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 Before reading on, give yourself a few minutes to try and solve this problem :                                   If you found it, congratulations ! I didn't.  And I think this kind of position is extremely cha...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/two-steps-down-the-roadFri, 03 Feb 2012 07:14:10 -0800http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/two-steps-down-the-roadDifficult, but worth a try, if only to appreciate the beauty of the solution http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/spirited-knightWed, 01 Feb 2012 12:07:06 -0800http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/spirited-knightLast week, I was browsing through some chess books in a famous Paris book store, looking for inspiration, when the shop owner offered his help. I politely declined, but when I looked up in his direction, I noticed an unusual position on the wall ...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/the-art-of-studyingMon, 04 Jul 2011 02:53:28 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/the-art-of-studyingJohn was a bit nervous today. For the very first time, he was going to play a game against his mentor, a long game, with clocks and all the regular stuff. Of course, it wasn't his first competitive game : since he had decided to take advantage of ...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/ldquoboy-the-central-pawn-break-is-the-strongestrdquoWed, 15 Jun 2011 05:44:10 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/ldquoboy-the-central-pawn-break-is-the-strongestrdquoThe first four articles of this series are available in the Learning with Fun group forum. A well-known chess recipe to fight against a gambit is to take the pawn on offer, and give it back sometimes later to complete development. The key idea he...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/gambit-world-5---beware-of-the-2nd-pawn-offerSun, 01 May 2011 08:02:54 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/gambit-world-5---beware-of-the-2nd-pawn-offerWell, you know, sometimes you look at a game with friends, and you stop in front of a move. It's surprising, it's original, but it can't work, can it ? So you try to refute it, but you don't manage to. This is just a great move, a classy move...Go...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/classy-or-not-classyTue, 05 Apr 2011 16:14:31 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/classy-or-not-classyOne of the recreational past-times we enjoy at my club is to bring along interesting positions and games and analyze them together. It's always funny and instructive, because you can pit your ideas against those of your teammates, and you actually...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/interactive-learningSun, 03 Apr 2011 10:21:55 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/interactive-learningAfter a difficult tournament last summer, I tried my luck again in a 9-round FIDE tournament last week. I had diligently trained my tactics in the past three months and was determined to do my best. Well the results were above everything I could ...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/my-best-tournament-everSun, 28 Feb 2010 22:48:14 -0800http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/my-best-tournament-everYou know what they say about Knights on the rim ? They're dim. If my English is correct, the word somewhat relates to the light. Well, I recently ran across a funny position. Could there possible be places for Knights where they just become so di...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/knights-on-the-rimMon, 24 Aug 2009 01:53:29 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/knights-on-the-rimWell, you can't always study chess, so there comes a time you have to make the big plunge. I decided to try and play the Najdorf in the 1st team match of my national league. the conditions were good, as our team was stronger and my opponent was 2...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/learning-the-najdorf-ep3---my-very-first-timeThu, 23 Oct 2008 13:40:11 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/learning-the-najdorf-ep3---my-very-first-timeAs I mentioned in my first post, I think the Najdorf 6.Bc4 lines are very dangerous to face unprepared. Thus, it's a good idea to look what white is after in order to deal correctly with it OTB. I like to look first at the most direct attempts, ...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/learning-the-najdorf-ep2---dealing-with-swashbucklersSun, 14 Sep 2008 13:00:30 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/learning-the-najdorf-ep2---dealing-with-swashbucklersHello, I've decided to include the Najdorf in my repertoire as Black, and to travel along this path with the chess.com community, hoping to get valuable insights from other members and at the same time improve my learning process by sharing my t...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/learning-the-najdorf---a-new-trip-in-the-world-of-chess-part-iSat, 13 Sep 2008 01:53:35 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/learning-the-najdorf---a-new-trip-in-the-world-of-chess-part-iWell, here is another training game, where I erred a little but got lucky in the end. Two interesting features : the consistent play on weak dark squares and...but I'm sure you can guess the second part (there are some additional notes and va...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/they-sometimes-come-backThu, 24 Jul 2008 13:56:55 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/they-sometimes-come-backThe Latin proverb means that it's normal to make a mistake, but you shouldn't make the same mistake twice... (if somebody knows the English version...) Well, I guess this training game is a case in point     http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/errare-humanum-est-perseverare-diabolicumSat, 19 Jul 2008 11:11:53 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/errare-humanum-est-perseverare-diabolicumHello, I've decided to post a few training games (most of them rapid games 15 5) and share some thoughts, hoping to entertain and get some valuable feedback from readers. This is my training journey into the wonderful world of chess This is...http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/the-right-hand-bayonetSat, 19 Jul 2008 08:01:30 -0700http://blog.chess.com/hicetnunc/the-right-hand-bayonet