Chess
Psephology
The polls are in for next month’s big event in the USA and Magnus Carlsen has emerged the clear favourite…
Gamesters of Triskelion
I first encountered the Triskelion, the traditional coat of arms of the Isle of Man, when I saw Laurence Oliver’s…
Gamesters of Triskelion
I first encountered the Triskelion, the traditional coat of arms of the Isle of Man, when I saw Laurence Oliver’s…
Tal order
As I write, the Mikhail Tal Memorial tournament in Moscow is still underway. The Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri stormed into…
Tal order
As I write, the Mikhail Tal Memorial tournament in Moscow is still underway. The Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri stormed into…
Rigan wizard
Mikhail Tal, the Wizard from Riga, was one of the most devastating tacticians in the history of chess. His rise…
Rigan wizard
Mikhail Tal, the Wizard from Riga, was one of the most devastating tacticians in the history of chess. His rise…
Olympiad
The 42nd Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan, ended in a narrow victory for the USA. Having tied with Ukraine, the…
Olympiad
The 42nd Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan, ended in a narrow victory for the USA. Having tied with Ukraine, the…
Chinese puzzle
As I write, the final results of the Baku Olympiad are still not in. England are fighting for a possible…
Chinese puzzle
As I write, the final results of the Baku Olympiad are still not in. England are fighting for a possible…
Back to Baku
The 42nd Chess Olympiad is now underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, and English grandmasters are making their best efforts to recapture…
No. 425
White to play. This is a position from Short (England)-Pasaribu (Indonesia), Baku-Olympiad 2016. How did White win material? Answers to…
Back to Baku
The 42nd Chess Olympiad is now underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, and English grandmasters are making their best efforts to recapture…
Queen’s Gambit rejected
One of the most reliable methods of frustrating chess computers is to play 1 d4 but then avoid the well-trodden…
Queen’s Gambit rejected
One of the most reliable methods of frustrating chess computers is to play 1 d4 but then avoid the well-trodden…
So it St Louis
From the humble status of wild-card entry at St Louis last year, the US Grandmaster, Wesley So (formerly of the…
So it St Louis
From the humble status of wild-card entry at St Louis last year, the US Grandmaster, Wesley So (formerly of the…
Adams apple
Grandmaster Michael Adams turned in a superlative performance earlier this month to win the British Championship for the fifth time.…
Adams apple
Grandmaster Michael Adams turned in a superlative performance earlier this month to win the British Championship for the fifth time.…
Surreptitious subversion
After the vote to leave the EU it is time to reclaim the good old English names for traditional openings…
no. 421
White to play. This position is from Steinitz–Chigorin, World Championship (Game 4), Havana 1892. How did White finish off? Answers…
Surreptitious subversion
After the vote to leave the EU it is time to reclaim the good old English names for traditional openings…
Vikings on board
Mark Hall, curator of the Perth Museum, has recently drawn attention to the proliferation of board games in Viking burials.…
Vikings on board
Mark Hall, curator of the Perth Museum, has recently drawn attention to the proliferation of board games in Viking burials.…
