Hidden highlights from the Olympiad: Alexei Sarana takes his king for a walk

9/26/2026 – In the endgame, the king is considered a powerful piece and often joins the action to support his side. In the opening and middlegame, however, it rarely moves unless under attack. In a nice game from round 9 of the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, GM Alexei Sarana, European Champion 2025, showed that there is an exception to every rule and went walkabout with his king. | Picture: Alexei Sarana (left, with White) shares ideas with Bahne Fuhrmann (right)