One day, I nearly fell out of my chair during a 1-on-1 call with a new student. The reason? He told me, "I’m afraid to lose my rating." I asked. "Alright. What’s your rating?" A short silence. Then he said it. "588." I blin...
One of the most painful moments in my career happened when I was 11. I was playing in the Armenian National Youth Championship. In the previous year, I had a big failure in this same tournament. So this time, I had trained hard and was ready to ...
Optimize your chess training plan with this system shared by GM Gabuzyan. Understand the common mistakes and how to avoid them. A while ago, I received a message from an old friend of mine.This friend, who’s a high-rated chess player, is p...
![The Pin Tactic in Chess Explained by a Grandmaster [For Beginners]](https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/blog/908869.a8b7f5be.300x169o.c2742d0febe4.webp)
Can you find the checkmate in 3 seconds? While it looks really crazy to checkmate Black King surrounded by the defenders there is: 1.e4!! mate. There are 4 Black pieces capable of capturing but none of them can. They are all pinned! ...
In January 2024 I hit my highest online rating ever: 3,103 on Chess.com. This put me next to chess super grandmasters and in the top 10 on the website. However, if you think it was a result of great preparation and a positive life - not at al...
- Hello, I would like to buy a bottle of water.- Sure, 500$.- Ok, I agree.Before reading the text below, just try to understand how it can be related to chess? It sounds really crazy to pay 500$ for a bottle of water, but in a chess game, people ...
Let me tell you about a type of opponent that’s incredibly difficult to play against. They stare at the chessboard, with full concentration and focus as if they’re a tiger tracking their prey. They make cold-blooded decisions and are merciless a...
"I used to attack because it was the only thing I knew.Now I attack because I know it works best."Garry Kasparov Dear chess lovers, in this article I’m going to cover one of the most exciting topics in chess — Attack. Attacking is a very big t...
Hi dear alpinists! Yeah, this time no chess lovers, as you are trying to climb higher and higher on the mountain of your chess career 🙂 And if you don't have a clear answer to the question of how you are going to do it, I am sure you will find t...
The Sicilian Defense, which begins with 1.e4 c5 is one of the most exciting openings in chess.It is the best for players who love fighting and enjoy playing interesting games. If you’re wondering why to play this defense with Black, you are at th...
Understand why fighting spirit is so important in chess and how do you develop it.Dear chess lovers, I want to talk with you about a very sensitive topic in chess, which I started to think about during a class with one of my students. Let me take...
Why You Should Reject Draw Offers? “I offer a draw,” tells your opponent who has 100-200 more rating points during a game, when your position is better… If you would say yes and go home in a good mood then read the text below carefully. Are y...
Six months ago, while rated 2800 at blitz on Chess.com, I woke up and decided to give myself the goal of achieving 3000 by the end of 2020! But my story starts much earlier...Around a year ago, my FIDE rating was 2620, having won 3 tournaments in ...
