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For some, chess is purely a form of entertainment. But for Ashley Priore, a junior English literature and political science double major, chess has a deeper meaning one that she is determined to help others see.

Priores recent acceptance to the Clinton Global Initiative University puts her on track to do just that. CGI U is the higher education branch of the Clinton Foundation, established by former President Bill Clinton. As CGI U scholars, students go through a year-long program, during which they are matched with mentors, attend conferences, network and launch individual projects. Priore said she first heard about CGI U last spring, but the foundation itself and the political aspects of it caught her eye.

At first, I was just doing research about the Clinton Foundation. I was looking at the Biden campaign and I was trying to compare and contrast these two major candidates, Priore said. I was really inspired by the head of the Clinton Foundation and so I reached out to him. He then told me about CGI U and that it was a program I might be interested in getting involved with.

Priore said she talked with the woman leading the University initiative, who was looking to reach more Pitt students. She said their conversation made her excited to begin the application process, which opened last November. The application itself was extensive and required a commitment to action, research and data numbers to support an initiative, Priore said.

The foundation is all about having specific plans to change or impact your community, Priore said. The application was full of questions about why I would want to take part in an initiative like this and what I want to do to inspire people. So, I wrote about chess. How young women can use the skills that chess provides to fuel their own passions.

Priore said her initiative centers around teaching chess to youth. She wants to develop a chess-based curriculum that can be used in schools and other teaching settings. Priore said chess can provide players with life skills that arent necessarily taught in the typical classroom.

The curriculum is grounded in how chess teaches life and strategy skills, like strategic planning and decision making, Priore said. People want young individuals to be able to make good decisions, but how do we expect them to if they arent educated in these skills?

Priore has been implementing her initiative on a local scale for several years. She founded The Queens Gambit Chess Institute in 2014 when she was in ninth grade at The Ellis School, an all-girls school in Pittsburghs Shadyside neighborhood. Priore said her personal experience with chess inspired her to start the nonprofit and that going to tournaments when she was younger made her realize how many people simply do not understand the game.

Its not just about competitions, its about what it teaches you, Priore said. Reshifting the narrative around chess is really important, which is why I ended up starting the nonprofit. Im trying to get as many young people engaged as possible.

Priore teaches anyone between pre-K and 12th grade through Queens Gambit, with a focus on supporting young students of color. Priore said the institute conducts outreach programs in the Pittsburgh community and forms community partnerships in an effort to build sustainable relationships and to address inequities.

We serve about one thousand students per month. The majority of those students are of medium to low income, families with diverse economic backgrounds, Priore said. Our focus is on the communities that really need this programming.

Jacob Boyce, the board chair for Queens Gambit, said he started working with Priore in 2019 because he was looking for support with running his own chess club. Boyce, a Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher, said the mission of Queens Gambit pulled him in and encouraged him to incorporate Priores methods within his own club.

Whenever I teach a new tactic, they have to come up with ways in which this could be analogous to the world we live in, Boyce said, I never did that before working with Ashley.

Boyce said Priores dedication and perseverance enables Queens Gambit to expand and thrive. He added that he is not surprised to see her hard work pay off in other areas of her life, such as her acceptance to CGI U.

She is the one that treads water for the organization, Boyce said. Pathfinding, trailblazing, Ashley takes the things she has struggled through and uses them. She is very passionate about making changes in the world.

Priore said running Queens Gambit quickly led to an increase in her political interests. She added that an internship with Erika Strassburger, who represents part of Oakland and the rest of the Citys eighth council district, made her fall in love with the inner workings of government, specifically youth participation. Priores interest in politics grew, manifesting with Y22, a movement to get young people on nonprofit boards as voting members. Priore said she noticed youth were not involved in decision making, which inspired her to create the organization.

I noticed this lack of people understanding that young people have a voice and that they want to use it, Priore said. Y22 is about research, policy reform, getting young people on boards.

Madison Ricker, a senior political science and English major, started working with Y22 last summer. Ricker said the idea behind organization aligned with her own interests and that her work with Priore has been a fulfilling experience.

Y22 spoke to me because Ashley and I connect on our ideas and views on youth leadership and engagement, Ricker said, Ashley always makes me think of what else I could be doing. I have grown a lot in my leadership and my work because of Ashley.

