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Mohamed Salah, one of the world's greatest soccer players, revealed that he is addicted to chess and wants to meet GM Magnus Carlsen. The former world champion responded with a waving-hand emoji.

The Egyptian goal-scoring machine is considered one of the greatest African soccer players of all time and has become a living legend for English Premier League giants Liverpool.

In a new interview with Sky Sports ahead of Saturday's Premier League match against Manchester City, the 32-year-old revealed his passion.

Salah said: I play chess, I am addicted to chess. Every day, literally every day," he laughed.

Salah said he plays the game online, but did not specify where, although he has previously posted pictures on his Instagram indicating that he plays on Chess.com. Speaking to Sky Sports, Salah says that his online opponents ask him whether he is actually the star soccer player.

I am not saying my name. I put my name and some other numbers so some people they ask are you Mo Salah, I say yes, they dont believe it, and say you are lying. I say yes, Im lying.

Asked whether he is any good, Salah revealed he is rated around 1400. Im good, Im not Magnus, but Im good. No one has a chance with Magnus. But hopefully we will play one day.

Carlsen is known to be a huge soccer and Salah fan, regularly featuring the winger on his Fantasy Premier League squad that took him to the top of the game with more than 7 million players.

The former world champion appeared to accept the invitation and took to X/Twitter on Sunday to respond with a simple emoji, tagging Salah.

If the two actually meet, Salah wouldn't be the first soccer player to get a chess lesson from the Norwegian. In 2018, Salah's Liverpool teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold played Carlsen in an exhibition match in Manchester, England. It didn't go well for Alexander-Arnold, who got checkmated in 17 moves.

"I've been playing chess since I was very young, and I've always enjoyed it. It's hard to find someone who wants to play as much as me," he said.

U.S. star Christian Pulisic has also talked about his passion for the game since playing a 10-year-old Carlsen in the Charity Chess Challenge in 2022. The 25-year-old AC Milan (formerly Chelsea) midfielder met with Carlsen in London for a promotional campaign for worldwide sports brand Puma, where both are ambassadors.

"It's an incredible game that can help you with a lot of things like problem-solving or seeing different patterns," the player said in an interview with the Daily Mail. Pulisic is now a bot you can play on Chess.com.

Former Real Madrid player Esteban Granero is another star player who loves chess. "I am a huge fan of chess. In another life, I would love to be a professional chess player. I love playing chess, I love watching chess. I spend most of my free time on it," the Spanish star said during a Chess.com broadcast in 2020.

The same year the 1597-FIDE-rated player got to face Carlsen during an event on chess24.

Some of the players on the Norwegian national soccer team are also known to play chess. Salernitana star Erik Botheim, one of Erling Haaland's best friends, has a FIDE rating of 1662 and actively played tournaments as a youngster.

Another is Arsenal star Martin degaard (formerly Real Madrid), who came to visit Carlsen during the 2018 Tata Steel Chess tournament along with his Norwegian teammate from Heerenveen at the time, Morten Thorsby.

Chess has also attracted one of the world's best tennis players. Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz recently revealed that he has been using chess as a tool to keep his mind sharp when playing in important tournaments.

"[Chess] helps me to be mentally faster, to see the plays, the moves I want to make," Alcaraz shared in an interview with Spanish sports news outlet Marca. "In chess, as in tennis, the game can turn around if you lose concentration even for just a moment," he added.

Alcaraz is the newest addition to Chess.com's lineup of chess bots.

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1400 Rated Chess Addict Salah Dreams Of Carlsen Meeting - Chess.com

The Chess.com Awards is our yearly celebration of the best of the chess world. At the end of every year, we invite the chess community to vote on the best games, moves, creators, and everything else involving the game we love. The awards are a perfect opportunity for the community to remember, discuss, and commemorate the greatest things about the royal game that happened throughout the year.

Here's everything you need to know about each category of the Chess.com Awards, our nomination criteria, and more:

Every year, we ask the community to vote on their favorite content creators, players, moves, and more. Nominees will be announced in mid-December after major events in early December are concluded. Voting will be open until January 1st.

