If you're a fan of computer games as well as chess, you may be interested to know that a new game called "Battle Vs Chess" is being developed and is planned for release in May on a variety of platforms. If, like me, you are past the first flush o...
In my last blog post I was amazed at some of the more bizarre novelty chess sets available. That was nothing! There are some more amazing sets here...some of the pics are below. Which one do you like best? Speaking of novelty chess sets, Sout...
I have a few chess sets, and one 'best' set (pictured) that looks and feels great. Chess sets can come in all sorts of sizes, designs and materials to suit just about any taste or budget. From pocket sets to giant sets, plastic to rare and...
A short profile of Magnus Carlsen with brief snippets of an interview is available via the AFP news agency. They used the most miserable photo of Magnus I've ever seen (not the one on this page) and called him sulky! He recently completed high ...
I just discovered this wonderful short film and simply had to share it here at Chess.com! Written and directed by Stelios Koukouvitakis, it won the Platinum Remi award at the 42nd International Houston Film Festival. SynopsisVictoria, a ...
Once she may smile, or thrice, thy soul to fire, In passing by, but when she turns her face, Thou must persist and seek her with desire, If thou wouldst win the favor of her grace. And if, like some winged bird, she cleaves the air, ...
There's an interesting blog post on TechRepublic about the influence of computers in chess, and how GM's such as Hikaru Nakamura use them to help prepare for their opponents. Chess may not have the mass-market appeal of more “active” sports like ...
The latest edition of The New York Review Of Books magazine features an absolutely fascinating review by Garry Kasparov of the book "Chess Metaphors: Artificial Intelligence and the Human Mind" by Diego Rasskin-Gutman. You can read the review here.
I'm currently playing a lot of games against opponents quite a lot stronger than myself, and I'm having a pretty hard time of it. By way of some repentant self-flagellation, I have exhibited two horrible losses below for your entertainment. So t...
TIME magazine has a profile of Magnus Carlsen in their next issue. You can read the online version here. Nice to see Magnus getting some really high-profile coverage in the wider world outside chess circles! An interview from the last edition ...
A few videos of blitz games from the recent World Blitz Championship have emerged on YouTube. This is my favourite, between Carlsen and Karjakin on the final day (round 34). It's great to see an actual video of the game, to remind us just how qu...
Dylan Loeb McClain has a few nice quotes from Magnus Carlsen following on from his win in Nanjing in his latest NY Times 'Gambit' chess blog. Link here. I think 2900 Elo may be too much to ask, but the fact that he thinks it's possible shows his ...
A few videos featuring rare photos of Bobby Fischer have recently surfaced on the internet. I'd seen one before (with different music in the background) but the others were new to me, so I thought it was worth sharing them here - they're definite...
One nice feature of Chess.com that doesn't get much promotion is the photo section which allows all members to upload their favourite snaps of themselves, their family, their pets, their favourite celebrities etc. Creating an album and adding pho...
Have you read any good novels that involved chess in the story? I've read quite a few non-instructional chess books... King's Gambit by Paul Hoffman The immortal Game by David Shenk White King and Red Queen by Daniel Johnson Chess B1tch by Jen...
A huge number of chess-related videos have been uploaded by chess.com members to the free chess videos section. The section needs some improvements to it's functionality e.g. the ability to search for videos, and some way of weeding out duplicate...
The latest release of updates for Chess.com includes new 3D boards (sometimes known as 2.5D boards due to the board itself staying a square shape, rather than being distorted to give the impression of 3D). There are also new board colours and oth...
Social networking on the web is big news, and the biggest social networking site (according to most measures, anyway) is Facebook, with over 200 million users. Wikipedia says that..."A social network service focuses on building online communities...
Chess can be a source of great joy, but also terrible heartache. In some individuals, especially gifted children, it can become an obsession which can lead to social isolation. So should you teach chess to your children? I don't have any childr...
A rare game where one side has three Queens on the board at the same time! H/T Chess Today.
The Corus website has a nice piece about Ivanchuk, illustrating his obsession with chess. Link here. H/T Dennis Monokroussos.
If you like chess (and if you don't what are you doing on this website?!) then you will probably enjoy the previews of Chessbase instructional videos available at their YouTube channel. An nice example is below from the evergreen Viktor Kortchnoi...
A while ago I discovered 21-year old Danish artist Carina Jørgensen (pictured right, engaging in some martial arts training!), who has a section of her online portfolio dedicated to chess. It includes portraits of famous chess players as well as ...
"All I want to do, ever, is just play chess" - Bobby Fischer Rest In Peace
