Mr. PVG

Chess photojournalist with an international appeal + organizer, arbiter (IA), trainer (DI), administrator, critic, & player (ACM).

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

The road to 500 verified followers on X just got less arduous.

Muchas gracias, to the first ten of you 🙏🏽:

1. @davidllada
2. @BruvschessMedia
3. @BerniceWambui22
4. @Doshbg
5. @vlad_chess
6. @GMastrokoukos
7. @BroccoliChess
8. @AfriChess
9. @WadimRosenstein
10. @ChristinaAziz20

I hope I can provide value over theatrics with useful, insightful, thought-provoking, non-performative, sometimes witty, and inspiring chess content so that you will want to remain a supporter.

While I am not yet 100% sure of the niche I want to capture within the chess content industry, I know that I enjoy writing about off-the-board happenings in people's lives more than their on-the-board performances and points/ratings/titles/records gained/achieved.

I began as a chess blogger in Nov-Dec 2010 writing about events in Kenya and East Africa for a website I founded called Chess Events EAC, and in the 15 years since, I have dabbled in almost every type of chess writing there is: event reports, player interviews, software tutorials, weekly newspaper columns with a puzzle attached, club handover documents, event sponsorship proposals, press releases, social media posts, and more.

[Read about the launch of Chess Events EAC on @thechessdrum: https://t.co/e6o5DhMm3S]

I have also tried to highlight players from Africa and Asia as a photographer while being involved in tournaments in various capacities or while attending seminars attached to major events.

All of these remained fragmented as posts on my own websites or social media accounts that are now defunct or as archived material on other websites, with no clear plan for monetisation, brand-building, or a legacy that would outlive me. That is all changing from today, Thursday, 01-Oct-2026 as I begin the process of converting the chaos of yore into order, authority, and hopefully, lots of dollars, under a new personal and professional brand identity.

Wish me luck and follow along for a front-row seat to what will either be a major success or a colossal failure 🍿!

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

Just 491 verified followers to go before I am three-quarters of the way to being eligible for X's Original Content Rewards Program.

What would be a reasonable timeline in which to achieve it? One year?

I'll officially begin strategising and executing from 01-Oct-2026. Might change my username one final time that day, before throwing myself at this and other goals.

The major short-term goal is to land in Abu Dhabi for the 2028 Olympiad as a man with a bit of stature as a chess journalist/blogger.

Follow along to be a part of the journey.

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

I watched the full interview on YouTube. Twice. It was mostly an opportunity for @TurlovforChess to reiterate the main talking points from his campaign. Lots of generalisations, not enough specifics, but it does give one a sense of the general direction FIDE is heading in.

He is quite good at public speaking as seen in the online debate, the Q&A session in Samarkand, the pre- and post-election speeches, and now this. His accent is also growing on me, so I'm able to understand more of his speech without having to strain my ears.

I'm really curious to see how he and his team will push further digitisation of @FIDE_chess. A CRM tool that connects to the FRS with some checks and balances so that no one person with access to either can abuse his/her authority would be a huge win for overall admin at multiple levels. Plus, with the help of AI, rating lists with names not capitalised properly and/or entered in the wrong order and without the comma separating the last name from the first name could be cleaned up in no time! Also, with the help of AI, the directory listings of each federation, continental body, affiliated organisation, official, and VIP could be made richer with links to their social media accounts and a short bio.

I get the sense that underdeveloped federations are going to benefit the most under Mr. Turlov's leadership, but that remains to be seen. There is still way too much corruption and autocracy in many of them and changing that culture might be outside the scope of his presidency.

Unless he faces the kind of sanctions that forced both of his predecessors to step down, I don't think he will have much difficulty getting re-elected in 2030.

[Timur Turlov @TurlovforChess]

My first presidential interview for @FIDE_chess Youtube

Watch in full here: https://t.co/7eLjKP8Oug

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

@davidllada On my birthday...🤔!

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

There's a reason I will never take any award ceremony seriously, even outside chess (e.g. the Oscars), as they are rarely based 100% on merit.

Awards are frequently used to reward loyalty or as a carrot dangled in front of those who need attention and validation to fill like they have achieved something.

True fulfilment comes from setting one's own standards and then working towards achieving them whether anyone else notices or not.

That said, award ceremonies can be fun to attend for the glitz, glamour, and gossip sessions (as long as you're not the one getting slapped across the face by a famous Hollywood A-lister 😉).

[Tarjei J. Svensen @TarjeiJS]

The FIDE Excellence Awards appears to be more of a popularity contest, not reflecting who performed the best. The jury members are anonymous.

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

Then you are already on the right path. I have found your Web version to be the easiest to explore as I access the internet mostly from a web browser on my laptop.

The constant updates from you and @durarbayli about feedback from users are much appreciated as it tells potential subscribers that you are constantly improving the service for them.

