iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

We were the only team to finish above them and not win the league. Also Spursy.

Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

It's so Spursy that we never finished second to City in the Premier League during the period covered by the financial-rule breaches. #COYS

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

CRINGE ALERT: I managed to shoehorn in a little personal anecdote into this about an awful aside I made while interviewing Gazza. Nine years on, I'm still wondering WHAT ON EARTH I was thinking??? worldchess.com/news/kasparo...

worldchess.com

Kasparov Says US And Lithuanian Security Services Warned His Life Was In Danger / News / World Chess - Official FIDE Online Chess Gaming Platform

For chess great Garry Kasparov, alleged Russian plots to assassinate Kremlin opponents abroad are no laughing matter.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Yep, and whether the Ukrainians try to get him on an EU sanctions list. History may repeat itself.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

We've said he's gone too far - not sure that's neutral. Pretty clear he's crossed a few boundaries here, and that's putting it mildly. Just to clarify, WC is not part of FIDE.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

All through this I'm wondering what Vinai is going to say in his next PDR. #COYS

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

No, chess isn't just a cover for rogue states to push foreign policy and broker the occasional sanctions-evading oil deal. AND it's also not just a vehicle for shady oligarchs to launder their cash. Chess is a great game, and sometimes it can actually do some good: worldchess.com/news/chess-b...

worldchess.com

Chess Brings Hope To Rohingya Children In Cox’s Bazar / News / World Chess - Official FIDE Online Chess Gaming Platform

With FIDE's Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, drawing close, here's how chess is transforming the lives of refugee children in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Yeah, if you think about it, did Tiny Tim really deserve that goose?

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Who knew it's possible to have your own thoughts?

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The Guardian's amazingly evergreen chess correspondent Leonard Barden, who recently marked his 97th (!) birthday, is advising the English Chess Federation to hold an event in 2036. I honestly think, and hope, Barden will live forever.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

At the super elite level, yes. Uzbekistan also worth a mention. But Russia is still the home of chess, more players, grandmasters etc than anywhere else by far, more chess culture.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Martinelli is being sold to a different market, that's why. The European market is depressed. If an EPL club were in for him, Arsenal would ask double. Also, he's shit.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Good point - thanks for the fact-check!

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

11-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan is crowned Britain’s youngest ever Women’s champion #BritishChessChamps

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

👀 the best sporting event on today! History can be made with Bodhana.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Big game in R8 of the British Chess Champs today: the evergreen 9-time winner Michael Adams Vs the new gun Shreyas Royal. It's master vs pupil. You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnFi...

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Bodhana Sivanandan just took down Grandmaster Ameet Ghasi at the 2026 British Chess Championships in Coventry. And when I say took down, I mean completely destroyed. The 11-year-old is moving up a class.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

British bands shit all over American bands.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

If it didn't confer a sporting advantage, why did they do it?

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Like chess, fencing is one of the few sports that is led by a Russian. In this case, Alisher Usmanov. He won't be banning Russia any time soon.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

You can't call someone a liar without getting sued. Trust me, this guy tried to sue me in 2017. But you can call someone "colourful". It's a well-used euphemism.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Chess is in complete meltdown. The Russian head of the world chess federation FIDE, Arkady Dvorkovich, has been sanctioned by the EU. It's yet another crisis for a sport caught in the crosshairs of the Ukraine war. What happens now? share.google/OMNtTF4ANWAm...

share.google

FIDE President Is Sanctioned. Who Is Running Chess Now? / News / World Chess - Official FIDE Online Chess Gaming Platform

The EU sanctioned FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich on Wednesday. By nightfall he had suspended his own powers, handed the federation to a five-time World Champion, and turned this fall's election upsi...

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Big claims like that have always made him colourful. That and claiming he was abducted by aliens.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

I used to work in Telegraph Towers. I can confirm she exists.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

"From a rolling Stones, to a Rolling Stone..."

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Seeds? I mean, it's kinda for that anyway.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Nor in the pub I watched it either 🥲

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Magnus Carlsen, your boys are getting one hell of a beating.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

He's lost to a bin. In both scenarios, his political career is damaged.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

It matters not whether Binface wins or loses. The result is the same for Farage. Binface being there is just a sideshow.

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Leon Watson @leonwatson.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Farage calling this completely unnecessary by-election to dodge scrutiny was a farce. It's been called out as a farce by the parties. It's the 2nd by-election that's important, after the probe he's trying to avoid ends. Binface is just an amusing sideline to this. It's not something to focus on.

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