The Blogger Awards: November 2025 Winners
Hello everyone! Welcome to the latest installment of The Blogger Awards v2.0, covering entries in November 2025! This continues a blogging community tradition that recognizes the best blogs of the month in different categories.
It's time to announce the results. All those who reach the podium can expect to see the results reflected in The Blogger Awards v2.0 Medal Table in short order.
Judges: @PokeGirl93, @Alina_Bakhtina_24, @KevinChessSmith
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Gold: @VOB96 for The Lord Of The Pawns
Silver: @JugadaBrillante for How to cheat at chess using physics
Bronze: @Chickenfarmer2009 for The English Opening: Why it Sucks, Why You Shouldn't Play it, and Why I Play it Anyway
Received votes: @theeldest1
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Some comments from the judges:
PokeGirl93:
@VOB96's title was concise, told enough about the topic without revealing it all, and had a nice word-play. Very well-done. I also enjoyed @JugadaBrillante, his title caught my attention and makes the reader think "What??". My third place goes to @Chickenfarmer2009. It is very long, but this added to its charm and worked to make it humorous.
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Alina_Bakhtina_24:
I give first place to @JugadaBrillante. It's not the most original or the longest, but it's intriguing enough to give a general idea of the blog's topic. Second place goes to @VOB96—her headline is short and creative, but you might not immediately understand what it's about unless you've seen The Lord of the Rings, but overall, I think it's intriguing for anyone. Third place goes to @Chickenfarmer2009. I'm not a fan of overly long headlines, but if a blog's headline is interesting and compelling, it definitely makes up for it. The author of this blog had me hooked right away.
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KevinChessSmith:
Vanessa earned my nomination for gold with her Tolkienesh title. The physics and chess geek in me couldn't resist @JugadaBrillante's title (plus, I've written several humor blogs on chess cheating myself), making it a "gotta read this!" Sorry, you didn't get gold, but TBs happen, and I placed you second. Deciding on bronze was tough. I finally went with @theeldest1 because I felt the title fully captures a topic that resonates with every chess player, trying to move up the ranks.
Shorter is better! (in general...imo). @Chickenfarmer2009 just missed out on my nominees for a podium spot despite the length of that title-it's fully appropriate in that instance. @NMChessToImpress was also on the radar scope, but I'd have deleted a few words and gone with something like You're Still Playing Hope Chess?!? Brevity rules! Another title I liked was by @MrRiskau99. I might have sought after more mystery, and fewer words, with Letters From the Silent Game. Same with @DocSimoo. A brief title such as Never Miss a Tournament Start! would have tickled my fancy a bit more.
SIDENOTE: For those who chose to CAPITALIZE THEIR ENTIRE TITLE...please don't. It's very nonstandard.
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Gold: @theeldest1 for I Got My First National Chess Title!
Silver: @NMChessToImpress for You Guys (& Gals) Are Still Playing Hope Chess?!
Bronze: @PierreLuc for Six things I learned while GAINING 100 ELO this year
Received votes: @DocSimooo, @JugadaBrillante, @nova-stone
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Some comments from the judges:
PokeGirl93:
Whenever someone gets a title, writing a blog about it is almost mandatory, so I assume this makes the topic great. Good job by @theeldest1. I also enjoyed @PierreLuc writing about his improvement and tips. My bronze goes to @DocSimooo. It is relevant and important for such a worldwide website like this.
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Alina_Bakhtina_24:
@NMChessToImpress, @JugadaBrillante, @nova-stone – are my favorites. First place goes to @NMChessToImpress, as the topic he covered in his blog is very interesting and relevant for chess players of all levels. Second place goes to @JugadaBrillante. The topic is very creative and unconventional, which is why I liked it. Third place goes to @nova-stone, who also wrote a blog on a cool topic that will be of interest to many.
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KevinChessSmith:
The sheer variety of topics this month led me to focus on posts that are about chess improvement, since that's such a thematic topic for almost all chess players. The result? My personal podium, gold to bronze, was @theeldest1, @NMChessToImpress, and @nova-stone. All solid, so why in that order, you might ask? Well, either counterintuitively, or correctly, I decided to go with "I succeeded", "how not to succeed", and the ultra-critical "how to improve over the long-term." In other words, my opinion of what the vox populi (bing suggests the latin phrase "sententiae maioritatis scaccorum"...too busy for me) wants to know about chess improvement, not necessarily what people should put most of their effort into. So it goes.
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Gold: @alphaous for What's New? What's Next? (2025 Remaster)
Silver: @JugadaBrillante for How to cheat at chess using physics
Bronze: @Chickenfarmer2009 for The English Opening: Why it Sucks, Why You Shouldn't Play it, and Why I Play it Anyway and @Lightning_McQueen_14 for METHODICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE BUSHIDO CODE TO THE REALITIES OF MODERN CHESS.
