Many players dream of getting chess lessons, though they aren’t quite sure what it would be like. The fact is, the experience (for both the student and teacher) depends on several factors: Question: Does the student want to learn or does h...
"This match is, in respect of its vicissitude, perhaps the most remarkable in the annals of chess." - from I. O. Howard Taylor's obituary of John Jacob Löwenthal in "American Chess Journal" of Sept. 1876 At precisely n...
After six rounds of the Zalakaros Open in Hungary, I had four points -- which was not a bad score, since the average of my opponents' ratings was high. Earlier in the tournament, I was sure that it was time for me to give up chess, or at...
From time to time I put together various reader questions and comments (while ignoring the “Die Silman Die!” raves) and share them with the good folks on Chess.com. I try to give a good mix of subjects so that there will be a bit of so...
n 1616 Augustus of Brunswick‑Lüneburg, writing as Gustavus Selenus in his work, "Das Schach- oder König-Spiel," tells of his visit to Ströbeck where he encountered three types of chess being played. One was the Mediæval Chess, which had been...
In my last article, I gave you five tips to improve your tactics. If you did your homework and practiced your tactics (either Tactics Trainer, or my Chess Genie app) you will see the benefits right away! However, learning strategy is compl...
Many have tried to increase chess awareness over the years. None have succeeded to the degree GM Maurice Ashley did recently, in the Millionaire Chess Open of October 2014. GM Ashley, a brilliant entrepreneur, took a page from the NFL for his ow...
We've known for a while that the former world blitz number-one GM Maxim Dlugy would play in this month's Death Match 32. Now we know his opponent: blitz maven and past Death Match champion IM Yaacov Norowitz. The match will be three hours of bli...
I’m still going through some (sadly) neglected games, comments, and lectures. This time I’ll look at a game of one of the site’s best chess historians, Spektrowski, and I’ll also answer a question or two. The most p...
Last week, we presented the first part of my intermediate-level blitz chess game, annotated by GM Roman Dzindzichashvili and checked by Stockfish 6, in an effort to learn from my predictably subpar play. Now, let’s proudly conclude th...
In The Complete Book of Chess Strategy, IM Jeremy Silman defines prophylaxis as "a move or strategy that stops the opponent from undertaking some type of action or plan." Coined by Aron Nimzowitsch in his seminal work My System (1...
It has been some time since I wrote about my own tournaments or annotated my own games. In general, it seems more legitimate and honest to annotate one's own games. You know precisely what was going on in your head, you remember your emotions, wha...
From time to time I put together various reader questions and comments (while ignoring the, “Die Silman Die!” raves) and share them with the good folks on Chess.com. I try to give a heady mix of subjects so that there will be a bit of ...
Many comments on my previous articles have noted that while my Monday column is fun, it provides little in the way of chess instruction. That's clearly true. As an intermediate player, I've got decent general chess knowledge, but I have to...
In the early 21st century, a new permutation of the evergreen Sicilian Dragon appeared: rather than place the queen's rook, obviously, on the open c-file, to put it instead on the closed b-file, supporting an advance of the b-pawn: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3...
Take a walk with me on the wild side . . . of chess.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When Tarrasch wrote, ". . .S...
Topic for June: the endgame (Please start submitting questions concerning the above topic for the next column.) The Bad Things About Speed Chess? (For answers to all other speed chess questions received, please read my replies in the for...
Intuition manifests itself first and foremost in the ability, in a somewhat unconscious way, and with a high degree of accuracy, to choose between different lines of play. — GM Valeri Beim, The Enigma of Chess Intuition I ca...
After the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5, not every player of the white pieces agrees to take up the baton and confront the Benoni Defense or the Benko Gambit by playing 3.d5. Some may prefer to send the game toward the quieter English Opening by playing ...
I’ve long insisted that the best way to improve (aside from playing stronger players) is to look at reams of master games. Most games between titled players have some important lesson hiding behind the moves, and I decided to make it easy for you ...
"English chess owes more to the Rev. George Atwood than it does to any other person." - Dale A. Brandreth, chess historian and collector extraordinaire As most folks know, the custom of saving games didn't really begin in earnest un...
IM Daniel Rensch has tried live daily puzzle sessions before, racing against the clock to complete chess tactics before the timer expires. But even Chess.com’s master tactics trainer hasn’t attempted anything like this. This Sunday...
The second world champion in chess history, Emanuel Lasker, was a unique person. Besides being the champion for 27 years (this record will never be beaten for sure!), he was also a famous mathematician and philosopher. In his prime Lasker ...
Honest Abe - Chess Player Although the documentation is rather sparce and anecdotal, Abraham Lincoln was known to have been a chess player. Below are a few of the instances where Chess crossed path with Mr. Lincoln. "The Every-day...
