Issue 17 | MM Chess
Welcome back. It’s the 17th issue of the Mindful Masters Newsletter, the best (and only?) monthly chess newsletter you receive. I cover chess culture and relevant wisdom I've collected along the way.
For this upcoming April, we welcome the newest MMChess.org students: Matthew, John, Aishwarya, Shahbaz, Franklin, Tommy, Rudy, Victoria, Anastasia, Saira, Jamie, Noah, Hayden, Franek, Lucas, Mateo, Rustam, Bella, Aleksey, and Maxim!
My story 🖼️
This month’s newsletter is written in honor of my grandmother, Galina Vilenchuk, who passed away on March 21st. She was your classic babushka—always kind, feeding me at every moment, and enticing me with stories from her Soviet childhood. She was always modest; our family never even knew how much pain she was experiencing. She was a lifelong learner and teacher, from reading cooking magazines to teaching English to children (despite barely speaking it herself!). BDE.
My babushka Galya and dedushka Arkadiy, right, with my uncle Roma.
Chess News This Month 📰
♟️ Save The Date: Monthly MM Chess Tournaments! I want more opportunities for students to connect to others and play. Drumroll, please…. the MM April Tournament will take place Sunday, April 24th at 11am EST/10am CT/9am MT/8am PST. Most of the players will be beginners, from 500-1500 rated. “Join” using the link below, or just email me (misha@mmchess.org) back. I’ll provide the Zoom link for those signed up for the tournament.
Have friends’ children that want to play? Have them join as well. If you can’t make this one, I plan many more.
🚗 Some amazing parents organized Ukraine care packages. Mom Zhenya G. of LA organized a whole U-Haul of products and goods, MM Chess donated hundreds of dollars, and my mom sent personal care packages to coach Maria Efimenko in Mukachevo, Ukraine, and to others in need. Please let me know if you’d like to help.
🇺🇦 What do Ukrainian Chess Players Feel About The War? “On Thursday, February 24, 2022, 19-year-old GM Kirill Shevchenko and his family woke up from the sounds of numerous explosions not far from them.”
✨Carlsen wins Charity Cup after Duda fightback. World Champion Magnus Carlsen made it two Meltwater Champions Chess Tour events, two victories, as he won the Charity Cup, but his overriding emotion was “huge relief” after withstanding a comeback by young prodigy Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
🇮🇳 Chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa is a star in cricket-crazy India. If you haven’t heard of Pragga, you should - he’s been in the news a lot recently!
⚔️There’s A New World #2. With his win today, China’s Ding Liren displaces Alireza Firouzja for the world number 2 spot. Check out the best players here.
Fun Facts💡
💪Who’s This Guy?! The Highest rated bullet player on chess.com is the unknown FM (Fide Master—not even a grandmaster or international master) OrangeGhost. And he’s somehow the best in the world?!
🧠Last year, a teen chose surgery that left him only half of his brain. Today he’s a national chess master.
🏆The (bad!) Stafford Gambit was made popular by a famous chess streamer, my friend, Eric Rosen. It’s gotten to be one of the most popular openings. Former British Champion, Grandmaster Nigel Short remarked below.