Priores interest in youth politics expanded to a national scale with her founding of Youth Political Strategies during the 2020 presidential campaign. Priore said her work with President Joe Bidens campaign made her notice the need for more young people to be involved with policy, not just organizing. Youth Political Strategies focuses on getting young people involved with political campaigns.

Youth Political Strategies is about having youth vote directors or engagement directors on every campaign. We also have a big movement to get young people in the White House, Priore said. Youth Political Strategies is really trying to be the voice for youth policy because it is a very specific subject, young people care about so many things.

Priore said she hopes to continue political work once she graduates in 2022, but is also open to any opportunities that come along on her journey. She said she will continue working to address and solve issues that she notices in society. Priore said her time at Pitt has been influential and has positively impacted her in many ways.

Pitt was supportive from the beginning. I have mentors here, people who would help me, people who were here to support me, Priore said. I felt like when I came to Pitt I was part of the community. And when you feel like you are part of the community, you can flourish.

Priore said the best advice she could give to younger generations as they look to find their own voices and their own passions is to just keep moving ahead, pursuing their interests, and entertaining new ideas.

There are going to be people that dont like it, Priore said. There are going to be people that say no to you. But that just means not right now. You just have to keep pushing forward.

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Pitt student founds third organization, mentors youth through chess - University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News

It seems strange to call that row of zeros on a digital chess clock a flag fall. The term is left over from the days when analog clocks were the standard. Those timers had actual tiny flags that dropped, or fell, when a player had used up the allotted playing time.

Flag falls in the digital universe are not much of an issue. When the allotted playing time has run out, your chess-playing websites programming automatically makes that call for you. The same cant be said for games over the board.

A US Chess Tournament Director getting involved in a game without being asked is rare indeed -- only the players can make a flag fall claim. TDs have to wait to come onboard until (if) the claim is disputed. Then there could be a lot of hoops to jump through. In fact, that was a topic for two of my earlier columns: Flag Falls Part One and Part Two.

The International Chess Federation, FIDE, gives its onsite officials (arbiters) a bit more wiggle room when it comes to flag falls. FIDE arbiters are allowed to call the flag, and can end the game. They can even take notation for the players that are banging out moves. Can we apply that kind of wiggle room to OTB US Chess? In my honest opinion: maybe.

There is something of a precedent in US Chess. About the only time a TD can jump into the fray is if both flags are down and no time forfeit claim has been made in the final time control period. At that point, the game can be declared a draw by the TD (rule 14G2). Otherwise, without some external intervention, the two opponents might play on, and on, and on ...

Since there is a rule that allows only the two players to make a time forfeit claim (rule 13C1), changing that regulation should be a simple matter to also allow the TD to call the flag. Unfortunately, it is not that simpleis it ever? Consider the following:

Situation 1: In a marathon game, you and your adversary have been pushed to the limit. For every intricate move, a complicated countermove, and both of you have made liberal use of nearly all of your allotted time. Ultimately, your flag falls first, but your opponent does not notice and no claim is made. So you keep on shuffling your chess army around move after move and, finally, your opponents flag falls too. You make the draw claim: two downed flags equal a draw! You have turned a goose egg into half-point gold!

If a TD is allowed to call the flag, then you would lose the moment your clock runs out of time. You would lose the ability to play on until your opponents time runs out, and thus any chance to make your double-flag draw claim. Zero would be your score, not the half-point for which you had aimed.

Situation 2: In a game using a classical time control, you have a lot more time left on your clock than the woodpusher sitting across from you. Though their flag eventually falls, their final moves of the game happen faster than lightning, and you have not been taking notation for many moves in the end. With the time you have left -- before your own flag falls -- you fill in the missing moves on your scoresheet, before you claim your point.

If a TD is allowed to call the flag, then you would have no chance to catch up on your missing notation. Because all notation must stop once the flag fall claim is made, your scoresheet would not be usable to verify your claim. An accurate scoresheet is imperative to making a time forfeit claim in classical time control game.

If the US Chess rule-makers allow the TD to also call flag falls, then both of the aforementioned situations need to be addressed. Given that our members are now pretty used to the online software making that same claim, the door has been opened to giving our TDs the same discretion.

Any thoughts?

