12/6/2023 – Soon after Carl Schlechter's early death the wish arose to organise a memorial tournament in his honour. In 1923 several important chess masters met at the Café Universale and played such a tournament that ended on 4 December with a victory of Savielly Tartakower. Michael Ehn invites you to travel back in time to Vienna in the early 1920s. | Photo: The building with the former Café Universale | Photos: Archive Michael Ehn

2/24/2022 – Savielly Tartakower was an elite master throughout his career of nearly half a century. Although he never quite reached the chess summit, he is remembered fondly as a colorful figure who enriched the game immensely. On the occasion of the 135th anniversary of his birth on 21 February, it is fitting to look back at his life and legacy. | Photo: Wikipedia

5/26/2020 – Former World Champion Dr. Emanuel Lasker had won the tournament in New York with one round to spare, and current World Champion José Raúl Capablanca was certain to finish second. But the final round of the top-tournament was still fiercely fought and four of the five games ended with a decision - and in all four games it was White who won.| Photo: The Statue of Liberty in New York (Source: Library of Congress)

5/25/2020 – With one round to spare former World Champion Dr. Emanuel Lasker (pictured) won the New York Tournament 1924. In the 21st and penultimate round, the 55-year-old Lasker won against Dr. Savielly Tartakower with fine defensive play. With 15 points from 19 games (+12, =6, -1) Lasker is now 1½ points ahead of World Champion José Raúl Capablanca, who, after a nice endgame victory against Richard Reti, is now on 13½/19 and certain to finish second.

5/22/2020 – In round 18 of the New York Tournament 1924 World Champion José Raúl Capablanca once again showed why he is so hard to beat. After a bad opening he still managed to win against Edward Lasker with strong positional play. Frank Marshall defeated Efim Bogoljubow with a fantastic attack, sacrificing a number of pieces on his way to victory. | Photo: José Raúl Capablanca (Archive)

5/21/2020 – The field at the tournament in New York 1924 consists of eleven players, and in each round one player has a bye. This distorts the table but after 17 of 22 rounds, the situation at the top has cleared up. In round 17 Capablanca had the bye while Emanuel Lasker won with Black against Yates, and with 11½/17 Lasker is now sole first and 1½ points ahead of Capablanca, who is second with 10.0/17. Alekhine follows in third place with 9½/16. | Photo: Lower Manhattan

5/20/2020 – Former World Champion Dr. Emanuel Lasker is back in shape. In round 14 of the tournament in New York he suffered a bitter defeat against Capablanca, in round 15 he had a bye, but now, in round 16, he convincingly won against Reti and his hypermodern opening 1.Nf3. After this victory Dr. Lasker has 10½/14 and is again sole first. In the other games of the round a lot of chances were missed.

5/18/2020 – Capablanca against Lasker, that was the top encounter of the 14th round of the tournament in New York 1924. The game was exciting, but the circumstances were even more dramatic. Lasker lost and afterwards claimed that the clock had a defect. However, tournament director Norbert Lederer said that the clock was fine but Lasker had forgotten to press the button to stop his clock from running. A bitter controversy ensued. | Photo: Capablanca (left) and Lasker at a previous occasion (Photo: media2-web.britannica)

5/17/2020 – Five decisive games, no draws – the 13th round of the New York Tournament 1924 was entertaining. Tournament leader Dr. Emanuel Lasker won with a fine pawn sacrifice against Bogoljubow, Edward Lasker scored his first win and defeated Tartakower, Capablanca easily outplayed Maroczy, Alekhine blundered and lost against Reti, while Marshall calculated better than Janowsky. Dr. Lasker now leads with 9½/12, followed by Reti with 8.0/12 and Capablanca with 7.5/12. | Photo: Library of Congress

5/14/2020 – Two clear wins, three draws and many missed chances - that was the result of round 10 in New York. Emanuel Lasker crushed Reti and Bogoljubow made short work of Yates, but Capablanca squandered the advantage he had easily secured against Marshall. Tartakower, too, had chances against Janowsky and Alekhine was lucky not to lose to Edward Lasker. | Photo: Emanuel Lasker

