Aaron Isayevich Nimzovich (1886-1935) is considered, along with Breyer and Reti, to be a founding father of the Hypermodern School. A preeminent theoretician, Nimzovich was also a potential challenger for the World Championship title: in 1926 Capablanca accepted his match offer, though Nimzovich was unable to raise the necessary funding. Nimzovich was from the beginning […]

From behind the Iron Curtain and out of the deep freezer of the Cold War emerged a cold-blooded chess assassin, a man of iron will, iron discipline, iron technique: Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, World Champion 1948-1957, 1958-1960, and 1961-61, dominated the chess world after WWII in a way that no doubt made his political and ideological […]

 
He was the fifth World Champion, and though he held the title for barely two years, his achievement of defeating Alexander Alekhine in 1935 is still regarded as one of the great long shot victories in all of sports. Machgielis “Max” Euwe (pronounced “ervor” as in “fervor”) was never a chess “professional.” Having obtained a […]

“I was 22 then and the youngest in the team. When, on the eve of the match (USSR vs. USA, Moscow, 1946–Ed.), the strategical battle plan was being decided upon, the first to speak was the elder, M. M. Botvinnik.
“Looking steadily at me, he pronnounced in a clear and imposing tone: ‘I hope that everyone […]

The Schwarzschild Singularity, that numerical pit where zero and infinity are indistinguishable, implied by General Relativity–first rejected but later grudgingly accepted by Einstein–remains the enigmatic belly of the beasts known as Black Holes, arguably the most mystifying phenomena in the universe. If nature abhors numerical infinities, it evidently makes an exception for the unviewable inner […]

At the arena, nothing thrills like the stunning knock-out punch. So in chess, to Hastings 1895 looks the rank and file chess player for good old-fashioned slugfests par excellence. In the match-up below, William “Stinkin’ Bill” Steinitz lands the big shot on Kurt von Bardeleben, then batters him along the ropes, driving him into his […]

This game, published in “Developments in the King’s Gambit 1980–88″ (Quadrant Marketing Ltd. 1988) features perhaps the most ferocious opening line in chess. The Muzio is Muzio enough, but the sac on move eight in this line takes chess opening aggression to new heights. Look now upon such contest as has a permanent place in […]

>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cheese, sugar and lemon juice until the mixture is light and fluffy.
>Add the eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat until very smooth after the last addition.
>Stir in the cream and pour mixture into the prepared […]

Imagine sitting down with the black pieces to face the most violent attacking player since Alekhine, who needs the full point to gain the right to play for the World Championship! That’s what baritone Vasily Smyslov did when he faced Paul Keres in the deciding game of the Candidates’ Tournament, Zurich, 1953. Watch Smyslov thread […]

William “Stinkin’ Bill” Steinitz (1836–1900) was the self-proclaimed first World Chess Champion. He announced himself thus after a match with Anderssen in 1866, and nobody argued with him. He held the crown for twenty eight years, successfully defending the title against the likes of Blackburne, Zuckertort and Tchigorin. All accounts indicate that Stinkin’ Bill was […]