Malcolm Pein

facebook.com/skynews/videos… 25,000 children and counting in the club @ChessKidcom #chessathome

A record 128 children took part in the 3rd Wrexham Primary Schools Tournament organised by CSC. The event was kindly hosted by All Saints Primary School in Gresford. A full report can be found via the link. chessinschools.co.uk/news/record-at…

The point here is that this is something one can now hear on Lebanese TV for the first time. This is hatred for Hezbollah. This is a good thing for Lebanon’s future.

Yesterday, on the eve of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz), the Islamic Republic hanged five teenagers who had been detained during the January protests in the cities of Qom and Ilam. Today, 18-year-old Melika Azizi from the city of Rasht, who was arrested for burning regime symbols during the protests, faces imminent execution in Rasht prison on the charge of Moharebeh (waging war against Allah). #IranMassacre‌ won't stop!

The Iranian regime executed a 19 year old for demanding democracy. I stand with his memory and the thousands of other young Iranians. Those who grieve the elimination of Iranian leaders over murdered protesters is telling.

Every time I see this picture of Ali Larijani, I get angry. In the 1980s, when I was a teenager living in Iran, my eyes were very sensitive and my doctor told me to wear sunglasses. But the morality police would stop me in the street, because according to them, my sunglasses were “provoking men.” I had to carry a doctor’s note in my wallet just to justify something as basic as protecting my eyes. That was the reality for us. And now, the same system that policed girls for wearing sunglasses proudly promotes figures like Ali Larijani wearing American Ray-Ban glasses. This is the hypocrisy of the Islamic Republic: control and humiliation for ordinary people, freedom and privilege for those in power. It’s not just hypocrisy. It’s a system built on double standards and contempt for its own people.

Now in its third year, the 2026 edition of the CSC Junior Grand Prix kicked off in some style at South Hampstead High School on Saturday 14 March. A record 181 children took part and enjoyed a full day of competitive chess. Full story via the link. tinyurl.com/48snwnch

Just a reminder, Manchester United haven’t played a Champions League knockout game in over 10 years

Private Eye.

Very sad news from Cuba: the 59th edition of the Capablanca Memorial has been officially cancelled. I fear this may be the end of one of the longest-standing traditions in chess. (In the picture, Smyslov, winner in 1965, plays against Fischer via telex)

If the war keeps taking out murderous Iranian political and security leadership I am concerned that there will no longer be suitable candidates to lead the UN Human Rights Council.

One of the wildest intercept videos I have ever seen. First glowing projectile: very likely a Stunner interceptor launched from David’s Sling, climbing toward the incoming MRBM warhead. Second glowing projectile: the incoming MRBM warhead descending toward the ground, evading the interceptor. Third glowing projectile entering from the right: very likely a Tamir interceptor launched from Iron Dome, approaching the MRBM warhead on a near-horizontal trajectory and successfully destroying it. In fact, you can see the interceptor’s flight path begin with a very shallow climb before reversing and flying toward the ground on a very shallow descent. The trajectory and intercept must have occured at the very limits of the system’s safety envelope. H/T to @Etienne_Marcuz for the video.

and he didn't move to the center, just mobilized the base.

Next in line please

A lesson in humanity from Yakoub Rabi The man convicted today for the killing of Aisha Rabi, a Palestinian mother of eight, will go to prison. But what her husband Yakoub Rabi said in court deserves to be heard far beyond that courtroom. Instead of calling for revenge, he said something extraordinary: “I would have liked to see him at university, becoming a teacher — not standing in court as a killer.” In the face of unimaginable loss, Yakoub Rabi chose dignity and humanity. This is moral courage of the highest kind. I deeply admire his words and his spirit. I also want to commend @nurityohanan of The @TimesofIsrael of Israel for covering this story with sensitivity and professionalism. Stories like this are essential — because they remind us that even in the darkest moments, there are voices of humanity that refuse to surrender to hatred. Yakoub Rabi said something simple and powerful: “What I want for my children, I want for others.” If more people on both sides could hold onto that principle, our future might look very different. timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry… via @timesofisrael

Congratulations to Cuba on reaching net zero

Simple and true 🎯 @Kasparov63

An Iranian man played the sound of a drone on his car radio, causing 🇮🇷 Basij checkpoint personnel to flee after hearing the sound 😂

Turns out the woke generation is in fact the most racist generation since the 1930s.

شکستی بزرگ برای رژیم اسلامی ایران 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 🇮🇷 بنا به گزارش‌ها، نیروهای هوایی ایالات متحده و اسرائیل به یک مرکز فرماندهی زیرزمینی سپاه پاسداران در تهران حمله کرده‌اند. گزارش‌ها حاکی از آن است که بیش از ۵۰ مقام ارشد سپاه پاسداران در حین جلسه برای برنامه‌ریزی حملات روزهای آینده کشته شده‌اند.