The USCL (http://www.uschessleague.com/) is the American version of a national chess team league. In the fall, 14 teams in 2 conferences battle it out in matches with 4 boards apiece. I've played in the USCL for the San Francisco Mechanics since t...
This week we have decided to dwell a little more on the Spanish opening, also famously called the Ruy Lopez. We studied one of the main lines, the Chigorin defense last week, this time around we can discuss the Anti-Marshall variation. As the name...
The subject of today's discussion is the Göring Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4. c3!?). Just like practically any gambit, this opening is a very dangerous weapon and since it is not particularly popular these days, most of your opponents wi...
This week we shall take a look at the Ruy Lopez Chigorin defense. Personally I (Magesh) have played this variation as both white and black for quite some time. Not that I can call myself an expert in it, but we felt I have had quite a few interest...
This week we shall study another interesting early g2-g4 idea in the Slav Defence. To play against the Slav Defence Meran is not everybody's choice. The side that comes up with a new idea has a better chance of winning the game. For white players ...
Today we are going to talk about the Danish Gambit. The main concept of the opening is very simple. After the initial moves 1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4 Bc4 cxb2 5. Bb2 White is down two pawns but he is ahead in development and his Bishops are...
Zugzwang: A situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost pieces or have a damaging positional effect or A situation in a chess game in which a player is forced to make an undesirable or disadvantageous move.According to Nimzowitsch, w...
Anonymous asked:I thought chess was supposed to be a gentleman’s game, but at times my opponents act rudely during tournament play. What can I do about this?Dear Anonymous:During a tournament in Los Angeles, two players got into a fight while play...
You may have seen opening analyses that cite statistical evidence regarding how well an opening fares. Those statistics are based overwhelming on games by players with ratings over 2200. What would we discover if we looked only at amateur games? H...
INSTRUCTIONS: The following is a game designed to test some of your chess skills, including: opening knowledge, positional understanding, tactical sight, and endgame know-how. The idea is to play through the moves below belonging to an annota...
In this article, we're going to take a look inside the winner's toolbox. Some of these items are absolutely essential to have, or you will lose games that you shouldn't have lost. Not having these skills in your toolbox would be like a carpenter...
Many players work hard to develop a useful defense to the Ruy Lopez. There are many varieties of the Spanish, many of them complicated with theory running more than 20 moves. In this article I show some ideas in the old-fashioned classical lines. ...
International Master Andrew Martin from England presents a regular series of articles to answer any questions that Chess.com readers have about the game of chess. If you want to ask Andrew a question, then send an email to askandrew@chess.com and...
How do you think when you get to a quiet position? Do you try and calculate a lot of variations, or do you try to make long-term plans? Normally, in the absence of a lot of tactics, these are the sorts of positions where strategic thinking trumps ...
I learned to play chess in the Merchant Navy when I was seventeen. I loved the game and soon became the ships champion. Although it appeared that I had a talent for chess, it was too bad that I never had any proper training so I became a wood-push...
This is not going to be a terribly advanced lesson since I'm not a terribly strong player, but I thought it might be helpful to explain some basic opening ideas and offer the sort of advice I would have found helpful when I was just starting out. ...
International Master Andrew Martin from England presents a regular series of articles to answer any questions that Chess.com readers have about the game of chess. If you want to ask Andrew a question, then send an email to askandrew@chess.com and...
Although the Exchange Variation isn't aything to worry about, some players just don't like to suffer under the pawn structure. There is an easy way to avoid this, and it doesn't require knowing much theory. I'm tralking aout Cozio's 3...Nge7. The ...
Helmut Pfleger was born June 8, 1943 in Czechoslovakia. He was a world class junior player by 1960. He tied for first in the West German Championship in 1963 and 1965. He became a grandmaster in 1975. He practices internal medicine and psychothera...
I bring to share with you some of my fellow countryman Miguel Najdorf, the greatest chess player in my country (as I understand it). Miguel Najdorf (born Mendel (Mieczysław) Najdorf in Grodzisk Mazowiecki near Warsaw, Poland, April 15, 1910 – died...
Here is one of Robert Fischer's BEST games where he faces off against Milan Matulovic. They played the Spanish Game: Schliemann Defence- Dyckhoff Variation. With his sacrifices, he is down on material with time ticking away (3 MINUTES). To counter...
International Master Andrew Martin from England presents a regular series of articles to answer any questions that Chess.com readers have about the game of chess. If you want to ask Andrew a question, then send an email to askandrew@chess.com and...
Chess came to Cuba with Columbus. Chess is mentioned as being played in Cuba in 16th century books. In 1838, Johan Maelzel (1772-1838) went to Cuba and introduced that country to The Turk chess automaton. As he sailed from Cuba back to Amer...
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, ...
