Last week we discussed "Material for Initiative" in the French Tarrasch Variation with a pawn sacrifice on the 9th move. This week we shall see about the other various alternatives for Black. Our first game is between the 13th World Champion Garr...
VK asked: I am a beginner in chess with no formal training but I have a little bit of knowledge of opening theory from reading books. My question is about the Maroczy Bind for White in the Sicilian. In this opening, because of the pawn on c4, is ...
Many players are afraid to play the Two Knights Defense as black because they fear the dreaded Fried Liver Attack and 4.Ng5 lines in general. Of course this can be avoided byselecting the Italian game but then one has to cope with the ferocious E...
Just as circumstances in one part of the world can affect events in far-flung places, moves on one side of the chessboard can have a dramatic effect on the other side of the board. In this game, White creates some threats on the queenside, but Bl...
I used to think that Grob attack was the worst possible chess opening. However, there is only so much damage you can do to your position with one little move. I'm now inclined to think that the cabbage attack is the worst possible chess opening ou...
Bdsr asked:I play the Sicilian and recently I've been encountering 1.e4 c5 2.c4!?, transposing into an English. Can White force a Maroczy Bind here with a quick 3.Nf3 and 4.d4? Does Black have a good response? If not, then why don’t the strong pla...
After all these weeks reading our opening articles, our readers probably wonder how well these ideas and moves can be used in practical play. Well, today we can take a look at a couple of Arun's games in which he has used these ideas himself; at l...
One of the most difficult things in a game could be just being under enormous attack right from the opening. We will have to end up spending so much time and energy in defending accurately and by the time we reach a safe and comfortable position, ...
Niranjan Navalgund asked:May I know the best line for 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4? Please recommend a line where Black has good chances to win.Dear Mr. Navalgund: Ah, a question about one of my favorite openings! Let's take a look ...
The Sicilian Sveshnikov variation is a increasingly popular line in the Sicilian Defense. Evegny Sveshnikov, who the variation is named after is a Russian Grand Master who was the main driving force in the development of the variation in ...
Last week we saw some of the straight-forward theoretical draws and some exciting well-fought draws. Today we will take a look at some other continuations for black. To begin with, playing the sicilian itself is a huge move towards avoiding a...
In this article, I am going to try something new, and I would like the readers at chess.com to let me know if they like it. I wrote an article a while back called "Learning By Induction"( http://www.chess.com/article/view/learning-by-induction ). ...
Today we have decided to take a different perspective on opening ideas. We are sure that most of our readers have encountered a situation where you get the black pieces against a slightly or even much weaker player than you and they end up playing...
I think that there is no one on Chess.com that can disagree that I like the Sicilian defense. From my articles I think that one is not on a Sicilian. This is because the Sicilian is what I know best. I am a Najdorf player, following the example ...
Last week we had left off with the interesting Knight sacrifice on f7 in the Anti-Moscow Variation. Today we will continue our discussion and take a look at several other options that have been tried out over the last few years. This opening in pa...
Our topic this week has nothing to do with exchanges and slow maneuvering like the ones we saw last week. This week it is all about being imaginative and being able to handle haphazard positions. It is the Anti-Moscow variation. The positions aris...
Derek Silsby asked: One of my friends at a local chess club often plays the Budapest against me and wins. He is certainly a stronger player than me, but I feel like if I knew this opening better I could beat him. What do you suggest? Dear Mr. ...
Hi in my previous articles on the Sveshnikov many raised the issue of the Rossolimo and how it has had good results against the Old Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6). Since I received your comments I have looked into the variation and it has grow...
Richard Teichmann was born December 24, 1868, which is also true of Emanuel Lasker. He died June 25, 1925. This German player was one of the best in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As late as 1921, he held Alekhine to a draw in a match. Th...
Last week we studied how white can convert his minute structural advantage into something useful in the Exchange Ruy Lopez. Black's agenda here would be opposite to White's ideas as one would expect. Black has a pair of bishops, but lacks space to...
OK. I was bored today. This is the second installment in my series of articles on the Checkhover Variation of the Sicilian. In my first article I went through 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6. This time I will be ...
Hi today I would like to share with you one of my favorite openings. This opening is called Ponziani’s opening. I have played this opening both tournament play as well as in casual play. In both areas I have had high success rate. The Ponzi...
James Dong asked:I was wondering whether you would give your views on the Bxf7 sacrifice variation in the Ruy Lopez Norwegian Defence? I consider myself an aggressive player and would like to add this to my repertoire as it is very interesting. ...
If your opponent commits chess "crimes", they need to punished. Sometimes the "trial" is long and the execution takes place in the endgame. Sometimes the crimes are misdemeanors and, if your opponent plays well after the crime, they are expunged...
