-
Obituary
Howard chess activist, Sultan-Diego Sulayman (1995-2022)
Sultan-Diego Abdullah Sulayman, a 2020 finance graduate of Howard University, passed away suddenly on October 30th after being found by his mother at their home. The news came as a shock to the Howard community as he was only 26, weeks away from his 27th birthday. At the time of…
Read More » -
Media Stories
Fischer Random Chess: A Dream Deferred
In what was perhaps the most exciting chess tournament we’ve seen in some time Hikaru Nakamura won the 2022 Fischer Random World Chess Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland. The American legend lost only once in the entire tournament and took a handsome prize of $150,000 after winning an Armageddon game again…
Read More » -
Drum Majors
Maurice Ashley on C-Squared Podcast
GM Maurice Ashley at the World Chess Hall of Fame with his plaque.Photo courtesy of Maurice Ashley GM Maurice Ashley recently appeared on the C-Squared Podcast with GMs Fabiano Caruana and Christian Chirila discussing a wide range of topics you have never heard before. The format was a very relaxed…
Read More » -
Opinion/Editorials
The Anatomy of Carlsen-Niemann cheating controversy
Over the past month, the chess world has been turned upside down and inside-out with the cheating controversy surrounding world champion Magnus Carlsen and Grandmaster Hans Niemann. The Chess Drum has closely followed the drama on all media social platforms including Reddit and Twitter, where information is able to reach…
Read More » -
Somalia
Saad Elmi, Next Star in Norway?
Sixteen-year-old Saad Abobaker Elmi recently scored 7/11 in the World Youth Chess Championships in Romania after winning the Nordic Youth Championships. Of Somalian ancestry, his parents immigrated to Oslo, Norway where he took up chess at an early age. He recently came in second in the Norway Junior Championships and…
Read More » -
Africa
Bassem Amin & Shahenda Wafa… 2022 African Champs!
WGM Shahenda Wafa (gold-women’s), GM Abdelrahman Hesham (bronze-open), GM Bassem Amin (gold-open). All photos by Babatunde Ogunsiku (Africa Chess Media) Egypt’s Bassem Amin wins his sixth continental title after winning the 2022 African Individual Chess Championships in Lagos, Nigeria. He edged out compatriot and fellow Grandmaster Ahmed Adly who had…
Read More » -
Opinion/Editorials
Carlsen quits against Niemann… the saga continues
Yesterday, Magnus Carlsen quit against Hans Niemann after playing his first move. Playing black… after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Carlsen resigned and simply logged off abruptly. The cheating insinuation by Carlsen had been simmering down, but this latest action has thrown gasoline on the fire of a controversy leaving it open…
Read More » -
Nigeria
Aikhoje gets ’98 Olympiad gold medal!
Nigerian International Master Odion Aikhoje finally receives the gold medal he earned on board two at the Elista Olympiad in 1998. Twenty-four years is short in terms of age, but to wait on something for 24 years is another matter. The Chess Drum reported on Aikhoje’s triumph in the very…
Read More » -
Opinion/Editorials
After the Carlsen-Niemann firestorm, what now?
The cheating scandal that dominated the 2022 Sinquefield Cup saw GM Hans Niemann fall into controversial spotlight in his first supertournament. The incident was precipitated by Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal from the tournament and a tweet that included a reference to cheating. Many commenting on the matter did not understand the…
Read More » -
Tournaments
2022 African Individual Championships (Lagos, Nigeria)
In a few days, Africa’s top players will trek to Africa’s most populous city (25 million) Lagos for the African Individual Chess Championship (AICC). According to Africa Chess Media’s Babatunde Ogunsiku has been counting down to the day of the tournament’s start. The marquee tournament on the continent comes in…
Read More »
