5/8/2025 – Boris Spassky (30 January 1935 - 27 February 2025), the tenth World Champion in chess history, was a versatile player who could attack and defend and was equally at home in sharp and in quiet positions. The ChessBase Master Class on Boris Spassky presents and analyses his rich chess legacy. Eugene Manlapao took a look at the course and was surprised and impressed.

3/14/2024 – Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao (pictured) from the Philippines is considered by many to be one of the greatest boxers of all time. Srikanth Bangalore is a businessman from India and they both share a love of chess. To spread this love of chess, Bangalore has founded a remarkable project that Pacquiao supports: 1000GMs Inc, a non-profit organisation that aims to help young players improve their game. A part of this project are regular tournaments. | Photo: Manny "pacman" Pacquiao with his coach Freddie Roach | Photo: Roger Alcantara (Wikipedia)

12/25/2023 – Frank James Marshall and Dawid Janowski are two very memorable figures of chess history. Both were outstanding competitors who became title contenders. They are remembered as two of the finest attacking players from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

10/20/2023 – Like Henry Ernest Atkins, whom Eugene Manlapao featured in September, William Ewart Napier was an exceptional master, but is now almost forgotten. In this article, Eugene explores the life of Napier, who burned brightly in his short career as a chess player.

9/22/2023 – Nuremberg 1896 was one of the several super-tournaments in the last decade of the nineteenth century. Coming as it did when the world crown was perceived to be hanging precariously on Emanuel Lasker’s head, the tournament presented a stern test to Lasker himself and all the other world title contenders. It is fitting to revisit the tournament on its 127th anniversary.

9/12/2023 – If the title of British Champion is to go by, England’s most naturally talented player ever may happen to be an amateur. Henry Ernest Atkins was a school teacher by profession, yet won the British Championships in nine out of eleven participations. On the recent 151st anniversary of his birth, it is worth remembering this extremely gifted chess player. | Pictured: Rufus Stevenson and Henry Atkins at Malvern (The Sphere, 20 August 1921), via BritBase

8/3/2023 – Howard Staunton (April 1819 – June 22, 1874) stands as a controversial figure in chess. Not only did he establish himself as the strongest player in the 1840s, but also elevated the comprehension of the game as the most prominent analyst and author of his generation. His influence as a player and organizer contributed to the standardization of the chess pieces and to the development of international competition. Yet, he was also a complex character who made foes out of his competitors and friends alike. | Picture source: World Chess Hall of Fame.

7/30/2023 – John Jacob Loewenthal is largely remembered as a prominent character in the legend of Paul Morphy. The American champion defeated him twice in two continents: once when he was a boy in New Orleans, and then again when he was a young man during his famous tour in Europe. In his own right, however, Loewenthal was a great master who did more for chess than most of the luminaries of his time. His was a life given solely to the game. On the recent 147th anniversary of his passing, it is fitting to remember his life and career.

7/5/2023 – In the recent 2023 World Championship Match, Ding Liren won Game 12 against Ian Nepomniachtchi using the Colle System to tie the score at six. The match remained tied after fourteen games, and Ding went on to beat Nepomniachti in the rapid tie-breaks to become the 17th World Champion. With the Colle System utilized in the World Championship Match, it is a fitting moment to remember the life and career Edgard Colle.

5/14/2023 – On 14 May 1937 Grigory Levenfish won the 10th Soviet Championship, defending the title he had won two years earlier at the 9th Soviet Championship in 1935. In 1937 Levenfish also drew a match against Botvinnik and hoped to play in the 1938 AVRO tournament. At that time Levenfish was probably one of the best players in the world, but the Soviet authorities stifled his career. To mark the 86th anniversary of Levenfish's victory that made him a two-time Soviet Champion Eugene Manlapao looks at the tragic life and career of this fascinating player. | Photo source: Douglas Griffin.

3/21/2023 – In Eugene Manlapao's previous articles, he has featured the leading players of 19th century British chess. Among them were Amos Burn, Isidor Gunsberg, and the London residents Johannes Zukertort of Poland and Wilhelm Steinitz of Austria. Another one of their great contemporaries was Joseph Henry Blackburne, Britain's strongest player for nearly three decades. "The Black Death" was always a dangerous rival to his British and foreign peers in local and international tournaments, as well as one-on-one matches. | Picture: Wikipedia

2/15/2023 – Johannes Zukertort is one of the great but tragic figures of chess history. A former title contender, he was as brilliant as he was misunderstood. On the 137th anniversary of the first World Chess Championship Match, his life, career, and legacy are worth re-examining.

1/13/2023 – While Eugene Manlapao was doing research on Amos Burn (pictured on the right) and Isidor Gunsberg (left), the subjects of his last two articles, he came upon an interesting episode in their careers. Burn and Gunsberg were two of the leading British players in the late 19th century, and they naturally became fierce rivals. This rivalry, however, triggered a controversy that spilled to the press. Burn, Gunsberg, and another master dragged into the issue, all turned contentious. Public opinion was divided.

1/4/2023 – The 3rd World Chess Championship between Wilhelm Steinitz and Isidor Gunsberg that ran from December 9, 1890 to January 22, 1891 was a closely fought match. At the end of 19 games, Steinitz emerged victorious, 6-4, to retain his title. Gunsberg's good result in this match was no coincidence. Gunsberg was one of the strongest players of his time though today he is almost forgotten. Eugene Manlapao takes a look at the life and career of this relatively unknown World Championship challenger. | Photo source: Wikipedia

12/9/2022 – Amos Burn was one of the world’s leading players in the late 19th century. Competing mainly as an amateur in his long career, he was a highly successful player, theoretician, and journalist. Eugene Manlapao takes a look at the life, the career, and the games of this great English player. | Photo Source: www.liverpoolmuseum.org

11/25/2022 – Few tournaments brought as much stake to its host nation as Moscow 1925 did to Russia. The event brought a Russian into world title contention, but, more importantly, it proved vital to Russia’s rise as dominant force in chess. Eugene Manlapao takes a look at the tournament and its history. | Photo: Tournament winner Efim Bogoljubov (left) and Akiba Rubinstein during their game | Photo: Wikipedia

11/4/2022 – I take a break from my usual historical articles to pay tribute to a countryman who has been recently honored with one of the highest distinctions in chess — his induction into the World Chess Hall of Fame. In a sense, this tribute is still partly historical, as his long career is now all part of chess lore. He is none other than Grandmaster Eugenio Torre of the Philippines, who turns 71 today. To Eugene, a joyous birthday, and our heartfelt congratulations!

10/24/2022 – 188 years ago, from June to October 1834, Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais of France and Alexander McDonnell of Ireland played a series of five matches to determine who was the world's best player of their time. La Bourdonnais won with an overall score of 45 wins, 27 losses and 13 draws. Today, this series of matches is considered to be the first inofficial World Championship match. It helped enormously to popularize chess and led to a number of remarkable games. Eugene Manlapao has the details. | Pictured: Stamp issued by the postal administration of the Solomon Islands in 2013