The Chess Drum
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2018 Chess Olympiad: Round #6
2018 Chess Olympiad: Round #6Sunday, 30 September 2018 Women Section Full Results First, the women… The Americans are making a run for medals in both sections after the 6th round proceedings. The story thus far has to be the play of unheralded FM Jennifer Yu who is now on 5.5/6…
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2018 Chess Olympiad: Round #5
2018 Chess Olympiad: Round #5Friday, 28 September 2018 Open Section Full Results Levon Aronian (Armenia)Photo by Daaim Shabazz Things have heated up before the rest day at the 2018 Chess Olympiad. The marquee matchup between Azerbaijan and Armenia was a thriller, but ended up in heartbreak for the Armenians. Levon…
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2018 Chess Olympiad: Round #3
2018 Chess Olympiad: Round #3Wednesday, 26 September 2018 Open Section Full Results The calm before the storm. Round three had some interesting matchups, but the favorites are still holding sway in this 11-round marathon. France finally gave up a 1/2-point, but holds the lead on board points with 11.5 while…
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2018 Chess Olympiad: Round #2
2018 Chess Olympiad: Round #2Monday, 25 September 2018 Open Section Full Results A couple of surprises in today’s games (including the Russian women dropping their match to Uzbekistan), but before we get into today’s proceedings, there are a couple of matters to discuss. The opening ceremonies was splendid by all…
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Preview & Predictions for the 2018 Chess Olympiad
In a few days, the 43rd Chess Olympiad will open in the seaside city of Batumi in the Republic of Georgia. It is projected that approximately 180 nations with convene at the biennial event which will feature battles for team and individual medals as well as the election for FIDE…
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“Bipolar” politics brewing in 2018 FIDE Election
Things are heating up as we move closer to the FIDE election to be held October 3rd in Batumi, Georgia. This campaign has been about as hotly-contested as we’ve had in the past 20 years. There have been many invectives tossed particularly against Georgios Makropoulos, the current Deputy President. In…
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USCF Life Master James E. Gwyn, Sr. (1930-2018)
When Orrin Hudson informed The Chess Drum of the passing of James E. Gwyn, Sr., he recounted the mentorship that he received from the New Jersey resident. Gwyn was months shy of his 88th birthday. A U.S.C.F. Life Master, Gwyn had not played in a chess tournament since 2007, but…
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Nigeria’s Basirat Ariyike… sunshine in Lagos slum
When we hear of “child prodigy” in chess, we imagine Paul Morphy, Samuel Reshevsky, Bobby Fischer, Judit Polgar or current World Champion Magnus Carlsen. In reality, there are very few that come along. As many chess players as have graced the 64 squares, each person started at the beginning… learning…
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1st Frederick Douglass Memorial (Key West, FL)
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass will be memorialized September 21st-23rd in Key West, Florida with the inaugural Frederick Douglass Chess Tournament. Douglass was a well-known abolitionist, human rights advocate of the 19th century and one of the greatest figures in Black History. He became one of the greatest orators of his…
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2018 Florida State Championship (Jacksonville, FL)
FM Jorge Oquendo FM Jorge Oquendo came into the 2018 Florida State Championship as the defending champion. The Cuban national lives in the Jacksonville and enjoyed “home-court advantage.” It would come into play in a field headed by GM Benjamin Finegold who drive in from Atlanta, Georgia. There were 131…
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