All About Chess

Chess-related article archive, from news about SparkChess to in-depth chess lessons and strategies, commented games, analysis and more.

Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar’s Error

Grandmaster (GM) Susan Polgar was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 2019. Along with GM Lajos Portisch and GM Bent Larsen, Susan Polgar is scheduled to be inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame on November 13, 2023. There is an error in her biography, which is repeated by each Chess Hall of Fame. The error involves women chess players’ participation in college chess. More 🡢

Freja at Copenhagen Chess Challenge 2018

Team Chess is like a Family

For Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Freja Vangsgaard, her chess team is not just like a family. It is her family! Freja plays on a team with her father and her twin brother. More 🡢

Full-ride College Chess Scholarships

Full-ride scholarships cover four years of college expenses, including tuition, fees, books, housing, and meals. Several U.S. universities offer full-ride college chess scholarships. While players with FIDE titles are most likely to be awarded full-ride college chess scholarships, players with ratings as low as 2300 US Chess have been awarded these scholarships. More 🡢

Is Hans Niemann the second-best classical chess player of 2022?

Imagine a ranking system in which defeating the World Chess Champion trumps other considerations. In this system, Hans Niemann would be #2 for 2022. Niemann is the only player with a classical chess win over World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen. This imaginary system is more like sports rankings than chess rankings and is loosely based on the Morphy number. More 🡢

The surprising benefits of online chess for seniors

For seniors, learning and playing chess online can bring numerous benefits, such as improved cognitive skills, more opportunities to socialize, and the ability to exercise the mind and body. More 🡢

U.S. Women’s Chess Championships: Participants, Champions, Crosstables

In the 60 U.S. Women’s Chess Championships held between 1937 and 2020, there have been 148 competitors. Of those, 29 have earned the title of U.S. Women’s Champion. This article provides some facts and graphics about those participants and champions, plus a link to crosstables. More 🡢

Leo Dobson red shirt William Root green shirt May 31 2008

Reimagining Chess

The closing of the Good Moves art exhibition at The Power Station, featured a presentation called “Chess Re-Imagined.” It introduces sonification, which means the data-dependent generation of sound. Wikipedia’s page on sonification gives the example of a Geiger counter, where the rate of clicking indicates how much radiation is nearby. More 🡢

Chess Historical Literacy

For chess historical literacy, becoming familiar with the World Chess Champions is essential. Their games and writings influenced both their contemporaries and those that came after them. Therefore, one should be able to name, in order, the World Chess Champions. More 🡢