If I could afford it, I'd support you by buying a lifetime license. Maybe save the last remaining one for me? 🙃

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: My username across all social media channels has changed from 'itzPVG' to 'MisterPVG' as part of serious restructuring of my personal brand.

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

@premium Hi there. I need help with my Premium subscription (changing the billing cycle). Kindly DM me. Thanks.

[ChessEver @chesseverapp]

ChessEver is 3 products, and people mix them up:

Phone app (iOS and Android): 4.9 stars on both stores. 120 reviews on Apple, 165 on Google Play. Best in its segment.

Desktop: download it from our website. Works like ChessBase Essentials, plus all the broadcasting features. Best way to follow chess on a big screen.

Web: basic broadcasting, done well, plus a creator directory, memorial page, and news. It's mostly how people find us. Web is not the desktop version.

Which one are you using?

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

@hampshirehammer @HaussernotC And now the original post has been deleted 🤦🏽‍♂️. Guess you pointed out a flaw that Ms. Bosom couldn't be bothered to address or fix.

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

@Manabe_Chess Did you say 40 volunteers? For chess? In Japan? Wow! 👏🏽 I really hope the game grows by leaps and bounds there to the level of Shogi thanks to your efforts.

I'll have a look at the link later. Arigato gozaimasu 🙇🏽‍♂️.

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

Japan knows how to earn the respect of the rest of the world. Here's an example from their chess federation.

May others follow their lead. 👏🏽

[日本チェス連盟 - Japan Chess Federation @JapanChessFed]

#チェスオリンピアード2026 日本代表応援クラウドファンディング、リターン品のご紹介です！
締め切りが近づいてきました！

【オリンピアード2026日本代表応援Tシャツ】
世界の舞台に挑む日本代表を、もっと熱く応援したい！
そんな思いを込めて、チェスオリンピアード・クラウドファンディング限定の特別デザインTシャツを制作しました。
胸元には、日本チェス連盟のワンポイントロゴ、背面には、日本代表チームを応援するオリジナルデザインを��リントしています。
オリンピアード終了後も、普段使いはもちろん、チェス大会などでも着用しやすいシンプルなデザインに仕上げてあります！
日本代表を応援する皆さんと一体感を感じられる、特別な一枚です。
※ご支援の際に、Tシャツのサイズ（S・M・L・XL）を選択してください。

https://t.co/mMRMrgWXze
#CAMPFIRE @CAMPFIREjp

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

I haven't participated in a FIDE-rated tournament in India in many years, but is INR 10,000 (~USD 105/EUR 90/GBP 80) the standard entry fee these days? Feels a bit expensive.

[Ramesh RB @Rameshchess]

Happy to announce the First CholaChess Open International Grandmasters Chess Tournament from 30th October to 7th November 2026!

One of the biggest prize money events in India with a total prize pool of Rs 50,00,000. We are offering conditions for foreign players above 2250 ELO. Interested players can write to [email protected]

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

@durarbayli Great. If you decide to hire/outsource for this, I'd love to be considered. I'm putting together my chess writing/photography/design/organising/arbiting/admin/etc. portfolio and it should be on my website and socials by January 2027, if not earlier.

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

Day 2 of the #FIDECongress was a major embarrassment and waste of time even for people trying to follow the chaos on the YouTube livestream, but you're leaving out a lot.

Plus, you didn't exactly make an appearance when your fellow candidates were putting across their views and being questioned in the online debate and the Q&A session, so why the double standards?

It's no secret that FIDE isn't a serious organisation, so what exactly are you trying to say?

What about FIDE Arena? (It was 'FIDE Online Arena' before being absorbed into and rebranded as 'World Chess' and they are as unserious as FIDE if not more, but that's the general state of most of the chess world.)

Your AI-generated posts were more interesting to read and had real context.

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

@hampshirehammer @HaussernotC Good eye! I didn't even consider that. Not sure how I would continue after 1. a4 b4.

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

If someone not close to any VIP throughout the FIDE network has interesting ideas for marketing/promoting the next olympiad and making it more fun (even for non-chessers), who should he contact?

How would you, who has many friends in positions of power in federations and FIDE councils/commissions/committees, go about putting forth such a proposal?

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

I was just wondering earlier today about all the VP candidates I had seen posting about their intention to run for this election on social media and then going quiet after the results became known. Communication such as this post of yours fosters respect and admiration, so thank you for that.

What were some lessons learnt while campaigning for this role that future FIDE presidential tickets could apply? (If you would like to share any.)

[Mr. PVG @MisterPVG]

Samarkand is a photographer's paradise. Especially when one has chess queens modelling for you. 👌🏽

[Alexandra Kosteniuk @chessqueen]

Good bye, Samarkand! It was not easy but one more chess Olympiad is in my books! ♟️💚