Any achievements taking placed after voting is opened may be considered in the following year's Chess.com Awards.

The Player of the Year category celebrates the player who defined chess that year. The nominations in this category consider players' year-round performance instead of a single-event victory and are open to all players.

The Woman Player of the Year category awards the top woman player with the most significant chess accomplishments of the year. The nominations in this category consider players' year-round performance instead of a single-event victory.

The chess world is consuming more content than ever before. Whether it's a YouTube video, a legendary X post, a great new book, or any other type of content, there's always a creator putting out amazing chess pieces to their adoring audiences. This category highlights everyone in the content creation space. We consider creators' impact, innovation, and reach to come up with nominations.

The Game of the Year category celebrates the most fantastic game of the year. From tactical slugfests to positional masterpieces, any game played during the Awards consideration period can be nominated. This category highlights the complete effort of a game, from the very beginning to the last move.

Sometimes, a move is so stunning that you can enjoy just staring at it in amazement for several minutes. The Move of the Year category highlights these brilliant moves that come out of nowhere and swipe you off your feet. Unlike the Game of the Year category, the Move of the Year award doesn't consider what happened in the rest of the game but rather celebrates a single moment when one of the players busts out a brilliant move.

The Rising Star category celebrates the young chess players who quickly rose through the chess ranks during the year. Players nominated for the Rising Star award must be 18 or younger. Players who have already won this category in previous years are not eligible to be nominated again.

While watching your favorite players battling over the board is great, the experience can be even better when a fantastic commentator goes through the game with you. The Commentator of the Year category celebrates those who sit in front of the camera to bridge the gap between the audience and the players in an entertaining way.

There is no shortage of top-tier events throughout the year, but the Event of the Year award celebrates those events that stand on a level of their own. This category awards the event that got the most attention from chess fans around the world during the year. The winner is determined by the highest viewership.

Chess improvers out there should pay attention to the Book of the Year award. This category celebrates the best chess books released in the year.

Chess education has expanded way beyond printed books, and students now have more resources than ever to learn and expand their chess knowledge. This category awards the best course from one of the best learning resources out there: Chessable. Courses are nominated by Chessable's staff, with the community voting for their favorite to receive the award. Nominated courses must have been released between January and December of the year of voting.

Are you excited about this year's Chess.com Awards? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Chess.com Awards: Everything You Need To Know - Chess.com

RIVER HILLS, Wis. The game of chess is one of the worlds most popular board games.Some people play for fun, while others see it as a serious sport where high-level tournaments lead to prestigious titles.

Hersh Sangh is a high school senior at the University School of Milwaukee, located in River Hills, Wis.

(Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)

In August, Sangh took second place in the Pan American Youth Chess Festival. This earned him the title of FIDE Master, the third highest title a chess player can achieve.

Sangh said the game represents a real-life discipline.

Chess is important because it helps you. It reinforces the fact that there are consequences for everything you do which helps you make better decisions, said Sangh.

Sangh is 17 years old and is the first person in Wisconsin to receive the FIDE Master title since 2013.

He is ranked 140thamong all active chess players in the United States.Sangh said he plans to be a doctor and believes his chess skills will help him accomplish that dream.

Not only has chess guided Sangh through life, it has also strengthened his bonds with his family.

Sangh said his grandfather taught him chess.His whole family plays, including his sisterAradh Kaur. Aradh isalso a high school student at the University School of Milwaukee.

She said she looks up to her brother and described him as someone who is helpful, good at a lot of things and humble.

(Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)

Bob Juranitch is Sanghs high school advisor. He said he also has noticed the humility Sangh shows, both as a student and a chess player.

(Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)

He said he asked Sangh about how he prepares for a tournament and was impressed with his response.

I said, Do you get all hyped, to get ready for a tournament? And hesaid, No, I just get nervous and then I walk in and I perform the best I can, said Juranitch.

Sangh said hell continue to do the best he can in life and in chess.

In life, if you hit a setback, instead of letting your emotions get ahold of you, you should try to take a step back and look at the big picture and move on from the situation, said Sangh.

