How the Early Soviet State Turned Chess Into a Tool
A look inside the origins of Soviet chess culture. These articles trace how early USSR institutions and political leaders transformed chess into a tool for education, discipline, and national development, setting the foundation for decades of dominance in world chess.
Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Korchnoi was one of the fiercest competitors in chess history, a four-time Soviet champion, two-time world title challenger, and one of the greatest players never to win the crown. This profile traces his life from wartime Leningrad to defection, exile, and an extraordinary late career that secured his place among the game’s most formidable figures.