CHESS Magazine - August 2026

All the regular features of the UK's best-selling CHESS magazine and more! Regular features include: How Good is Your Chess? by GM Daniel King, Saunders on Chess, Find the Winning Moves, Never Mind the Grandmasters..., Studies, Home & Overseas News, Forthcoming Events Calendar and Book Reviews.    

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In this issue:

Editorial.......................................................................................................
Malcolm Pein on the latest developments in the game

60 Seconds with...Szymon Gumularz..........................................................9
We learn a little about the Polish Champion, who took on Gawain Jones

A Match and Two Norms!...........................................................................10
Jonathan Arnott reports on some high-quality chess in Sheffield

Forthcoming Events..................................................................................15

How Good Is Your Chess?...........................................................................16
Daniel King on the talent, rise and potential of Yagiz Erdogmus

How to Beat a Grandmaster.......................................................................19
Paul Littlewood recalls the attacking prowess of his father, John Littlewood

Trying to Understand the Lasker-Reichhelm postion................................20
Neil Hickman continues to investigate the theory of corresponding squares

Find The Winning Moves............................................................................22
A bumper 33 puzzles lest you’re feeling rusty and about to play this summer

The Immortal Enigma.................................................................................26
John Henderson grapples with a very (in)famous game, Anderssen-Kieseritzky

ChessFest in Pictures.................................................................................30
A visual recap of the goings on at the UK’s largest one-day chess event

Is the Ratings System Broken?..................................................................32
Ben Graff explores why ratings matter and whether the system is working

Genius Ideas..............................................................................................35
Geoff Chandler never passes by a charity shop

Night Clubbing..........................................................................................36
Edinburgh’s Keith Ruxton on the evolution of the second-oldest chess club

Never Mind the Grandmasters...................................................................38
Carl enjoyed a simul given by the Editor in Kenilworth, including a notable defeat

Don’t Like Licking Stamps.........................................................................40
Mike Donnelly recalls two strong OTB players suffering at correspondence

An Unsung Hero.......................................................................................42
Neil Pennock looks back on the Scarborough Chess Festival of 1926

As Easy as ABC: Part II.............................................................................44
Junior Tay continues his coverage of Matthias Blübaum’s antidote to the Catalan

Overseas News........................................................................................47
Success for Alireza Firouzja, Danny Gormally and Mukhiddin Madaminov

Home News...............................................................................................51
Andrew Greet retained his Scottish title and Surrey the County Championship

Solutions...................................................................................................53

This Month’s New Releases........................................................................54
Sean Marsh very much enjoyed Salo Flohr: From Chess Fighter to Chess Writer

Saunders on Chess.....................................................................................58
John on Charles Wreford-Brown, chess, soccer and the World Cup