Chess Mate was founded by
Manuel Aaron on August 22, 1982 and the first issue of
the magazine came out in January 1983. It was a time
when India had less than half a dozen International
Masters and about 20 FIDE rated players. Chess Mate
brought international and national news to Indian chess
players in days when newspapers rarely published single
column reports on major chess events and the internet
did not exist. Most articles were written by Manuel
Aaron who edited the magazine. He was a player,
organiser, and an editor and the architect behind the
founding of the magazine.
Dr N.Mahalingam
supported the magazine with advertisements from some of
his many companies. Dr Mahalingam was a rare patron in
chess who created new schemes to the benefit of a common
chess player if they became International Master or an
International Grand Master. He also served as the
President of the AICF from 1985-1989 and is a Patron of
the AICF.
Each issue today is read by around
25,000 people from all walks of life. Chess Mate goes to
various institutions besides the houses of chess
players. It is privately held and run by Arvind Aaron, a
former chess player who is the second son of Manuel
Aaron. Chess Mate goes to every continent and most of
our subscribers are in the various large cities of
India. Chess Mate has played a small part in nourishing
the Indian chess player.
