6 Bobby & Lisa
Bobby Fischer and Lisa Lane in a new photobook.
8 NIC’s Café
Death, Poison and Comedy.
12 Arjun Erigaisi
An exclusive interview with the new number four in the world rankings.
24 It’s all about Elo
Does your rating reflect your playing strength? Is your opponent from India underrated? Was the 1700-rated Bobby Fischer underrated? Why did every chess player below 2000 get free rating points from FIDE earlier this year?
35 Killer Blow
Find that one move that will immediately end the game.
37 Your Move
Spot the mistake and earn your free eBook.
38 Only Hans
Snubbed by organizers, the 21-year-old Hans Niemann creates his own fan zone. The ‘Hans Niemann against the World’ tour kicked off in Utrecht, the Netherlands, as thebête noireof the international chess establishment defeated Anish Giri 24-18 in a match of mixed time-controls.
46 Tournament Roundup
Highly instructive game notes by Le Quang Liem, who won the Biel Triathlon for the third time in a row.
51 Celeb 64: Carlos Alcaraz.
56 Hosting the Olympiad
Budapest hosts the 45th Olympiad and Andras Toth celebrates the rich and successful past of Hungry as a chess nation, with players such as Judit Polgar, Peter Leko, Richard Rapport and Lajos Portisch.
66 Eat Your Way to Victory
Chess players have shown that they will try almost anything to give themselves a competitive edge at the board. However, when it comes to nutrition, ‘most people in chess have no idea’.
71 Fair & Square
MVL: ‘Perfect mastery is a trap. It’s a fiction, a fantasy, even a madness. The chess player must realize that it doesn’t exist.’
72 Romanian Holiday
‘Book a rest in Bucharest’ seemed to be the motto of the first classic leg of the Grand Chess Tour, as the percentage of draws soared to 85 percent. Fabiano Caruana won the four-player playoff, taking home $68,750.
81 Maximize Your Tactics
Nine puzzles, selected by Maxim Notkin.
82 James Altucher
‘GMs and IMs always have an information advantage over everyone lower. And they know all the openings and sidelines. So, let’s face it, the sideline is bad.’
84 The Model Game
The pawn chain in the French Advance determines the strategy of both White and Black. White wants to maintain the space advantage, Black attacks the base of the chain or counters with ...f7-f6.
88 The Scoresheet
Réti-Capablanca, New York 1924.
90 Sadler on Books
A massive endgame manual by Jacob Aagaard works pretty well as entertainment rather than just as instruction.
96 Jan Timman
The 110th edition of the British Championship was the strongest in years. In a close race, Gawain Jones edged out David Howell. 15-year-old Shreyas Royal became England’s youngest GM ever.
106 Just Checking
When was the last time Vaishali cried
