Just read an excellent press release about the British #Chess championship being held in Liverpool, with a nice historical overview, by @leonwatson.bsky.social I was only slightly disappointed that there was no reference to one of the great #murder mysteries ...

Vapor cone forming around an F-18 near the speed of sound. Also known as a shock collar, a vapor cone is a visible cloud of condensed water that can sometimes form around an object moving through moist air at high speeds, such as a fighter jet approaching the sound barrier.

I'm sure most people are horrified, but I can't help feeling a bit pleased to see how much Magnus still cares... #chess #magnuscarlsen #fury

Very puzzled by how well 'hidden' the recent Latvian championship was - not broadcast on the usual suspect sites. Has made me add a few less visited ones to my list... #chess

I hate it when someone misspells a word SO badly that you cannot remember what's right after seeing it.

😞 RIP to one of the few names in chess that everyone knows.

@leonwatson.bsky.social Looking for work?!

I learned today that the main character was named after Sir Jeremy Morse (1928-2016), banker, chess problemist, crossword devotee & friend of Colin Dexter. Morse was chairman of Lloyds' Bank, who were an extremely important sponsor of chess here in the '80s & 90s. (See Alt tab for details.)

Have got half an eye on the Chessable leg of the Champions #Chess Tour, and am startled by the pace. Did they always play more than one bracket per day? I thought the four-game match was a day's work before...

Half a century ago today: the 1st round of the biennial international tournament in Tallinn. Among the pairings: Keres v. Marović. Spassky can be seen passing in the background. (📷: D. Prants, O. Vihandi, via muis.ee, meediateek.ee.) #chess

You can tweak the rules of the game, but you'll still have to beware of the kids... #chess #freestyle #fischerrandom #chess960959

Born 75 years ago today in Cheliabinsk, USSR - Evgeny Sveshnikov (1950-2021), without doubt one of the most significant opening theoreticians of the 20th century. Pictured here at Wijk aan Zee, January 1981. (📷R. Bogaerts / ANEFO, via nationaalarchief.nl.) #chess

Junior Junior just spotted this on Norwegian TV

Junior Junior just spotted this on Norwegian TV

Ah, the bots seem to have found this account...

Time to check out and move on. #tatasteelchess #wijkaanzee #chess #hotel

Just some guys blitzing after #tatasteelchess #gukesh #worldchampion #chess

Experiencing some posting anomalies...

During the #tatasteelchess the Tourist Information office in Wijk aan Zee is a #chess book store and more

Bluesky, can we do a bit better with refreshing? I'd like to see new posts as they come out.

Went along to a book signing near the #tatasteelchess venue and got roped in...

Autograph hunters gather at the players ' entrance... #tatasteelchess #chess

Backstage at the Mecca of classical #chess. Less than 24 hours here and already so many new meetings and reunions...

Very small change to the position shared recently by @chessmensch.bsky.social - would you take on h7 here?🤔

Dropped by X for first time in ages to see if I had any messages lying around, and literally the top of my 'Following' feed was a Nazi post from someone I don't follow...

Anyone else fascinated by Wei Yi-Harikrishna at #TataChess today? Looked like Team Ding playing the Gukesh side and Team Gukesh adopting Ding's defence... #chess

Gutted to see @anishgiri.bsky.social spoil a nearly complete masterpiece and the chance to start #WijkaanZee #TataChess with a black win against the freshly baked world #chess champion. We who habitually spoil things really know that pain...

So it's not FIDE forgetting the year change, it's the second time the Eurofed doesn't manage to stage the event in the proper calendar year...

Still intrigued, re followers, about how one of my accounts here is bot-plagued, and the other is peaceful and filled with humans...

Enjoyed listening to Malcolm Pein being interviewed by Ben Johnson on Perpetual Chess podcast... open.spotify.com/episode/1xZ3...

Nikos Ntirlis is a correspondence player who qualified for the world championship final. He is best known for his fresh opening ideas on X, which Carlsen, Nakamura Giri and many others have used. This book is a goldmine of opening ideas and novelties for stronger players. youtu.be/jXd_BKFUngw

One of my real heroes in my youth... amazingly powerful, creative player at his peak.

Walter Browne, six-time U.S. champion, was born January 10, 1949.

GOTD. A game covering some stuff I have commented on in the past 2 days. Botvinnik is a 'must study' player, who has a bad press from those who have never bothered studying him properly and copy each other. If you want to understand doubled c-Pawn strategy, study Botvinnik. One example from many.

GOTD. Yesterday someone posted a position which reminded me of a positional masterpiece by Spassky. Sometimes a single comment leaves a lasting impression. Before giving up the h6 Pawn, Spassky said ''What am I thinking about? The pawn is garbage!'' Simple as that. Lots of lessons here.

"Fischer once asked me, 'Lajos, is it true that you work [on chess] 8 hours a day?' And I said, 'Why are you asking? People also think that you work 8 hours a day. ' Then Bobby said, 'Oh yes, but they think that I am crazy.'" - Lajos Portisch, speaking in 1990.

I asked a child what their fave book from last year was and their answer was a series that was published about a decade ago. A good reminder that a book is always new to a child who hasn't read it. The constant publishing hustle for novelty has nothing to do with what children want. #KidLitUK

Asked & answered.

Trying again; With so much noise and fury about billionaires, competition and cooperation, now is a perfect time to listen to a classic episode of a brilliant podcast: podcastaddict.com/cautionary-t...

Just saw this, some nice lines in there... youtu.be/tW0Yu51qE0w?...

My suspicion re #Splitgate : The 'weakness' (fear/sympathy) shown by Magnus may well signal the end of his champion's nerves. Classical chess is about to be overrun and reshaped by a horde of kids, most Indian in the first wave. Online/fast #chess will go full eSport.

Modern #chess has jumped the shark now. Someone let me know if things ever get back to normal. There's always Wijk aan Zee...

I see Sutovsky has gone ballistic re the end of the #chess #WorldBlitz and seems hellbent on nailing Magnus. Still no word about why #FIDE can't write rules that prevent chaos despite decades of practice. Nor how to overrule the president. Nor why nations could split gold in their online Olympiad?

Oh god, I’ve found the place where snowmen go to die.

Testing Openvibe to see if I can keep a lifeline to #Mastodon. Curious if one can simulpost here and there

OK... I've made a list of people I want to follow from my other Bluesky account, but I don't see a way to view it except from within this one. Is there no way to share a list with someone (myself)?

Revisiting Hemingway. When I first read him, I was reading the thoughts of an old(er) man. Now when I read him, I'm reading the words of a young(er) man. There should be a word for the jarring feelings experienced upon returning to books/authors you haven't read for many many years. #Booksky #books

My 2025 wish for Bluesky is that it may become less of an echo chamber but remain civil. Call me crazy

As an almost pathologically non-competitive guy who thinks the worst part of chess is that you have to defeat another person, I welcome a split title. It’s between the players and I’m happy they’re happy.