GM-elect Dylan BerdayesPhoto by ACN (Cuba) Dylan Berdayes will be the next Grandmaster of Cuba, the country’s 47th. Last October he earned his 3rd GM norm at the Clemente Vazquez Chess Championship in Havana. In the last round, he drew with International Master Ernesto Giron from El Salvador finishing on 7/9 (+5=4-0). Berdayes’ first norm …
On an African chess group on WhatsApp, Andrew Lewaks shared this three-year-old video from a youth initiative involving the West Coast Chess Union in South Africa. “Helping Kings and Queens Make the Right Moves” is a very touching tribute showing the benefits of chess as an alternative to other national sports like rugby and netball. …
In three weeks, the 2023 World Chess Championship will begin in Astana, Kazakhstan with Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi facing off against China Ding Liren. The match will be the beginning of a new era, one that saw Magnus Carlsen hold the title for ten years after wresting it away from (2013) and defending it against (2014) …
Tunde Onakoya of “Chess in Slums” visiting Kenya with representatives from partner organization, “The Gift of Chess.” Tunde Onakoya has spent the last five years refining his delivery of “Chess in Slums” to some of the most poverty-stricken areas of Nigeria. Now His initiative has attracted many admirers and supporters around the world. Last year, …
The inaugural HBCU Classic will kick off April 22nd at Morehouse College and hopes to attract students from around the country to network… and compete for glory! The Chess Drum was informed about an HBCU tournament by Jamaal Abdul-Alim and contacted the organizer Shaniah Francis (Spelman College) on LinkedIn. “I’m Shaniah the vice president of …
The Chess Drum’s Daaim Shabazz was a guest on Dylan Quercia’s Twitch stream called, “Talking Talent.” The 71-minute segment featured the usual questions about chess beginnings and the emergence of the 22-year-old website. Other questions featured chess in the African-American chess community, its progress, the importance of analytics, and issues pertaining to the bridge of …
Oleiny Linares Napoles won her 4th national title during the Cuban women’s championship from February 9th-20th. The event was a 12-player round-robin taking place in José Raúl Capablanca Academy in Camagüey. Linares has been a regular on The Chess Drum and was last featured after winning her 3rd championship. The Santiago de Cuba famously won …
The Capital City Open II attracted 31 local players to Tallahassee, Florida in three sections. Florida State University professor Dr. Steven Lenhert won his second consecutive tournament despite losing to Richard Kennedy. The top section had five players, but under-1600 represented 25 players! This is the largest Tallahassee tournament in several years and was organized …