Chess News

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

April Fools’ Day: Chess Miniatures and GothamChess

On April Fools’ Day, it’s possible to trick oneself and others. Highlighted is Marvelous Modern Miniatures: 2020 Games in 20 Moves or Less and International Master Levy Rozman’s matches with International Master Greg Shahade and with the bird-feed seller Dadang Subur. More 🡢

In Online Chess, Don’t Turn Draws into Losses

Turning a draw into a loss and only drawing when one’s team needed a win both happened in the two most recent U.S. Amateur Team Championships. Two heart-breaking chess positions are discussed in this article, though undoubtedly more than two sad games were played. More 🡢

Exclusive: Free eBook from Forward Chess

We have an exclusive offer for our SparkChess players: a free interactive eBook from Forward Chess! There is a catch, though: the offer expires on March 20. More 🡢

Chess: U.S. Amateur Team West

The U.S. Amateur Team Championship—West (USATW) was first held in February of 1984, attracting 29 teams. This year, the USATW was hosted by the Mechanics’ Institute, the oldest chess club in the U.S. For the first time, the chess teams played online rather than in-person. Three more U.S. Amateur Team Championships are coming up online, on the last three weekends in February. More 🡢

600 Modern Chess Puzzles

If your eyes are usually in front of a screen, switching to reading a paperback book helps your vision. If you choose the book 600 Modern Chess Puzzles by Grandmaster Martyn Kravtsiv, your chess vision improves too. More 🡢

Sherlock Holmes and Chess

There was a triple dose of Sherlock Holmes and chess at US Chess in December of 2020. On December 10, 2020, the 2017 U.S. Women’s Chess Champion Sabina Foisor appeared in the Girls Club to discuss Sherlock’s Method: The Working Tool for the Club Player, written with Grandmaster Elshan Moradiabadi. The December Ladies Knight podcast featured Maria Konnikova, author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. On December 18, The Madwoman’s Book Club discussed Konnikova’s book, with Konnikova herself appearing in the first 10 minutes, and retrograde analysis. More 🡢

Online Chess: ChessTech and BotezLive

Up through November 30, you can get a free ticket to attend ChessTech2020, which happens December 5-6. From December 1, 2020 onwards, ChessTech2020 tickets will cost money. BotezLive is free to watch, 24/7, as the Twitch channel is either live or provides videos of past broadcasts. This article discusses how chess players around the world can connect via ChessTech2020 and BotezLive. More 🡢

COVID-19 survivor Irina Krush wins U.S. Women’s Championship

The U.S. Women’s Championship was held online October 21-24, 2020. Organized by the Saint Louis Chess Club, the time control for the 12-player round robin was Game in 25 with a 5-second increment. Grandmaster Irina Krush won the tournament with 8.5 points scored in 11 rounds. It was Krush’s eighth time to win the U.S. Women’s Championship. More 🡢