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Levon Aronian, Boris Gelfand and Peter Leko are among the active players who have made it into the Top 50 players of all time. The exciting part begins when Jan Gustafsson and Peter Heine Nielsen begin ranking their picks for the Top 20 best players!

In a video series for chess24, Magnus Carlsen seconds Jan Gustafsson and Peter Heine Nielsen took on the impossible task of ranking The Top 50 Greatest Players of All Time.

The series is available for free for Premium members as the duo gradually reveal their Hall of Fame, discussing each and every player on the list and ranking them among the greats.

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Since we left off with #46 Gata Kamsky in our previous article, the grandmasters have now made it to number 23, Akiba Rubinstein.

Among the active players who made the list are Peter Leko, Boris Gelfand and Levon Aronian.

About Aronian, Peter Heine said:

He is someone by strength who very much belongs to the world hall of fame. It was Kasparov who said that the chess world is just a more beautiful place when Aronian plays better. In a sporting sense, he has managed everything like winning tournaments and world cups, but when it really comes down to the world championship cycle, he hasn't quite made it.

The Armenian number 1 is among many who apparently have strong opinions on who belongs in the hall of fame.

The series has received widespread feedback on social media and in the comments, which is likely to increase when we get to the top spots.

Peter Heine Nielsen said they are pleased with the feedback from fans received so far.

We are very happy with how the series has been received. Both towards the level of interest, but also the more critical parts. We very much hoped for debate and are pleased to see the interest in historical figures as well as how knowledgable people are.

The series also drew some criticism by an author who questioned using Chessmetrics ratings as the basis of the list.

On this, Peter commented:

The Dane can't promise fans any surprises for the next 20 on the list.

Top 20 by logic probaby will have few surprises of who the players are, but their ranking most likely will! Very much looking forward to more debate!

Here is the list so far:

See also:

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Countdown to the Greatest Player of All Time - chess24

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of peoples interests online, whether thats playing Dungeons & Dragons over Zoom or taking virtual workout classes. But at least one of these interests, online chess, dates back at least 1,000 years. Why is playing chess online so popular?

You love badass games. So do we. Let's play together.

Chess is a deceptively simple gameeasy to learn, but hard to master, as one adage goeswhere each player has 16 pieces. These are eight pawns, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and a king and queen. The board has 64 squares, like a checkerboard, and is easy to refer to using a classic grid notation system used in maps and even the game Battleship: A, B, C, ... along one axis and 1, 2, 3, ... along the other.

What this all means is that in order to play a game of chess online, you can work with two players who each have a complete chess set and send moves in word form. Even for the pawns, which are identical, players say knights pawn, bishops pawn, and so forth. That means the earliest online chess players were able to do the same thing: noting moves using grid notation and relative terms for their pieces.

Many of the most masterful chess games require very few moves, compared with how amateurs tend to play. High-level chess players think many steps ahead and can often telescope what their opponents will decide to do. And since each piece has a restriction, like pawns that can only move one square unless its their first move and take other pieces only diagonally, chess is a popular subject for study by game theorists, statisticians, combinatoricians, and more.

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The mathematical nature of the moves has made chess a popular thing to program, and chess-playing artificial intelligence has advanced beyond human players in key ways. A computer first beat a human in 1996, and after a few high-profile incidents, chess tournaments are kept very secure to prevent any kind of computer-aided cheating. Chess engines can run in tandem and give insights as viewers watch major chess matches online.

For a long time, people playing chess online in predecessor systems like bulletin boards could exchange short strings of characters that indicated their moves. You can do this with just lettersK for king, Q for queen, and so forthwith N for knight, since K is already in use.

But online chess players, at least, have had another option since at least 1995, when documentation from Unicode confirms the chess pieces were part of the character set likely from the very first version of Unicode. Like card suits, logic and math notation, and certain map and public safety symbols, the people who designed computer fonts knew users were likely to need these special characters to put into newspaper chess columns, for example, or for the actual printing of maps without separate typesetting.

