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 I am pleased to announce the opening of my new chess blog. You can find it at this link: http://www.daveschessblog.blogspot.com/. Also if you didn't know by now, Chess.com has recently began making video podcasts which can be found at this link: ...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/some-newsThu, 23 Apr 2009 12:32:06 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/some-newsThe Grand Prix Attack or also known by some as the McDonnell Attack is a strong anti-Sicilian opening. The Grand Prix Attack is most commonly started by 2.Nc3 first before going on with 3.f4. The modern main line continues 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 ...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/a-positional-anti-sicilianThu, 16 Apr 2009 14:51:50 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/a-positional-anti-sicilianHere is a game I just played today. A simple Scotch Game that led to a simple draw where there probably were opportunities for a vivid finale if only I had sharper foresight. I played with the White pieces. http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/an-effortless-drawTue, 14 Apr 2009 20:53:26 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/an-effortless-drawThe following is a modest collection of my highlighted chess games and positions that I have encountered today. I am posting them here mainly for my own reference and analysis but to also share my chess advancements with others. Game number one: ...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/daily-chess-gamesFri, 10 Apr 2009 17:56:45 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/daily-chess-gamesOne of the simpler variations of the King's Gambit is the less popular Cunningham Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Be7 4.Bc4 Nf6. After 4.Bc4 or 4.Nc3, Black could also choose to play ...Bh4 giving a check and preventing White from castling. Either...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/cunningham-gambitWed, 08 Apr 2009 15:53:13 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/cunningham-gambitAlessandro Salvio was an Italian chess player and analyst. Born in 1570, Salvio lived a long life with successful events, of which included starting a chess academy in Naples. He also wrote two books dedicated to his chess analysis, the first was ...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/alessandro-salvio-and-his-gambitTue, 07 Apr 2009 17:45:04 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/alessandro-salvio-and-his-gambitHere is a chronological list of my previously written chess articles from newest to oldest. Elements of a chess game The Knight: Part III The Knight: Part II The Knight: Part I Bishop Excellence: Part III Bishop Excellence: Part II Bishop E...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/articles2Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:19:58 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/articles2This following text excerpt is a translated by me piece from David Bronstein's book 200 Open Games. This illustrative book was originally published in Russian in 1973 and all content credit goes to the original writer, David Bronstein. Although th...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/thirst-for-adventureTue, 31 Mar 2009 18:07:09 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/thirst-for-adventureThe question stated in the title seems a bit strange, doesn't it? Everybody nowadays knows that stalemate is an equal ending from which no side gains or loses. A half point to me, a half point to you. And here we are asked: "to whose favor?". To...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/stalemate-to-whose-favorMon, 30 Mar 2009 17:53:38 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/stalemate-to-whose-favorThe "Excelsior" was one of Sam Loyd's most famous chess problems which was published in London Era in 1861. Loyd had a friend who was willing to wager that he could always find the piece which delivered the principal mate of a chess problem. Loyd ...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/sam-loyds-quotexcelsiorquotSun, 29 Mar 2009 09:58:39 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/sam-loyds-quotexcelsiorquotLev Tolstoy was a Russian novelist, essayist, dramatist, and educational reformer who was from the aristocratic Tolstoy family. Lev was most famous for his literature masterpieces such as War and Peace and Anna Karenina, in which he represented th...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/tolstoys-chess-debutSat, 28 Mar 2009 18:15:45 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/tolstoys-chess-debutThe Alapin's Opening is another intriguing unorthodox opening that White could comfortably play out to his advantage considering he knows how to avoid some traps that will be shown below. This opening was named after the Lithuanian chess player an...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/alapins-opening-highlightsFri, 27 Mar 2009 18:16:36 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/alapins-opening-highlightsThe Ponziani Opening was first shown in chess literature by 1497. It was later more deeply examined by the Italian chess theorist Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani in the eighteenth century. The point of playing this opening is to create a strong center f...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/ponziani-opening-highlightsThu, 26 Mar 2009 19:04:32 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/ponziani-opening-highlightsWhen I was looking at old chess games this morning, particularly from the 16th century when the first ideas of modern chess were being seen, I stumbled upon an opening which I had never seen before. The unusual but intriguing Saragossa Opening in ...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/saragossa-openingSun, 22 Mar 2009 14:56:43 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/saragossa-openingLast night I was playing a couple of over-the-board games with my father and one really stood out of all the others. Despite the fact that I lost, I think it was one of our best chess games so far because of its complexity. Up to the middle of the...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/from-equal-to-a-lost-positionSat, 21 Mar 2009 06:55:40 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/from-equal-to-a-lost-positionIt's been nearly four months since I began to see sharp improvements in my positional and tactical play. Before, I had the right ideas in my head but somehow wasn't able to show them off on the board in front of me - which constantly led to lost g...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/revisiting-the-pastFri, 20 Mar 2009 18:12:12 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/revisiting-the-pastThe King's Gambit is one of my least favorite openings in chess because of the uncertain variations that may run in, which are much too complicated making each move sensitive to a new barrage of tactics. The understanding of this historic gambit f...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/kings-gambit-2c5Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:58:06 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/kings-gambit-2c5This blog consists of chess poems written by the modern Russian poet Alexander Baltin who currently writes for the Moscow magazine "Literature Review". Alexander was born in Moscow in 1967. He has been publishing poems since 1996 and is also the a...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/russian-chess-poemsWed, 11 Mar 2009 19:23:58 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/russian-chess-poemsThis is the sixth and final installment of a chronological series of blogs which have focused on Soviet women chess champions - their history, who they were, and their contributions to the chess world. The last Soviet woman to reign the World Cha...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/soviet-womens-chess-champions-maia-chiburdanidzeSun, 08 Mar 2009 12:37:35 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/soviet-womens-chess-champions-maia-chiburdanidzeThis is the fifth installment of a chronological series of blogs which will focus on Soviet women chess champions - their history, who they were, and their contributions to the chess world.The woman to take the women's world chess title from Olga ...http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/soviet-womens-chess-champions-nona-gaprindashviliSat, 07 Mar 2009 11:53:11 -0800http://blog.chess.com/Grakovsky/soviet-womens-chess-champions-nona-gaprindashvili