Chess University Weekly Digest #10

Chess University Weekly Digest #10

Puzzle Challenge | Brother-Sister Grandmasters | Chess Cheating

Ready for a new Puzzle Challenge and key updates from the chess world?

Let’s get right into it. 🎉

💡 Puzzle Challenge #7 - Can You Find White’s Best Move?

It’s a tricky one, but give it your best shot.

🧩 Puzzle Challenge #6 Solution

Here’s the solution to last week’s Puzzle Challenge:

The best move is 1.Nc3 which traps the black rook. White can then play 2.Ne1 to attack the rook.

📰 Chess News

R. Vaishali becomes India’s 84th grandmaster and, together with her brother R. Praggnanandhaa, creates history as the world’s first sister-brother grandmaster duo. Here they are with their proud mother, Nagalakshmi:

🍿 Chess Cheating: Kramnik Accuses Nakamura

Former world champion GM Vladimir Kramnik claimed that GM Hikaru Nakamura’s recent streak of 45 wins and 1 draw was statistically unlikely and implied that Nakamura was cheating in online chess.

In response, Chess.com examined the games and found no merit in these accusations. Turns out that Hikaru is just really, really good at chess.

♟️ Chess Tip Of The Week

“Report Your Opponents When You Suspect Foul Play”

Cheating is rampant in online chess. In October 2023 itself, Chess.com closed 54,398 accounts. Even 4 of the top 100 players in the world have violated fair play policies and lost their accounts.

While Chess.com estimates that up to 3% of members may be cheating, we think it’s higher and perhaps over 5% actively cheat in their games.

If you feel that an online opponent played far beyond the level their rating suggests, submit a report to get them checked. I’ve personally encountered many cheaters and have gotten at least a hundred accounts banned.

🎉 Until Next Week, Let’s Keep Winning (Fairly)!

That's all for this edition. We have numerous courses in queue for publication, coming your way in December. What a great time to be improving at chess with Chess University!

Best,

Kairav Joshi
President and CEO
ChessUniversity.com
#1-Selling Online Coach

P.S. It’s the holiday season, and we’re feeling quite festive at Chess University. What would you like as a Christmas gift from us? Send me your ideas – I can’t wait to hear them!