Since the beginning stages of chess development, you've most likely been exposed to solving "tactics" exercises. It seems that, by nature, every chess player innately shares the joy of finding the right solution to a tactical problem to some degre...
Warning: This trick is performed by trained professionals only - don't try this at home. While remarking on his win against Conrad Holt in last year's US Championship, Gata Kamsky explained his dubious decision on move 30. "I had a choice," Kams...
Slowly, I savored my "organic" burger with cheddar and avocado slices. Although my surroundings were bursting with life, all that I could focus on was the dramatic last round. In a sense, the thought of playing the last chess game was therapeutic,...
"The King is a strong piece" preached Wilheim Steinitz, 1st World Champion of chess. "It is more important than all of the other pieces combined times infinity (for, if it is "captured," the game is automatically terminated), and it is tough; it c...
In the January 5th article entitled "Carlsen's Endgame Technique," the sixth game from the Anand-Carlsen World Championship match was shown. In that game, the World Champion lost a rook endgame to the Norwegian World Champion. The lesson learned w...
There is an old saying that goes like this: "All rook endgames are drawn." While it is not clear who exactly proclaimed such a statement, it has become evident that Magnus Carlsen does not agree. When asked about the game afterwards at the pr...
There is an old tale that goes something like this: The great Botvinnik (the pioneer of modern opening preparation) was once consulted about opening advice by one of his pupils. "Look at Fischer," the master began, "Fischer plays the same systems ...
Have you ever wondered what goes on inside a chessmaster's head during a game? Of course you have. That's why I have written this article, in the hope that you may extract some useful understanding as to how to think during a chessgame. I would li...
If you're a chess player, you've probably heard the hackneyed phrase "it's only a matter of technique" a million times before. In fact, I bet you've probably even been on both sides of the coin when it comes to this "technical phase" of a chessgam...