See the rest here:
Wisconsin teen nationally recognized for chess skills - Spectrum News 1

Six out of eight players are confirmed for the 2024 FIDE Candidates tournament, but the race is still on for the remaining two spots. Here's the status less than six weeks before we get to know the complete field.

GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hikaru Nakamura, Vidit Gujrathi, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Fabiano Caruana can already book their tickets to the 2024 FIDE Candidates tournament which will take place in Toronto, Canada in April, while GM Nijat Abasov is also expected to make it unless GM Magnus Carlsen has a sudden change of heart. The winner gets a lucrative shot at challenging the reigning world champion, GM Ding Liren, for the title later the same year.

But the chess world is eagerly awaiting who gets the remaining two spots. Four grandmasters are still in the race for one place through the FIDE Circuit, which is determined by results in eligible tournaments: GMs Anish Giri, Wesley So, Gukesh Dommaraju, and Arjun Erigaisi.

The last spot goes to the highest-placed player on the January 2024 FIDE rating list, where GM Alireza Firouzja is currently ahead by nine points among those not already qualified, despite dropping 14 points in the FIDE Grand Swiss.

In a new interview with the Saint Louis Chess Club, the Iranian-born Frenchman was asked about qualifying for the Candidates and his motivation further.

"If I really cared 100 percent about the Candidates, I would've played in Baku [editor's note: at the FIDE World Cup]. Now that I have a chance, I will try to use it. But if I don't make it, it's not the biggest deal for me. The Candidates is also a very difficult tournament, just one player out of eight very good players [makes it]," Firouzja said.

The 20-year-old had a poor run in the 2022 FIDE Candidates, finishing only sixth with 6/14. He doesn't seem to mind if he misses a chance to qualify for 2024.

"In general I want to improve my chess, and I don't really think much about the Candidates spot. But now that I have the last tournament and the last chance, it's stupid to not care. In general it would be good to get the spot, but I will not try everything," Firouzja added.

He says he prefers to overtake Carlsen and get the number one rating spot rather than fight for the world championship title. "The rating is very important. Magnus is the best player in the world, but he is not the world champion. It means rating is also very important. The number one ranking is a good thing, and I would also like to achieve that. But it's a difficult task."

The traditional Sinquefield Cup begins in Saint Louis on Tuesday and will have a major impact on the FIDE Circuit. In Saint Louis, Firouzja is joined by Giri, who has a slight lead for the Circuit spot.

"I have not too much to lose, in a sense," Giri told the Saint Louis Chess Club. "There is still a lot to play for, but I am in a good position."

The battle between the Dutch number one and So, who is just 5.5 points behind, will also be of particular interest in St. Louis.

"So could pass Giri's current score and take over the lead (with a good chance of it being for good) with a first or second place finish," chess statistician Tai Pruce-Zimmerman tells Chess.com.

He maintains ChessNumbers on X/Twitter, an account dedicated to tracking statistics in top-level chess, and follows the Candidates race closely for Chess.com.

"However, Giri can improve his current score with any top-five finish. Any such result, even sole fifth place, would be enough that So could only pass him by winning the event. Second would no longer be enough. And if Giri can finish second or third, he'll retain the Circuit lead even if So wins."

"If any of these scenarios happen where Giri improves his score and/or So passes him, that player is extremely likely to borderline clinch the Circuit with that value, unless it's a very minor improvement (like Wesley finishes second, or Giri finishes 5th)," he says.

Another player who is very much in the race is Gukesh, who was recently confirmed for the London Chess Classic, starting December 1.

"If neither So or Giri come out of Saint Louis with higher scores than what Giri has now, then Gukesh could take pole position by winning London," Pruce-Zimmerman says.

A victory there would give the Indian youngster 17.7 points, while he needs 17.03 to catch Giri's current mark. Pruce-Zimmerman thinks Giri likely needs to finish within the top five in the Sinquefield Cup to make London irrelevant.

Chess.com commentator and GM Robert Hess is eagerly following the race and thinks it's mainly a three-horse race between Giri, Firouzja, and So.

