8/25/2023 – In May 2022 the then world's oldest grandmaster, Yuri Averbakh, died at the age of 100. Since then, until two weeks ago, the 'title' of the world's oldest grandmaster was held by Aleksandar Matanovic. On 9 August 2023 Matanovic, one of the leading players of the Yugoslav golden era, died in Belgrade at the age of 93. Diana Mihajlova honours a man who gave his life to chess. | Photo: Serbian Chess Federation

7/9/2023 – Kazakhstan, host of the World Championship match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren, has a lively and thriving chess scene and continues to organise attractive tournaments. The Uralsk Open (20-29 July) and the World Schools Team Championships in Aktau (3-8 August) are in the pipeline, but below is a report on the recently concluded Aktobe Open, which took place from 19-28 June and was won by Iranian grandmaster Daneshwar Bardiya. | Photo: The main square of Aktobe | Photo: Kazakhstan Travel

7/1/2023 – Kazakhstan is gradually becoming a Mecca for chess. In April 2023 the World Championship match between Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi took place in Astana, at the beginning of June the Asian Continental Championship was held in Almaty, to name just two of the biggest events. While looking back at the Asian Continental Championships, Diana Mihajlova describes the development of chess in Kazakhstan and wonders about the predicament of Russian chess players after Russia left the European Chess Federation to join the Asian Chess Federation. | Photo: Panorama of Almaty | All Photos: Kazakhstan Chess Federation

6/14/2023 – More than 30 years since its inception, ‘First Saturday’ is still going strong. Constantly reinventing itself, it has been kicking and running against all odds. Most of today’s top professionals have succumbed to the attraction of this ingenious concept that aims at providing chess players with the opportunity to earn norms and subsequently further their chess career. The model has been adopted by many organisers at various corners of the globe, but the credit for the original set up goes to Laszlo Nagy, known as Mr First Saturday.

5/11/2023 – Delilah Sadvakassova is a 9-year-old girl from Kazakhstan who is not only a strong and talented player, but also a "chess influencer". Under the guidance of her parents, Delilah regularly posts videos about chess history and chess personalities on Facebook. In the second part of her portrait of Delilah, Diana Mihajlova tells how Delilah met Magnus Carlsen and talks about Delilah's family and how they make the young influencer's videos.

5/5/2023 – Kazakhstan had a blast with chess events throughout the whole of April. Not only the World Match (7 - 30 April) was and still is shaking the chess community, but many high-level international and national side events took place in Astana, the country's capital. A great number of chess events and personalities have come and gone, but Kazakhstan has a hidden treasure at home: a 9-year-old girl, Delilah Sadvakassova, a celebrated chess influencer.

1/22/2023 – Thanks to dedicated individuals who follow their own heart’s pursuits, ancient chess variants are still alive today. An overwhelming number of enthusiasts and associations throughout the world cultivate old variants and other board games. Among them is Greg Myers, founder of the ‘Tamerlane Chess Club’ in Jamestown, New York.

1/1/2023 – Turko-Mongol ruler Timur was appreciative of the arts and culture. The emperor was as fierce, cruel and ambitious as his predecessor, Genghis Khan. However, apart from his soft spot for the arts, he had one more peculiar weakness: chess. It is said that he even invented a chess variant called ‘Tamerlane Chess’. Diana Mihajlova tells us more.

12/29/2022 – The young Uzbek team winning this year’s Olympiad came as a pleasant surprise, but it is not an isolated example in the recent shift of world chess power. Other Central Asian countries are also looking to become more relevant in the elite chess scene, including Kyrgyzstan, a land that was once part of the Timurid Empire — its leader, Timur The Great, was an avid chess player.

12/25/2022 – The young Uzbek team winning this year’s Olympiad came as a pleasant surprise, but it is not an isolated example in the recent shift of world chess power. Uzbek boys, Kazakh girls, Azeri youth, Chinese, Indian and Iranian young phenoms ever more frequently lit the chess sky. What do their countries have in common? They all once lined the Silk Road.

11/13/2022 – A small country, Norway has produced exceptional representatives in various disciplines. Magnus Carlsen, the chess world champion, is joined by fellow geniuses hailing from the Scandinavian country: Niels Henrik Abel, Henrik Ibsen, Edvard Grieg and Edvard Munch. Diana Mihajlova tells us more.

10/31/2022 – Last Wednesday, 26 October, British International Master Michael Basman died of cancer at the age of 76. A prolific chess writer, he left his mark in the chess world as an uncompromising, inventive player. Among other endeavours, he will be remembered as a founder and organizer of the UK Chess Challenge, a tournament for juniors of all standards and ages. | Photo: David Llada / FIDE

7/17/2022 – In the ’90s, Igor Naumkin left his native Moscow, as did many other Soviet players, in order to seek playing opportunities at the many tournaments in Europe. Their grandmaster titles would help to get invitations and participation at various opens on the continent and secure a livelihood. Igor passed on July 13, a month before turning 57 years old.| Photo: Giordano Macellari

1/4/2022 – On the last day of 2021, one of the most distinguished personalities in the world of chess passed away. On 31 December 2021 the Hungarian Grandmaster Gábor Kállai died at the age of 62. Diana Mihajlova knew Kallai well and looks back to the achievements of the Hungarian Grandmaster who also worked as a trainer, author, organizer, arbiter, captain, journalist, radio and TV commentator. | Photo: Facebook page of the Hungarian Chess Federation

12/31/2021 – Nona Gaprindashvili wrote referring to Milunka Lazarevic: “A literary person by profession, lively and impressionable, Lazarevic is one of the brightest figures in women’s chess of the sixties”. Milunka attracted attention by her exciting, uncompromising style: sacrificing pawns and pieces and despising draws, which made her famous and endeared her to chess audiences! | Photo: Balkan Chess

12/28/2021 – Nona Gaprindashvili wrote referring to Milunka Lazarevic: “A literary person by profession, lively and impressionable, Lazarevic is one of the brightest figures in women’s chess of the sixties”. Milunka attracted attention by her exciting, uncompromising style: sacrificing pawns and pieces and despising draws, which made her famous and endeared her to chess audiences! | Pictured: Lazarevic, Tengiz Giorgadze and Gaprindashvili (National Parliamentary Library of Georgia)

6/19/2021 – With the World Cup just around the corner, players from all over the world are fighting to get a spot in the event scheduled to take place next month in Sochi. Diana Mihajlova tells us all about the Zonal Tournaments that were played in Asia and Canada.

6/12/2021 – Over the last several weeks zonal and continental qualifiers were taking place around the globe in anticipation of the World Cup scheduled for 10 July – 6 August, 2021 in Sochi, Russia. Among the latest qualifier tournaments was the American Continental Championship that took place 22 - 30 May and was played as a hybrid tournament. Eight players secured a ticket to Sochi.