When we talk about blitz chess, we usually think about tactics, blunders and opening surprises that force our opponents to spend their precious seconds. I doubt that many people would mention good endgame technique as an integral element of b...
I am sure that you've encountered the situation where your opponent played an opening move that breaks all known chess rules. What is your second thought when this happens? (I assume that the first thought is usually: "You gotta be kidding me!")...
Making forecasts is not one of my best skills. Actually it is quite the opposite: Usually my predictions of the future are quite bad. Yet one of my forecasts was a no-brainer, since I couldn't possibly have gone wrong with it. Almost four ...
Destiny makes its urgent way to the mighty and those who do violent deeds. This is the beginning of Stefan Zweig's famous Die Weltminute von Waterloo (The World Minute of Waterloo). While this short novel describes the decisive moment of the his...
There is a well-known chess joke (or maybe not even a joke!) that it is much more difficult to sacrifice a pawn than a queen. Indeed, in most queen sacrifices you get huge dividends right away, since it is difficult to imagine a player sacrifici...
If you are a club player rated around 2000 USCF, then you are probably laughing at the question in the headline. You are probably thinking: "Yes, I would love to be world number-one, but what are my chances to push my rating above Magnus Carlsen?&...
The Petrov Defense is one of the most hated openings in chess. Probably only the Ruy Lopez Berlin Defense is hated more by chess fans. Both openings are the weapons of choice in many super tournaments where the main goal of many participants playi...
I learned the phrase "a horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse" in school when I studied Richard III by William Shakespeare. These days, people use this expression when they want to underline the importance of something. There is a story about a...
Most chess players are bilingual. Besides their mother tongue, they also speak the language of chess. Don't tell me that you have no idea what I am talking about. If you have been playing chess for a long time you can hear how chess pieces talk ...
"What a stupid question!" I bet this is the natural reaction of many readers once they see the title of this article. Indeed it is a dream of any chess fan to play like Magnus Carlsen. OK, let me rephrase the original question: Should ...
The classical format of our beloved game is under attack. People are complaining about boring games that lead to an abundance of draws in super-GM tournaments. They are trying to change everything: the scoring system (three points for a win, one...
I doubt that there is a chess player who never cried after losing a game. We all did it at some point. Why do chess players cry? Usually it is not the loss itself that upsets us the most; it is the sense of injustice and failed expectations. A...
We all love our ancient game for its beauty and inner logic, but have you thought about what attracts you most to chess? Some people would swear that there is nothing better than Jose Capablanca's positional masterpieces or one of Magnus Carlsen's...
The recent Grenke chess tournament turned out to be a one-person show, since everyone was watching and talking about Magnus Carlsen. The world champion's game against a young prodigy, Vincent Keymer, was especially intriguing. While the ...
Filmmakers love to use chess in their movies to emphasize the protagonist's intellectual abilities. Naturally you can see chess in many spy movies, since even a regular scoresheet looks like secret code for non-chess-players. Reportedly, postal ...
We've all heard the cliche that chess is war on 64 squares. So, if it is a war between two armies, then I assume that the chess pieces are soldiers. And just like in the real world, some soldiers are good and some soldiers are not so good. I be...
It is not a secret that the last world championship match was a big disappointment for many people. Indeed, 12 straight draws between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana in the classical part of the match were a turn off. Only a lazy person would...
Simultaneous exhibitions are always popular among chess fans. A simul is a unique opportunity for a club player to meet a grandmaster or even a world champion over a chessboard and maybe even beat him! When I was a kid, I never missed such an ...
There is a very powerful strategic chess concept called the Shvedova attack. What, you never heard about this mighty chess weapon? Shame on you! The Shvedova attack is named after a seven-year-old Russian girl, Alexandra Shvedova, who beautifull...
It is not a secret that many inexperienced chess players love to give checks regardless if they're good or bad moves. What's worse, they always announce the check to their opponents. I guess it makes them feel empowered and cool. In reality, it ...
When I hear the word gambit, the first thing that pops up in my mind is the King's Gambit. Yes, I am well aware that a gambit means a sacrifice to achieve certain benefits like initiative or an outright attack, and there is more to it than just ...
In his famous comedy routine, Richard Pryor tells a story about being caught cheating with another woman by his wife. Since the wife entered the room at the worst possible moment, it was pointless to deny the fact of cheating and yet, he tried his...
As you know from my previous article, in 1992 Vladimir Kramnik transformed from a FIDE master into one of the world's leading players. The year 1993 made it official: Kramnik became a candidate for the world title. Again we played in the ...
I have been lucky to play in tournaments with chess players who later became super grandmasters or even world champions. The transformation of talented juniors into the best players in the world was usually a gradual process. With Vladimir&...
Vladimir Kramnik's decision to quit professional chess shook the chess world. Many people even sense deja vu. Indeed, there is an uncanny resemblance to 14 years ago when Garry Kasparov quit chess. Oddly enough, both great players lost thei...