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.
Grandmaster Jan Timman’s final masterpiece, *Timman’s Studies*, celebrates his legacy through brilliant endgame compositions and timeless chess insight. More 🡢
Discover how Texas blends global culture and competition, from Texas’ Eiffel Tower to chess tournaments across the state. More 🡢
On January 14, 2026, New In Chess published Bobby Fischer’s Chess Queen: The untold story of the Indian woman who captured the American World Champion’s heart. Its author is Woman International Master Shernaz Kennedy. Her memoi.r is a quick and entertaining read More 🡢
The 2026 Pan-Am was held January 2–5 in Oak Brook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Webster University, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the University of Missouri, and Saint Louis University finished first, second, third, and fourth (respectively) in the Open section. More 🡢
According to his biographer John S. Hilbert, George H. Mackenzie was universally loved during his lifetime but utterly forgotten after his death. “George H. Mackenzie: A Chess Biography” presents Mackenzie’s games and stories about his life and times. More 🡢
The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League is the world’s first and largest official franchise chess league. FIDE and Tech Mahindra are celebrating Season 3, which features 13 of the 15 top-rated players in the world. More 🡢
In early October, at the newly-renovated Saint Louis Chess Club, two former World Chess Champions participated in the first Clutch Chess: The Legends. They played Chess960, a variant where the pieces on the back rank are scrambled, in the same way, for White and Black. For example, White’s queen might begin on a1, and Black’s queen might begin on a8. GM Garry Kasparov defeated GM Viswanathan Anand in a three-day showdown that captivated fans around the world. More 🡢
At the 2025 U.S. Senior Women’s Championship, three people told me that I lack fighting spirit. And that I have a peaceful nature. They are right. I like to offer draws, and I like to accept draw offers. Therefore, the best tournaments for me to play in would be those that prohibit offering draws. Then I would be forced to fight in my chess games, and my chess skills would likely improve. More 🡢
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