Independent Chess Media

Still Rings True

I’m reposting this as I accidentally created two substacks when I first started on here. The post still rings true after 6 months of writing on substack and I deleted the previous one to end the confusion. Special thanks to Ryan Polsky for joining me on this version and for helping me edit.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the new outlet for chess culture and independent thought. The chess world is plagued by a lack of independent sources for feature articles that highlight the people and happenings centered around the royal game of chess. There is plenty of content about tournament wrap ups and how the top players are playing in this or that event. But, just reading about tournament results does not tell the full picture of why we play chess and what is so exciting about the sub-culture as a whole. It does not illuminate the problems which are currently hidden behind the interests of the large chess organizations. It does not spotlight the majority of the wonderful people working tirelessly to make chess a fun and exciting game to play.

I personally want to provide, you the reader, with a place where you can experience all of these highs and lows through an independent lens. I promise to make this space an honest and earnest place to read about and engage in all of the issues of our current moment. From the Magnus Carlsen / Hans Neimann cheating scandal to the Alejandro Ramirez sexual abuse scandal, we will not shy away from anything contentious. And, on the other hand, we will not only focus on the negative but on the positive. On the beauty that has inspired me and so many other people to spend their life playing, teaching, talking and reading about chess. It’s a wide world and my hope is that we can engage with intellectual honestly and a fair hand. I personally love chess and everything that surrounds the game. Plus, I am an optimist and a dreamer. I hope that through this substack, we can work together to improve the chess world and continue to build on and improve what we have inherited. I am looking for writers that share in this vision so please do not hesitate to contact me if you have ideas for articles and want to write something under our banner.

Additionally, I want a space to practice my craft. Too many days go by where I am letting my writing skills languish and telling myself I am a bad writer. This is a personal problem but it is not unique among writers. The only way to get better at the craft is constant practice and the same goes for chess! I hope you will enjoy the content but please don’t hesitate to let me know if you find errors or have suggestions for improvement. Keep in mind: I make my living from chess so I will certainly highlight the projects my team is working on and ways you can support us. But, I will make it quite obvious when I am panning for gold and strive to stay objective despite any of my own monetary interest. Please support me if you can if that is only by spreading the word!

Again, if you want to write for us, please let me know as I certainly would love to some help on this project!