In the sixth volume of his FritzTrainer series, Ivan Sokolov, winner of the Olympiad as a coach of Uzbekistan, looks deeply into the ‘supreme discipline’ in chess, the Ruy Lopez, as he shares a number of top grandmasters’ secrets. Harald Wagner watched the seven-hour work and sent us a review.
The traditional Tata Steel international invitation tournament series, annually ongoing since the year 1938, held in Wijk aan Zee and earlier in Beverwijk, is a highlight in the calendar of classical chess. Eduard Frey presents funny Trivia from the rich history of this remarkable tournament. | Photo: Playing Hall, Organiser
The new generation of chess stars is here, with no fewer than nine players aged 19 or younger rated above 2650 at the time. In a 7-part series, we will look at the performances of the top juniors in 2022. Let us start with the clear leader of the pack, Alireza Firouzja. | Find here analysis of a remarkable victory by Firouzja, annotated by Romain Edouard. | Photo: Grand Chess Tour / Lennart Ootes
I’m not a particular devotee of Westerns, but I’ve seen enough to know that at the end there’s normally a shoot-out in which the protagonists have to be at their best to avoid losing their lives. Games of chess are thankfully not fatal, but in many of them there is a final tactical shoot-out, and however well you’ve played beforehand, you have to be able to handle this at least passably to get the win or draw that you deserve. | Pictured: Benny Watts, a main character in Netflix’s ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster
As a tumultuous year is about to end, let us highlight three tournaments that were particularly impactful in the world of chess. Granted, this list does not intend to be all-encompassing, but it features three events that are sure to be remembered for many years to come: the Candidates Tournament in Madrid, the Chess Olympiad in Chennai and the Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis.