WIM Alexey Root, PhD

Alexey Root is a Woman International Master and the 1989 U.S. Women's chess champion. Her peak US Chess rating was 2260. She has a PhD in education from UCLA. You can find her books on chess on Amazon.com.

Fischer Era Chess Prodigy Headlines Caveman Chess Festival

Chess Review first mentioned Salvatore “Sal” Matera in its July 1959 issue. In 1959, Matera was eight years old and had learned chess only the Christmas before. Yet Matera played well in the U.S. Amateur Championship, thus earning the 1959 mention. More 🡢

Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield and GM Irina Krush

Cairns Chess Queens Award: $100,000 for new U.S. Grandmasters

Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield announced the Cairns Chess Queens Award, a $100,000 award for up to five American women who achieve the title of grandmaster (GM) within the next five years. More 🡢

Three Bob Fergusons, Two Chess Masters, and One State of Confusion

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, age 59, is running for Governor of Washington State. As a teenager, he went by “Bobby Ferguson” and was a chess master. Just before the filing deadline, two other men named “Bob Ferguson” joined him in the race to become governor. Another chess master, Christopher Chabris, co-authored a book that discusses how people are fooled, with one example being voting for a similarly named, but less qualified, candidate. More 🡢

Dead Position and Stalemates at Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland

The 2024 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland ended May 12, with Magnus Carlsen, the number one player in the world, winning first place and $40,000. The total prize fund was $175,000. Over five days, 10 competitors played nine rounds of rapid games followed by eighteen rounds of blitz, for a total of 135 games. The rapid time control was game in 25 minutes plus a 10-second increment. The blitz time control was game in 5 minutes plus a 2-second increment. More 🡢

Celebrate Nebraska Chess from May 31–June 2, 2024

Nebraska native Rodney Malpert is the principal financial backer of the Nebraska Hall of Fame Chess Celebration on June 1st and 2nd. The prize fund for the tournament is $13,650. On May 31, the Nebraska Chess Hall of Fame inducts US Chess Senior Master Malpert, Woman International Master Alexey (Rudolph) Root, Kent Nelson, and International Master Keaton Kiewra. Five decades ago, Nebraska’s capital city of Lincoln hosted two U.S. Opens, the flagship tournament of US Chess. More 🡢

US Chess Safe Play: Real-life Examples

When WGM Jennifer Shahade posted “Time’s up.” on X (formerly Twitter) on February 15, 2023, she was the Women’s Program Director for US Chess. Less than a month later, an article in The Wall Street Journal stated, “former U.S. women’s chess champion Jennifer Shahade alleged on social media last month that she had been sexually assaulted by a prominent grandmaster named Alejandro Ramirez.” On April 5, 2024, US Chess published a Safe Play example that had some of the same elements found in allegations against Ramirez. More 🡢

The Saint Louis Chess Conference: Grandmaster Maurice Ashley

The Saint Louis Chess Conference will be October 24–26. If you are interested in presenting, the proposal submission deadline is April 5. Early bird pricing ends on April 30. Keynote speakers are Grandmasters Maurice Ashley and Judit Polgár and former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov. More 🡢

Wisconsin’s newest Woman International Master

In December 2023, Wisconsin resident Aradh Kaur earned the Woman International Master (WIM) title. Wisconsin Public Radio reported that Kaur was the first WIM from Wisconsin. But that is not true. Marilyn Simmons, née Koput, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1948 and was a WIM. More 🡢