A 180-year publishing tradition enters a new chapter

Including its predecessor magazines, SCHACH’s publishing tradition stretches back around 180 years. The magazine is known for in-depth tournament coverage, extensively annotated games, interviews, background stories and contributions from leading players, coaches and chess journalists.

Chess has always crossed borders. Players from different countries, cultures and generations meet over the same 64 squares and share a language that needs no translation. With this English edition, we want our journalism, analysis and stories to cross another border as well.

CHESS INSIGHT aims to offer more than tournament results and moves. Its focus is on the stories behind the games: what happened behind the scenes, what players were thinking at critical moments and what readers can learn from their decisions.

CHESS INSIGHT 01/2026

The first issue contains 84 pages and is available from Forward Chess for US$2.99:

CHESS INSIGHT 01/2026 on Forward Chess

It covers major recent events including the Grand Chess Tour and Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, the Sparkassen Chess Meeting Dortmund and the Esports World Cup in Paris.

A particular highlight is an extensive feature with Peter Leko, coach of German grandmaster Vincent Keymer, offering insights from the perspective of a world-class player and trainer.

The issue also includes the regular SCHACH Questions feature with photographer Lennart Ootes, as well as training material, combinations, problems and studies, reviews and chess history.

Among the contributors to the issue are Peter Leko, Dr. Karsten Müller, Elisabeth Pähtz and Dmitrij Kollars.

Interactive reading with Forward Chess

On Forward Chess, games and analyses can be followed directly on an interactive chessboard. Readers can play through variations and examine positions move by move while reading the accompanying text — an ideal format for the deeply annotated games that are one of SCHACH’s traditional strengths.

With CHESS INSIGHT, one of Germany’s longest-standing chess publishing traditions is now opening itself to an international readership.

Contact and cooperation

If you are interested in subscribing to CHESS INSIGHT, distributing the magazine or exploring a cooperation or partnership, please contact our Editor-in-Chief:

IM Jonathan Carlstedt
jonathan.carlstedt@exzelsior.de