Oct. 7 was ‘total shock,’ chess grandmaster Susan Polgar says The Jewish Hungarian-American told JNS about growing up with antisemitism in Budapest and about achieving success in a game that can discriminate against women. Linda Chase March 7, 2025
Boris Spassky, maybe-Jewish chess champ who lost ‘match of the century’ to Fischer, dies at 88 The Russian grandmaster signed a “rabidly antisemitic petition” in 2005, and shortly thereafter, sought to distance himself from it. Menachem Wecker Feb. 27, 2025
Jewish boy, 13, youngest to make South Africa’s Chess Olympiad national team The International Chess Foundation ranks Caleb Levitan as the 5,098th best active player in the world and the 47th best on the African continent. April 5, 2024
Despite boycott call, chess teams in Israel for world championship The World Chess Federation did not deign to respond to a letter demanding the tournament be moved from Jerusalem. Nov. 20, 2022
Russian Jewish chess player to challenge world champion for title in UAE Ian Nepomniachtchi will play against the current champion, Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, in a 14-game match; the winner gets $2.4 million. April 29, 2021
Iranian chess players join global competitors in Israeli-led virtual tournament The Chess4Solidarity initiative aims to strengthen ties between people, countries and nations. Feb. 26, 2021
Azeri Jewish grandmaster Teimour Radjabov wins chess championship and $60,000 He is the 10th-ranked chess player in the world, having earned the title of grandmaster at the age of 14. Jan. 4, 2021
Israeli contenders rake in international gold medals From martial arts and rhythmic gymnastics to windsurfing, chess and even synthetic biology, Israelis had a golden November. Abigail Klein Leichman Nov. 30, 2020
Iran’s top chess player to change nationality to play against Israelis Iranian prodigy Alireza Firouzja, the No. 1 ranked player in Iran and currently the No. 2 ranked junior player in the world, may play under the U.S. or French flags, according to Iran’s Chess Federation president. Dec. 25, 2019