Tim Just is a National Tournament Director, FIDE National Arbiter, and editor of the 5th, 6th, and 7th editions of the US Chess Rulebook. He is also the author of My Opponent is Eating a Doughnut & Just Law, which are both available from US Chess Sales and Amazon/Kindle. Additionally, Tim recently revised The Guide To Scholastic Chess, a guide created to help teachers and scholastic organizers who wish to begin, improve, or strengthen their school chess program. Tim is also a member of the US Chess Rules Committee. His new column, exclusive to US Chess, Just the Rules will help clarify potentially confusing regulations.

The free, updated US Chess Rules (Chapters 1+2 + 10 +11 from the 7th edition rulebook) are now downloadable and available online. Past Just the Rules columns can be viewed here. Plus listen to Tim when he was a guest on the US Chess podcast One Move at a Time.

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Just the Rules: Do We Need A New Flag Fall Rule? - uschess.org

An outdoor simul in Australia

By Alexey Root and Alex Wohl

On February 27, International Master Aleksandar "Alex" Wohl gave a simultaneous exhibition to 20 players, mostly juniors. The simul was free for the players. Wohl scored 17 wins, two draws, and one loss. According to the Gold Coast Chess Clubs Facebook post, "Prizes for best play were awarded to Joshua Cooper and Micah Young who both drew their games and last minute stand in Adrian Andre won his exciting game."

This simul was possible because Australia managed to get a grip on the Corona virus. The virus first arrived in Australia in February 2020 and in March 2020 the country went into a nationwide lockdown. Only essential businesses were allowed to remain open and people were only allowed out of the house, for exercise, one hour a day, and for food shopping. Schools were closed and classes, including chess, moved online.

The simul | Photo: Matt Smith

Queensland, where Alex lives, closed its borders for the first time in a hundred years, as did other states. New South Wales and Victoria were the only states with significant rates of infection, so the other states just shut their borders. By May schools reopened and life started getting back to a limited normal, although non-essential businesses remained closed.

"To us on the Gold Coast," said Alex, "the situation is quite surreal. We hear of the horror in the rest of the world, but aren't affected. I don't know anyone who has had Covid nor anyone who knows someone who has had Covid. The economic impact is the only noticeable impact here. Chess has returned to normal, almost. Our biggest annual international event, the Doeberl Cup is going ahead this year but without the international contingent. I now have to decide whetherto go or not. If there is an outbreak while I'm in Canberra, and the Queensland border shuts again, I won't be able to come home without two weeks hotel quarantine...at my expense."

Outdoor Simul

Giving a simultaneous chess exhibition, a "simul," is physically demanding, because the exhibitor must walk from board to board. For an indoor simul, the temperature is regulated. With a temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity at 65 percent, Wohls outdoor simul presented extra challenges. The 57-year-old Wohl dressed for the weather, wearing shorts, sandals, and a short-sleeved shirt.

The simul took two hours. While one might think that noisy shoppers would be the biggest distraction, the smells got Wohls attention instead. Wohl said,

The smell of the delicious food from the nearby stalls distracted me, especially the German sausage stand. I was very susceptible to delicious food smells because as usual, I hadnt eaten breakfast. After all, I have been on a Keto-OMAD diet for a few years now. OMAD stands for "One meal a day", which is one form of intermittentfasting, Other forms are 16-8 etc. I generally have a coffee in the morning and then a meal when the sun goes down, around 6pm.

Keto is short for "ketogenic", which also has some variation, but the main concept is to limit the amount of carbohydrates ( sugar, potatoes, rice, bread and other grains) one consumes. Basically I just stick to animal products and vegetables. No processed food. A few years ago I was 115kg, had very high blood pressure and was pre-diabetic. Now I'm 85kg and all other health issues have disappeared as if by magic.

However, making dozens of trips to each chess board was still taxing. Wohl said, "I did get a bit sweaty towards the end. Not too bad, as the trees afforded some shade. Luckily, we were just a stone's throw from Burleigh beach, so I was able to cool off immediately afterwards."

The Opponents

In addition to being physically challenging, simuls can present chess challenges to the simul-giver, such as the number or quality of opponents. My previous articles on simuls for ChessBase included this quote from GM Lubomir Kavalek about simuls, "You played simply everybody who showed up."

That quote seems to be true for Wohls simul as well. Although the simul was advertised as being for juniors, Wohl played adults in it too. Wohl said, "I knew of most of the juniors and the few adults who played in place of a few juniors who hadnt turned up. They all kept score and were regular tournament and interschool players."

