Chess
Warhorses
Towards the end of last year, those two old warhorses Anatoly Karpov and Jan Timman added to their total of over…
Different paths
Daniel Johnson, Dominic Lawson and Tim Congdon all had the potential to become chess masters. However, all three chose alternative routes,…
Vale Vishy
Viswanathan Anand, the 15th world champion, suffered a complete meltdown in his title defence against Magnus Carlsen towards the end…
London classics II
This year’s London Classic tournament is still in progress and features Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, reigning British champion Gawain Jones,…
London classics
This year’s London Classic tournament, organised by the indefatigable Malcolm Pein, who also heads up the charity Chess in Schools…
Song of Norway
Magnus Carlsen has become the 16th world chess champion, taking the title with three wins, seven draws and no losses,…
Bifurcation
As predicted last week, the samurai standoff between Anand and Carlsen was swiftly shattered. After quiet draws in games one…
Sanjuro
In Kurosawa’s samurai warrior classic Sanjuro, the hero, a wandering Ronin played by Toshiro Mifune, ends the film in a…
Next generation
Magnus Carlsen’s world title challenge to Vishy Anand commences on Saturday 9 November and continues to the end of this month.…
Tendonitis
Magnus Carlsen has risen to achieve the highest ever chess rating. He ascended to 2872 on the rankings, which compares…
The 16th?
Magnus Carlsen is seeking to become the 16th world chess champion in a line that includes such giants as Bobby…
Maecenas
Andrew Paulson, an American who lives in London, has been responsible for a remarkable chess revolution over the past year.…
Time for change
Former world champion Garry Kasparov has announced that he will stand for president of Fidé, the World Chess Federation, next…
Through glasses darkly
Grandmasters Pal Benko and Viktor Korchnoi have worn dark glasses to counter perceived hypnotic influence during games. In the recent…
Max Fuller
I am sorry to hear that the Australian master Max Fuller has died in Sydney at the age of 68.…
World Cup
The recently concluded Fide (World Chess Federation) World Cup held at Tromso in Norway resulted in a triumph for Vladimir…
Lord of the flies
It is often said that the great chessboard artist, Polish Grandmaster Akiba Rubinstein, was afflicted during tournament play by an…
Anon anon sir
Nowadays it is standard, when publishing a chess game, to give the names of both players. This was not always…
Hedgehog fund
The Hedgehog is a respected chess formation, usually adopted as Black, where the defender crouches behind a wall of pawns…
Dortmund
Britain’s top grandmaster Mickey Adams has won clear first prize in the tournament at Dortmund, ahead of former world champion…
Fawltless
David Howell turned in a sparkling performance in the 100th British Chess Championship in Torquay, which finished last week. In…
Miles gloriosus
England’s leading female player, Jovanka Houska, recently called for a memorial to the late Tony Miles. The timing is fitting.…
Il miglior fabbro
Lothar Schmid, chess grandmaster, the world’s greatest collector of chess books and the only arbiter trusted by Bobby Fischer, died…
100 not out
On Monday next week the centenary British Championship commences at the Riviera International Centre in Torquay. The leading contenders are…
Ivanchuk the Terrible
Although he has never won the World Championship, Vassily Ivanchuk is the scourge of the world’s elite. In his day…
