Magnus Carlsen

Magnus Carlsen (1990-) is a Norwegian chess Grandmaster and World Chess Champion, with a peak rating of 2882 – the highest in history at the time of writing. A chess prodigy, he earned the Grandmaster title at the age of 13. He uses a variety of openings to make it as difficult as possible for his opponents to prepare against him.

The Chess World of Ben Mezrich

Mezrich invented a world championship match and gave a well-known arbiter a new last name. His book is not an accurate portrayal of the chess world. But it is a rollicking read which is slated to become a Hollywood motion picture. More 🡢

Chess and Poker: Jennifer Shahade Returns to US Chess

WGM Jennifer Shahade is back to the US Chess fold – and she’s bringing pro poker skills with her. After resolving all matters with the federation, Shahade has been named its first-ever Official Ambassador. Her new book argues that thinking across both games can sharpen your edge. More 🡢

Alexey Root and Magnus Carlsen, October 10, 2024

My Photos with Five World Chess Champions

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 🡢

Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life (book review)

IM Danny Rensch’s memoir Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life is, as suggested by its title, dark. He suffered from hunger, parental abandonment, and lack of health care, with the last almost costing him his hearing. Playing chess as one of the top young masters in the United States gave him opportunities to travel and to see families living normal lives. More 🡢

FIDE Grand Swisses and Nakamura’s Path to the Candidates

The FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 has 116 players, and there are 56 players in the concurrent FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss. The top two finishers in both the Open and the Women’s will earn places in the 2026 Candidates and the 2026 Women’s Candidates, respectively. The two Grand Swisses are being contested in Samarkand, with the first round on September 4. More 🡢

Open and Women’s (and Men’s) in chess

The Varsity Chess Match is in London on March 8. International Women’s Day is observed each year on March 8, making this a good day to discuss gendered terminology. More 🡢

Recent Examples of Plagiarism in Chess Writing

The 2023 book Kings, Queens & Rookies:The Tata Steel Chess Tournament – A Celebration of 85 Years includes, without citing its source, a game annotated by Magnus Carlsen that appeared almost 20 years earlier in New in Chess magazine. Chess historian Edward Winter may want to add this example to his article on copying. More 🡢

To be determined: Chess in London, Paris, and Budapest

After winning his August 7–11 match against GM Anish Giri in the Netherlands, GM Hans Niemann plays against GM Nikita Vitiugov August 14–18 in London. The matches are part of “GM Hans Niemann against the World” series. The third and final match in the series is in Paris, August 20–24, against Étienne Bacrot. GM Hans Niemann against the World has a total prize pool of $100,000. More 🡢