Issue #05 — Magnus Carlsen

About This Issue

World Champion Magnus Carlsen is on the cover of ACM #05, which covers his win at the Isle of Man Masters. GM Mackenzie Molner opens the issue with “Showdown in St. Louis!”, GM Ivan Sokolov writes “Magnus the King Among Mere Mortals,” and IM Michael Brown follows with “California Sun Over a Foggy British Island.”

From the World Cup, GM David Smerdon picks the “Five Moments of Truth” that show how Levon Aronian was first across the line, and GM Sam Sevian recalls the one move that almost gave him a heart attack. GM Vassily Ivanchuk invites readers to “Let’s Play Cat and Mouse!” and GM Alex Ipatov contributes “Must-Win.”

Pete Tamburro puts 25 questions to GM Lev Alburt, and GM Robert Hungaski says goodbye to GM William Lombardy in an In Memoriam piece. FM Dennis Monokroussos covers the London System, GM John Fedorowicz shows a whole bag of positional tricks, GM Alex Fishbein explains mating motifs in the endgame, and GMs Michael Adams and Baskaran Adhiban discuss the notorious “grandmaster draw.” GM Michael Rohde contributes “One Man Parade,” GM Jacob Aagaard his All-Round Training, and GM Ivan Sokolov asks “Do Chess Columnists Play Chess?”

The issue also includes Readers’ Voices, WIM Yuanling Yuan’s portrait “She’s MIT’s Hidden Gem,” Chris Wainscott’s “Determined to Succeed,” a chess parents’ survival guide by Ryan Velez, Scott Miller’s “Daddy, Can I Show You the Chess Game?”, IM Praveen Balakrishnan’s “In the Footsteps of Carlsen” and “A Rising North Star in Chess!” by Bill Broich, Patrick Tang and Jim Freerksen, with annotations by GM Vladimir Georgiev, IM Sean Nagle and FM Sam Schmakel. The issue also includes FM Carsten Hansen’s book reviews, Jon Edwards’ “Database War,” IM Danny Rensch’s “Man v Machine,” GM Joel Benjamin’s “Musings of an American Grandmaster,” IM Igor Khmelnitsky’s “Chess Doubles,” the Tournament Review and GM Peter Heine Nielsen in “Where Grandmasters Advise Young Players.”

What’s Inside

• p.8 — Showdown in St. Louis! — GM Mackenzie Molner
• p.20 — Magnus the King Among Mere Mortals — GM Ivan Sokolov
• p.30 — California Sun Over a Foggy British Island — IM Michael Brown
• p.50 — Five Moments of Truth — How Levon Aronian Was First Across the Line! — GM David Smerdon
• p.62 — Let's Play Cat and Mouse! — GM Vassily Ivanchuk
• p.80 — London System — FM Dennis Monokroussos
• p.96 — One Man Parade — GM Michael Rohde
• p.128 — 25 Questions for GM Lev Alburt — Pete Tamburro
• p.152 — Where Grandmasters Advise Young Players — GM Peter Heine Nielsen

Inside the Issue