WIM Alexey Root, PhD

Alexey Root is a Woman International Master and the 1989 U.S. Women's chess champion. Her peak US Chess rating was 2260. She has a PhD in education from UCLA. You can find her books on chess on Amazon.com.

A Chess Boom and a Viral Video

Chess is booming in the Oklahoma City (OKC) metropolitan area. Coffeeshops, bookstores, recreation and community centers, and universities host chess clubs every day of the week. ChessMates OKC posted a chess video that, in less than two months, has over 90,000 views. More 🡢

Interviewing Chess Grandmasters Hans Niemann and Vasyl Ivanchuk

At the FIDE World Team Championship 2022, in 43 one- or two-minute-long videos, I interviewed players, captains, organizers, and FIDE officials. Two of the most famous players I interviewed were Grandmasters Hans Moke Niemann and Vasyl Ivanchuk. The winning team was China, followed by Uzbekistan, Spain, and India. More 🡢

Memoir by Former UT Dallas Chess Coach Rade Milovanovic

TheBookPatch, a print-on-demand self-publisher, published Rade Milovanovic’s International Chess Master My Family and Chess Story with Selected Games and Pictures. The book is 246 pages. Milovanovic completed it in September of 2021. It retails for $38.00 for a print book. It is also available as an e-book ($10.00). More 🡢

Chess Move Order Mystery

In the ninth round of the 2022 U.S. Chess Championship, Grandmaster Awonder Liang played a surprising third move against Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana. Liang’s third move has long been considered bad, yet Liang drew the game. At the end of 13 rounds, Caruana became the 2022 U.S. Champion. More 🡢

Understanding Pawn Endgames (book review)

In 2022, Gambit Publications published Understanding Pawn Endgames by International Master Valentin Bogdanov. Bogdanov is from Ukraine and was the 2016 European Over-65 Champion. More 🡢

Problem Chess The Art and Magic on the Chessboard

Problem Chess: Art and Magic on the Chess Board

Gambit Publications published Problem Chess: Art and Magic on the Chess Board by Göran Forslund. Forslund died in September 2015, just before the publication of this print edition. Previously, this Gambit title was available only in an electronic format. More 🡢

Modern Chess Opening Repertoire for White

Gambit Publications published Modern Chess Opening Repertoire for White by International Master James Rizzitano. More 🡢

Alexey Root receives trophy from Director Tom Crane

Chess Research: Monetary Awards for University Students

The Chessable Research Awards promote chess research by undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty research sponsors. Chessable plans three cycles per year of monetary awards. Applications for the first cycle are open until October 1, 2022. Chessable is also known for spaced repetition, which is a helpful technique for memorizing chess openings. More 🡢