CHESS Magazine - June 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. DOWNLOAD A FREE PDF SAMPLE OF THIS ISSUE-> In this issue: Editorial.......................................................................................................4 Malcolm Pein on the latest developments in the game A Clean Sweep, and a Close Shave!..............................................................8 Andrew Ledger reports from an exciting final weekend of the 4NCL season 60 Seconds with... Axel Smith...................................................................13 The Swedish GM gave a huge blindfold simul and has a new book out Small Margins............................................................................................16 Paul Littlewood reports from the World Senior Team Chess Championships The Comeback...........................................................................................17 Carlsen won his final three games then the playoff in Malmo The Brightest Star?...................................................................................18 Carl Strugnell on the specialness of 14-year-old Turkish superstar Yagiz Kaan Forthcoming Events..................................................................................20 Will you be playing at Crewe, Edinburgh, the MindSports Centre or elsewhere? Studies with Stephenson...........................................................................21 Brian pays tribute to the composing giant that is Harold van der Heijden How Good is Your Chess?..........................................................................22 Daniel King looks at how Rameshbabu Vaishali likes to play on the front foot The Beauty in Chess...................................................................................25 Jon Crumiller on Sir António Horta-Osório’s dazzling collection of chess sets Find The Winning Moves............................................................................26 Can you do as well as the players at the final 4NCL weekend of the season? Under the Hammer.....................................................................................30 John Henderson takes a look at the auction of Lothar Schmid’s collection Chasing Dreams.........................................................................................34 Ben Graff thoroughly enjoyed being out and about at the Menorca Open Menorca Masterclass.................................................................................37 Daniel Fernandez explains how he outplayed the 2024 World Rapid Champion Never Mind the Grandmasters...................................................................40 Carl Portman on his last round game at the UK Armed Forces Championships How to Beat a Grandmaster.......................................................................42 Paul Littlewood looks at an impressive game by a young Jon Speelman Key Encounters..........................................................................................44 Some more of the best chess from the FIDE Candidates and the TePe Sigeman Overseas News.........................................................................................51 Hans Niemann won the opening leg of the 2026 Grand Chess Tour in Poland Home News...............................................................................................53 Popular weekenders took place in Belfast, Blackpool, Bournemouth and elsewhere Solutions...................................................................................................54 This Month’s New Releases........................................................................55 Sean Marsh enjoyed the return of Neil McDonald, with his new book on strategy Saunders on Chess.....................................................................................58 John on Eugene Colman and his contribution to the Two Knights Defence