Every chess player knows the feeling. The board empties out. Pieces disappear one by one until only a handful remain. The clock ticks. The position demands precision. And somewhere deep inside, a voice whispers: this is boring. If that voice sounds familiar, welcome to the club. Endgames have a reputation problem. They feel like homework […]
There’s a moment in every chess player’s journey when they first encounter the Italian Opening, and something just clicks. Picture a dimly lit chess club on a rainy Tuesday evening, thick with the smell of old books and strong coffee. A young player sits across from a silver-haired gentleman named Giuseppe, who claims to have
Mamma Mia!: The Undeniable Beauty of the Italian Opening Read More »
In June 2000, a nine-year-old Norwegian boy sat down to play chess with a rating of 904. By August 2019, that same player would stand atop the chess world with a rating of 2882—the highest in history. This is the story of Magnus Carlsen’s extraordinary ascent, a journey that redefined what’s possible in the ancient
From 904 to 2882: The 5 Phases of Magnus Carlsen’s Rating Ascent Read More »
It was late 2019, and Hikaru Nakamura was staring down a crossroads. The five-time U.S. Chess Champion had just failed to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, the gateway to challenging for the world championship. At 32, he’d been chasing the ultimate title his entire life. The door had slammed shut once again. But instead of
The Netflix Effect: How Hikaru Nakamura Transformed Chess into a Spectator Sport Read More »
The call came on a hot summer day in 1972, and it wasn’t from just anyone. Henry Kissinger, the United States Secretary of State, had more pressing matters to attend to—Vietnam, détente with China, the ongoing Cold War. Yet there he was, on the phone with a 29-year-old chess player from Brooklyn who was threatening
The Fischer Effect: How One American Single-Handedly Professionalized Chess Read More »
The year was 1984, and the World Chess Championship had been grinding on for five months. Forty-eight games. No winner. Anatoly Karpov, the reigning champion, looked gaunt and exhausted, having lost 22 pounds. His challenger, a 21-year-old Garry Kasparov, sat across from him with fire still burning in his eyes. The match was eventually called
Kasparov: The Man Who Made Chess a Contact Sport Read More »