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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,”…
February 28, 2022
Black History Month 2022-Day 28: IM Emory Tate
International Master Emory TatePhoto by Daaim Shabazz Before his passing in 2015, International Master Emory Tate was one of the…
February 27, 2022
Black History Month 2022-Day 27: Kenneth Clayton
Kenneth Clayton is a trailblazer for many reasons. A distinguished man with a presence that commanded respect, he was one…
February 26, 2022
Black History Month 2022-Day 26: IM Michael Schleifer
Playing on both sides of the border, Michael Schleifer was the top junior in Canada and rose through the ranks…
February 25, 2022
Black History Month 2022-Day 25: IM Watu Kobese
February 25, 2022
FIDE postpones the 2022 Chess Olympiad
Due to the rapidly evolving situation in Ukraine, the chess world was bracing for an announcement about FIDE’s position on…
February 24, 2022
Black History Month 2022-Day 24: Frank Street
Frank Street became a National Master in June 1965 and in the same year, graced the cover of Chess life…
February 23, 2022
Black History Month 2022-Day 23: Ashley’s Unity Tournament Series (1992)
The 1992 African-American Unity Tournament Series was a novel idea and 30 years later, has never lost its relevance. If…
February 22, 2022
Black History Month 2022-Day 22: William Earnest Griffin
William E. Griffin on page 101 of The Rice Gambit by H. Keidanz (New York, 1905). William Earnest Griffin is…
February 21, 2022
Black History Month 2022-Day 21: Alfred Blake Carlin
Alfred Blake Carlin was larger than life figure in New Orleans chess. Carlin’s large physical size matched his personality and…
February 20, 2022
Black History Month 2022-Day 20: Afro-Latino Chess
In this Black History Month, we honor our Afro-Latino chess kindred as part of our shared history. The Chess Drum…
February 19, 2022
Black History Month 2022-Day 19: James McCune Smith
Dr. James McCune Smith is a man we don’t hear of during Black History Month. This multitalented and multifaceted man…
