New In Chess 2026/2

6 Eze’s Edge

8 NIC’s Café
Erling Haaland thinks ‘chess is an incredible game’ and so does Olympic superstar Johannes Klaebo.

14 A Star is Born
Dominating the Candidates in Cyprus in unprecedented fashion, 20-year-old Javokhir Sindarov earned the right to challenge World Champion Gukesh (19) in the youngest world title match ever. Vaishali Rameshbabu emerged as the winner in the Women’s Candidates.

38 Interview: Javokhir Sindarov
‘I have become a really good ­professional chess player.’

42 Interview: Roman Vidonyak
‘Compared to training in other sports, we are still in the Paleolithic Age.’

48 Prague Masters
Unruffled by Jorden van Foreest’s explosive tournament start, Nodirbek ­Abdusattorov retained his focus on his own play and pipped the Dutchman at the post.

57 Celeb 64
Sir William Golding, English novelist.

68 In memoriam Jan Timman
‘Being with Jan was always a comforting moment outside of time. Those playful smiles of his, the gestures, the sovereign calm.’

73 ‘Far out, isn’t it?’
Erwin l’Ami remembers Jan Timman.

76 The Last Column
Shortly after the medics had told him that he should start thinking in months rather than years, Jan Timman wrote a ‘spare column’.

82 Three Timman Treats
Jacob Aagaard selected three fine Timman wins from different periods of his long career.

88 Jan’s Saga
Helgi Olafsson writes about Jan Timman’s warm ties with Iceland.

94 A Huge Appetite for Life
Jon Speelman misses a charming warrior.

100 Timman’s Combinations

107 Fair & Square
Peter Heine Nielsen’s brief review of Untold: Chess Mates.

108 Tournament Roundup
Boris Gelfand looks at recent games from around the world.

126 The Scoresheet
Niemann-Aravindh, Prague 2026.

128 Improving the Worst Piece
Renier Castellanos is your Killer Chess Training coach.

134 Reimagining the Opening
Fresh opening ideas curated by Nikolaos Ntirlis.

139 Killer Blow
Exercises to sharpen your tactics.

142 Viva Ruy Lopez
A new model game presented by Christof Sielecki.

146 Sadler on Books
Bobby Fischer remains a model of relentless accuracy.

154 Just Checking
Who is Keti Tsatsalashvili’s favourite player?