Today, that means almost any online chess arena can introduce full notation with all pieces represented in their real grid. That means games can be pretty low-techno one needs plug-ins or rendered artwork, and exchanging moves is only a few technical steps past sending them back and forth in emails or even the mail. And when much of online chess takes the form of speed matches played in 3 or even 1 minute (!), the less technical overhead, the better.

If you want to wade into online chess, check out Chess.com for both games and a ton of lessons and help as you get started. The Free Internet Chess Server dates back decades, with browser games and an option to download their app. And Lichess, which is "just" 10 years old, is an open-source chess platform that hosts a million games a day.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

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Chess Online: How to Play and Win Chess | Chess Tips & Strategies - Popular Mechanics

In a recent meeting at the St. Louis Chess Club, a key question was asked: When can we return to over-the-board tournaments? Chess players, always eager to test their mettle in competition, have made do with online play, but there is nothing quite like planning your attack while sitting across from your opponent.

Following CDC guidelines and state and local requirements is a must. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of all members of our community. With that in mind, we decided to test the waters, as long as our tournaments have no more than eight competitors and the event concludes in under two hours. The club recruited its first field of eight participants for the Secret Action Quads, the online edition of the longstanding Friday Action Quads.

For the first time since March, the clocks began to run at the St. Louis Chess Club. As the name would imply, quads are tournaments in which players are divided into groups of four. To keep the pace lively, players had a little over 20 minutes to finish each round. Our eight players were ready for battle.

In a contentious fight in the first quad, Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo and his opponent, Michael Pugachev, each had five seconds left. Orlando, with just a bishop and knight on the board, was helplessly trying to deliver the toughest checkmate in chess. Pugachev was keeping his king out of the corner and doing his best to force a draw but unfortunately ran out of time and lost the game. He quickly quipped, Do you even know how to checkmate with a bishop and knight? Orlando just smiled and said, "Guess we'll never know, but I'll gladly take the win on time. Orlando went on to sweep the competition and take first place that evening.

In the second quad, STLCC staff member Tracee Stewart dominated the competition. Tracee has been a regular host of weekly free chess lessons available on the STLChessClub Twitch and STLChessClubYouTube Channel during the pandemic. She gave a warm welcome to the visitor Bruce Brodly with an astounding checkmate. Tracee essayed an opening novelty on Ben Simon, the clubs videographer and producer, and capped off the wonderful night by defeating Michael Pugachevs mother, Lucy, who was making her tournament debut. Tracee also won $36 and a slew of rating points.

While it was a little tough to gauge your opponent through a mask and a Plexiglas barrier, it was refreshing to play a human eye-to-eye instead of across the internet void. Win or lose, everyone went home happy and enjoyed the camaraderie that live chess brings to the table.

For more information about upcoming programs and events (both in person and online) at the St. Louis Chess Club, please visit - saintlouischessclub.org/events.

Mike Kummer is an International Arbiter and assistant manager at the St. Louis Chess Club. He has worked at the Chess Club since its grand opening in 2008.

Read more:
On Chess: Returning To Over The Board Chess Tournaments - St. Louis Public Radio

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is hosting its annual fall chess tournament in person at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Thomas Stone High School. This years fall tournament is limited to chess players in Grades 4-12, as parents and family members will not be permitted to remain on-site during the event. This is a precautionary measure to limit the number of people inside the playing area. Parents will be invited to watch the tournament virtually through Zoom with a limited panoramic view. Individual matches will not be highlighted.

Players must register in advance to participate. The registration form is posted on the CCPS website at https://www.ccboe.com/index.php/gifted-education-services#Events. The deadline to register is Oct. 21. The registration window closes after Oct. 21. Walk-in registrations are not accepted.

The tournament features a four-round Swiss-style format. Sign-in for players begins at 8:15 a.m. with the first round of play starting at 9 a.m. Students must check in by 8:45 a.m. in order to be matched for play in the first round.

