The 'Magician from Riga', has been both commenting, and commented on about his sacrifices. 'Tal doesn't move his pieces by hand, he uses a magic wand' - Ragozin, commenting on Tal 'You must take your opponent into a deep, dark forest, where 2+2=...
According to the Gameknot database, the Alapin Variation is the third most popular reply to the Sicilian. Many top grandmasters have used sometimes during their chess playing career - giving Alapin a reputation of solid, and highly respectable. I...
The Open Sicilian is the most popular response to 1...c5, with more than 287897 games played by players rated above 2000 according to Gameknot database. Obviously, white intend to open up the centre with d4, usually on move three, after 2.Nf3. Un...
As the name suggests, players playing white (with the Closed Sicilian) does not intend to open up the centre with d4 in the near future. Instead, they usually play on the king-side first, then decide whether they want to open up the centre or not....
"Why did you switch from 1.e4 to 1.d4?" I asked a friend of mine in the local club. And their reply, was the same of every other in my local area - "because of the Sicilian..." Despite how outrageous and ridiculous that sounds, that is the most c...
There are many things I don't understand in this world. One of them is why some people makes such a big fuss out of Paris Hilton (sorry Paris fans, but that is my truth). Another is why most people disregard 1.f4 so quickly, without even a glance....
In the early days, having a big pawn centre was thought to be an instant advantage to the player owning it. That was until Nimzowitsch, Reti, and others of the kind entered the chess world. Although those players have long retired from tournament ...
The object of the game is to checkmate your opponent's king. Sadly, throwing pieces at your opponent's king will not work. You need to have at least a hint of clue on what you're doing. Not all squares on the chessboard are created equally. The f...
In serious tournaments, I am more of a passive player, choosing more modern openings such as the Pircs or the Alekhine's as black, and occasionally Larsen's Opening (1.b3) as a surprise weapon when playing white. In the middlegame, I don't rush ou...
Many players, especially club-levelled ones, loses hope at the first sign of a need to defend, when actually, the position is quite playable, and their opponent does not have that much of an advantage as they thought. It was not until when Wilhel...
All articles I wrote before this one are about a particular opening. For my 4th one, I'd like to do something else for a change. First of all, I'd like to give you, the readers, a question. Is it really worth the time to study openings? Or can y...
I used to play the Fried Liver myself - that was until i learned that sometimes, the priority of development overweighs a meer pawn. The Fried Liver seems to be especially popular in junior events. But seriously, and I try to say this in the most...
The Boden Gambit was first introduced to me by Eric Schiller's 'First Chess Opening', and ever since then, I occasionally use it in my local club, especially when playing blitz. As quoted by Mikhail Tal, 'in speed chess, it is easier to attack wit...
This is the first time I tried to write an article on Chess.com, so if you have any suggestions, please tell me. Back in the 19th and early 20th century pawns were thrown away in the openings. The only thing that mattered was a chance to attack, ...
