2/22/2023 – At top chess tournaments, you usually see the pictures of the players before and during the games. But there is also a lot to see behind the scenes, and the WR Chess Masters at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Düsseldorf is no exception. | Picture: Heike Keymer, Lotis Key and Sebastian Siebrecht (Photos: André Schulz)

2/21/2023 – When Wadim Rosenstein realised a childhood dream and put together a world-class field for his WR Chess Masters in his home town, he hadn't even thought about the political overtones. He simply wanted to bring top chess to the banks of the Rhine in Düsseldorf and for Rosenstein Ian Nepomniachtchi and Andrey Esipenko were world-class grandmasters. After all, Russian chess players are not sanctioned by the World Chess Federation. Nevertheless, there were critical questions. Wadim Rosenstein answers these and other questions in an interview. | Photo: Wadim Rosenstein follows the games in the lounge, Jan Gustafsson is in the back (Photos: André Schulz)