Daniel Harrwitz News Today

Howard Staunton (April 1819 – June 22, 1874) stands as a controversial figure in chess. Not only did he establish himself as the strongest player in the 1840s, but also elevated the comprehension of the game as the most prominent analyst and author of his generation. His influence as a player and organizer contributed to the standardization of the chess pieces and to the development of international competition. Yet, he was also a complex character who made foes out of his competitors and frie...

John Jacob Loewenthal is largely remembered as a prominent character in the legend of Paul Morphy. The American champion defeated him twice in two continents: once when he was a boy in New Orleans, and then again when he was a young man during his famous tour in Europe. In his own right, however, Loewenthal was a great master who did more for chess than most of the luminaries of his time. His was a life given solely to the game. On the recent 147th anniversary of his passing, it is fitting to re...

In recent years there has been a revival of interest in the "old masters". Those who study the subject intensively, as Frank Hoffmeister does in his work "Chess Theory from Stamma to Steinitz, 1735-1894", will find that the ideas of the "old ones" are surprisingly young. Review and interview with the author.

There's no clear answer -- but there are a few suspects.

The Edinburgh Chess Club was founded in 1822 and is celebrating its 200th birthday on November 4. It is the world’s second oldest chess club in continued existence after Zurich (1809). Best wishes for the Bicentenary celebrations, and for the next 100 years!

Paul Morphy needs no introduction. On the occasion of his 138th death anniversary, Eugene Manlapao revisits the exploits of the chess genius and the peculiar circumstances of his success that seemingly recurred in the rise of succeeding American champions.

Some of the most regrettable chess stories are those of great players leaving the game at the peak of their powers. First, there was Paul Morphy, then, more than a century later, Robert Fischer. Very few probably know or remember that shortly after Morphy left, another brilliant player took his talents elsewhere. He was not of Morphy’s stature, certainly, but all the same, it was a pity that the world saw no more of his chess. That man was Ignatz von Kolisch.

Tal, Petrosian, Spassky and Korchnoi: A Chess Multibiography with 207 Games, McFarland 2020 Tigran Petrosian (born on 17 June 1929 in Tbilisi), Viktor Korchnoi (born on 23 March 1931 in Leningrad), Mikhail Tal (born on 9 November 1936 in Riga) and Boris Spassky (born on 30 January 1937 in Leningrad) are among the most important chess players of the 20th century. Three of them were world champions, while Viktor Korchnoi came close twice. The four were born between 1929 and 1937; they were rival...