Alexey Root

Currently, Root serves as a Senior Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. She has authored seven insightful books exploring the connection between chess and education.

Additionally, Root is the Research Awards Coordinator at Chessable and contributes articles to .

Jarred Tetzlaff and Alexey Root, photo by Ryan Deering

Emotions in chess: Let it Go

Certain emotions may distract chess players from finding good moves. This article suggests two strategies, let it go and avoid obsessions, that may help players achieve emotional states which are better for chess. More 🡢

Like Cats and Dogs: A Chess Fight

Some chess games resemble fighting like cats and dogs, with each side’s chessmen engaging in attacks and counterattacks. This article presents one such chess game, played in the first leg of the FIDE Grand Prix 2022 Series. More 🡢

Winning! At chess, with Nigel Short

Former World Chess Championship Challenger Nigel Short has written his first book, Winning. The English Chess Federation selected Winning as one of four books under consideration for its 2021 “Book of the Year.” Although Winning did not win, it got a special mention. Like Nigel Short the chess commentator, Nigel Short the chess writer is educational and entertaining. More 🡢

Chess and Weight Loss (part 3)

The filter “Is it true, is it necessary, is it kind?” has been attributed to Socrates and Buddhism, among other sources. Using the first two questions, Dr. Alexey Root examines one quote from Attacking the Strongpoint: The Philosophy of Chess by Grandmaster Igor Zaitsev. Then she considers diets. More 🡢

U.S. Women’s Chess Championships: Participants, Champions, Crosstables

In the 60 U.S. Women’s Chess Championships held between 1937 and 2020, there have been 148 competitors. Of those, 29 have earned the title of U.S. Women’s Champion. This article provides some facts and graphics about those participants and champions, plus a link to crosstables. More 🡢

Clubs turn to online chess

The ChessClub and Scholastic Center of Atlantaclosed on March 11 because of the pandemic. Its founders, Karen Boyd and Grandmaster Ben Finegold, are streaming online and planning the club’s in-person re-opening. The Dallas Chess Club vacated its rented location in June. Its staff is running in-person chess tournaments at hotels. WIM Alexey Root tells how each club is dealing with the pandemic. More 🡢

Joys and sorrows of over-the-board and online chess

On July 18-19, WIM Alexey Root played in the third annual Queen City of the Prairie Open and Fort Worth Championship. More 🡢

Almost heaven, West Virginia

There are 5,541 players listed on US Chess in West Virginia, though that number includes inactive players, expired members, and even the deceased. West Virginia has 1.78 million residents, so a little more than .3% of residents have been, or are currently, part of US Chess. Near the end of March, I will visit West Virginia to promote chess in that state. This article shares why chess may be a good addition to schools and provides a chess puzzle from 1848. More 🡢