Chess News

General chess-related articles and information about SparkChess development; this section is for everyone interested in chess.

Barbie dream house chess game

Barbie: Chess by the Pool

As of August 23, the film Barbie became the highest-grossing movie of 2023 with $1.3 billion internationally. Its opening montage features two Barbies playing chess by the pool. The film’s themes of female empowerment and patriarchy resonate in the world of chess. More 🡢
Hikaru Nakamura

World Cup 2023: Are the favorites winning?

The FIDE World Cup 2023 takes place from July 29 to August 25, 2023, in Baku, Azerbaijan. In the Open section, 206 players were eligible to take part and 103 were invited to the Women’s section. More 🡢
Andrew Tang, US Chess Open

College chess clashes at U.S. Open

The 2023 U.S. Open ran from July 29 to August 6 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It offered nine-day, six-day, and four-day schedules, which merged in round 7. Two University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) students, Grandmasters David Brodsky and Rahul Srivatshav Peddi, participated. More 🡢
MUNY Chess

The MUNY Solved Chess

For the chess player at the MUNY’s production, the joys of Chess began even before the show started. Employees of the Saint Louis Chess Club and the World Chess Hall of Fame staffed tables where theatergoers played chess and received promotional chess items. Many attendees were playing chess for the first time, as I found out when I taught some of those beginners the two-rook checkmate. The employees also conducted chess trivia contests and handed out prizes. More 🡢
Alexey Root and Jeffery Xiong

Grandmasters compete at Coppell Chess Club

Grandmaster Jeffery Xiong is ranked 43rd in the world by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). On May 20, 2023, Xiong played two rounds in the Coppell Chess Club First Year Anniversary Grand Celebration. More 🡢
Xie Jun

Chess Champion from China

Ding Liren winning the FIDE World Championship 2023 reminds fans that China is a chess powerhouse. Perhaps the first time a Chinese player captured the world’s attention was October 29, 1991. That’s when Xie Jun (family name Xie) won the Women’s World Chess Championship. More 🡢
Ding Liren

FIDE World Championship 2023: Decisive Chess Games

he FIDE World Championship match between Ding Liren from China and Ian Nepomniachtchi from Russia is from April 7 to May 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan. While previous 21st century world championship matches featured many draws, the first half of the Ding Liren versus Ian Nepomniachtchi match had five decisive games and two draws. Decisive games include moves that are less than perfect. More 🡢
London Chess Conference

Free Chess Content, Spring 2023

The London Chess Conference was March 17-19. Videos of its sessions are available for free on YouTube. On April 10, the Mechanics’ Institute will hold a free Zoom session about the 2023 World Chess Championship match between Ding Liren from China and Ian Nepomniachtchi from Russia. More 🡢