Outdoor Chess

While the Gold Coast Chess Club has held indoor chess events since 2016, its new initiative, as of the end of November 2020, is outdoor chess. Players gather at the Burleigh Market, known for its farm-fresh produce, each Saturday. Wohls exhibition was a special event on Saturday, February 27, at 9:45 a.m., after players had warmed up with social chess since 8:00 a.m. On other Saturdays, players gather for social, non-rated chess from 8 a.m. to noon.

Wohl said, "Outdoor chess is a magnet for casual chess players. Whenever chess sets are on display, be it a shopping centre, a park, or a market, as in this case, people are drawn to them, often families. I dont know a better way to promote local chess activity."

Gold Coast Tourism

In addition to chess, Wohl is passionate about other Gold Coast offerings. He said, "For any water sports enthusiasts, the Gold Coast is really in the Goldilocks Zone. It is not too cold, even in the depths of winter, and not too hot in summer. Any further north and swimming in summer becomes problematic because of deadly jellyfish and crocodiles."

Wohl continued, "We have all the benefits of a city, like shopping, fine dining, and nightlife, and all the beauty of rural Australia just a short drive away." Then he mentioned the beaches, again. If you are looking for Wohl, check at the Doubleroo Chess Academy first, and then search the beaches!

Original post:
Outdoor Chess at the Gold Coast in Australia - Chessbase News

While it's something of a fool's game to compare players across different eras, the current Chess world champion Magnus Carlsen has a good case for being the greatest player to ever live. He's been a Grandmaster since 2004, became world champion in 2013 (a title he's successfully defended in three championship matches since), and his peak classical rating of 2882 is the highest in history (his current FIDE rating is 2847). And last week, at the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, he and grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura decided to lean into the memes by playing an opening that has now been dubbed the Double Bongcloud.

There are various explanations for where the Bongcloud nomenclature came from, but it's been around since at least the 90s and seems inextricable from the rise of internet chess. There were rumours that former world champion Bobby Fischer played online in the 90s, and would use this opening to demonstrate his superiority (thanks, Guardian). As that suggests, the joke with the Bongcloud is that it's such a bad move you'd have to be stoned out of your mind to even try it.

The move follows the standard opening of White pushing their king pawn to e4, Black responding with their king pawn to e5, after which White's king moves to e2. Which looks like this:

Let's not get too into the weeds on chess theory but this is as bad as it gets: exposes the king, blocks development of other pieces, prevents castling... it's a stinker. It can be played as a kind of disrespect to one's opponent, but the Bongcloud's sheer daftness in a game where players memorise openings called things like the Sicilian Dragon, the Nimzo-Indian defence or the Ruy Lopez means it's also become a good-natured joke, skewering the chess world's occasional tendency towards pomposity.

Carlsen's opponent in this game, Hikaru Nakamura, is a wonderful player himself and known for humorous chess-based internet shenanigans, including playing the Bongcloud and actually winning in big matches. Which is the necessary context for Carlsen choosing to open against Nakamura with the move, which sees Nakamura instantly crack up, before choosing to respond in-kind. After which neither player can contain their laughter as they shuffle pieces on the way to a draw.

Here we are, in the year of our lord 2021, with two of the greatest players on the planet opening against each other with a Double Bongcloud. Some chess grandees don't take too kindly to such stuff happening in the game of kings: British grandmaster Nigel Short here suggests that "some Twitch generation openings" are "an insult to chess."

To quote the Dude: that's just, like, your opinion man.

Most of the chess grandmasters when I was learning the game were very serious figures indeed, but that was also chess in an era where it was transitioning to the computer age. The game now is almost unrecognisable from the 80s and 90s, and the number of formats and interest that online play has given rise to is surely some sort of golden age. If the price of that is the current generation of grandmasters making a few jokes in minor tournaments, I'm pretty sure chess can weather that.

Certainly going by the reaction of Hungarian grandmaster Peter Leko, who was on commentary duties, and couldn't suppress his own laughter by the end. "Is this called Bongcloud yeah? It was something like of a Bongcloud business," he chortled in disbelief.

As if it needed to be said, this game was a dead rubber: both players had already qualified for the tournament's next stage. When Leko refers to the Berlin stuff he's talking about a high-level play that looks to secure an early draw, i.e. the kind of play one might have expected to see.