Received votes: @zanilor
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Some comments from the judges:
PokeGirl93:
I will start with a honourable mention to @chickenfarmer2009. His blog amused me. However, it missed my top 3 because @JugadaBrillante wrote a blog that made me laugh while remembering the good old days in college, @Lightning_McQueen_14 made some funny parallels between a serious code and chess, and @alphaous brought some good humour while narrating his struggles. Good job by everyone!
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Alina_Bakhtina_24:
The king of jokes this time for me was @alphaous, whose humor was simply brilliant and kept me laughing for a long time. Second place went to @JugadaBrillante, and third to @Lightning_McQueen_14, who, by the way, is famous for his creative jokes.
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KevinChessSmith:
Vanessa almost made it to the podium on this one with her pun-ditry, but I felt three others earned spots ahead of her in this category. I pushed @Chickenfarmer2009 for gold, we'll see how things stack up after all the judges vote. It was easy to miss it, but @zanilor threw a lot of nice jabs that lightened up a marvelous concept piece, so I placed them second on my podium. Finally, @alphaous hit too many jocular notes to go unmentioned, so bronze it is!
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Gold: @nova-stone for Moving Beyond: Meta-Analysis
Silver: @NMChessToImpress for You Guys (& Gals) Are Still Playing Hope Chess?!
Bronze: @alphaous for What's New? What's Next? (2025 Remaster)
Received votes: @theeldest1
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Some comments from the judges:
PokeGirl93:
@nova-stone analysed the analysis, that's another level of analysis. Very good and deserves gold. @NMChessToImpress makes complex things look simple (maybe for him, they are), and I appreciate especially this easy communication of the idea. For third place, I chose @theeldest1 and his nice analysis of his games, but feel the need to mention the good jobs made by @Chickenfarmer2009 and @alphaous.
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Alina_Bakhtina_24:
@nova-stone definitely outdid everyone; I absolutely loved the combination of precision and expert delivery. Second place goes to @NMChessToImpress, who also delivers a very competent and easy-to-understand analysis. Third place goes to @alphaous, who did a great work!
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KevinChessSmith:
@nova-stone metamorphized analysis, continuing their Midas touch in this category. I felt @alphaous outdid the next two candidates because the analysis was both straightforward and personal. Finally, I offered a bronze nod to @NMChessToImpress, who always impresses.
Tbh, and imo, @theeldest1 sank their candidacy in this category by leaving in far too many annotation symbols (?, ?!, etc.) without a single word on why the move deserved such remarkable attention. Sure, I might know why a move was good, bad, or indifferent, but most readers won't. Other than that, their analysis was insightful, and far better than most analytic efforts!
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Gold: @VOB96 for The Lord Of The Pawns
Silver: @MrRiskau99 for The Letters From The Silent Game : Chess from the pieces' POV
Bronze: @zanilor for In Hellish Quicksand
Received votes: @alphaous, @DocSimooo, @JugadaBrillante
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Some comments from the judges:
PokeGirl93:
@MrRiskau99 earned my gold for always keeping me wondering what the next would be and the ideas behind each letter. Good idea. @VOB96 made an awesome adaptation of the most engaging movie I know, so the blog had also the same level, of course. And finally, I'd say @alphaous and his easy flow of the story that made me barely notice I had spend many minutes reading it.
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Alina_Bakhtina_24:
Gold – @VOB96, I was absolutely delighted and completely forgot about the time I spent reading the entire blog, the blog is simply stunning (!!); silver – @JugadaBrillante, bronze – @DocSimooo. The last two bloggers made less of an impression on me than Vanessa, but they wrote excellent blogs that left me with a wonderful feeling, because I couldn't stop reading!
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KevinChessSmith:
There were any number of blogs that were fully engaging. But three blogs scratched my personal itch for fantasy. I nominated @zanilor for gold because it was both a metaphorical/allegorical summation of blitz, and it was wrapped around an actual game. Mere microns behind for silver on my scorecard was @MrRiskau99...sure hope you two aren't alternate identities!🤣 (That's a joke, in case I struck anyone as serious.) Then there was @VOB96. If it wasn't derivative (which is where the charm arises, so that's a conundrum that can't be dissolved), I might have awarded my vote for gold to you (although it is a bit long if you play out all the characters and check out all the false paths.😉 I did not find that a deterrent!)
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Gold: @VOB96 for The Lord Of The Pawns
Silver: @nova-stone for Moving Beyond: Meta-Analysis
Bronze: @zanilor for In Hellish Quicksand
Received votes: @PierreLuc
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Some comments from the judges:
PokeGirl93:
Not so long ago, I wrote in the BC notes that @VOB96 had a simple style but that I was sure she could be more eloquent if she wanted. This Tolkien-style text proves what I said. She went off her usual writing and still did great! Second place goes to @zanilor. Writing poems is not easy at all, and he did a great one without feeling forced. My third place goes to @nova-stone, although I considered @alphaous, @DocSimooo and many others too.
