Echecs 64

Christophe Bouton, chess sniper

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

François-André Philidor : Chess, Music and Memory : a 2-day conference in Dreux. FRA Revolution, the Chess and Music genius died in London (1795, aged 69). A must-read FFE website https://t.co/GxJv34QFH8 @SusanPolgar @KoganArt @ecfchess @Bodenseeperlen

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

Championnat de France 2026 : deux plateaux de rêve pour les Nationaux https://t.co/FxAjGBLvzT via @ffechecs
ze best of the Western Europe. Frenchies Championship August 2026 in @VilleDeVichy @KoganArt @ruchess_eng @leontxogarcia @ecfchess

[Douglas Griffin @dgriffinchess]

Moscow, October 1973. The 41st USSR Championship final. Ex-World Champion Boris Spassky (who would go on to win the event) considers his move, as grandmaster and future World Champion Anatoly Karpov looks on.
(📷: A. Yakovlev, TASS.) #chess

[Reuters @Reuters]

At the World Diving Chess champions in Poland, Lithuanian Grandmaster Paulius Pultinevicius and Poland's Anna Andrzejewska were crowned champions in an event where players battled it out on weighted magnetic boards at the bottom of a pool

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

Merci Christophe #Leroy, boss of Lyon Chess Club, super duo library chess books and surrealism: TV reportage
https://t.co/ENdg7JttsX

@MuseumModernArt @FIDE_chess @KoganArt @leontxogarcia @ecfchess @maxeuwecentre @ruchess_eng @JenShahade @SusanPolgar
https://t.co/NWnapcVxc8

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

Salou #Draughts Open with Team NL including World Champion Jan Groenendijk (read hair) and strong NL and U12 Estonian players. 22 FRA players

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

https://t.co/JoMr9ZrTDK
In the 90's they said "women chess'. It changed.

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

Chess & Draughts dames + échecs en Bretagne 90 min par semaine.@ffechecs @leontxogarcia @KoganArt @USChess
https://t.co/H68yegsLmK

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

Looks like a chess chair, but not really. At stake at Drouot, Paris; May 20th 2026 #chess drouotonline
#chair @USChess

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

1re phase du Top 12 féminin à Asnières du 13 au 17 mai 2026. 27 joueuses sur 55 FORMÉES en 🇫🇷. La grosse blague et interdit de rire.
Les parties : https://t.co/2HKGStiEGp

https://t.co/C8wlfxsz6R via @ffechecs
https://t.co/hM6cQC7b2L
@Ville_Asnieres @KoganArt @leontxogarcia

[Endgame AI @EndgameaiChess]

🇦🇿 Teimour Radjabov on 🇷🇺 Anatoly Karpov: “Karpov has been my invisible teacher all my life”

Ahead of the tournament dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Anatoly Karpov, Radjabov spoke about the former world champion’s influence on his career:

“For me, Karpov is one of the three greatest players in history. We studied his books. My generation grew up on his games.”

“I was able to communicate a lot with Anatoly Karpov. To hear comments on the most important chess positions, structures. This was a great help to improve my game.”

“Karpov was always very polite. He was willing to share his chess knowledge. I never saw him hiding anything. On the contrary, he was always open to dialogue.”

“I learned a lot when I studied his games. Precise strategic decisions, coordination between pieces, seventh and second ranks. A brilliant chess player.”

[Chess Master @xxChessMaster]

Queen sacrifice that amazed Magnus Carlsen playing online games!

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

Tout joueur d'échecs devrait avoir ces lectures notamment la poésie. Interview de Michel Polac @KoganArt @leontxogarcia @ffechecs @Vachier_Lagrave @AlphaEchecs @ruchess_eng @dgriffinchess @FIDE_chess

[Nathalie Chalard bis @BisChalard57545]

Les recommandations lecture de Serge Gainsbourg, de Rimbaud à Schopenhauer.
#JournéeMondialeDuLivre

[Nathalie Chalard bis @BisChalard57545]

Les recommandations lecture de Serge Gainsbourg, de Rimbaud à Schopenhauer.
#JournéeMondialeDuLivre

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

Bourges WC draughts: le rouquin requin #Groenendijk bites again! #fmjd #kndb
Details and games https://t.co/96drKRIZQs
https://t.co/CGizXyy1Sr

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

The Tempest (#Shakespeare, 1611). Miranda and Fernando play #chess Musée de la Vie Romantique, Paris. @KoganArt @ffechecs @leontxogarcia @Erga3x @ecfchess @Schachbund
https://t.co/JmT89NynnB

[Chess Master @xxChessMaster]

3200m. Freezing Cold. One Board. Against Magnus Carlsen.

