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Drum Majors
Brewington Hardaway receives Samford Fellow!
Brewington Hardaway was one of nine recipients of the Samford Fellowship, awarded to players of tremendous promise. Most of the players are well-known in scholastic circles, having earned All-American honors. Hardaway, who earned his Grandmaster title early this year, is the first African-American to receive the Samford award. Photo from…
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Drum Majors
Cadet Champ Tani Adewumi strong at World Open
Tanitoluwa “Tani” Adewumi finished a strong performance at the 2025 World Open after winning the Cadet Championship a couple of weeks earlier. It was his second consecutive title, only months after finishing the rating requirements for the IM title. So far, 2025 has been a great year. FM Tanitoluwa “Tani”…
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Drum Majors
2025 Ashley Chess Fellows announced!
The Ashley Chess Fellows have been announced! Last November, we announced the Maurice Ashley Chess Fellowship, to provide Black chess talents with opportunities to reach new heights in the sport. Excellence in chess requires a significant amount of training, as well as resources. It is commonly stated and perhaps known…
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Drum Majors
Josh Colas biography out!
Guy Colas has just written a book on his son, FM Josh Colas, titled Mastering the Chessboard: A Black Prodigy’s Journey Through the Chess World. It appears to be a story of a chess parent watching the progress of their child and witnessing the valuable lessons learned through chess study…
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Drum Majors
Norman Rogers shines at 2025 Chicago Open
Norman Rogers of Philadelphia has returned to regular chess tournaments after a foray into poker. While he still plays poker, he recently played in the Chicago Open (under-2300) and scored 5.5/7, tying for 5th-6th place. When asked about his return, he says, “I’m already back.” FM Norman Rogers (left) showing…
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Egypt
Bellahcene, Wafa are 2025 African Champions!
Bilel Bellahcene won the 2025 African Individual Chess Championship, edging out seven-time champion Bassem Amin. Egypt had won the last nine titles and, going back to 1998, had won 17/20 championships. The Algerian grandmaster took to social media with a heartfelt message. After years of hard work, sacrifice and passion,…
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Africa
African Chess celebrates “Africa Day”
“Africa Day” is commemorated on May 25th of every year as a rallying cry for Pan-African unity, justice, and regional collaboration. The day celebrates the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. The OAU became the African Union (AU) in 2002. This year marks the 62nd anniversary…
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USA
Kevin Pryor chats with The Chess Drum
U.S. Chess Federation President Kevin Pryor has been at the helm for nearly a year and has been enthusiastic about growing membership. He attended the 2025 HBCU Chess Classic at King’s Chapel at Morehouse College to lend support to the outreach initiatives at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs). Kevin…
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Egypt
2025 African Individual Chess Championship (Cairo, Egypt)
The 2025 African Individual Chess Championship will be held from May 13th to 20th, 2025, in Cairo, Egypt. It is organized by the African Chess Confederation (ACC) and hosted by the Egyptian Chess Federation at the Police Union Club.The tournament will feature both an open section and a women’s section. The 9-round Swiss…
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Kenya
7,242 players at Kenya Schools Chess!
Something amazing happened in Kenyan chess a month ago. Over 7,000 chess players from across Kenya gathered at Mang’u High School to compete in the Kenyan Schools Chess Championship. A fantastic sea of youth filled the halls as thousands of students came in columns of buses to compete in the…
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