Argentina’s 11-year-old IM Faustino Oro won the Legends & Prodigies tournament in Madrid with an undefeated 7½/9 performance, finishing a point and a half ahead of Julio Granda and Alan Pichot. Along the way, he crossed the 2500 rating mark and secured his first grandmaster norm. With his October rating expected to rise above 2500, […]
Monthly Archives: September 2025
Chess players have an advantage when it comes to learning a language. If they start with the help of a chess magazine, they already have a rough idea of what it is about. Roger Lorenz learnt Italian in this way while on holiday – with the help of the magazine “Torre e Cavallo”. Now he […]
Norway’s GM Johan-Sebastian Christiansen emerged victorious at the inaugural Sahel Chess Festival, held in Monastir, Tunisia, from 1 to 9 September 2025. Scoring 8½/9 in the main Open, Christiansen also won the blitz event, highlighting the high level of play at a tournament that attracted 263 participants from 11 federations. The festival, hosted at the […]
As is well known, chess not only offers the opportunity to play games, but also opens up further possibilities for intellectual engagement. These include composing and solving chess problems. The World Federation for Chess Composition has now published the FIDE Album 2019–2021, featuring the finest compositions and studies from this period.
The chess world is no stranger to scandals. A prominent recent controversy erupted in November 2023, when Vladimir Kramnik insinuated on his chess.com blog and in a YouTube video that Hikaru Nakamura cheated – when he scored 45.5/50 in a blitz tournament. Kramnik pointed out the statistical improbability of Nakamura’s streak. But a research team, […]
Argentina’s 11-year-old Faustino Oro is leading the Legends & Prodigies tournament in Madrid after scoring 6 points from his first 7 games. His victories included a crucial win over former co-leader Alan Pichot, and his performance has already secured him a first grandmaster norm. With his rating now above 2500, Oro has moved closer to […]
The legendary world champion and political activist has issued a warning regarding the current media crackdown in the US, comparing it to the early days of Putin’s rule in Russia. Kasparov appeared for an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and on MSNBC with Jen Psaki. You can read his article and watch the videos of […]
The development of chess is deeply entwined with the history of human civilisation, and its journey along the Silk Road helped transform it into a cultural treasure that transcends borders. From its early forms in India and China to its adaptations in Persia, the Islamic world and medieval Europe, chess evolved as a mirror of […]
“How to think like a chess player and win at life” is the latest book by three-time US national chess champion, Jennifer Shahade. It offers essential life lessons from the world of chess – from making smarter choices to building focus and confidence. Chess players are experts in considering their options, allowing them to seize […]
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton share a common interest in chess, often playing against each other and discussing the game publicly. Their rivalry has included light-hearted stories about online matches and mutual “cheating”. Ahead of the recent Baku Grand Prix, the two met Azerbaijani grandmaster Teimour Radjabov, who observed their play and presented […]