Not many chess magazines can boast about such a longstanding history as the French monthly Europe Echecs. The January 2009 issue celebrates half a century of chess news and stories in the French language, with 100 pages of looking back.

The monthly French chess magazine Europe Echecs was founded in 1959 by Raoul Bertolo, who died in 1991 and who was at the time president of the F?ɬ©d?ɬ©ration fran?ɬßaise des ?ɬ©checs. It is the oldest chess magazine in France (and no doubt in many other countries) still running, and is now edited by the French GM Bachar Kouatly. From 1985 to 1997, it was run by Jean-Claude Fasquelle, then P.-D.G., ?ɬ©ditions Grasset.

Robert Fontaine interviews Bachar Kouatly:

From the first issue, Europe Echecs was created in the provincial town of Besan?ɬßon, the birth town of Victor Hugo. A total of 584 issues have been published since 1959. The first GM analysis was done by players such as Euwe, Tartakover, Najdorf, Keres and Bronstein!

The January issue dedicates one page to every year of its history, that now lasts half a century. And as from next month, all 584 issues will be availabe online: they're all being scanned and you can read every issue you like at the Europe Echecs website.

ChessVibes to Europe Echecs: congratulations!