Instead, Carlsen and Nakamura laugh, move their kings around a little, and essentially go for a derp draw. They both had a hit of the Bongcloud, laughed their asses off, and peaced out. It's a far cry from Bobby Fischer versus the world but, every once in a while, that's no bad thing.

See the article here:
Greatest chess player of all time goes for the 'Double Bongcloud' opening - PC Gamer

The Central Chess Club in Moscow is probably the most beautiful chess club in the world. The clubrooms are located in a venerable building on Gogolevsky Boulevard, whose history goes back deep into the 19th century. Many Russian noble and merchant families successively inhabited the mansion before it was forcibly transferred to state ownership after the Russian Revolution.

The Central Chess Club in Moscow

The Russian Peoples Commissar for Justice Nikolai Krylonko then made the mansion his headquarters. Since he wasthe motor of the Soviet chess movement, he also brought the royal game to the historic edifice.

The history of the mansion begins in the first half of the 19th century. The property on todays Gogolevsky Boulevard lay fallow after the Muscovites themselves set fire to their city in 1812 to deprive the French of shelter and food. In 1822, Catherine Ivanovna Grekova, wife of the boyar and first lieutenant Alexei Vasilchikov, bought the vacant lot and had two houses built there.

The couples son,Nikolai Vasilychikov, also became an officer in the Russian Army and was known as one of the so-called Decembrists who refused to take the oath to the new Tsar Nicholas I on 25 December 1825 (according to the Gregorian calendar) in St. Petersburg. The Decembristsprotested the social conditions in the autocratic Tsarist Empire, which were characterized by serfdom, arbitrariness and censorship. The uprising was crushed. Nikolai Vasilychikov received a suspended sentence after a short imprisonment and was exiled to a unit in the Caucasus, where he took part in the wars against the Persians and Turks. He was also banned from the Russian capital, St.Petersburg, and the other major Russian cities. In 1830, Nikolai Vasilychikov was discharged from military service with honours and wasallowed to return to Moscow in 1831.

In the early 1830s, the Vasilychikov family sold the estate to Countess Ekaterina Zubova. She was married to a great-grandson of the Russian general Alexander Suverov (1730-1800). Prince and Princess Zubov had the house extensively rebuilt. In 1859/1860 the two houses were finally combined into one building. Prince SergeObolensky lived there for a whilein the 1860s.

In 1865, the estate changed hands again and now belonged to the wealthy, merchant Alexeyev family. A nephew of the new owner was Konstantin Stanislavski (1863-1938), who made a name for himself as a theatre director and theorist. He was an occasional visitor to the estate. Actually, Stanislavskis surname was also Alexeyev, but he adopted a stage name so as not to jeopardize his familys reputation.

Twenty years later, the manor house became the property of Vladimir von Meck. He was a son of the philanthropist and music lover Nadezhda Filartovna von Meck, who maintained an intensive pen friendship withcomposer Pyotr Tchaikovsky for many years.

Master Class Vol.10: Mikhail Botvinnik

Our experts show, using the games of Botvinnik, how to employ specific openings successfully, which model strategies are present in specific structures, how to find tactical solutions and rules for how to bring endings to a successful conclusion

The von Meck family circa 1875. Baroness Nadezhda Filaretovna is seated on the left and holds the youngest daughter Lyudmila (Milochka) in her arms. The girls father was Alexander Yolshin, seated on the left, secretary to the baronesshusband, engineer Karl von Meck (centre with dark hat). Karl von Meck only learned this much later through the second daughter Alexandra, and subsequently had a heart attack. The von Meck couple had 18 children (between 1848 and 1872), 11 of whom survived. In the centre of the photo, wearing a white hat,sitsVladimir von Meck, one of the Baronesss favourite sons.

The von Meck family was of Baltic German origin and had come to great wealth in Russia asowners of railway lines. The house was owned by the von Mecks for 30 years. In 1890, Vladimir von Meck[pictured] died after a long illness.

In 1895, the house was sold to the Falz-Feinfamily. The Falz-Feinfamily came from Germany and were also successful entrepreneurs in Russia. Under its new owners, the house was equipped with balconies and was electrified. Friedrich Falz-Feinhad bought the Anhalt colony of Askanija-Nova near Kherson, 100 km north of the Crimean island, and maintained a 65,000 HA farm with a huge naturereserve. Before World War I,he kept herds of horses and cattle and owned half a million sheep. He also bred over 400 species of mammals, including antelope, bison, zebra and ostrich, and undertook scientific research. After the revolution, the family members were either expelled or shot.

