Features: · Background

  • Wen Yang, Lu Shanglei and Xu Xiangyu wore masks while winning the World Team Championship in Jerusalem recently.

    Masks impede strong players – 24 Dec 2022

    David Smerdon’s data-rich study confirms a long-held suspicion and has some surprises in the details.

  • While streaming for LevitovChess Alexandr Shimanov and Daniil Dubov revealed that they moved to the Kazakh capital Astana.

    Out of Russia – 10 Nov 2022

    More than half of Russia’s top chess players have left their country.

  • Arbiter Chris Bird scanned Hans Niemann at the Saint Louis Chess Club.

    Trust was yesterday – 01 Nov 2022

    FIDE’s Fair Play Commission is preparing to train anti-cheating officials and to implement a screening system for ongoing games.

  • Danny Rensch, Chess.com, and Magnus Carlsen in a [video][1] announcing the take-over bid. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP-K0mYHeD0&feature=emb_imp_woyt

    Tik-tok with Magnus – 17 Oct 2022

    Chess.com extended their 13 NOK offer per Play Magnus Group share until 2 November and has yet to convince hundreds of shareholders to seal the deal.

  • Within the last year, Play Magnus Group’s share prize has dropped from roughly 23 to 8 Norwegian Crowns.

    The party is over – 16 Jun 2022

    The online chess boom induced by pandemic restrictions, the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour and The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix is behind us.

  • Yosha Iglésias is a Paris-based chess teacher, [youtuber][1] and community manager at chess24. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzg9wQOjSliZnuNdlPqsxZg

    Can Yosha compete as a woman? – 09 Jun 2022

    The French Chess Federation is hesitating to accept the gender change of Yosha Iglésias. Is affirmative action for female professionals at risk?

  • Alexandr Predke and his girlfriend Marina Severin didn’t return to Russia from the Berlin Grand Prix and went to Istanbul instead.

    Leaving Russia – 15 Apr 2022

    While the Chess Federation of Russia prepares its move to the Asian Chess Federation, it goes unnoticed how many Russian top players are out of the country.

  • Magnus Carlsen gives his usual exclusive interview to Norwegian TV NRK after his second, possibly decisive win in game 8.

    Coming full circle – 06 Dec 2021

    Competitive chess is returning to its roots with the world championship match at the Expo 2020.

  • Age distribution of respondents who admitted to have cheated at least once.

    “Noone can remain an indifferent bystander any more” – 30 Sep 2021

    While cheating seems to decline, its prevention will soon involve everyone. Stefan Löffler reports on a Work4Chess conference session.

  • This chess-themed Mastercard was issued by Unibank in Azerbaijan and is not related to the new partnership.

    Corporate sponsorship is back – 22 Sep 2021

    Why Mastercard’s contract with Magnus Carlsen and the Champions Chess Tour is good news for professional chess, is explained by Stefan Löffler.

  • In the Netherlands, chess can be played without masks, here at the Youth Championship.

    Back to life – 15 Sep 2021

    Clubs and leagues are returning, but uncertainties remain. How different European federations are coping, is reported by Stefan Löffler

  • The Supreme Tournament 55 during the hybrid match test.

    New boards for online and hybrid play – 31 Aug 2021

    Among the electronic chess boards that keep hitting the market, the latest products of Millennium and DGT stand out as suitable for competitive players, reports Conrad Schormann.

  • Fantastic results against Eastern European title holders got streaming and E-sport star Zhou Qiyu the WGM and FM titles.

    Beyond the norm – 19 Jul 2021

    After a new world’s youngest grandmaster record has been set, the cottage industry of title norm tournaments has come under scrutiny, reports Stefan Löffler.

  • Tatev Abrahamyan is the Chess Director of Chessup.

    Building a team to build a board – 23 Jun 2021

    Bryght Labs has appointed Abrahamyan and Aronian and keeps hiring developers for the Chessup board, reports Stefan Löffler.

  • Maxime Vachier-Lagrave sticked to the green giant at the Candidates Tournament, but used an extra cushion to rest his lower back.

    How to sit at chess – 13 May 2021

    What is the best chair for chess? How should you sit at the board? And in front of a screen? Conrad Schormann has the answers.