"Giri won three extremely important games to close out the Grand Swiss and claim the Circuit lead. Not only that, but by gaining 11 Elo with those three wins, he's now within striking distance of overtaking Firouzja by rating. Wesley is quietly waiting for them to slip up, and the 10-point rating gap that separates him and Firouzja can be completely closed if he wins their Sinquefield Cup matchup. There's so much at stake in that one event," Hess says, and sums up:

"Overall, Giri has great chances given he is in the lead for one path and competitive for a second."

Another key event for the Circuit is the World Rapid Championship, which was recently confirmed to take place in Uzbekistan during the usual Christmas dates. The event could also have an impact on the Circuit as first place is expected to be worth around 21 to 21.5 points, while second place is between 16.8 and 17.2 points.

The complete field has not yet been announced, but So has never taken part in that event since it started taking place during Christmas, way back in 2016. That means the Sinquefield Cup could be his last chance.

Another player still within range is Erigaisi, who could catch Giri's current mark with 21.04 points. However, he will need to become the World Rapid Champion for that to happen. The last player with a hint of Circuit hope is GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Pruce-Zimmerman sums up:

"He cannot catch Giri with one event, but 32.15 points over two events would be enough. It's possible to grab 12-14 points by winning a relatively obscure open (in the sense of no super-GMs other than the winner), so if he can find the right event to enter and he wins it, he could then add himself to the list of players with a chance to catch Giri's current mark with a World Rapid win."

Link:
The Race To Toronto: Who Will Qualify For The Candidates ... - Chess.com

US Chess is saddened to learn of the sudden passing of IA Andre Harding at the age of 40.

Image Caption

Andre Harding (photo courtesy Danny Rohde)

Andres passing is a massive loss for the tri-state chess community. An active teacher and tournament director for more than 20 years. Andre began as an active player. With much work, and through many tournaments, he eventually made it to becoming a US Chess candidate master and expert. Andre started his professional chess work as a tournament director for The Right Move Chess Foundation in 2002, and as an assistant manager at the Marshall Chess Club.

After graduating from the City College of New York, in 2005, Andre decided to take on additional responsibility as a chess teacher. He worked in several schools across the tri-state area, including CGPS. Chapin, Brearley, Horace Mann, Avenues, Harlem Childrens Zone, Bronx Lighthouse Charter School, and many public schools in NYC. He also worked on his knowledge along the way, becoming a FIDE National Instructor in 2011.

Andre was an outstanding tournament director, working for many years in the NYC scholastic tournament scene, and for many organizers. He worked over 500 events and close to 1400 sections as a tournament director. Recently, Andre pushed himself to work more norm events, achieving the ANTD title from US Chess. He reached a pinnacle in tournament directing by earning his IA title from FIDE in 2023. His US Chess and FIDE directing records are testament to his dedication to his craft.

Andres students and peers all noted his mindful nature and kind, gentle soul. This allowed Andre to work with students in a way that successfully guided their own paths with the game. Andre used his own experience as a player to provide positive motivation for his students.

Image Caption

Harding with some of his friends and students (photo courtesy Danny Rohde)

No task at a chess tournament was beneath him Andre was happy to take on any needed role. From providing a calm, instructive game review with a scholastic player after they finished, to working as a floor or computer TD at a major scholastic event, to having the privilege of writing up norms for players after their achievements... his impact across many areas of the chess community will be sorely missed.

Andre often talked about his contributions, role, and provided resources for players, students, parents, teachers and directors via his website, chess-essentials.com. He always appreciated being around the New York area chess community, becoming a critical part of the culture himself.

Andre is survived by his parents, Sharon and Louis Harding, as well as his sister, Lauren. His family would like everyone reading this to know just how much he loved what he did in the chess community.

If you are in the New York area, here is the information for the viewing and funeral on Friday, December 8th. The viewing is from 3pm-5pm, with the funeral service immediately after atCanaan Baptist Church of Christ, 132 West 116th St, New York, NY.

Read more:
IA Andre Harding (1983-2023) | US Chess.org - uschess.org