Shelby Lyman on Chess: Long Live the KingSunday, December 7, 2014 (Published in print: Sunday, December 7, 2014) Magnus Carlsen remains world champion with a 6 1/2 – 4 1/2 victory in Sochi, Russia, over Viswanathan Anand — but...
“We’re relentless, gradually overpowering our opponent and never giving up.”
Shelby Lyman on Chess: Reprieve or BreakthroughSunday, November 23, 2014 (Published in print: Sunday, November 23, 2014) As I write this column, game three of the current 12-game world championship match in Sochi, Russia, has come to a close....
Shelby Lyman on Chess
Shelby Lyman on Chess: For Want of a NailSunday, November 16, 2014 (Published in print: Sunday, November 16, 2014) Chess is an extravagant embodiment of the simple idea that life is a continuous parade of moments with a beginning...
Chess remains strong in Russia
Chess By Shelby Lymanon November 8, 2014 – 12:01 AM Today, a quarter of a century after the end of state support, chess remains strong in Russia. This is not a surprise. In 1772, an English visitor wrote: “Chess...
The greatest non-conformist in chess
Shelby Lyman on Chess: A Non-ConformistSunday, November 2, 2014 (Published in print: Sunday, November 2, 2014) Bobby Fischer, as we previously wrote, was an outlier tuned with steel consistency to an inner voice. In the words of Ralph Waldo...
Fischer makes no compromises, accepts no second-bests
No CompromisesSunday, October 26, 2014 (Published in print: Sunday, October 26, 2014) Most of us steer a course between independence and conformity. Not so with Bobby Fischer, who defeated Boris Spassky in a now legendary 1972 world championship match...
Life and Chess
Chess / By Shelby Lymanon October 11, 2014 – 9:45 AM Life and chess have much in common. The king is dead. A new king is appointed and the struggle for supremacy begins anew. It is the “eternal return,”...
There’s no sport or game less expensive than chess
Shelby Lyman on Chess: Chess on the CheapSunday, October 5, 2014 (Published in print: Sunday, October 5, 2014) One of the beauties of sandlot baseball was its convenience and simplicity. There were no finicky coaches to deal with or...
Incomparable legacy
Shelby Lyman on Chess: A Great PassionSunday, September 28, 2014 (Published in print: Sunday, September 28, 2014) “Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things” we are told by the Enlightenment philosopher Denis Diderot. Few have...
Chess, the most inexpensive fun game
Chess/ By Shelby Lymanon September 27, 2014 – 12:01 AM One of the beauties of sandlot baseball was its convenience and simplicity. There were no finicky coaches to deal with or moms with schedules of their own to drive...