1/9/2020 – Given past controversy over his views on women and chess, Grandmaster Nigel Short might seem a surprising choice for multiple roles at the 2020 Women’s World Chess Championship. Short is the championship’s FIDE Supervisor, Chair of the Appeals Committee, and a commentator. Short’s credentials include being the official challenger in the 1993 World Chess Championship, commentating expertise, and promoting chess in 129 countries. WIM ALEXEY ROOT sent us this brief interview.

1/7/2020 – The Women’s World Chess Championship match is from January 5-26, 2020. The first six games will be played in Shanghai, China and the remaining six games, plus any tiebreak games, will be played in Vladivostok, Russia. The match features Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun of China against challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina, of Russia. Here, Alexey Root, a lecturer teaching courses about chess in education at The University of Texas at Dallas, answers questions about the Women’s World Chess Championship. | Photo: Lewis Liu

12/16/2019 – As Honorary Director of the London Chess Conference, which had the theme in 2019 of Chess and Female Empowerment, Grandmaster Judit Polgár wrote, “I make a point of never separating girls and boys, nor awarding special prizes for girls...Meanwhile, national federations use their resources, and public subsidies are creating more female-only competitions. It is high time to consider the consequences of this segregation — because in the end, our goal must be that women and men compete with one another on an equal footing.” WIM ALEXEY ROOT responds.

11/16/2019 – The Chess Olympiad in Novi Sad began 29 years ago today, and ran from November 16th to December 4th, 1990. The 1990 U.S. Women’s team finished in sixth place at the Chess Olympiad held in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia). In board order, the team members were WGM Elena Akhmilovskaya Donaldson, WGM Anna Akhsharumova, WIM Esther Epstein, and alternate WIM ALEXEY ROOT, who shares her alternate experience here.

11/12/2019 – The newest chess foundation in the world was announced during a Twitch broadcast from the oldest chess club in the United States. The new chess foundation is the Eade Foundation, with FIDE Master James “Jim” Eade serving as its Chairman, CEO, and President. The oldest chess club in the United States is the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club, which is reaching out to new communities through online broadcasting. WIM ALEXEY ROOT reports. | Pictured: Paul and Jay Whitehead in 1973 | Photo: Mechanics' Institute Chess Club

10/26/2019 – Seven students competing in the 2019 Texas Collegiate Super Finals previously represented their home countries in an Open section of a Chess Olympiad. With some of the best chess players in the world matriculating in Texas, the expression “Don’t mess with Texas” applies. Texas is tough on littering and is hard to beat in chess. | Photo: Francisco Guadalupe

9/6/2019 – From September 6th to October 5th, The Power Station, a not-for-profit initiative providing a platform for contemporary art projects in Dallas, Texas, hosts Good Moves, a group exhibition dedicated to chess. The Good Moves online auction ends October 6th. Auction proceeds benefit Vogel Alcove, to endow a chess program for homeless children. WIM ALEXEY ROOT is attending the Good Moves premiere and sent us this preview. | Photo: Kevin Todora

8/29/2019 – After an initial article about FM and WGM Jennifer Yu’s ½ of 9 performance at the 2019 U.S. Junior Championship, a first follow-up article explored stereotype threat in chess, with the help of Dr. Andrei Cimpian and WFM Sarah Chiang. In this second follow-up article, WIM ALEXEY ROOT asks whether “stereotype threat” is debunked, with comments from Dr. Kenneth Regan and an interview with Yu herself. | Photos: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club

8/21/2019 – In Alexey Root’s first article about FM and WGM Jennifer Yu’s ½ of 9 score in the U.S. Junior Championship, Root speculated about whether research on “stereotype threat” and on the difficulty of second-half “comebacks” could apply to Yu’s performance, which was around 2½ points less than her expected score. In this first follow-up article, WIM ALEXEY ROOT explores stereotype threat in chess. | Pictured: (clockwise from left) Annie Wang, Sarah Chiang, Jennifer Yu | Photos: USChessChamps.com

8/9/2019 – To annoy chess players, orient a board incorrectly or reverse the kings and queens. Claim that a knight on a3 controls the centre, or that Stan Vaughan is a world chess champion. WIM ALEXEY ROOT shares chess sayings (like "a knight on the rim is dim") and songs to move chess players from exasperation to pleasure. Perfect for some Friday Fluff! And if you have any sayings or songs to share, you can win a free autographed copy of Fritz 16!

7/21/2019 – The 2019 U.S. Women’s Chess Champion Jennifer Yu was the wildcard invite for the U.S. Junior Championship which concluded on Saturday, July 20th. She finished last in the 10-player round robin with ½ out of 9. In her post-tournament interview, Jennifer Yu mentioned, “Maybe there is a little more pressure or something.” In this article, WIM ALEXEY ROOT looks at two research-based reasons for the pressure Yu perceived and its possible effects on her result. | Photo: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club

6/30/2019 – Chess is more affordable than racing. Chess ratings are more highly-regarded than Driver Database ratings. The highest-rated women chess players have proportionally more opportunities than the top-ranked women drivers. In this second of two articles, WIM ALEXEY ROOT explores what racing can learn from chess. She also interviews and plays two in-person blitz games with a race car driver, Kory Enders, who aspires to be a grandmaster. | Photo: Louis A. Reed Jr.

6/22/2019 – Annually, sponsors spend over five billion dollars per year on motorsports. Millions of fans watch motorsports, such as Formula One, IndyCar, and NASCAR. In this first article of a two-article set, WIM ALEXEY ROOT explores what chess can learn from racing after interviewing — and playing chess with — race car driver Kory Enders (pictured) at the Texas Motor Speedway. | Photo: Louis A. Reed Jr.

6/15/2019 – After a 14-year tournament hiatus, Grandmaster Patrick Wolff recently played several rated games at the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club, where he had been serving as Interim Director until June 14. In an extensive interview he tells WIM Alexey Root about updating his best-selling book, being a second to then-World Championship challenger Vishy Anand, winning two U.S. Championships, and making chess more appealing to corporate sponsors. | Photos: Courtesy of Patrick Wolff

5/21/2019 – Some press coverage of the 2019 IMSA World Masters tournament, including articles on ChessBase, mentioned a "Women’s" section and an "Open" section. Those reporters erred: In fact, there was a Women’s section and a Men’s section but no Open section. ALEXEY ROOT explores the advantages and disadvantages of Men’s sections, historically and today, in chess and in other sports. | Photo: hengshui2019.fide.com

3/6/2019 – A “golden age” for tournament players ages 50 and older has arrived in the United States. In the past three years, US Chess has authorized new tournaments and prizes restricted to seniors. However, women ages 50 and older have not been affected. That may change in March 2019, when US Chess begins grant applications for women’s chess programs. WIM ALEXEY ROOT explains... | Photo: Alex Yermolinsky (with Dmitry Gurevich)

12/31/2018 – Webster University’s “A” team won the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championships (Pan-Am). Qualifying for the Final Four of College Chess are Webster University, The University of Texas at Dallas, Harvard University, and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. | Pictured: Webster University team with Susan Polgar and Paul Truong. | Photo: David Llada

12/28/2018 – The Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championships, the crown jewel of college chess in the USA, is historically played in the days between the Christmas and New Year's holidays, December 27th to 30th. ALEXEY ROOT checks in on the early action. The top-rated team is Webster "A" with GMs Illia Nyzhnyk (2730), Lazaro Bruzon Batista (2757), Yuniesky Quesada Perez (2723) and Jorge Cori | Photos: Alexey Root