5/12/2025 – Legendary American Grandmaster Alex Yermolinsky, "Yermo", remains hospitalized in Tekirdag, Turkey after undergoing a four-way heart bypass. He was being crushed by medical bills and needed help. That was given by a GoFundMe appeal started just over a week ago. The goal of the required $64,000 has almost been met. You can help push it over the finish line.

5/12/2025 – Last year FIDE celebrated its 100th anniversary. The book "100 Years of FIDE" is an illustrated history of the World Chess Federation. From it we excerpt passages to retrace the final non-FIDE world championship (Alekhine-Boguljubow) and the Chess Olympiads from 1924 to 1940. This is a great chance to brush up your knowledge of chess history.

5/6/2025 – Legendary American Grandmaster Alex Yermolinsky, "Yermo", remains hospitalized in Tekirdag, Turkey after undergoing a four-way heart bypass. Yermolinsky is a two-time United States Champion, member of four U.S. Chess Olympiad teams, four American World Senior teams and an inductee to the Chess Hall of Fame. He is now is being crushed by medical bills. You can help.

5/5/2025 – "The BBC has posted a 1972 interview with Fischer by James Burke on YouTube," our friend Yasser Seirawan told us. BBC Two had was broadcast this video, which is 35 minutes long, on 2 July, 1972, nine days before the epic match began. "Personally, I thought that it is fantastic, vintage stuff. You see the Fischer that I met in 1992. Engaging, funny, self-assured. But also aware of his own shortcomings." It is really something you don't want to miss.

4/25/2025 – Looking for a very nice gift for a dear friend? Someone special who really love chess. Then the Rolls-Royce set is definitely something you should consider. It is magnificently designed, elegant as they come, and certainly something that will billionaires like yourself to play a game. Take a look.

4/23/2025 – Everyone knows FIDE, which in July last year celebrated its 100th anniversary. But how did the organisation come about? The book "100 Years of FIDE" is an illustrated history of the World Chess Federation. From it we excerpt passages to retrace the foundation of FIDE and its progress in the first half of the last century.

4/22/2025 – I have told the story often: in an interview in 2020 I said that in five years I expected at least two of the top ten players in the world would be Indian. My prediction was met with deep scepticism. It was clearly the unrealistic optimism of a friend and admirer of young Indian talents. It is true I was wrong. In five years since the prediction three have risen into the top ten bracket, and a fourth is on his way into it.

4/5/2025 – Sunil who? He is one of the most successful chess coaches in the USA, running the National Scholastic Chess Foundation (NSCF) teacher training programs. Sunil Weeramantry has looked after literally thousands of budding chess players - including his stepson, who ascended to the top of the chess world. Know who we are talking about. | Pictures by Frederic Friedel and NSCF

4/1/2025 – For decades we rigorously celebrated April Fool's day. But our pranks became progressively more difficult over the years. If we were able to construct a fake story, one that was genuinely funny, our friends at Google made it possible to check it in seconds. So we abandoned the tradition. Today, however, we present you with hoaxes and counterfeits in the history of chess. We had expert assistance in doing so.

3/31/2025 – Susan Polgar's book, Rebel Queen, describes the trials and tribulations of a super-talent at odds with her federation, and how she overcame it to rise to the very top of women's chess. Today we excerpt passages from this remarkably well-written book that we predict will at some stage be turned into a "Queen's Gambit" type Netflix series.

3/11/2025 – Today is publishing day. Susan Polgar's book, Rebel Queen, is available in book outlets, or on Amazon, where you can also get the Kindle edition. It describes the trials and tribulations of a super-talent at odds with her federation, and how she overcame it to rise to the very top of women's chess. Today we excerpt a passage from her book that describes her encounter with ChessBase. We are proud to have played a role in her chess career. | Photo Renata Goreczk

3/10/2025 – On July 13, 2004, Bobby Fischer was detained in Japan with an invalid U.S. passport. That marked the beginning of a nine-month ordeal for him in Japanese custody. Among the supporters fighting for his release was former World Champion Boris Spassky, whom Fischer had dethroned thirty years earlier. Spassky, who passed last week, even wrote a personal letter of appeal to President George Bush, asking to be locked up in the same cell as Fischer. "And give us a chess set," he said.

2/28/2025 – Boris Spassky, the tenth World Chess Champion, was a chess prodigy who became a grandmaster at the young age of 18. He won the World Chess Championship in 1969, and held the title until 1972, when he lost to Bobby Fischer in the famous "Match of the Century". Boris passed on Thursday at the age of 88. He was a decades-long personal friend of the author. | Photo Frederic Friedel, taken in June 2007

2/11/2025 – Last week we gave you three puzzles to solve. Were you able to solve them moving the pieces on the diagrams, or all in your head, like a couple of 2700+ friends did. In any case today we bring you the solutions, explained to us in his inimitable style by chess trainer Gauri Shankar of Chicago. Have fun and learn!

2/4/2025 – Ready to test your wits, your ability to handle unusual chess problems? We have selected three really challenging examples for you to solve – problems that have come up with some outrageous ideas. See if you can find them, and record the time it takes you to solve them. In a week we will provide you with the full solutions, diligently explained in YouTube videos.

1/30/2025 – Suhani Shah is one of the finest mentalists we know. Certainly one of the most entertaining. In one of her acts she proceeded to read the minds of two chess World Champions – Vishy Anand and D.Gukesh. Check out the videos in our report to see how she fared works – and try to explain the techniques she uses. A word of caution: this is one really clever lady!

1/24/2025 – A real life Queen’s Gambit, this captivating memoir tells the story of one of the most renowned women in chess history. Susan Polgar takes on a sexist establishment, standing up to an authoritarian empire and rewriting the rules of what women could achieve against the oppressive backdrop of Cold War Eastern Europe. A must-read book, coming out on March 11. Pre-orders available on Amazon.

1/21/2025 – Judit Polgar, the strongest female chess player of all time, wishes our readers a "Happy 2025, which will hopefully be filled with exciting challenges and successes – both on and off the chessboard!" To kick off the year she has prepared something special for us: you can get Judit's books, personally signed by her, at discounted prices in her Webshop. This exclusive offer is valid until January 31, 2025.