Jeroen van de Weijer Should we still be playing suicide chess (also known as ‘antichess’, ‘losing chess’, etc.)? After all, computer analysis by Mark Watkins (University of Sydney) has recently shown that White wins (1 e3!) against all defences. In my view, this should…
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H.E. Bird: A Chess Biography with 1,198 Games Hans Renette 608 pages | hardback | 150 illustrations | 1,198 games | $75.00 Jefferson: McFarland, 2016 Adrian Harvey During the period after 1860 three British chess players had a plausible claim to be in…
Read MoreLeonid Stein (1934-1973), who died prematurely on this day 43 years ago, was one of the most dynamic attacking players of his generation. Krogius – Stein Kiev 1960 Black to play Stein – Petrosian Moscow 1961 White to play Gligorić – Stein Lvov 1962…
Read MoreYasser Seirawan Yasser Seirawan v Anatoly Karpov Phillips & Drew, London 1982 Queen’s Gambit White’s first move is very important! 1 d4 allows Karpov the more active Queen’s Indian (in comparison with the Queen’s Gambit). 1 c4 allows 1…e5, as Karpov played against Ribli…
Read MoreJames Plaskett Complex games may demand intense scrutiny. Thirty-seven years after this one was played in the penultimate round of the world’s most prestigious Open, I offer my final verdict. Early in 2023, Shirov contacted me to say that analysis with Stockfish 15 had revealed…
Read MoreIt is hard to estimate how many newcomers to chess this book turned into lifelong devotees of the game; hundreds certainly, but probably thousands. ‘When I was a young player, I read The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev which made chess seem extremely…
Read MoreA landmark in chess magazine publishing passed unnoticed this week – and it wasn’t the relaunch of the BCM (that’s next week). After 56 years in print, Dragon, the bulletin of the Cambridge University Chess Club, finally entered the digital age with its 100th issue….
Read MoreWhat is your earliest memory of playing chess? Being told by my father not to allow e4, Bc4, Qh5 and Qxf7 mate. What is your most memorable game? Beliavsky–Nunn, Wijk aan Zee 1985. What was your worst defeat? Nunn–Lemachko, Lugano 1984. Which living player do…
Read MoreWhat is your earliest memory of playing chess? Discovering the brutal difference between stalemate and checkmate. What is your most memorable game? v. Ivanchuk, Terrassa 1991. Zugzwang occurred on an almost full board. What was your worst defeat? v. Tiviakov, PCA Interzonal, Groningen 1993. My…
Read MoreWhy 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…
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