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

10/7/2022 – Ossip Bernstein had a turbulent life: Born in 1882 in Czarist Russia he was a successful lawyer in Moscow until he had to flee from the Bolsheviks. He emigrated to Paris where he rebuilt his successful law firm but then had to flee again when the Nazis occupied France. After the war, Bernstein returned to Paris. Apart from his career as a lawyer and businessman he was also a successful chess player and at his peak he was one of the world's best players. Eugene Manlapao takes a look at the life and career of this brilliant amateur player.

9/13/2022 – Hastings 1895 was a grand tournament that gathered the day’s greatest players without exception. At the time it was played, it was arguably the greatest tournament in history. On the occasion of its recent 127th anniversary, Eugene Manlapao revisits the tournament that introduced the brilliant and perennial title contender, Harry Nelson Pillsbury.

9/1/2022 – London 1922 is a historically significant event that gathered the day’s greatest players and produced the London Rules of 1922. They were designed by the then reigning World Champion Capablanca (pictured) and laid down what players had to do - and how much money they had to come up with - who wanted to challenge the World Champion. Eugene Manlapao revisits this tournament on the occasion of its recent centennial anniversary.| Photo: Screenshot from the film "Chess Fever" from 1925

8/22/2022 – Ever since the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) emerged as chess’ governing body, the Candidates’ Tournament has been vital to the selection and making of the game’s world champion. Remade more than a few times in the seventy-two years that it has been running, the tournament has been a story on its own. Eugene Manlapao traces its history from its first edition in 1950, to its latest in 2022 that may have produced the combatants for the next world championship match. | Photo: The participants of the Candidates Tournament 1956 in Amsterdam | Photo: Herbert Behrens (ANEFO) (Cropped from GaHetNa (Nationaal Archief NL)) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

7/13/2022 – Paul Morphy needs no introduction. On the occasion of his 138th death anniversary, Eugene Manlapao revisits the exploits of the chess genius and the peculiar circumstances of his success that seemingly recurred in the rise of succeeding American champions.

6/23/2022 – London 1899 and Paris 1900 are two celebrated events that helped shape the legend of an all-time great and influenced the battles for the chess crown in the 20th century’s first decade. Eugene Manlapao revisits these tournaments on the occasion of their 123rd and 122nd anniversaries respectively.

5/29/2022 – Machgielis “Max” Euwe is one of the most esteemed figures in chess history. A teacher and a professed chess amateur, he did the unthinkable when he became world champion in 1935, defeating an all-time great in Alexander Alekhine. On top of that, he was a perennial top player from the late 1920s to the 1950s, an outstanding writer, and Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) President in the latter part of his life. On the recent occasion of Euwe’s 121st birth anniversary, Eugene Manlapao explores the life and times of chess’ 5th world champion.

5/17/2022 – Wilhelm Steinitz looms as one of the largest figures in chess. Earning the distinction of being the first ever World Champion in 1886, he was a successful competitive player and chess journalist whose theoretical teachings revolutionized chess and laid the foundations of the modern game. He is, arguably, chess’ greatest thinker.

5/8/2022 – Some of the most regrettable chess stories are those of great players leaving the game at the peak of their powers. First, there was Paul Morphy, then, more than a century later, Robert Fischer. Very few probably know or remember that shortly after Morphy left, another brilliant player took his talents elsewhere. He was not of Morphy’s stature, certainly, but all the same, it was a pity that the world saw no more of his chess. That man was Ignatz von Kolisch.