5/13/2020 – With four draws and a loss World Champion José Raúl Capablanca started badly into the tournament in New York, but he now seems to be back in shape, and in round 9 he defeated Efim Bogoljubov with a fine positional performance. But sole leader remains Emanuel Lasker, who allowed himself a couple of bad moves against Frank Marshall but still managed to escape with a draw. Meanwhile, Richard Reti showed the advantages of "hypermodern" chess. | Photo: José Raúl Capablanca (Archive)

5/12/2020 – Former World Champion Emanuel Lasker, at 55 years of age the second-oldest player in New York seems to be in splendid shape in New York. In round 8 he defeated Efim Bogoljubow with persistence and good endgame technique. In the second top encounter of the round Alekhine won against Reti, while World Champion Capablanca only drew against Maroczy. Lasker now leads with 5.5/7, half a point behind is Alekhine with 5.0/7. | Photo: Emanuel Lasker (Archive)

5/11/2020 – In round 7 of the New York Tournament World Champion Capablanca showed Yates what knights can do while Janowsky showed Bogolyubov the strength of bishops and Emanuel Lasker won a very modern game against Maroczy. Reti also played in modern fashion, but won with a classic motive: the dim knight on the rim. Alekhine and Marshall played the only draw of the round but showed some fascinating tactics. | Photo: Modern parking in New York

5/9/2020 – World Champion José Raúl Capablanca is often called a "Chess Machine" because his games seem to be so smooth and flawless. In fact, since his defeat against Oscar Chajes on January 21 , 1916 Capablanca has not lost a single game in the last eight years. But now, in round 5 of the tournament in New York, he suffered a sensational defeat against Richard Reti (pictured). | Photo: Ernst & Cesanek (Archive)

5/8/2020 – His convincing win against Alexander Alekhine in round 3 of the tournament in New York seems to have inspired former World Champion Emanuel Lasker, and in round 4 he won his second black game in a row, this time against his old rival Dawid Janowsky. In the prestige duel between Capablanca and Alekhine the Cuban dominated once again, but in the end Alekhine managed to escape into a draw. Bogolyubov came to a nice win against Reti and Yates won against Edward Lasker. Tartakower and Maroczy drew but Tartakower enriched the theory of openings with an original concept.

5/5/2020 – The Grandmaster Tournament in New York, one of the strongest tournaments in the history of chess, has started. Favourites are the current World Champion José Raúl Capablanca, the former World Champion Emanuel Lasker, and the young Russian Alexander Alekhine. In the first round, two of the five games ended with a decision: Alekhine won against Frederick Yates after Yates missed a golden opportunity, and Savielly Tartakower won against Efim Bogoljubow with an unusual line of the King's Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Be2!?. | Photo: Alexander Alekhine

6/29/2019 – When on May 26th 2017, in Netanya, a man died during the preparations to celebrate his 80th birthday, the jubilee turned into a memorial for one of the greatest study composers from Israel. Many chess composers have an endless love and passion for chess, but he also had it for raising other young talents. | Photos: Arves.org

6/1/2019 – Many will know the Austro-Hungarian (and later Czechoslovakian) Richard Réti as a world-class player, but also as a great composer of endgame studies, so — in time for his 130th birthday — we continue our exploration of European chess composers with him. (Read part 1) | Photo: Ernst & Cesanek, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

6/20/2018 – Why, after all, are the Indian openings called "Indian"? Conrad Schormann tried to find an answer to this question and found it in the ChessBase Mega Database. It led him back to a clash of classical and hypermodern theory in old India.

6/2/2017 – Paul Keres was perhaps the best of all the top players who never became World Champion. For decades he was among the world's elite and he was also an excellent commentator and renowned theoretician. Vlastimil Hort remembers his encounters with the great Estonian.