Chess News

General chess-related articles and information about SparkChess development; this section is for everyone interested in chess.

Grandmasters compete at Coppell Chess Club

Grandmaster Jeffery Xiong is ranked 43rd in the world by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). On May 20, 2023, Xiong played two rounds in the Coppell Chess Club First Year Anniversary Grand Celebration. More 🡢

Chess Champion from China

Ding Liren winning the FIDE World Championship 2023 reminds fans that China is a chess powerhouse. Perhaps the first time a Chinese player captured the world’s attention was October 29, 1991. That’s when Xie Jun (family name Xie) won the Women’s World Chess Championship. More 🡢

FIDE World Championship 2023: Decisive Chess Games

he FIDE World Championship match between Ding Liren from China and Ian Nepomniachtchi from Russia is from April 7 to May 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan. While previous 21st century world championship matches featured many draws, the first half of the Ding Liren versus Ian Nepomniachtchi match had five decisive games and two draws. Decisive games include moves that are less than perfect. More 🡢

Free Chess Content, Spring 2023

The London Chess Conference was March 17-19. Videos of its sessions are available for free on YouTube. On April 10, the Mechanics’ Institute will hold a free Zoom session about the 2023 World Chess Championship match between Ding Liren from China and Ian Nepomniachtchi from Russia. More 🡢

A Chess Boom and a Viral Video

Chess is booming in the Oklahoma City (OKC) metropolitan area. Coffeeshops, bookstores, recreation and community centers, and universities host chess clubs every day of the week. ChessMates OKC posted a chess video that, in less than two months, has over 90,000 views. More 🡢

Interviewing Chess Grandmasters Hans Niemann and Vasyl Ivanchuk

At the FIDE World Team Championship 2022, in 43 one- or two-minute-long videos, I interviewed players, captains, organizers, and FIDE officials. Two of the most famous players I interviewed were Grandmasters Hans Moke Niemann and Vasyl Ivanchuk. The winning team was China, followed by Uzbekistan, Spain, and India. More 🡢

Chess Move Order Mystery

In the ninth round of the 2022 U.S. Chess Championship, Grandmaster Awonder Liang played a surprising third move against Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana. Liang’s third move has long been considered bad, yet Liang drew the game. At the end of 13 rounds, Caruana became the 2022 U.S. Champion. More 🡢

Fighting Draws in Texas Chess Games

On behalf of the Alliance Chess Club, Louis A. Reed Jr. organized and directed the Fifth Annual Queen City of the Prairie Open and Fort Worth Championship on July 16–17, 2022. I scored five draws out of five rounds, a performance that cost me US Chess and FIDE rating points. Surprisingly, with 2.5 out of 5 points, I won the first expert prize. Four of my five draws were “fighting” draws, taking most of my energy and almost all my time too. More 🡢