Online chess community where you can play chess, learn strategies and tactics, read chess news, see book reviews, find rules & tips, get free downloads, and more! http://www.chess.com/ 2007 Chess.com ( A Preview of the Tournament report that will be published in the next issue of Chess Horizons.) Two days before Massachusetts's first prominent chess hero's 139th birthday, 57 players  gathered on December 3, 2011 in Leominster at the Veteran...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/2011-harry-nelson-pillsbury-memorial-tournamentFri, 30 Dec 2011 10:32:19 -0800http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/2011-harry-nelson-pillsbury-memorial-tournamentI mentioned back in June how I was searching for a new way to handle the Benko Gambit and essayed an alternative that played 5.f3. Not preparing for this since June, I was able to play a decent and fun game against an opponent who was a strong cla...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/playing-5f3-against-the-benko-against-an-expertFri, 23 Dec 2011 14:28:28 -0800http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/playing-5f3-against-the-benko-against-an-expertHere is my  analysis and commentary of the games I played at the recent Pillsbury Memorial Tournament. Lately, with life in all its complications, the only time I get to play chess is on a one day event. I used to loath such events because of th...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/taking-off-the-rust-at-the-pillsbury-memorialSun, 11 Dec 2011 12:45:07 -0800http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/taking-off-the-rust-at-the-pillsbury-memorialAs indicated on my last few sparse posts, chess had taken a back seat as life challenges were my utmost top priority.  Not that I am completely out of the woods, there is some clearing in my forest which has allowed be to jump in on a couple of r...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/how-i-rust-proofed-my-trainingSun, 04 Dec 2011 06:49:58 -0800http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/how-i-rust-proofed-my-training Life mirrors chess in more ways than you can imagine. However, life isn't meant to be a game to start over if things don't turn out the way you'd like them. Rather, it requires proper attention to fully understand the position life tends to throw...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/my-personal-exchange-sacrificeSat, 12 Nov 2011 14:46:57 -0800http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/my-personal-exchange-sacrificeSorry about the sudden lapse in posts. I am taking care of some tough personal matters and chess is far from them. Not sure when I'll be back. http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/under-constrictionThu, 08 Sep 2011 19:56:28 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/under-constrictionI'm under a rock lately and will emerge at some point. In the meantime, I thought I'd pull this out of my archives for you all to ponder on a hot summer day.   I like string theory and I like chess... need I say more? I've been reading a non-ch...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/string-chess-experimentWed, 17 Aug 2011 19:03:56 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/string-chess-experiment  Tuesday night is my chess club night. The Metrowest Chess Club in Natick, MA has a strong membership. The players range from all skill levels and on any Tuesday we have 80 players on a regular basis.  Our club has been the home for s...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/tuesdays-with-bisquierSun, 24 Jul 2011 08:44:04 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/tuesdays-with-bisquierTypically my performance at the past World Open events had me too nerved up in the first rounds to pull off any wins until round 4 or 5. This year, it seems to be different. I am meditating  just before each round and staying as centered as poss...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/day-four-into-the-39th-world-openSun, 03 Jul 2011 13:21:51 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/day-four-into-the-39th-world-openWhen I tell my co-workers what I am about to do for vacation next week, the common response I get " You call that a vacation?"   For the uninformed, Since the American chess scene that lacks sponsorships like our European counter parts, attracti...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/gearing-up-for-the-world-openSun, 26 Jun 2011 11:39:05 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/gearing-up-for-the-world-openBecause I play 1.d4  with the White pieces, I am constantly challenged to recall a dozen or so different responses like QGD, QGA, Nimzo-Indian, King's Indian, Grufeld, Benoni, Dutch, Pirc, etc... I try to find a "system" for my insanity and steer...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/baffled-by-the-benkoSun, 19 Jun 2011 09:45:40 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/baffled-by-the-benko  But first a quick check in with the Knight's Errant. Looking across the interweb, and the Knight's Errant Revival seems to have lost some steam with exception to the energizer bunny otherwise known as Empirical Rabbit (http://empiricalrabbit.b...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/into-the-lions-den-how-i-beat-a-candidate-masterSat, 11 Jun 2011 15:13:06 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/into-the-lions-den-how-i-beat-a-candidate-master New York has a rich chess history of Super tournaments. Back in 1857, The first American Chess Congress was  held.  Paul Morphy won the event but refused  the hefty prize of $300 ( estimated worth about $7000 today). Instead, he accepted a sil...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/new-york-new-yorkhellip-an-historic-chess-legacyThu, 02 Jun 2011 08:17:15 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/new-york-new-yorkhellip-an-historic-chess-legacy  In 1911, Lasker was challenged by an up and coming star, Jose Raul Capablanca. Having witnessed Steinitz decent into poverty as a former chess champion, Lasker was reluctant  because of the stipulation of "first to win ten games".  The match...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/part-6--finale-dr-emanuel-lasker-old-lions-still-have-sharp-teethSun, 29 May 2011 09:57:42 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/part-6--finale-dr-emanuel-lasker-old-lions-still-have-sharp-teethIn the last post, we saw how Dr. Lasker, while multitasking, was able to maintain his World title and still have strong finishes at top tournaments.  After the Cambridge Springs event in 1904, Lasker's appearance at tournaments became increasingl...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/part-5-dr-emanuel-lasker-defending-his-world-titleSun, 15 May 2011 09:05:06 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/part-5-dr-emanuel-lasker-defending-his-world-titleAfter a convincing World Championship rematch victory  against  Steinitz in 1897, Lasker seems to disappear from chess for a couple years. In that  same time period, he managed to publish his book in 1897, Common sense in Chess, based on his ...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/part-4-dr-emanuel-lasker-multitaskingSun, 01 May 2011 07:12:13 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/part-4-dr-emanuel-lasker-multitaskingIn the last post, we explored the ramp up to Emanuel Lasker's  becoming the 2nd official World Champion following Willhelm Steinitz. He returns to Europe in the later part of 1894 on the heels of his new title but was seriously ill with typhoid f...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/part-3-em-lasker-the-champion-returns-to-europeTue, 19 Apr 2011 16:33:01 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/part-3-em-lasker-the-champion-returns-to-europeIn part 1, I brought you up to speed on how Emanuel Lasker first came on the chess scene along with his brother Berthold. This took us into the dawn of the 1890's with a nice finish in Berlin.   He traveled to London and did rather well at a c...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/part-2-dr-emanuel-lasker-world-champion-contenderSun, 10 Apr 2011 11:55:47 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/part-2-dr-emanuel-lasker-world-champion-contenderChristmas Eve of 1868 in a suburb of Berlin called Berlinchen, one of the greatest Chess players in the history of this Royal game arrived to turn heads and challenge the status quo. His big brother, Berthold Lasker had a growing reputation as a...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/dr-emanuel-lasker-part-1-the-beginning-of-the-double-sacrificeMon, 04 Apr 2011 19:26:15 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/dr-emanuel-lasker-part-1-the-beginning-of-the-double-sacrificeIt's been a while since I did a series of posts highlighting an old tournament. When I last left you, I was stuck in the seventies with Lone Pine 1975 and left Pal Benko in the barber's chair.    I'm looking for inspiration and direction a...http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/readers-choiceSun, 27 Mar 2011 17:43:21 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Blunderprone/readers-choice