An awards ceremony will follow the matches. Players will receive a trophy, medal and/or certificate for participation. Participation is free and open to all Charles County students in Grades 4-12.

The following COVID-19 safety precautions will be in place.

Questions can be directed to Alicia Briscoe at abriscoe@ccboe.com or 301-934-7369 or Ann Taylor at ataylor@ccboe.com or 301-934-7378.

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CCPS hosting in-person chess tournament, limited to students in Grades 4-12 - The Southern Maryland Chronicle

Many national and international coffee days happen on eitherSeptember 29 or October 1. And, every day of the year, there are coffee and chess questions to explore. For example, does drinking coffee improve chess playing? According to this ChessBase article, caffeine had a 9% positive effect on chess performance in fast time-control games, though losses on time while on caffeine, which apparently slowed players down, were discounted.

Is coffee near a chess board or a laptop annoying? When Grandmaster Henrique Mecking played former World Chess Champion Tigran Petrosian, at the 1972 San Antonio Churchs Fried Chicken First International Chess Tournament, he complained that Petrosian was stirring his cup of coffee, all the time varying the rhythm. Petrosian won, after offering Mecking a draw early in that game. Grandmaster Danny Gormally wrote, about Grandmaster Simon Williams, Things then went from bad to worse when I managed to spill my coffee all over Simons laptop, which caused him to explode in anger.

The Amazing Albin Counter-Gambit

On this DVD IM Trent shows the Albin Counter-Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5). Trent found a number of extremely dangerous Theoretical Novelties which will truly put the Albin Counter-Gambit back on the map.

Coffeehouse chess is risky, positionally dubious, and reliant on traps and tactics. It is usually played at blitz time controls. Trash-talking and singing may accompany games. The Coffee Chess YouTube channel celebrates coffeehouse chess. One of its stars is Carl Hyne, who has a US Chess blitz rating of 2124. Hyne is better known as The Great Carlini.

In 2008, The Great Carlinis friend Scott Tortorice wrote, I cannot tell you how many times I have seen him [The Great Carlini] pull out games where he was completely busted. Ive seen him find a way to win in games where he was down a queen. He would simply continue to make threats with his remaining forces thus keeping his opponent under pressure. Often they would become flustered and either blunder a piece back or lose on time. Ive seen him do this so often that I knew there had to be something different in his approach to the game. When I asked him why he doesnt get rattled or discouraged like most players when he drops a piece he replied, Its a fatalistic philosophy that, OK, you lost the piece. You accept it and move on.

The Great Carlini may also apply his fatalistic philosophy to coronavirus risks. During the game featured for September 12, 2020, The Great Carlinis mask is under his chin and his opponent, Brooklyn Dave, isnt wearing a mask. The lone spectator wears his mask under his nose. In the game, which had a time control of five minutes per side (no delay or increment), The Great Carlini gives up his queen for a bishop and a knight to avoid getting checkmated. Later, he generates a strong attack with a rook, bishop, and knight, wins on time, and then demonstrates his planned mate.

For the last five minutes of the fifteen-minute long video, there is analysis of critical positions from the blitz game. If you want to skip The Great Carlini singing From the Halls of Montezuma, replying to Brooklyn Daves rendition of (I Cant Get No) Satisfaction, and trash-talking by both players, fast forward to the last five minutes or view the game within this article.

The Great Carlini vs. Brooklyn Dave

The Coffee Chess channel videos remind me of the Last Exit on Brooklyn, a legendary Seattle coffeehouse and chess venue. I spent so many hours hanging out there in the mid-1980s that I decided to work there too. I was first a waitron [waitress], then a cook, and finally an espresso bar operator.

Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan was a regular before my time there. However, I served many chess players including National Master Steve Brandwein. National Master Bob Ferguson, Bill Phipps (who was later known for backgammon and making money on Wall Street), National Master Viktors Pupols, and International Master Jeremy Silman. Although photos were not allowed, because the Last Exits owner Irv Cisski wanted to ensure patrons privacy,someone took a Polaroid of me waiting tables in October of 1985.

