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 Paladin and Anti-paladin: A Long-awaited Plan   It was about a year ago that I first started writing forum and blog posts on Chess.com.  I thought that I might be able to bring a unique and useful perspective to the community.  It didn't take...http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/paladin-and-anti-paladin-a-long-awaited-planFri, 10 Apr 2009 22:15:00 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/paladin-and-anti-paladin-a-long-awaited-planCracking The Barrier   I had mentioned before that I would introduce a concept I'd been working on involving a couple colorful strategies (Paladin and Anti-Paladin) using the Knight.  I decided to put that idea on hold, since my progress hasn'...http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/cracking-the-barrierSun, 15 Feb 2009 00:13:20 -0800http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/cracking-the-barrierNotes at 1300   So here it is:  we're at the end of September, Fall is starting, and it's my favorite time of year.  And wouldn't you know it - I've been hovering at the 1300 mark for the last month or so.  For a while there, I thought it wa...http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/notes-at-1300Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:18:04 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/notes-at-1300There are many different aspects to Chess that are worth studying in order to become a better player.  I don’t think you can really get better until you cover most of them.  The three that get mentioned the most, I think, are Openi...http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/strategy-vs-tacticsMon, 23 Jun 2008 01:47:26 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/strategy-vs-tacticsSo after studying tactics for about a week, I went up above 1200 for the first time since I started.  My happiness was short-lived, however, as halfway through most of my games against 1200+ players, I felt like my opponents suddenly pulled o...http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/notes-at-1200Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:34:50 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/notes-at-1200What does your rating reflect?  So many people think of their rating as "points", and get upset if they win or lose "points".  I think your rating is sort of like an indication of your growth (as a Chess player in thi...http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/im-an-1100-playerSat, 12 Apr 2008 10:41:14 -0700http://blog.chess.com/Niven42/im-an-1100-player