Ju Wenjun is the 5x Women's World Champion! | Issue 55 | MM Chess
The best monthly chess newsletter you receive.
It’s the 55th Issue of the MM Newsletter, this time I wanted to share with you how our local tournaments in Chicago are doing, the Gotham Road to GM update, the debut of the youngest world chess champion, and more. But, before we start, there’s a little favor I’d like to ask you🙏. We’re in the process of growing and improving our service, and we need to hear from you first, so if you don’t mind, please fill out this form and help us grow!
🏙️ We’re running the NexChamp Camp at the Chicago Chess Center! Each row has PM/AM/Full Day registration, and we will be having advanced and beginner groups.
https://nexploreusa.com/camp
Let’s welcome the newest MM students: Nathan, Dan, Tim, and Dominic.
Student Success🏆
Every month, we highlight some of our students' successes. Proud of something chess-related? Send me photos!
Congratulations to Kian, Yeison’s student, who won 1st place in the Elementary Section of the Chessmax WV Tournament.
Next, we will congratulate one of our top-level coaches, Fabian Vivas, for gaining the last International Master norm (from an open tournament) he needed to get the title. Now, we have a new International Master in our coaches. Fabian, you are rocking!
He did it in the subzonal that took place in Colombia, getting 7 points out of 9, increasing his rating by 10 points. This is an outstanding result at this level!
“You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win”
– Jose Capablanca
My story 🖼️
Now that I’m saying, “oh, she grows up so fast!”
“There are times when a well-placed pawn is more powerful than the king.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Monthly Tournament♟️
📅 This month’s tournament will take place on Wednesday, the 21st, at 7:00 pm EST (6:00 pm CT, 5:00 pm MT, 4:00 pm PT). Most of the players will be rated from 500-1800. Both kids & adults are allowed to play the tournament!
To Play: Reply to this email or press the big green button here. If you haven’t already, you must join the MM team and press the “MM May Arena.” The Zoom for the tournament is here.
Congrats to the winners of the April Edition.
“You have to have a fighting spirit. You have to force moves and take chances”
-Bobby Fischer
Chess News 📰
🌟 Ivanchuk: The Chess Legend Is Back in the Top 100! 😮 Vasyl Ivanchuk just delivered a stunning performance in Menorca, winning the tournament and getting back to the top 100 players.
💥Speed Chess Action! ChessKid Youth Championship Returns. Get ready to witness the next generation of chess stars! ChessKid is bringing back the 4th Annual Youth Speed Chess Championship, and it's going to be an explosion of fast-paced moves and brilliant plays. It's a chance to see the future of chess unfold before our eyes!
🥇 We now have top chess players’ cards. Just like sports fans track their favorite players' stats, chess enthusiasts can now dive into the data! We've got top chess players' cards, breaking down their skills in attack, defense, calculation, strategy, intuition, and time management. It's like having a scouting report for the chess elite! What would your chess card look like?
🤩 History Made! Ju Wenjun Secures 5th World Championship! Ju Wenjun has achieved an extraordinary feat by winning her fifth Women's World Chess Championship. It's a moment to celebrate her incredible accomplishment and her lasting impact on the chess world. What a legend!
❤️Grandmaster Gets Hitched! Congrats, Vidit. Chess and romance collide! Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi recently married Nidhi Kataria in a beautiful ceremony. Wishing the happy couple all the best! You can watch the highlights in the following video.
🏆 Carlsen Crushes It Again! Wins Grenke Freestyle Chess Open! The chess GOAT just conquered the 2025 Grenke Freestyle Chess Open, showing off his incredible skill and leaving the competition in the dust. He did it in an outstanding way achieving a perfect score of 9 out of 9 points
🤔 Why Did He Drop Out? Niemann's Freestyle Chess Exit. A cloud of mystery surrounds Hans Niemann's sudden withdrawal from the Grenke Freestyle Chess tournament. The chess world is buzzing with questions: What's the reason behind this last-minute decision? While we don't have all the answers yet, one thing's for sure: it's added a layer of intrigue to the event.
“Mother's words resonate deeply with me. Success in life is incomplete if one isn’t kind and humble”
– Gukesh Dommaraju
Fun Facts💡
🏆The first international chess tournament was held in London in 1851. It was organized to coincide with the Great Exhibition, a massive industrial technology showcase. This connection highlights how chess was seen as a significant intellectual pursuit of the time, worthy of being presented alongside cutting-edge innovations.
♔The word checkmate comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat" which translates to "the king is dead".
🤯In 2016, Timur Gareyev set the current world record by playing 48 blindfold games simultaneously in Las Vegas. This is an awe-inspiring modern-day feat. What made it even more unique was that he did it while riding an exercise bike, which showed a great deal of mental and physical stamina.
📴In the late 19th century, before widespread telephone communication, chess matches were played via telegraph! Imagine the suspense of waiting for each move to be transmitted across vast distances.