Two National Champions! | Issue 44 | MM Chess
The best monthly chess newsletter you receive.
We’re so close to our 4th birthday! It’s been quite a ride so I think it’s the perfect time to spice things up before the summer. 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!
PS: We have a BIG announcement to make in the following weeks and we’re super excited about it, but it’s still a secret, so🤫
Let’s welcome the newest MM students: Connor, Benjamin, Nunu, Bridget, Raizy, Russell & Rishi.
Student Success🏆
Every month we’re highlighting some of the successes of our students. Proud of something chess-related? Send me photos!
Alejandro Vega’s student in Guatemala, Benjamin, got 2nd place in the national championship (though we can’t claim all the credit, as he started with Alejandro last month)!
One of Ale Uzcátegui’s students in Spain, David, became Champion U14 of the Canary Islands and it’s going to the Spanish championship. He also reached a 2061 FIDE rating.
“Chess is so inspiring that I do not believe a good player is capable of having an evil thought during the game.”
– Wilhelm Steinitz
My story 🖼️
My wife went back to work this week so we took her to daycare. She’s perfect. I’m OBSESSED with this baby!
“I go over many game collections and pick up something from the style of each player.”
– Mikhail Tal
Monthly Tournament♟️
📅 This month’s tournament will take place on Wednesday 24th, 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. In the last tournament, there were 18 students, both kids & adults!
To Play: Reply to this email or press the big green button here. If you haven’t already, you also have to join the MM team and press the “MM July Arena.” The Zoom for the tournament is here.
Congrats last month to Sophie, Adarsh, and Adwait! You rock, guys! 🏆
(Jaden with his prize last year!)
“Weak points or holes in the enemy position must be occupied by pieces, not pawns.”
-Siegbert Tarrasch
Chess News 📰
🏆 Who's the Top Chess Player? Titled Tuesday Heats Up! The race is on to become the Titled Tuesday champion! This week, Nihal Sarin and Denis Lazavik won the early and late tournaments. Will they hold onto the lead, or will someone new take the crown next week? Stay tuned to find out!
🔥 Nakamura on Fire! Can Anyone Stop Him in the Bullet Chess Championship? Look out! Nakamura is unstoppable in the Bullet Chess Championship. Will anyone be able to dethrone the king? Find out as the tournament heats up!
💻 Streamers Aim for Chess Glory in Madrid! It's time for streamers to prove their chess skills! The new Madrid Chess Festival is hosting a competition for streamers like Levy Rozman and Eric Rosen, where they'll battle it out to become chess champions. Will their online skills translate to the real world? Tune in to find out!
😎 Tiny Tani, Big Win: Cadet Chess Champ! Tani Adewumi, the pint-sized powerhouse, danced through the tournament, leaving opponents in awe. Parents, enroll your kids in chess class—world domination awaits!
📢 Calling All Chess Enthusiasts! The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships are about to kick off in Astana, Kazakhstan. With the registration deadline approaching, teams worldwide are gearing up for this electrifying event. From China’s star-studded lineup to ALAIN ACMG UAE’s chess wizards, it’s a battle royale! Parents, grab your popcorn and cheer—it’s checkmate time!
⚽ Striker by Day, Grandmaster by Night!: Harry Kane’s secret talent? Chess! He’s already rocking a 1200 rating. Parents, encourage your little ones—they might just become the next soccer superstar with a checkmate twist!
“All I want to do, ever, is just play Chess”
– Bobby Fischer
Fun Facts💡
🧠Remembering moves and watching the board can help you remember things better, a superpower that comes in handy in school and even later in life!
🥱The "fool's mate" is the fastest way to checkmate someone in chess, but it only happens if the other player makes a big mistake. Imagine forgetting your king needs protection!
Here's how it goes:
White (the player starting) moves a pawn in an unusual way that weakens their king's side.
Black (the responding player) takes advantage by moving their queen right next to White's king – checkmate in just two moves!
♔The king is the piece with the longest life expectancy on the board. Not many give the right answer when asked why this is. In short: you never capture the king, just ¨corner¨ it, so the piece has a 0% capture rate.
🏠83% of households own a chessboard! Such a crazy statistic but when you think about it, almost every home you can visit has a chessboard somewhere, either dusting in an attic or put into use in the living room.