Apocalyptic Musings

Alex Relyea Is Playing the Final Round Alex at The Portsmouth Open Many here in Vermont and New England know FIDE International Arbiter and chess promoter Alex Relyea having played in tournaments organized and officiated by Alex along with his wife Nita Patel.  Sadly, Alex is now in hospice care and is not expected to live much longer. Nita tells me that he is at peace and being visited by family.  Alex has struggled since his 20's (he's now in his 40's) with diabetes that was problematic to control. His struggle became increasingly difficult and tiring over the years.  He was facing the prospect of another debilitating infection in an extremity and has opted to enter palliative hospice care.   Alex's presence in Vermont chess will be missed.  In the time that I have been living in Lyndonville, VT since 2014, Alex has promoted the Burlington Open (2015), Lyndonville Quick (2016), Danville Open (2017), Vermont Open (2017) and the St. Johnsbury Open (202...

Another of the Old Guard Has Passed On Olaffson vs. Fischer, Bled Yugoslavia 1961 Grandmaster Fridrik Olaffson of Iceland has passed from this plane. He died last Friday after a short illness just two months after reaching his 90th birthday. Olaffson first rose to chess prominence at Hastings 1955-1956 where he shared first place with then Soviet Grandmaster Viktor Korchnoi. At the peak of his chess career, he defeated a young Bobby Fischer on two occasions playing with the White pieces.  Olaffson went on to become President of FIDE.  He was also Secretary General of the Icelandic Parliament. Presented here is his first win against Fischer. Olaffson vs Fischer, 1-0, Interzonal, Yugoslavia 1958 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. d4 Bb4 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 c5 8. e3 Nc6 9. Rc1 c4 10. Be2 Be6 11. O-O O-O 12. Nd2 Be7 13. b3 g5 14. Bg3 Ba3 15. Rc2 Nb4 16. bxc4 Nxc2 17. Qxc2 dxc4 18. Nb5 Bb4 19. Nc7 Bxd2 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Bxc4 Qe8 22. Qxd2 Ne4 23. Qd3 Nxg3 24. hxg3 Rf6 2...

Grandmaster Hans Niemann Points to Structural Problems Plaguing US Chess Have Years of Billionaire Rex Sinquefield's Money Helped or Hindered US Chess Development? Hans Niemann notes the lack of systemic support for the development of a sustained level of talent development in US Chess.  The "mercenary" approach Niemann refers to is likely a reference to Sinquefield's paying huge chess federation transfer fees and stipend support for top US grandmasters such as Fabio Caruana and Levon Aronian and others.  More on Niemann's criticism can be found here:  Niemann Article

 R.I.P. Boris Spassky.  Chess has lost a giant who was also a sportsperson who resisted the political pressures of the KGB to declare a victory by default against Bobby Fischer in Iceland, 1972.  https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/feb/28/boris-spassky-obituary

Recently published by the respected firm McFarland and Co. From the description accompanying the book: "The USSR is famous as the first totalitarian state to promote chess. Less well known is that Nazi Germany was the second. The Third Reich gave chess a tremendous financial and propaganda boost in hopes of making Germany a dominant chess power. Yet this aspect of the Nazi era has received scant attention in later German literature, and even less in English. This book fills that gap. Using a multitude of German sources, the author has crafted a narrative showing how the Nazis completely remade German chess into a monolithic structure to showcase the supposed cultural and intellectual superiority of the "master race." Many games by German masters are presented--Bogoljubow, Richter, Samisch, Rellstab, Kieninger, Junge, and more--and by others who came under Nazi rule: Alekhine, Keres, Eliskases, et al. Important political figures are featured: Otto Zander, Erhardt Post, Ha...

 R.I.P Peter Enders (1963-2025) https://en.chessbase.com/post/peter-enders-1963-2025