-year-old IM, had to face nine Grandmasters! With his ELO rating of 2404, he had a rating 200-350 lower than all other players. Still, he ended up with 4/9 points, finishing ahead of players like Moussard, Vitiugov, […]
Monthly Archives: December 2023
Let’s say you find an interesting mating motif. Now you want to use it as the final position of a chess problem you will compose. The moves leading to it must be imaginative, clever and not very easy to find. But they must also be unique. There mustn’t be alternative sets of move that lead […]
Five players ended day 1 of the World Rapid Championship sharing first place with 4½/5 points. Magnus Carlsen, who assessed his play on the first day as “so-so”, heads the leading pack, which also includes Yu Yangyi, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi and Ivan Cheparinov. In the women’s section, Zhu Jiner and Nurgyul Salimova are sharing […]
From December 13 to 23, the Kazakhstan Chess Championship took place in Astana. After 13 rounds of play in the open, five players were tied for first place. Following a rapid tiebreak, 15-year-old Aldiyar Ansat emerged victorious. Menawhile, Ksenia Balabaeva obtained outright victory in the 10-player single round-robin. Balabaeva obtained a remarkable 7½/9 score. | […]
The World Rapid and Blitz Championships are taking place on December 26-30 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Almost the entire world elite will be competing, with Magnus Carlsen the favourite in the open tournaments and world champion Ju Wenjun participating in both women’s events. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 11.00 CET (5.00 […]
Playing chess is an immensely popular activity. Solving chess problems is also very enjoyable. But how about composing problems? During our revived Christmas Puzzle week, we want to discuss different methods of how to compose your very own chess problem! We ask you to give it a try yourself. Submit your own composition and win […]
Frank James Marshall and Dawid Janowski are two very memorable figures of chess history. Both were outstanding competitors who became title contenders. They are remembered as two of the finest attacking players from the late 19th to the early 20th century.
“The Queens Gambit” has been one of the most successful series in recent years, and now chess has also made it onto the bestseller book lists. Thanks to author Ali Hazelwood and her book “Check & Mate”, a modern romantic fairytale set in the world of chess.
For two decades we ended each year with traditional Christmas puzzles – here are some of the best puzzles from the early years. Many of our younger readers will not have seen them. Remember, some of them were not born when we started. For others it will hopefully bring back nostalgic memories. And bring some […]
Fabiano Caruana continued his 2023 hot streak at the end of November, and after clinching the 2023 GCT Sinquefield Cup, he became the winner of the FIDE Circuit. Given that Caruana already qualified for the Candidates in the World Cup, the second place in the FIDE Circuit (which gives a ticket to the Candidates) is […]