American Chess Magazine #37: Jacob Aagaard – This Is Sparta!

Featuring the celebrated chess coach, Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard, on the cover of issue #37. Dive into a thought-provoking interview where Aagaard offers a unique perspective on elite chess.

Traditionally, each New Year begins with the Pan-American Intercollegiate, and this year’s edition will surely be remembered for the University of Missouri chess team’s first overall victory at this vibrant event. Leading their charge was the highly motivated and charismatic coach, Cristian Chirila. As team members GM Luka Budisavljević and GM-elect Josiah Stearman proudly report, it was thanks to his enthusiastic support and guidance that they eventually galloped to victory.

U.S. juniors were also actively engaged at the North American Junior Championships. Carissa Yip had a fantastic year—winning the U.S. Women’s Championship, sharing first place at the World U20 Girls’ Championship, and then claiming the NAJ title—but this time in the Open Section!

The winner of the NAJ Girls’ Section was none other than ACM Contributing Editor Zoey Tang, who has written a wonderful report for us on both tournaments, followed by an exclusive interview with Carissa, who shares personal reflections on a variety of topics related to chess and life.

More U.S. junior success came from the prestigious SPICE Cup, where 13-year-old IM Andy Woodward finished in bold style to emerge as the sole winner. Don’t miss Andy’s exclusive annotations to his decisive game in the tournament, as well as a personal narrative from Saint Louis by FM Nathan Resika. Andy has just completed his quest for the GM title and is now the youngest grandmaster in the world!

Few people have a free moment in their calendars quite like chess coaches. Probably one of the busiest in the business is GM Jacob Aagaard, who is not only a chess trainer but also an author and publisher. In an exclusive ACM interview, he shares forthright views on all three disciplines. In addition, his regular ACM column in 2024 will focus on attacking chess, illustrated in each issue by a dozen carefully selected examples with clear explanations of the key ideas.

The New Year also brought sensitive changes to FIDE’s rating calculation system, prompting us to interview renowned chess statistician Dr. Kenneth Regan for his objective expert assessment. Similarly, Dylan Loeb McClain comments on FIDE’s highly controversial handling of the qualification process for the 2024 Candidates Tournament, along with updates on the latest developments witnessed at the turn of the year. Continuing with hot topics, Pete Tamburro presents his personal perspective on our cover story from issue #35.

New contributors GM Rahul Peddi and WIM Tarini Goyal, colleagues at the University of Texas at Dallas, explore ways to tackle the solid Nimzo-Indian Defense, drawing on fresh ideas tested in recent games by the dynamic Azeri GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. In their respective regular columns, GM Illia Nyzhnyk examines the transition from middlegame to endgame, while GM Alex Fishbein pays tribute to Nimzovich’s monumental book My System – with a particular focus on endgames.

In between, and true to his distinctive style, GM Sarunas Sulskis dissects several magnificent games that caught his eye, while World Correspondence Champion Jon Edwards explains how he makes the best use of chess engines.

Meanwhile, FM Grayson Rorrer reviews the most interesting recent tournaments played both in the U.S. and abroad; Dr. Corey Butler discusses legitimate psychological warfare over the chessboard; and GM Bartek Macieja uncovers the nuances and hidden beauty that justify the categorization of chess as an art form.

Finally, our 5x5 guest is NM Evan Rabin, one of the most active chess educators in the United States.