The Chess Drum’s Highlights of 2025

Daaim Shabazz January 1, 2026

0 434 6 minutes read

*Retired Chicago Bulls great Derrick Rose stands between commentator James Dash and Magnus Carlsen at Chesstival 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess.*

Key Takeaways

2025 featured key moments, including Brewington Hardaway on the cover of Chess Life and Tani Adewumi achieving the IM title.
High-profile losses, such as IM Stephen Muhammad, and a tragic incident involving Daniel Naroditsky marked the year.
Innovative events, such as Derrick Rose’s “Chesstival” and the HBCU Chess Classic, showcased the evolving chess landscape.
The chess world saw new biographies released, highlighting figures like Josh Colas and Román Hernández Onna.
As the year closed, The Chess Drum prepared for its 25th anniversary and hinted at exciting future developments.

While the highlights of 2025 did not include a world championship or an Olympiad, it was an interesting one. The year had some high points and a bit of tragedy. The high point would have to be Brewington Hardaway gracing the cover of Chess Life. It had been 26 years since Maurice Ashley graced the May 1999 cover of Chess Life.

In Honor of…

Hardaway’s GM title was highly anticipated and somewhat expected in chess circles. He had the temperament, focus, and discipline to scale the GM mountain. Brewington carries himself like a professional, and while he is not seeking the camera, he is photogenic and presents himself well. The classic black-and-white photo makes quite a statement. Given his talent trajectory, the “BrewMaster” was also an inaugural Ashley Fellow and was selected for the prestigious Samford Fellowship.

William Scott III was also honored in the March 2025 issue of Chess Life, recounting the fascinating life of an Atlanta icon. While Scott was known on this website, Mark Taylor’s article gave additional details on what made him such a historic figure. A World War II veteran, he served as a photographer and was one of the first soldiers to witness the horrors of Nazi death camps.

After returning from war, he started another chapter and was instrumental in breaking the color barrier in chess. Scott preceded Walter Harris and many of those who would go on to become masters of the game. Scott essentially risked his life playing in tournaments in the south. The story of how he defied segregation laws was something we never learned in Civil Rights literature, but it is worth noting.

Over the past few years, the U.S. chess community has been following Tani Adewumi’s progress. Well… Tani finally secured the IM title in April and won the Cadet Championship as well. Speaking of championships, James Canty III won the chess boxing world title in October as a side hustle from his job as a commentator. While Canty will not earn a norm or get any closer to the IM/GM title with the victory, he can call himself “world champion.”

New Things!

There were some other novel events, as basketball legend Derrick Rose held his Chesstival Festival in combination with Freestyle Chess. Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, and Judit Polgar participated in the event, and it was evident that untapped segments remain. Speaking of untapped segments, the HBCU Chess Classic held its 3rd edition at Morehouse College, as students from Black institutions gathered for their equivalent of a national championship. U.S. Chess Federation President Kevin Pryor was on hand and showed support for the initiative. Howard University won the event, and top player Samir Acharya was interviewed along with four club presidents.

Kevin Pryor speaks at the opening of the 2025 HBCU Chess Classic
Photo by Daaim Shabazz/The Chess Drum — *Kevin Pryor speaks at the opening of the 2025 HBCU Chess Classic*
*Photo by Daaim Shabazz/The Chess Drum*

**Adanma Adeola** (FAMU) gave **Sameer Acharya** (Howard) a tough battle!
*Photo by Daaim Shabazz/The Chess Drum*

What would chess be without controversy? Hans Niemann continues to rebuild his career after Carlsen wrongfully accused him of cheating at the Sinquefield Cup in 2022. He posed an important question about how the U.S. is failing to develop talent when compared to India. The Chess Drum analyzed and presented a lengthy opinion piece.

A few books were released, including biographies of Josh Colas and Román Hernández Onna, the first player of African descent to earn the Grandmaster title. The Hernández feat was not well known among the African Diaspora because of a lack of understanding of Spanish-language media.

Africa named their champions and celebrated “Africa Day.” One big story was the Kenya Schools Chess tournament, attracting a whopping 7,242 players. This beats SuperNationals by a large number.

Heavy Losses…

While there was much to be grateful for in 2025, there was sadness, including the death of IM Stephen Muhammad. He actually passed away in December of 2024, but the Georgia Chess Association discovered his death while trying to reach him regarding his induction into the Hall of Fame. He died from the effects of colon cancer.

**IM Stephen Alaska Muhammad**
January 24, 1962 – December 8, 2024

We commemorated the 10-year anniversary of Emory Tate’s passing, one of the most important figures in Black chess history. There was also a high-profile death that became an international investigation. Daniel Naroditsky allegedly took his own life after a scandal involving Vladimir Kramnik. Kramnik targeted Naroditsky and raised suspicion that he had been cheating. After Naroditsky’s death, Kramnik accepted no responsibility and claimed that he only wanted someone to check. It was a devastating loss to the popular streamer. Nevertheless, many believe a bad precedent was set when Magnus Carlsen falsely accused Hans Niemann of cheating, and that the chess world did nothing to deter others from doing the same. The opinion piece discussed the chess world’s failure to prevent online bullying.

Lastly, we lost Ernest Levert, Jr., a champion in Columbus, Ohio, and a community advocate. His Ubuntu theme (I am because we are) carried over in his chess activism, and he touched so many lives. It took light-years for the universe to create someone like him, but now that he is gone, his vision of the Royal Oak Initiative must carry on.

Heading into Year 25!

As far as The Chess Drum, I was named “Educator of the Year,” essentially on the strength of the content of the site, but I also have some ideas about how things have changed. In the nearly 25 years of the website, there is enough content to fill a set of encyclopedias, but we will be making an announcement at the 25th anniversary celebration. While the number of articles was down significantly, there will be more good news to come, including a shift toward more video content.

Have a great 2026!