What’s in a chess nickname?

(Newcastle Chronicle, 28 March 2025)

The new BBC2 show “Chess Masters: The Endgame” has been attracting attention for the nicknames given to the contestants.

Floppy-haired actor Cai from London was dubbed “The Unruly Knight”, while Glasgow postgrad Caitlin Reid was “The Smiling Assassin”.

Another incongruous nickname was given to Welsh schoolteacher Claire, described as the “Killer Queen”, given that she chatted amiably with her opponents.

Nick, from South London, told us proudly why he was known as “The Swashbuckler”, just before he unwisely grabbed a couple of pawns in the opening and was checkmated in 15 moves.

Of course, it’s all a bit of fun and is clearly borrowed from darts, snooker and boxing. Hopefully “Chess Masters” can come up with more imaginative nicknames for future series.

Top chess players throughout history have often acquired quirky nicknames – some flattering, others less so.

Mikhail Tal, the eighth world champion renowned for his tactical wizardry, was known as the “Magician from Riga”, while current world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen has been described grandly as “The Mozart of Chess”.

Garry Kasparov was dubbed the “Beast from Baku” by his terrorised opponents, while 19th century American prodigy Paul Morphy was known as “The Pride and Sorrow of Chess”, as he stopped playing at the peak of his fame.

Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch was called “Praeceptor Germaniae” (The Teacher of Germany) by his admirers, but “The Housewife” for his homely practical tips by rival Aron Nimzowitsch.

Over-the-board habits sometimes result in unflattering monikers. “The Piece Twirler” is a nickname given to Israeli grandmaster Boris Gelfand for his tendency to constantly play with a captured piece in his hand during games, while Yugoslavia’s Milan Matulovich was christened “J’adoubovich” ever since he said “J’adoube” (“I adjust”) after taking a move back in a tournament and moving another piece.

English players have had colourful nicknames, too. Joseph Blackburne, a 19th century master, was known affectionately as “The Black Death”, due to the colour of his bushy black beard, while mathematician John Nunn, at 15 the youngest undergraduate at Oxford since Cardinal Wolsey, was dubbed “The Doctor” by his England teammates.

Sometimes what people are called in print sticks. Nigel Short, Lancashire’s world championship challenger, was dubbed “Nosher” after Kingpin, a satirical chess magazine, published a rude anagram of his name, while onetime world No. 5 Jon Speelman has always been known as “Spess” since The Times misspelled his surname as “Specimen”.

These days, it’s YouTube personalities who have popular nicknames. Levy Rozman is “Gotham Chess”, while England’s Simon Williams is “The Ginger GM” due to his flaming red hair.

The North East’s most famous chess player, grandmaster Danny Gormally from Alnwick, has various nicknames, ranging from “The Quizmaster” to “The Gormaliser”.

PUZZLES

Puzzle A: Gormally-Zeidler, 1999. White to move.

Puzzle B: Steinkuehler-Blackburne, 1863. Black to move.

Puzzle C: Short-Miles, 1984 (variation). White to move.

Puzzle D: Visser-Speelman, 2006. Black to move.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Rf1! 1-0. If 1…Qxh4 2 Rf8 mate.
B: 1…Qg1+! 2 Rxg1 Nf2+ 3 Kg2 Bh3 mate.
C: 1 Qf8+! wins. If 1…Kxf8 2 Nxd7+, or 1…Rxf8 2 Nxd7.
D: 1…Qg1+! 2 Rxg1 Nf2 mate.