Highest Chess Match You’ll Watch Today♟️❄️

[Echecs 64 @Echecs64]

https://t.co/LuIcYk1f2t @Mikiduplay @KoganArt @leontxogarcia @ChessbaseIndia
Prochain hymne de @ffechecs ? Mais cette fois on a une vraie vedette hype qui ne joue pas guico piano!

[The Figen @TheFigen_]

Fun fact:
Quentin Tarantino discovered The 5.6.7.8’s after hearing them play in a secondhand clothing store in Tokyo… and immediately flew them out to star in Kill Bill.

[Susan Polgar @SusanPolgar]

A Dramatic End to a Legendary and Most Dominant Program!♟️

Imagine the University of Alabama or Ohio State shutting down its powerhouse football 🏈 program, Kentucky or Duke eliminating its storied men’s basketball 🏀 program, or UConn ending its women’s basketball dynasty. Unthinkable!

Yet that is exactly what Webster University did today—abruptly terminating its legendary SPICE Chess Program in St. Louis, the Chess Capital of the United States. Just months ago, in January 2026, the team won the Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship for a record-tying 10th time in a field of 86 university teams.

Since its founding in 2012, SPICE and its student-athletes at Webster University achieved more success than all other collegiate chess programs in the United States combined—despite operating with a significantly smaller budget than most top chess programs:

• 14 consecutive years ranked #1 Division I college chess team in the nation (an all-time Division I record)
• 2 World Championships, more than 100 world, national and major titles, and multiple Olympiad gold medals (an all-time Division I record)
• 10 Pan-American Intercollegiate Championships (tied for the Division I all-time record)
• 7 Final Four Championships (an all-time Division I record)

Originally established as the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE), the program moved to Webster in 2012 after winning back-to-back national titles at Texas Tech. Under the visionary leadership of former President (later Chancellor) Dr. Beth Stroble and former Provost (later President) Dr. Julian Schuster, SPICE became a national and international model of excellence.

Beyond its unmatched results on the board, SPICE made history off the board as the first university in the United States to offer a minor in chess, while maintaining a team GPA consistently around 3.5.

This is not merely the end of a chess program—it is the loss of one of the most extraordinary success stories in the history of American collegiate athletics.

As the founder of SPICE, its former Director and Head Coach, and Director Emeritus, I was never contacted by the current administration or University President Dr. Tim Keane. I was never asked to assist with fundraising, nor was I even thanked for the tremendous visibility the program brought to the university. I learned of this decision only through my former student and current Head Coach, GM Liem Le, whose last day was today, April 30, 2026. GM Le won four national championships as a Webster student and team captain, and two more as head coach.

The secret to SPICE’s success was simple: we always put the best interests of our students first. Unfortunately, the current administration did not uphold that standard or honor the commitments made to its world-class chess team. Thankfully, I believe our remaining students will have opportunities to transfer to other strong programs.

In my 50+ year career, this is the poorest handling of a major athletic program by a university president that I have ever witnessed. With adequate notice, a national fundraising campaign could have been launched by me to save it. Abruptly ending the nation’s most successful collegiate chess program—built over 14 years and a major source of pride and recognition for Webster University—represents a profound and unnecessary loss.

@websteru @WebsterUNews @AP @FIDE_chess @stltoday @stlmag @stlbizdbarr @stlbizesherberg @STLChessClub @WorldChessHOF @USChess @SInow @espn @chesscom

#Alabama #UConn #Duke #Kentucky #OhioState