Chess
War fever
It is a little known fact that Emanuel Lasker, the German world chess champion, who reigned from 1894 to 1921,…
Varsity match
On Saturday 8 March the 132nd Varsity match between the teams of Oxford and Cambridge will see Oxford seeking to…
Ukrainian knights
This week I pay tribute to the chess grandmasters from Ukraine, led by Vassily Ivanchuk, many times a candidate for…
Triumvirate
Three important tournaments concluded this month, for two of which (Gibraltar and Bunratty) I attended the awards ceremonies. I have…
Georgics
George Osborne is a supporter of chess. During the award ceremony at 11 Downing St for last year’s London Candidates’…
Lions’ den
Daniel Johnson, the distinguished editor of Standpoint magazine, can be bracketed with Tim Congdon and Dominic Lawson, as having had…
Gates’ exit
In Virgil’s Aeneid the hero Aeneas escapes from Hades via one of two gates, one made of ivory and the…
Nimzo style
As promised, this week a victory by chess aficionado Dominic Lawson, former editor of The Spectator. Dominic’s distinguished opponent was…
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…
