Latest News!
July 5, 2022
Nepomniachtchi wins Candidates… Carlsen undecided on rematch
Ian Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates Tournament yesterday ending on an undefeated 9.5/14. In fact, he avoided real trouble (for the…
June 30, 2022
Kevin Pryor shines at Emory Castle Camp
Kevin Pryor is known more as an organizer extraordinaire in the state of Florida and currently serves as the Florida…
June 28, 2022
IM Nestor Velez passes away
IM Nestor Tomas Velez BetancourtMay 5th, 1956 – June 28, 2022 It is with regret that The Chess Drum announces…
June 24, 2022
Nepomniachtchi leading Candidates 2022 after six
Ian Nepomniachtchi came into this Candidates Tournament as the last player who earned the right to play Magnus Carlsen for…
June 24, 2022
Shabazz to get Special Services Chess Award!
Dear Chess Community, On June 17th, I was informed that I would be the recipient of a U.S. Chess Special…
June 16, 2022
Maurice Ashley honored by Brownsville!
Grandmaster Maurice Ashley was one of the esteemed honorees that also included championship boxer Mike Tyson, actress Bern Nadette Stanis…
June 15, 2022
2022 Candidates Tournament is here!
In two days, the 2022 Candidates tournament will begin with a very interesting field of new faces and some returnees…
June 11, 2022
FIDE Election tickets certified, African ticket out
The FIDE Electoral Commission released its report in certifying the tickets for the August 7th election. Five tickets were submitted…
June 7, 2022
Togolese Chess on fire at Rapid/Blitz!
Togo is a country of some eight million with a growing chess-playing segment. With its Founder and President on hand…
June 5, 2022
Aspiring chess master Janell Warner ready to shine
Janell Warner posted pictures on social media about her graduation from Brandeis University and stated, “so happy to be surrounded…
May 31, 2022
Jeffery Xiong nets another Chicago title!
Jeffrey Xiong won his second Chicago Open title after his 2015 breakthrough. At the 2022 Chicago Open, he finished on…
May 28, 2022
IM Eugenio Campos at IPCA
International Master Eugenio Campos is a long-time Olympian from Angola. Recently, he represented the country at the IPCA (International Physically…
May 24, 2022
Somalia finalizes team for 2022 Olympiad
The Somali Chess Federation had successfully finalized the Olympiad qualifying chess tournament that was held in Mogadishu between 17/05/2022 to…
May 21, 2022
FIDE 2022 election campaigns heat up!
Early this month, the Presidential election (FIDE 2022) opened and there are already four candidates for President. This point was…
May 20, 2022
Daniel Cawdery wins South African Championship
IM Daniel Cawdery won his second national title by edging out the field of contemporaries including former national champions and…
May 20, 2022
Spike Lee celebrates NIKE’s 50th with chess
Spike Lee filming “Seen It All” Photo by NIKE Spike Lee Joint helps to celebrate Nike’s 50th with a montage…
May 14, 2022
Jamaica’s Christie wins Heroes Cup 2022!
Barbados Chess Federation, “Jamaican Christie takes spot in Heroes Day Cup, Wilson wins Challengers section,” barbadoschess.org, 29 April 2022. Leading…
May 13, 2022
Michael Abron releases book on Chess Journey
For the past couple of years Michael Abron has been working on his memoirs to tell his story of playing…
May 13, 2022
Dvorkovich-Anand 2022 campaign for FIDE
Six weeks ago on April 1st, Arkady Dvorkovich announced a commitment from 5-time world champion Viswanathan Anand to stand with…
May 13, 2022
Cayman Islands’ Chess Jubilee!
The Cayman Islands Chess Federation was formed in 2018 with a grand plan to build a chess community as many…
May 8, 2022
Brewington Hardaway wins K8!
Top-seed Brewington Hardaway won the K8 National Championship on tiebreaks over four co-champions. All ended with 6/7. Now 13, Brewington…
May 7, 2022
Geopolitics and the Diverse Voices in Chess
The Russian incursion into Ukraine is still burning up the news cycle more than two months after the geopolitical conflict…
May 6, 2022
Togo’s Fumey will stand for FIDE President
The chess community on the African continent is buzzing at the news of Enyonam Sewa Noël Fumey announcing his candidacy…
April 24, 2022
First IM norm for Tani Adewumi!
FIDE Master Tani Adewumi is growing up right before our eyes. He recently notched the first of three required “norms”…
April 23, 2022
Jerald Times scores victory in legal chess battle
National Master Jerald Times told The Chess Drum a month ago about a troubling saga involving his tenure at the…
April 1, 2022
Business Meets Chess & Kids… Spring 2022!
Business Meets Chess & Kids kicks off a spring event featuring former Real Madrid star Esteban Granero as he will…
April 1, 2022
ChessBase gets the beat of The Chess Drum!
Recently chess.com featured “Chess Through an African Lens” written by this author. The reception was very positive, but it is…
March 25, 2022
The Steven Rollins Chess Rule
In most team competitions, teammates don’t play each other, but retired U.S. Marine Corps Master Sergeant Steven Rollins thought of…
March 17, 2022
India to host FIDE Chess Olympiad
The FIDE Chess Olympiad will be held later this year in Chennai, India according to a FIDE press release. The…
March 14, 2022
Promoting to a Black Chess Queen
In 2010, I wrote an article titled “Baraka Shabazz: Black Queen of Chess.” Seven years later came “Revisiting Baraka Shabazz,”…
