Author - The Journal

The Trojan pawn

Magnus Carlsen won his 21st World Championship title this month, winning the International Chess Federation’s first official Freestyle Chess Championship. In freestyle chess, the starting po...

DATE: Feb 23, 2026 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

The Swiss cheese defense

In 1792, King Louis XVI’s 900 Swiss guards tried to protect the king against a mob of more than 20,000 revolutionaries at the Tuileries Palace. Despite a valiant effort, the Swiss guards wer...

DATE: Feb 15, 2026 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

To err is human

The prestigious Tata Steel Chess tournament in the Netherlands is a multiweek event that concluded on Feb. 1. Nordirbek Abdusattorov won the event, and fellow Uzbek Javokhir Sindarov placed ...

DATE: Feb 9, 2026 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

A smart general

What is white’s best move?

DATE: Jan 30, 2026 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

Life is soup, and you are a fork

The word fork is derived from the Latin furca and dates back to about 2400 B.C. The ancient Egyptians and Chinese used forks. Forks are here to stay, you might say. During the Shang Dynasty,...

DATE: Jan 26, 2026 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

Those who bait

The alligator turtle lures unsuspecting fish into its jaws with its tongue, which looks like a tasty worm. As the fish goes for the bait, the turtle’s jaws snap shut and it’s the worm that g...

DATE: Jan 19, 2026 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

Something wicked

DIAG 1 In Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth,” Lady Macbeth drugs the king’s guards, allowing General Macbeth to murder King Duncan easily. Similarly, in this week’s position White removes Bla...

DATE: Jan 12, 2026 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

The wizard

This December, Magnus Carlsen won both the World Chess Championship in Rapid and Blitz time controls. Rapid is a game played in 15 minutes with a 10‑second increment; Blitz, a game played in...

DATE: Jan 2, 2026 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

Take it

When you come to a fork in the road, take it “When you come to a fork in the road, take it,” Yogi Berra quipped. With this hint in mind, please try to find White’s winning move in this week’...

DATE: Dec 18, 2025 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

Tiny moves: White to move and win

“Tiny Tim, you mischievous devil,” snarled Scrooge. “Now, now,” chided the Ghost of Christmas Future from behind Scrooge’s chair. Playing black, Scrooge thought the game was won with his qu...

DATE: Dec 15, 2025 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner

Sniff for the unexpected

Young Rudolf the reindeer surprised Santa with his red nose. Santa first thought Rudolf had a bad cold, but then saw his nose emitted a light so bright. The rest went down in history. Like ...

DATE: Dec 8, 2025 | CATEGORY: Chess Corner