  • ChessUp promises a didactic electronic board and app

    E-board of a different kind – 26 Mar 2021

    Another electronic board project is succeeding in crowdfunding. Conrad Schormann introduces ChessUp and looks back at the Regium scam.

  • Fat Fritz 2.0 is available since Tuesday.

    Fat start – 10 Feb 2021

    Fat Fritz has been redesigned to surpass Stockfish. Even though it hasn’t fully succeeded, it provides an interesting commercial alternative to the dominating open source engine, writes Conrad Schormann.

  • chess.com & FIDE

    A gamble on Twitch – 19 Nov 2020

    Chess.com has secured some exclusive streaming rights for the world championship match 2021 and two Candidates Tournaments. The prize shall be revealed by FIDE at its General Assembly on 6 December. Stefan Löffler analyzes the deal.

  • Not an astronaut, only the operator of the ozone cannon owned by the Spanish Chess Federation.

    Ten things you haven’t seen in your chess tournament before – 16 Aug 2020

    Over the board chess is slowly coming back but it is not the same. Spectators, handshakes and mutual scoresheet signing are out, new equipment is in. Stefan Löffler has a list.

  • Elisabeth Pähtz promotes one of her products

    Not a cheater – 12 Aug 2020

    After her Lichess account was banned, Elisabeth Pähtz was under suspicion for four long days, until she finally revealed that she trusted an aide too much. Conrad Schormann and Stefan Löffler have checked and confirmed her story.

  • The Österreichischer Schachbund has recently internationalised its logo and name to Austrian Chess Federation

    Is there Covid-19 in Austria? – 06 Aug 2020

    Breaching the anonymity of an infected player after the recent open in St. Veit was not the only lapse of the Austrian Chess Federation, as their confrontation by Stefan Löffler and Conrad Schormann reveals.

  • Is chess promoter Ilya Merenzon about to come back or on his way out?

    Victory without resistance – 17 Jul 2020

    Can chess moves be copyrighted? The Russian promoter Ilya Merenzon repeatedly sued chess24 and other platforms for copyright infringements and failed. Now a Paris court has ruled in favour of Merenzon and his company World Chess, who claim a legal breakthrough. Stefan Löffler examines the background to the case.

  • Visitors of a betting company’s Norwegian site are welcomed by the world champion.

    A risky sideline – 05 Jun 2020

    Dozens of betting companies rediscovered chess in March and online chess in April, when there were hardly other sport events. Most bookmakers have since reduced their chess bets or even dropped them. Match-fixing remains a risk but is hard to get away with, reports Stefan Löffler.

  • Hikaru Nakamura fan art by [Dr Assenov][1] [1]: https://twitter.com/drassenov

    Stealing the show – 26 May 2020

    Hikaru Nakamura reigned supreme during the preliminary rounds of the Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge while Magnus Carlsen barely escaped elimination. The American Grandmaster also angered the world champion and the hosting platform chess24 by allowing their competitor Chess.com to broadcast the event on his popular GMHikaru channel on Twitch. Carlsen complained via Twitter, but the gamer community stands behind Nakamura, ahead of their likely clash in the semifinals from Thursday on, reports Stefan Löffler.

  • The Square Off board: a fine product, but miles away from the perfect dream Regium presented.

    Robot magic is back – 25 May 2020

    Chess automatons that move the pieces have been a fascination since the Mechanical Turk of Wolfgang von Kempelen. A recently announced wonder board turned out to be too good to be true, but it has triggered activities and ambition by other producers, developers and platform providers, reports Conrad Schormann.

  • Emil Sutovsky

    “A crisis is also an opportunity” – 28 Apr 2020

    The world federation has big plans with online chess. The star-studded FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup from 5 May is only the start. General Director Emil Sutovsky told Stefan Löffler about FIDE’s strategy.

  • Participants of the Sunway Sitges Online Open captured on Zoom, but one of them turned out to be a cheater.

    The Hunt is On – 24 Apr 2020

    As current cases confirm online competitions are rife with cheating. FIDE cooperates with all major platforms to take detection to a new level. Can cheaters be caught via eyetracking? Stefan Löffler reports.