Magnus Carlsen is not a bad rapper, but I am not ready to crown him the Freestyle G.O.A.T. That may change this week though, as a star-studded tournament by that name kicks off in Germany. Magnus, Alireza, Fabiano and others are in action in Chess960, a variant that some insist is the future of chess. I am not sure about that, but I am open to the idea of trying new chess formats to keep things fresh and to see what resonates with fans.
Meanwhile, at the amateur level, regular (non-960) chess is plenty challenging. This point is highlighted by several instructive chess improvement-related posts for you to read. We’ve also got the usual news round-up, both from chess and non-chess sites. Speaking of G.O.A.T.s. I’ll take the Chiefs to win 30-20. Have a good weekend!
Chess Improvement
Dr. Nick Vasquez dissects a bad tournament. There are so many “away from the board” factors that invariably contribute to chess performance. (Or so I tell myself when I have a bad tournament) (Chess in Small Doses)
FM Dalton Perrine Provides an Instructive Rundown of his Most Recent Tournaments (Chess Chatter)
David Hamm is back with another banger- “For us adult improvers, there are many voices screaming "impossible." Many experts say it is impossible for people who don't start at the age of 5 to reach certain levels at chess. I reject that.” (LiChess Blog)
FM Nate Solon on How to Keep Control of a Position. This is a tough concept to explain, but a hallmark of strong players. (Zwischenzug Blog)
Chess News
Get to know more about the winner of the Wijk an Zee “B” Section this year, GM Leon Luke Mendoca. “‘Most coaches tell you all these things you have to do. My coach, GM Vishnu Prasanna questions all those things, saying you have to do what works for you. Even things that have been known for a long time, he questions.” (Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam for the New in Chess Blog)
Dr. Benjamin Portheault is not a fan of many of the current chess tournament formats (and neither am I!) “To me, it’s bonkers that the Candidates tournament can be determined by the effort of the last-placed player, someone with no chances at all.” (Mindcreaser Blog)
Frederic Friedel of Chessbase recently spent some time with GM Ding Liren. Here is what he learned. “We started with a long private dinner during which I could press him to tell me what had happened to him after he won the title. He was quite open and told me everything. Much was quite personal, and naturally I cannot reveal any details here – except perhaps that he has great trouble sleeping and has to take medication for that.” (Chessbase News)
NM Anthony Levin provides an insightful look back the the Chessable Masters, which was won by GM Magnus Carlsen. In chat and on social media, suspicions were levied against some of the talented, young players who succeeded in the event…Chess.com's Fair Play team noted that both Martinez and Lazavik have been fully compliant with all Fair Play procedures, and per their observation, each has long played at a strong, but entirely human, level. (Chess.com News)
More chess coverage in the New York Times: FM Dylan Loeb McClain Writes about the Candidates Cycle (New York Times)
Here is the latest column from the ageless and informative Leonard Barden. The record for the highest rated under-13 in the history of chess has been held for 35 years by Judit Polgar, who achieved 2555 in 1989. IM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus’s 13th birthday is not until June, so he has good chances of surpassing Polgar’s landmark. (The Guardian)
Book Review/Misc.
FM James Vigus reviews the book The Perfect Pirc-Modern by GM Viktor Moskalenko. “Moskalenko generally chooses sharp lines, and this material will surely appeal to players who want a sound yet combative option against 1 e4 that is not excessively theory-heavy.” (LiChess Blog)
Substack Reads is a weekly summary of noteworthy blogs to subscribe to on the Substack platform. It recently featured GM Hans Niemann’s new blog. Meanwhile, its possible that Hans’ attention may have switched from his blog to his YouTube Channel, where he is uploading daily. (Substack Reads)
Chessable announced the winners of their popular “Create Your Own Course” Contest (Chessable Blog)
The St. Louis Chess Club is presenting an educational chess conference in October featuring GMs Kasparov, Polgar and Ashley. (Chess Life Online)