In 1971 Bobby Fischer was on his way to the World Championship, but agreed to take part in a blitz tournament in New York, organised by the Manhattan Chess Club. Fischer won the tournament 25.5 - 0.5. But in round 1, Fischer came close to losing against the well-known and popular author GM Andrew Soltis, but managed to turn the tables. On Twitter/X Davide Nastasio shared a picture of this encounter - and here is the story behind the picture.
Another round is in the books at the 2023 U.S. Championships and we’ve been treated to some cutting tactical blows and positional masterpieces. In the Open Section, we had an all-too-familiar reminder that nobody is safe. Coming off a convincing win with the black pieces against GM Ray Robson, GM Sam Sevian looked to increase his lead with the white pieces against GM Hans Niemann.
Hello chess friends! This month’s column is dedicated to Abraham Wilson of Mililani, Hawaii, a long-time competitor in the Absolute Championships and the Golden Knights Championships. Abe has retired from competitive correspondence chess after 36 years of competition. His accomplishments are worthy of recognition, and so this month we salute Abe Wilson, Correspondence Warrior!
Few individuals have had as great an influence on American chess as IM Jeremy Silman, who died on September 21 in Los Angeles, California. The cause was complications from primary progressive aphasia frontotemporal dementia.
This week's Wednesday Workout features a smattering of highlights from IM Jeremy Silman's playing career. An obituary is forthcoming on Chess Life Online.