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World Cup
2021 FIDE World Cup (Sochi, Russia)
Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President Photo by Eric Rosen Today is a big day for the chess world as 309 players (206 open, 103 women) from 93 federations have assembled in Sochi, Russia to compete in the World Cup tournament. This will be the first event involving all federations since the…
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Tournaments
Niemann wins 2021 World Open
Philadelphia was back in full force as a city that has made “Independence Day” an iconic holiday. It is also the home of the largest open chess tournament, the World Open. Last weekend the Continental Chess Association hosted the 49th edition at the Sheraton on 201 North 17th St. This…
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India
Abhimanyu Mishra, youngest chess GM in history!
Abhimanyu Mishra was born on February 5th, 2009, and in an interview with FM Jim Eade, stated that he started playing chess at just 2-1/2 years old. After that, he began making history by setting several records in U.S. chess. He became the youngest 2000-rated player (7 years, 6 months),…
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Africa
Senegal crowns national chess champion!
Back in December, when the world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, Senegal was hosting its National Open qualifier to determine who would compete in the National Championships. The seven-round Open Swiss tournament attracted 44 participants and had a time control of 60 minutes. The event took place at the…
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The Chess Drum
Pontus Carlsson wins 2021 Prague Blitz!
GM Pontus CarlssonGM Pontus Carlsson has told The Chess Drum that he was at a tournament in Spain where the others did not believe he was a chess player. After not taking him seriously, he promptly won all of the games. He overheard one of the players saying “The Black…
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The Chess Drum
Chicago Open excites… OTB in full swing!
The anticipation was high and many eagerly awaited the moment when over-the-board (OTB) chess would return. The Continental Chess Association (CCA) announced that they were be hosting a full slate of tournaments for 2021 year, but for the Chicago Open, there would be restrictions. David Hater mentioned in his report…
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The Chess Drum
Ramón Mateo… Dominican trailblazer!
Ramón Mateo For many years, the name Ramón Mateo has been a trailblazer of Latin American and Caribbean chess. In the U.S., his name was also known due to his time living in New York and playing in the parks. However, what is clear is that Mateo (meaning “Matthew”) has…
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Cuba
GM Román Hernández Onna dies at 71
GM Román Hernández Román Hernández Onna passed away early this month on June 1st from a lengthy illness. The Cuban Grandmaster and former national champion was 71 years old. As a pioneer, Hernandez had a long résumé before he ventured abroad and faced some of the world’s elite competition. Recently,…
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Africa
2021 African Individual Chess Championship
Susan Namangale President of Malawi Chess Federation This past year has been one with a bit of intrigue as the continent of Africa seemed to increase chess activity online. There were a number of staged “cage matches” and many federations organized friendly matches. Social media groups were abuzz about the…
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The Chess Drum
OTB chess resumes!
Over-the-board (OTB) chess resumes as things are beginning to normalize as far as social interactions are concerned. The COVID-19 virus is still wreaking havoc in parts of the world including India, one of the top chess countries in the world. However, medical authorities have begun loosening restrictions on masks and…
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