Alexey waitressing at The Last Exit in October 1985

According to its website, Mokate regularly co-organises chess tournaments and championships in line with the slogan: Mokate makes you think. Our company is also a partner of the Polish Chess Association. We have also created the Mokate Chess Academy and support the project of the Polish Chess Association entitled Education through Chess in School. One of its brands is Mokate coffee, which you can order here.

Some recent tournaments sponsored by Mokate include the2019 Polish Team Championship Ekstraligaand the Mokate 2020 Polish Womens Chess Championship. In honor of the companys 30th anniversary, Mokate sponsoreda tournament, played outdoors on August 22, 2020. The tournament waswon by Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and former World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov was its special guest.Thanks to FIDE Vice President Lukasz Turlej for the link to the tournaments video, featuring Adam Mokrysz (CEO of the Mokate Group)speaking on the value of chess. The video has subtitles in English if you turn on closed captioning.

Master Class Vol.6: Anatoly Karpov

On this DVD a team of experts looks closely at the secrets of Karpov's games. In more than 7 hours of video, the authors examine four essential aspects of Karpov's superb play.

Anatoly Karpov watching Jan-Krzysztof Dudas game during the tournament sponsored by Mokate for its 30th anniversary

Highwire Coffee Roasters donated the coffee beans brewed for this article. My co-author, Mike Walder emailed, Highwire creates truly exceptional coffee. Premium beans, roasted just the way I like, always leave me satisfied. Several years back I ventured into their College Avenue location in Oakland to see why there were so many people in queue for coffee and was pleasantly surprised by a strong and clean-tasting cup of coffee. I often drink coffee at the chessboard. When I am playing in a Berkeley tournament, it is often Highwire Bedhatu Jibicho, Ethiopia keeping me alert and focused.

The quiz in this article parallels a previous Chess Personality Test. After taking that test, or just the quiz in this article, you may have chosen one letter more than the others. For example, did you answer A more than any other letter, in this quiz or in the personality test? In this quiz, each letter is linked to a Highwire coffee that you might enjoy. If you chose A often, you might also enjoy the A opening and coffee beans listed below, along with the A instructional materials listed in the prior Chess Personality Test. Last, a link is given to the full A (or B, C, or D) game.

A) Bella Carmona, Guatemala: The coffee is dense and zesty with caramel and citrus notes. The opening line in the Fianchetto ModernBenoni, as in Baskaran Adhiban Pentala Harikrishna, Round 10 of FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss Isle of Man 2019.

B) The Core Espresso: A blend of coffees from four regions: Ethiopia, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, and Sumatra. The opening line is the English Attack against the Najdorf Sicilian, as in Fabiano Caruana Boris Gelfand, Round 2 of FIDE Grand Prix Baku 2014.

C) Bedhatu Jibicho, Ethiopia: A coffee that is aromatic, with dense lemon. The opening line is the Breyer Ruy Lopez, as in Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Bassem Amin, Round 4 of French Club Championship Brest 2019.

D) Batak, Sumatra: This coffee has a potent musty aroma; dense body, rustic cherry and herbal flavor with a strong finish. The opening line is the Exchange Gruenfeld with 11. dxc5, as in Surya Ganguly Anish Giri, Round 6 of the Spanish Team Championship (Honor Division) Leon 2012.

Which opening/coffee beans do you enjoy the most? [Click to enlarge]

Mike Walder annotates the two games mentioned earlier, Mecking vs. Petrosian and The Great Carlini vs. Brooklyn Dave. He also presents the openings mentioned in the answer key for the quiz.

Master Class Vol.13 - Tigran Petrosian

Considered a master of prophylaxis, Petrosian sensed dangers long before they actually became acute on the board. In his prime, Petrosian was almost invincible. Let our authors introduce you into the world of Tigran Petrosian.

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Chess and coffee - Chessbase News