Frequently asked questions

What is First Look Chess?

First Look Chess is a daily chess digest delivered via email. It uses AI to gather, assess, and synthesize news and games, and it’s guided by human expertise. Every fact is backed with clickable links and games.

Who’s behind First Look Chess?

John Hartmann is a longtime chess journalist and the two-time (2020, 2021) Chess Journalists of America Journalist of the Year. He created the first editions of First Look Chess to keep up with all the news and events around the world; after the first few weeks, he realized this was a product that players, coaches, and fans could all benefit from.

Who is it for?

Players: Keep up with all the latest events and keep up with key games in events from around the world. The daily pgns include thousands of over-the-board games per week.

Parents: Stay ahead of the curve with the big stories and results from across America and beyond.

Fans: Wouldn’t you like to know which GMs are saying what without scrolling social media? Wouldn’t it be nice to get an email every morning with news and games from all the top tournaments? Now you can!

Chess officials and journalists: You need to stay informed to make decisions, but you also need to get things done. Let us do the work for you! Each morning you’ll get a full digest of news with clickable links for context and a deeper dive.

When does it arrive?

6:30 a.m. Central, every day, weekends included.

Is there an archive of past editions?

Your inbox is one: every edition’s full web digest and the day’s games stay linked from that edition’s email, and the links keep working. Subscribers can also browse past editions on the newsletter’s archive page, signed in with the email they subscribed with. A free edition or two is always linked from the subscribe page, so anyone can see what an edition looks like.

Is it only about American chess?

No. American chess is a focus, but we cover chess news and tournaments across the globe.

What events does it cover?

If a major over-the-board event is broadcast on the major platforms, we have the games. We don’t carry Chess.com’s Titled Tuesday or Thursday 3-0 events, but we do report on them.

Is the podcast free?

Absolutely free.

The Opening is a five-minute version of the Morning Five. It is free for everyone and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. The daily newsletter carries the full edition: the news wire, the U.S. results, the game links, and the PGN files.

What do I need to play through the games?

For the game links, nothing – just click on the link and go to the Chess.com or Lichess board.

The pgns can be read in your favorite pgn reader.

Are the games annotated?

No, but maybe someday. (Human annotators cost money!)

How it’s made

Is First Look Chess written by AI?

Each night a set of small scripts run in an Iowa data center. They gather results, games, and chess news, and then an AI model takes it all in and produces a daily email.

This is where human expertise comes in: John Hartmann sets the fact rules, checks every email after it goes out, and tweaks things where necessary. Every claim in the newsletter is backed by cited sources.

The narrator of The Opening is also AI-generated. The script is derived from the Morning Five section of the newsletter.

Where does the news come from?

Everywhere! The evidence used to generate First Look Chess comes from news briefs, FIDE and federation decisions, rating lists, results pages, and online event broadcasts.

I found a mistake. What do I do?

Send an email to firstlookchess@gmail.com. If it’s a true oversight, we’ll correct it in the next available email.

Is First Look Chess affiliated with US Chess?

First Look Chess is an independent publication, not a US Chess product.

Is there advertising?

Not currently, but if people want to give me money I’m listening.

Price and plans

How much does it cost?

$89.99 a year: that’s less than a quarter a day. If you prefer to go month-by-month, it’s $9.99 per.

Is there a free option?

Yes. Sign up free and you’ll receive the occasional free edition.

When do paid subscriptions start?

Paid subscriptions start the day you subscribe. Through Friday, October 23, every edition goes to everyone on the list, free. From Saturday, October 24, the daily edition goes to subscribers only; free signups keep receiving the occasional free edition.

How do I cancel?

Cancel any time from the link at the bottom of any edition, or from your subscription page. Cancelling stops the next charge; you keep receiving editions until the end of the period you’ve paid for.

Can I get a refund?

We don’t refund the unused part of a month or a year after you cancel. If you’ve been charged twice, or charged after you cancelled, write to firstlookchess@gmail.com and we’ll refund it. If an edition is late or missing, the remedy is the edition: it arrives later that morning, or the next edition carries what it missed.

Can I switch from monthly to annual?

Yes, from your subscription settings. They’re available via the link at the bottom of any edition.

Will I be charged sales tax?

Sales tax may be added at checkout if required by law and depending on your location.

Do you offer club, school or group subscriptions?

Not yet. If your club, school or organization is interested, drop us a line, and we’ll find something that works.

Eventually we may also be able to offer national editions, or editions for organizations / governance bodies that incorporate your proprietary data.

Your subscription

Can I forward an edition?

Sure! You can forward the daily email to a friend every once in a while. But remember that subscriptions keep the newsletter running, so ask them to sign up if they really like what they see.

Can I change my email address?

Yes. Write to firstlookchess@gmail.com from either address, tell us the new one, and we’ll switch it. Your subscription, including any paid plan and its billing, carries over unchanged.

What happens to my email address and payment details?

We don’t keep your payment details, and we only use your email address to send your emails – that’s it. The details are in our privacy policy.

The edition didn’t arrive.

The process is designed to send emails out at 6:30 am Central, but sometimes things break and we have to send them out manually. In the rare cases that happens, emails usually go out by 10 am Central.

If you’re not seeing the emails, check your spam folder and add firstlookchess@buttondown.email, the address every edition comes from, to your contacts.

How do I contact you?

Write to firstlookchess@gmail.com, or reply to any edition. Both reach the editor.