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How Good Was Spielmann? Plus Two Letters.

How Good Was Spielmann? Plus Two Letters.

simaginfan
| 1 day ago
| 435
| 20

Good afternoon everyone. I am back with more Spielmann.  No game notes today as I am throwing this together in a hurry, so feel free to ask any questions about the games in the comments, and I will help you out there when I have time. Cheer...

Rudolf Spielmann. A Wonderful Book And Some Chess.

Rudolf Spielmann. A Wonderful Book And Some Chess.

simaginfan
| 15 days ago
| 979
| 27

Good afternoon everyone! before I forget, I was recently asked a question. The answer was no, I do not receive books for free to publicise them. I buy books which interest me. In doing so I support the authors and publishers for their hard work,...

Benjamin Leussen. Another Of The Forgotten. Part Two.

Benjamin Leussen. Another Of The Forgotten. Part Two.

simaginfan
| Apr 1, 2026
| 800
| 24

Good afternoon everyone. back with part two. As said, I have not posted everything I have and still more to find, but you have to stop somewhere. That's the thing with doing proper primary source research stuff ( not the modern world go to the c...

Steinitz Against The French Defence. Part Three.

Steinitz Against The French Defence. Part Three.

simaginfan
| Mar 13, 2026
| 1,020
| 22

Afternoon everyone! Managed to get everything together for the final part of this before we go away. What do you get here? Well, it's a 'bits and pieces' of Steinitz's other experiments against the French. Steinitz  - like Paulsen, Simagi...

Steinitz Against The French Defence. Part Two.

Steinitz Against The French Defence. Part Two.

simaginfan
| Mar 8, 2026
| 1,104
| 37

Good afternoon everyone. Finally back with Part Two. A couple of apologies. Firstly for the delay - real life stuff. Secondly for the lack of general chat - time presses, and I won't be able to post this next week as I am off to Paris with the mos...

Steinitz Against The French Defence. Part One.

Steinitz Against The French Defence. Part One.

simaginfan
| Feb 15, 2026
| 1,502
| 48

Good afternoon everyone. WARNING! This is one of my stupidly large blogs - lots in the game notes - so just pop in and out when you have time. Cheers! O.K. I have been back to what I really do - most of my blogs are 'throwaways' these days. I am...

Tbilisi 1949. The 'Arrival' Of Petrosian And Geller.

Tbilisi 1949. The 'Arrival' Of Petrosian And Geller.

simaginfan
| Jan 27, 2026
| 1,356
| 24

Good afternoon everyone. I am going to try to limit my chat here, as there is a lot in the game notes for you. This week I have been browsing The extraordinary Sergei Voronkov's book 'Masterpieces and Dramas of The Soviet Championships. vol 3. I...

Women In Chess According To Potter.

Women In Chess According To Potter.

simaginfan
| Dec 12, 2025
| 2,564
| 18

Afternoon everyone. My long suffering - and believe me, they have my sympathies - readers will be glad to hear that this is, by my standards, a quick blog! However, a fair bit of text, and then I will throw in some fun chess at the end. A few da...

Aivar Gipslis Revisited. Part Two. Plus Some Bonuses!

Aivar Gipslis Revisited. Part Two. Plus Some Bonuses!

simaginfan
| Nov 16, 2025
| 935
| 23

Back with part two. This will be quite long, so usual advice - just drop in and out when you have time and enjoy what is here. The header picture is now a well known one of Tal and Gipslis. Taken in 1954, from my unreliable memory - but I may be...

Aivar Gipslis Revisited. Part One.

Aivar Gipslis Revisited. Part One.

simaginfan
| Nov 9, 2025
| 1,422
| 22

A nice picture in my previous blogs of Koblencs and Gipslis Team Tal. put me in mind of the Latvian trio who ruled chess in that country from the mid 1950's onwards - up until Shirov.  Tal, Gipslis and Klovans, Well, perhaps I will do ...

Alexandr Koblencs. Six Games And Some Pictures.

Alexandr Koblencs. Six Games And Some Pictures.

simaginfan
| Oct 19, 2025
| 978
| 26

A simple and unpretentious Sunday chess lunch today - more a roast chicken than a beef joint with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings. I hope you enjoy it. My friend https://www.chess.com/member/gennady_boychenko  has been posting some ...

Lajos Portisch. Some Games and Pictures

Lajos Portisch. Some Games and Pictures

simaginfan
| Sep 28, 2025
| 4,641
| 23

Good afternoon everyone. Last time round the comments centred on Lajos Portisch, rather than the original subject matter! I said that I would post something to show what a fine player he was. Doing this straight out of my head, so apologies for th...

Vladimir Simagin. Some Puzzles!

Vladimir Simagin. Some Puzzles!

simaginfan
| Sep 21, 2025
| 10,224
| 50

Good afternoon everyone. Back off holidays with a very simple, unpretentious offering - just because I can! I have started on another blog based on my holiday reading, but decided to throw this in quickly - I hope you enjoy it. Well, something...

More Maroczy Technique, Pictures And A Baffling Game

More Maroczy Technique, Pictures And A Baffling Game

simaginfan
| Aug 22, 2025
| 3,539
| 20

Afternoon everyone. Lots here - I have had nothing else to do! Still not great here, but on the mend - with thanks to those who have expressed concern.  With time to kill, I revisited this lovely book, which I had dug out for pictures las...

Walter Lovegrove. Giant Killer and Ratings Anomaly.

Walter Lovegrove. Giant Killer and Ratings Anomaly.

simaginfan
| Aug 1, 2025
| 2,931
| 33

Good afternoon everyone. Apologies for my absence - real life again rears it's ugly head! Lots here - but believe me I have cut it short. Normal thing with my blogs - dip in and out when you have time to spare. Those wishing to dig further can...

'The Morphy Trick' And A Special Memory.

'The Morphy Trick' And A Special Memory.

simaginfan
| Jun 29, 2025
| 3,708
| 36

Good afternoon everyone.  Whilst most online chess watchers were trying to work out Rapport's wonderful brilliancy this week, I was also trying to follow another game. When Ivanchuk is playing - it feels strange to see him in the secondary ...

An Extraordinary Game With Things Which Came To Mind.

An Extraordinary Game With Things Which Came To Mind.

simaginfan
| Jun 18, 2025
| 3,711
| 38

Good afternoon everyone. A conversation with a chess friend this week brought to mind a favourite game of mine. I have been over it many times via various books. So, with a day off work, I sat down with some of the books - Nuremberg 1896, by T...

The Eternal Pin. A Beautiful Game Find.

The Eternal Pin. A Beautiful Game Find.

simaginfan
| May 26, 2025
| 2,521
| 36

Good afternoon everyone. It's surprising how the same chess idea can appear in front of your eyes a number of times in a short space of time! Someone recently posted an online puzzle with an idea seen in a game I had posted here shortly before. ...

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