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Alina_Bakhtina_24:
Who wins another gold medal? Of course, it goes to @VOB96! There's no need to comment or explain much, as her writing deserves a loud and well-deserved round of applause 👏! Silver – @nova-stone, her blog is amazing, as is her writing style, precision, and argumentation. Bravo! Bronze – @PierreLuc, I loved his emotional and lively style of information; he presented the information creatively, as if communicating directly with the reader.
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KevinChessSmith:
Though a niche (not everybody reads fantasy novels or watches the movies), @VOB96 still provided a superb literary path filled with fun and pun, so gold it was. Following close behind was @nova-stone, whose insights were measured, insightful, and often quite fun. Proof positive that analysis does not have to be a dry exercise! I felt @zanilor earned the bronze just ahead of many others. Turning a blitz chess game into a poem struck me as particularly challenging! So many others demonstrated excellent writing skills that I won't list them all here, for fear I might leave out someone.
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Gold: @VOB96 for The Lord Of The Pawns
Silver: @DocSimooo for Understanding Time Zones on Chess.com: Never Miss a Tournament Again
Bronze: @JugadaBrillante for How to cheat at chess using physics
Received votes: N/A
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Some comments from the judges:
PokeGirl93:
@VOB96 made me feel inside LOTR with her soundtrack, pictures, tone, choice of words, etc. For me it was the best one by a mile. Second place goes to @DocSimooo, an expert on that. For third, I was between @JugadaBrillante and @nova-stone. Opted for the former because I found the overall structure of the blog a bit simpler to understand and follow.
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Alina_Bakhtina_24:
I think @DocSimooo did a great job and deserves gold! Second place goes to @VOB96, whose music was a great touch; bronze goes to @JugadaBrillante.
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KevinChessSmith:
Gold for @VOB96, who was in top form in all aspects, even if you just scrolled through the blog without running the adventure. @DocSimooo would have earned gold most months, but silver ain't half bad.🥈 Then the pickings were rich-there were numerous excellent editing jobs! I finally selected @JugadaBrillante as my candidate for bronze. A special mention for @nova-stone.
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Gold: @WillowCat423
Silver: @MrRiskau99
Bronze: @Chickenfarmer2009
Received votes: N/A
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Some comments from the judges (Attention, in this category, @VOB96 voted instead of @PokeGirl93):
VOB96:
@MrRiskau99 raised his level and delivered his best blog to date. Another one that keeps improving is @WillowCat423. Curious to see his blogs during Season 10. Bronze medal goes to @Chickenfarmer2009, in my opinion."
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Alina_Bakhtina_24:
I love watching @WillowCat423's blogs improve, they get better and better! Next up is @MrRiskau99, who put in the effort and definitely deserves the award; third place goes to @Chickenfarmer2009, who's showing great promise!
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KevinChessSmith:
For gold, I'm nominating @WillowCat423, who earned Silver for Most Improved in September and continues to grow into their capabilities! They were podium contenders in several categories for me and a breakthrough in the other categories is only a matter of time. Everyone else seems to be either an established medalist in at least one other category, or brand new to the competition. Barring some username change I missed, that leaves no silver or bronze candidates for me. (I'm terrible at tracking username changes, so might have overlooked an improver.)
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Gold: @alphaous for What's New? What's Next? (2025 Remaster)
Silver: @DocSimooo for Understanding Time Zones on Chess.com: Never Miss a Tournament Again and @NMChessToImpress for You Guys (& Gals) Are Still Playing Hope Chess?!
Bronze: N/A due to a tie for silver.
Received votes: @MrRiskau99
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Some comments from the judges:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
PokeGirl93:
I liked the mood of @MrRiskau99. This thumbnail somehow brings the right tone of the title. Didn't give it gold because there was a bit too much text and a white line in the bottom. Therefore, my gold went to @alphaous and his creative thumb. Just needed the text to be slower. I am giving the bronze to @DocSimooo's cool effort, with a special mention to @VOB96.
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Alina_Bakhtina_24:
Gold – @NMChessToImpress, Silver – @alphaous, Bronze – @DocSimooo. All of these winners excelled and deserved their awards!
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KevinChessSmith:
Two thumbs up for the improvements in this category! My nominees, from top to bottom, were @DocSimooo, @NMChessToImpress, and @alphaous. I thought all three of them transmitted a clear message, with Doc's offering incredible clarity, my silver nominee providing boatloads of amusement, and alpha providing a fun gif for a nice change of pace.
