Kibitzing with the Poisoned Pawn
Chemical warfare and the carnally desirable opponent disturb our caustic commentator
Gary Lane’s Agony Column
More sound advice from the savvy IM
Northern Man at the ECF
Martin Regan on his campaign to revive English chess
‘I’m going to stand for election for the ECF,’ I declared giddily, ‘and I’m going to create a team to challenge for every directorship.’ My drinking companion, a chess organiser of considerable experience, nodded, rolled the last dregs of wine around his glass and declared sagely: ‘You’re a ******* nutter.’
Grandmaster’s Diary
Tony Kosten turns French
Ex Acton ad Astra: The Golden Age of a Chancer
Osama len Baden revisits the heyday of Raymond Keene and chess publisher Batsford in an intimate portrait of England’s second GM
Ida Woos the French
The Truth about Toiletgate
Justin Horton unmasks the unlikely villains of Elista
Hack Attack
Tibor Karolyi discovers the edgy genius of Garry Kasparov’s brilliantly bizarre ‘half-brother’
‘The Thirteenth World Champion is an only child, but I have discovered that he has a younger half-brother. They had the same chess teacher. Athough he has not acquired Kasparov’s awesome power in the opening, Garry’s half-brother has introduced some stunning novelties and has a fine feel for sharp play.’
Book Reviews
Chess Facts and Fables by Edward Winter
Dealing with d4 Deviations by John Cox
Chess Results 1901–1920 by Gino Di Felice
Tony Miles, England’s Chess Gladiator by Raymond Keene
Devious Chess – How to Bend the Rules and Win by Amatzia Avni
The King – Chess Pieces by Jan-Hein Donner
Why Lasker Matters by Andrew Soltis
The Immortal Game: a History of Chess by David Shenk
Reviewing Chess Books
Amatzia Avni