Issue #13 — Jeffery Xiong

About This Issue

There were hardly any doubts about our choice of front cover and inside story for ACM #13, since 18-year-old Texan GM Jeffery Xiong recently achieved his long-awaited milestone of breaking through the 2700 Elo barrier, thus becoming the youngest-ever American player to accomplish this feat. Exclusively for ACM, Jeffery provides plenty of insights into his most successful chess summer to date and also talks about his career and day-to-day life.

The previous ACM, dedicated to the legendary Bobby Fischer, was greatly appreciated by our readers. Furthermore, it triggered a response from Eli Attie – whose father created the iconic image of Fischer that appeared on the cover of that issue! And thereby hangs a tale, a previously untold story... So we invite all Fischer fans to grab a cup of coffee, lean back in their armchair and enjoy these memories of Fischer’s remarkable meeting with ace photographer David Attie in New York in 1971.

With our avowed intent to include new authors in each issue, this time we introduce French GM Romain Edouard, who has produced an overview of the strongest annual tournament on U.S. soil – the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis. This year’s event will always be remembered for the spectacular performance of Chinese No. 1 Ding Liren, who outplayed World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the rapid and blitz tie-break.

More top-class chess comes from one of the world’s mightiest chess powerhouses – Russia. GM Evgeny Tomashevsky has recently won his second national championship title and here recounts move by move how he defeated the tournament favorite Vladislav Artemiev, who, incidentally, was profiled in ACM #10 after his victory in the Gibraltar Masters. Evgeny’s article epitomizes his personal approach to chess, which makes it nothing short of a master class delivered by a full-blooded representative of the “Russian chess school.”

As ACM continually reports on the latest tournaments from home and abroad, while keeping a close watch on the performances of the most talented young American players, the U.S. Junior Championship could not be overlooked – the more so since 16-year-old GM Awonder Liang has just won the event for the third consecutive time! At the other end of the spectrum, the U.S. Senior Championship is covered by veteran grandmaster and three-time former U.S. Champion Joel Benjamin.

We have not forgotten women in chess and their praiseworthy efforts to promote dedicated events and initiatives. An inspiring local story from California concerns the first all-women norm tournament to be held in the States, surely the highlight of 37 years of hard work by the Berkeley Chess School, a home of chess opportunities which has still more ambitious projects in store for the future.

They say that chess is not only a sport but also an art. We couldn’t agree more, especially when we meet an active chess player who is an even more active artist – and a woman! In an interview for ACM, Maria Yugina explains how she expresses chess on canvas, portrayed in her own unique style and passionate perspective on the game.

One of the biggest dilemmas in endgames is when to give preference to the knight and when to the bishop. IM Boroljub Zlatanovic provides some answers with more than a dozen highly instructive examples from tournament play. And what if you add the queens? Swedish GM Pontus Carlsson draws readers’ attention to a topic hardly covered at all in chess literature – the power and fury unleashed on the chessboard when the queen and knight team up together!

Among our regular contributors, GM Jacob Aagaard challenges readers to solve a fresh selection of puzzle positions in his All-Round Training column, Pete Tamburro presents an array of fabulous finishes from the games of the recently departed GM Pal Benko, while Jon Edwards explains the new features in ChessBase 15, helping users get the most out of these more advanced options.

From yesteryear we revive a long-forgotten and emotionally charged short story by Kester Svendsen, who recounts a veteran master’s successful struggle not only against a champion in his prime but also against his own inner demons – in an endeavor to create a work of beauty and perfection in a crucial encounter. ACM Editor-in-Chief FM Josip Asik then delivers some striking opening niceties in an amusing yet educational article designed for our youngest readers.

As usual, there are tournament reports, book reviews by FM Carsten Hansen and a timely appearance in our 5x5 Questions and Answers column by Jeffery Xiong’s coach, GM Vladimir Georgiev. This 100-page edition comes from the magazine that Chess Journalists of America voted “Best Overall U.S. Chess Magazine” for 2019.

What’s Inside

• p.8 — The Revealing Story Behind a Fischer Portrait from 1971 — The Fischer Cover Uncovered!
• p.14 — Chinese No.1 Victorious at Sinquefield Cup After an Unforgettable Tie-Break — Ding Liren Tops Magnus Carlsen — GM Romain Edouard
• p.22 — A New Member of the 2700 Club! — Crouching Tiger — GM Jeffery Xiong
• p.28 — Interview with Jeffery Xiong — I Genuinely Love Chess! — Dusan Krunic
• p.32 — Liang Wins U.S. Junior for the Third Time at Age 16! — Awonder's Playground — GM Alex Lenderman
• p.46 — Masterclass by the Professor — GM Evgeny Tomashevsky
• p.78 — Senior Summer: A Season of Battles With Old and Young — GM Joel Benjamin
• p.98 — Where Grandmasters Advise Young Players — GM Vladimir Georgiev

Inside the Issue