After only a few years, in 1899, the Falz-Feins sold their Moscow house again. The new owner was Lyubov Simina, sister of Sergei Simin, who founded the famous Simin Opera Theatre in 1903. In the 14 years of its existence, 120 operas were staged in the theatre. In 1917, it was closed as there was no longer an audience for opera after the Russian Revolution. Sergei Simins sister was married to opera singer Nazariy Kapitonov-Raisky, who was also a teacher at the conservatory. During this period, the Siminshouse was an epicentrefor many Russian musicians. Composers Alexander Glazunov, Sergei Taneyev and Sergei Rachmaninoffas well asfamous singer Feodor Chalyapin were frequent guests.

After the Russian Revolution, the house on Prechistensky Boulevard, as the street was then called it was only renamed Gogelvsky Boulevard after Nikolai Gogol in 1924 was nationalized and divided into several smaller flats. The former owners were assigned flat No. 4 as their new home.

In 1923, the PeoplesCommissariat for Justice of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) made the house its headquarters. Deputy Peoples Commissar since 1923 was Nikolai Krylenko. In 1931, he became thePeoples Commissar of Justice. In his capacity as Prosecutor General, he was responsible for countless death sentences.

Krylenko was an enthusiastic and good chess player, and was active as an organizer of tournaments and team competitions. He was the driving force behind the popularization of chess in the Soviet Union. In 1925, he organized the first major international chess tournament in the Soviet Union after the revolution in Moscow. With Nikolai Krylenko, the leadership of the not yet existing Soviet Chess Federation also moved into the mansion on Gogolevsky Boulevard.

Master Class Vol.5: Emanuel Lasker

The name Emanuel Lasker will always be linked with his incredible 27 years reign on the throne of world chess. In 1894, at the age of 25, he had already won the world title from Wilhelm Steinitz and his record number of years on the throne did not end till 1921 when Lasker had to accept the superiority of Jose Raul Capablanca. But not only had the only German world champion so far seen off all challengers for many years, he had also won the greatest tournaments of his age, sometimes with an enormous lead. The fascinating question is, how did he manage that?

Nikolai Krylenko, 1918 | Photo source: Wikipedia, author unknown

Krylenko had brought Emanuel Lasker to Moscow after his emigration from Germany, but as more and more Russian chess players disappeared during the Stalinist purges, Lasker secretly packed his things together with his wife and left Moscow for New York. Krylenko was arrested in 1938 and shot after a show trial.

In the late 1920s, the mansion on Gogolevsky Boulevard was also used for a while to house communists who had been forced to flee their countries. In 1940, the state trust company Dalstroyhad its headquarters here.

In 1956, the house, where chess hadplayed a role since the mid-1920s, was designated as the building of the Central Chess Club at the suggestion of Vasily Smyslov. Smyslov lived near by in a skyscraper on Barrikadnaya and was friends with the chief architect of Moscow, Mikhail Posokhin.

Fischer and Petrosian, playing Blitz in the Central Chess Club, 1958

In 1980, a chess museum wasestablished in the mansion. In addition, the editorial office of the Russian chess magazine 64is located there.

The chess museum

In the times of the Soviet Union and even afterwards, the rooms of the Central Chess Club were not particularly well maintained. For a long time, the building gave a somewhat run-down visual impression, typical of many old buildings in communist Russia. During a renovationin 1980, more was destroyed than preserved. In 2014, however, the building was restored in a historically correct and elaborate manner, and now it shines in its old splendour.

The large roomoften used as a tournament hall| Photo: admagazin.ru

The library| Photo: Admagazin.ru

After the fall of communism, there were several attempts by investors to acquire the house to set up expensive offices or flats at theexquisite location in Moscow. But the Muscovitechess enthusiasts resisted all offers, and when necessary, an oligarch with an affinity for chess stepped in to pay dues and taxes which the club could not pay.

The Russian Chess Federation has also been using the magnificent rooms of the Central Chess Club for many years now for tournaments, ceremonial receptions and other major events.

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.

The Moscow Central Chess Club has now built its own website, which allows chess fanstovisit the club virtually.

Originally posted here:
The most beautiful chess club in the world - Chessbase News