Stuart Conquest News Today

The name "Hastings" has a very special ring to it in the chess world. In 1895 one of the most important tournaments in chess history took place in the seaside resort on the south-east coast of England, and chess tournaments are still regularly held there today - no tournament in chess history has a longer tradition. The Berlin FM Jürgen Brustkern is a great expert on Hastings and has written a book on the history of this tradition together with Norbert Wallet. In an interview with...

Johannes Zukertort played the first “Competition for the World Chess Championship” against Wilhelm Steinitz in 1886. He lost the match, fell ill during the match and never recovered. He died two years later in London. His grave in Brompton Cemetery in London was forgotten until Stuart Conquest rediscovered it. This is the story about it. | Photos: Stuart Conquest, Helmut Pfleger

In the current issue of his column in Zeit Magazin, Helmut Pfleger reports on the rediscovery of Zukertort's grave. In 1886, Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort set in motion a tradition with their match for the world championship, a tradition that continues to this day. Zukertort's grave in London's Brompton Cemetery, however, was lost and forgotten. It has been found and restored.

The French composer and pianist Jason Kouchak is an enthusiastic amateur chess player with considerable playing strength. He has taken part in various Opens, including the Open in Gibraltar in 2009, where he met a famous contemporary.

The UK’s favourite chess festival, the London Chess Classic, organised by the charity Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC), is back for its 12th edition on December 3-12, 2021 at a brand new venue, the Cavendish Conference Centre in central London. Due to limitations on numbers imposed by Covid, the festival will look a little different this year – but the organisers are sure that chess fans will like the fantastic range of events on offer.

At the end of October, the 139th "Varsity Match" Oxford vs Cambridge was played at the Royal Automobile Club in London. All in all, Cambridge is slightly ahead in matches, but this year Oxford won 5.5-2.5. The match was a real event, with dinner and music by the famous pianist, composer and chess fan Jason Kouchak. | Photo: Jason Kouchak and Victor Vasiesiu, captain of the Oxford team | Photo: John Saunders

The 2021 FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss is taking place from October 27 until November 7 in Riga, Latvia. An open tournament and a women’s tournament is being played concurrently, each an 11-round Swiss event. Follow the action live with expert commentary starting at 14.00 local time (13.00 CEST, 7.00 ET, 16.30 IST). | Photo: Mark Livshitz