8 Golden Pawn Awards
At the majestic Hôtel de Paris in Monaco, the ECU started a new tradition.
10 NIC’s Café
Gérard Depardieu co-stars in a film based on the true story of a young refugee who turns out to be a chess prodigy.
12 Your Move
The son of a former World Championship Candidate draws our attention to achievements of his father that also deserve attention.
14 When Magnus met AlphaZero
Magnus Carlsen’s second Peter Heine Nielsen looks back on a wonderful year for the World Champion and the role AlphaZero played in his successes.
24 Grischuk takes pole position
Alexander Grischuk has excellent chances to claim a spot in the Candidates after his win in the Hamburg GP.
32 Wang Hao wins Grand Swiss
Even Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana had to bow to an impressive Wang Hao, who, at the age of 30, played the tournament of his life.
35 Celeb64: Boris Becker
52 Interview: Wang Hao
A frank conversation with the second Chinese Candidate.
56 Maximize Your Tactics
Find the right moves.
58 Fischer Random
Wesley So became the first official Fischer Random World Champion. In Oslo, he shocked the local fans by trouncing hot favourite Magnus Carlsen in the final.
65 Fair & Square
66 The Moves that Matter
An excerpt from Jonathan Rowson’s new book. It’s (also) about chess, but it’s not a chess book.
70 Dare-devil Dubov
The Russian has many fans, including Magnus Carlsen. You can see why from his lively notes to a brilliant win at the European Team Championships (where he took gold with Russia).
76 Secrets of Opening Surprises
A remarkable idea to go for an early endgame against the Caro-Kann.
80 Hand and Brain
At Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival in Budapest, the first official ‘hand-and-brain’ tournament was held.
84 Never-ending
Maxim Dlugy draws endgame lessons from the Superbet Blitz in Bucharest.
92 Such energetic play!
Jan Timman makes no secret of his enthusiasm about the talent of 16-year-old Alireza Firouzja from Iran.
100 Sadler on Books
The second volume of Gata Kamsky’s games collection, a forgotten player from Odessa and more.
105 They Are The Champions
Rani Hamid (75) is the women’s champ of Bangladesh for the 20th time.
106 Just Checking
What is Davorin Kuljasevic’s earliest chess memory?
