| Rafael Leitão

22 Feb

The Teenager Who Defied Bobby Fischer

One of the most fascinating stories of 20th century chess is the trip of the young Bobby Fischer to Moscow in 1958. I recently discovered a little-documented part of that trip that shows a different side of the American genius.

17 Feb

The Notebook of The Young Kasparov

In 2002, I traveled to Moscow for a two-week training session with renowned coach Mark Dvoretsky. After a few days, GM Peter Nielsen (now Magnus Carlsen's coach) arrived to join me. More than the training sessions (which were very useful), what I remember today are the stories that Dvoretsky told ...

08 Feb

The Curse of Kasparov’s Watch

During my career, I had the privilege of watching Garry Kasparov play a few times. And in several of these games he repeated a macabre ritual (for his opponents).

06 Dec

The Man Who Assembled Bicycles and Defeated Grandmasters

The history of chess in the 20th century has some enigmatic characters who are unknown to the general public. One of them is the Slovenian grandmaster Albin Planinc.

18 Feb

The Day Spassky Cried

Boris Spassky is known for his coolness and for not being afraid of anyone. Considered a universal chess player, that is, he played any type of position equally well, be it on defense, on attack, with compensation for sacrificed material or a technical endgame. The only criticism that can be made ...

15 Feb

Having breakfast with Vishy Anand

In 2006, I spent a month playing tournaments in Europe. I went to Belgium, Germany and Spain. The most memorable was the event in Mainz, Germany. It was a traditional rapid and Fischer Random tournament (which is also called Chess960 and in 2024 even "Freestyle" Chess. Regardless of the name, I ...

19 Sep

The Triumph and Tragedy of Alexander Alekhine

They say that the games reflect the personality of a professional chess player. This is certainly the case of Alexander Alekhine, a World Champion with an aggressive, complex, risky, optimistic style, all good adjectives for the mysterious player who died under misterious circunstances on the ...

03 Jan

Theoretical Endgames: The Bishop and Knight Checkmate

Theoretical Endgames: The Bishop and Knight Checkmate Although it is an elementary endgame, the bishop and knight checkmate has its complexities and must be studied seriously. In 2013, the women's World Champion GM Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) failed to win it in an important game. To avoid such a ...

24 Dec

The Top Ten Chess Players of All Time

The Top Ten Chess Players of All Time Yes I know. Lists are controversial. Nobody agrees and in extreme cases even friendships are broken. I have seen close relatives block themselves on facebook (in modern times AKA: I will never talk to you again) because one of them dared to say Cristiano ...