The Chess Drum

Joseph Methu won the 2023 Kenya National Chess Championship, and with it, drove away with a new car (worth 1.3 million KSh). This is the fourth year that a car has been the grand prize. Mehul Gohil has won two (2019, 2022) and Martin Njoroge (2021). The tournament occurred at the splendid Charter Hall at …

Our chess highlights of 2023 will show how controversy served as the mainstay of headlines. The Carlsen-Niemann controversy was still bubbling as the chess community saw a dismissal on one count of the $100 million lawsuit in June. FIDE finally released a statement and, on four counts, fined the former World Champion 10,000 euros for …

Over a week ago, Africa crowned its Junior champions, with Hamed Wafa (Egypt) and Chahrazed Djeroud (Algeria) earning the continental titles. Thirteen federations sent representatives to Nouakchott, Mauritania, to vie for a place in chess history. Egypt and Algeria have dominated the proceedings in previous years, but several players from other federations were looking for …

Cheating has remained in the chess headlines since the Carlsen-Niemann controversy in September 2022. In the past two years, chess has continued to grab international headlines. This is not because of the new World Champion, Ding Liren, or all the rising young players gracing the scene. It is not because of the increasing popularity of …

Deborah Ebimobo-ere Quickpen, Nigerian Women’s National ChampionPhoto by Botswana Chess Federation Nigeria’s Deborah Quickpen recently earned acclaim after winning the women’s title with 9.5/11. At the time of her victory, she had toppled a record that had stood for 20 years and set the stage for a bright future. There are already signs of her …

FIDE General Assembly determined that the 2028 Chess Olympiad will be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Some 42 years after UAE hosted arguably the best Olympiad in history in 1986, the country seeks to host the world’s most important chess event. This event includes all member federations, and concurrent sessions are held to conduct the …

FM Jimmy Canty III has become one of the most popular online chess personalities and has just released his first Chessable course. The 31-year-old Detroit native is one of the most visible social media icons in the chess world today. First coached by Harold Steen at Bates Academy, he has risen out of a city …

Brewington Hardway earned his first Grandmaster norm at the U.S. Masters in Charlotte. The 14-year-old had a blistering month of November earning more than 100 Elo points. Prior to his norm performance, he earned 50 Elo points at the nine-round NYC GM Fall Invitational. He bettered that result with another handsome cache of 62 Elo …

Odafe Benedict Efemuai is a long way from the Delta State region of Nigeria. The 2016 Nigerian champion has found a new home in New York where he is a chess educator. Odafe’s hometown gained the attention of major corporations after oil discovery in the 70s, and was in the news during the 90s. Unfortunately, …

Back in 2002, The Chess Drum ran a short article by Dan Lucas that mentioned the U.S. possibly being the host of the 2004 Chess Olympiad. It was during a time of transition for U.S. Chess and at the time, Florida was vying to become the center of U.S. and world chess. The World Chess …