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Gold: @DocSimooo for Understanding Time Zones on Chess.com: Never Miss a Tournament
Silver: @RJFraser for Crest and Collapse: The Transgender Wave in Retrospect
Bronze: @JugadaBrillante for How to cheat at chess using physics and @nova-stone for Moving Beyond: Meta-Analysis
Received votes: @Lightning_McQueen_14
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Some comments from the judges:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
PokeGirl93:
My gold goes to @DocSimooo for linking his great research with a daily problem of Chess.com that all players struggle with. Despite not chess-related, I must recognize the very good research by @RJFraser on a polemic topic. Third place was hard, but I decided that @Lightning_McQueen_14 actually did a great research to link the code to chess, even if in a satirical way.
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Alina_Bakhtina_24:
It would be a shame not to award gold to @DocSimooo! Amazing research, definitely the best this month! The silver medal goes to @JugadaBrillante, whose blog could easily serve as the basis for a research paper/dissertation 😁 The bronze medal goes to @nova-stone, who did excellent research on her chosen topic, so this medal is hers.
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KevinChessSmith:
Okay, wow. @DocSimooo's effort struck me as blowing everyone else out of the water, particularly because it was not only detailed, but chess-oriented. In second, I placed @RJFraser for their in-depth dive and charts, though the post doesn't directly address how this plays out in the chess world. Third place was more nuanced. @VOB96 had to review a slew of material to get the right feel for naming conventions and alterations. @Jehtt is a veritable library of information on the movies that have dominated the box office this century. @Lightning_McQueen_14 dove deep into the Bushido Way to link it to chess. I could go on with several others. But because I've written books on analysis and blogs on quotes (and have a draft blog on chess books), I think I appreciate the research efforts that go into finding meaningful examples of the best, the worst, and the acceptable. Therefore, my bronze nominee is @nova-stone.
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Gold: Capturing the ultimate recognition was @VOB96 for The Lord Of The Pawns
Silver: @nova-stone for Moving Beyond: Meta-Analysis
Bronze: @JugadaBrillante for How to cheat at chess using physics
Received votes: @alphaous
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Some comments from the judges:
PokeGirl93:
@VOB96's has great writing, editing, thumbnail, title, it is engaging... hard not to give gold. It has a problem that I don't know how cool it would be for someone who has never watched LOTR, but I tried to evaluate it "technically" (also because for Die Hard LOTR fans this is probably the best blog ever). Oh, and I loved the puns in the title of each chapter. Second place goes to @nova-stone and their great writing, excellent explanation, good pace, almost a flawless blog. Third place for me was between @DocSimooo and @JugadaBrillante. Doc's is more relevant, but I considered Jugada's more memorable and unique, so I decided for it.
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@Alina_Bakhtina_24:
@VOB96 definitely takes the gold, because when I read this blog, I realized how much work had gone into it! It was incredibly interesting to read, so Vanessa definitely deserves this award more than anyone. Congratulations, another excellent blog! Silver medal goes to @nova-stone, bronze to @JugadaBrillante! The last two bloggers did a fantastic job, their blogs were amazing.
Special mentions to @alphaous,@NMChessToImpress, @DocSimooo
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KevinChessSmith:
@VOB96 crushed it by converting an allegorical set of novels about good versus evil, into a chess contest. The pacing was excellent, the difficulty of the problems was appropriate, and the writing bordered on brilliant with outstanding takes on name-places and characters from the books and movies. If we had a "Most Important" blogging category, that gold would go to @nova-stone (not that I'm biased about the value of analysis, or anything🤔). But this category is about the best blog, and Vanessa's effort offered more fillips and curlicues, so it's silver for nova. My candidate for bronzing was @alphaous. I felt that among the blogs extolling the life of a chess player, their post best captured all the elements of both tournament life and of a superior blog.
I also want to make a special callout for @MrRiskau99 and @zanilor for wildly creative endeavors.
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This is it! Congratulations to all the award winners, all the podium finishers, and everyone who took part! Remember: the competition for December has already opened and we welcome your best blog as you try again to claim a spot on one or more podiums!
We'll see you soon with the December 2025 winners!
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MONTH SUMMARY
| Category | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Best Title | VOB96 | JugadaBrillante | Chickenfarmer2009 |
| Best Topic | theeldest1 | NMChessToImpress | PierreLuc |
| Best Satire | alphaous | JugadaBrillante | Chickenfarmer2009 / Lightning_McQueen_14 |
| Best Analysis | nova-stone | NMChessToImpress | alphaous |
| Most Engaging | VOB96 | MrRiskau99 | zanilor |
| Best Writing | VOB96 | nova-stone | zanilor |
| Best Editing | VOB96 | DocSimooo | JugadaBrillante |
| Most Improved | WillowCat423 | MrRiskau99 | Chickenfarmer2009 |
| Best Thumbnail | alphaous | DocSimooo / NMChessToImpress | - |
| Best Research | DocSimooo | RJFraser | JugadaBrillante / nova-stone |
| Best Blog | VOB96 | nova-stone | JugadaBrillante |
