How to Improve Your Tactics Chess.com member shivendu2059xyz asked: I would like to discuss how to get better at tactics. Is solving tons of puzzles the only way to improve? Mr. shivendu2059xyz: There are many ways to study ...
The recent departure of IM Emory Tate is a severe blow to American chess. While we have many chess players who are stronger than him and a huge number of chess players who are weaker than him, we'll never have another Emory Tate. In this article...
This is the week of Halloween, a time when we dust the cobwebs, ressurect the dead and free the whispy ghosts of the departed.I thought this would be an appropriate time to open my own vault into the not-so-distant past with links to what has c...
I didn’t intend to write a 4th Cracked Grandmaster Tales article, but so many Chess.com members asked me to do another that I decided to share a few more (true) stories. I hope you enjoy these as much as you did the others. Be warned: there might ...
SPOTTING THE ELUSIVE TARGETS Chess.com member speedyg2 asked: “I have been reading your book How to Reassess Your Chess 4th Edition and I was wondering if move 23 for White (Rfe1) is following the imbalances. My imbalance breakdown was that Bla...
In September 1945 the proud and confident USA team suffered a humiliating, crushing defeat at the hands of the Soviet team in a 10 board, 20 game match played through a novel use of radio transmission, each set of matched contestants played...
Genrikh Kasparian (1910-1995) was a very accomplished chess player. A 10-time Armenian champion, Kasparian was a strong IM and permanent fixture on the Soviet chess scene. However, Kasparian is remembered not as a great chess player —...
Get the most important chess news, notes and highlights right here at the ChessCenter episode archive. Watch the current episode for the most up-to-date news or dive into recent chess history: the choice is yours. So who is at the helm? He...
The following piece was written by Paul Hugo Little, a rather diverse writer and a chess expert himself. Many people have probably encountered someone like the chess expert described in the story below. (The diagrams and Algrbrai...
In my first edition of Cracked Grandmaster Tales, I shared stories about Grandmaster Rosendo Balinas, Grandmaster Igor Ivanov, a tribute to Igor Ivanov by Boris Spassky, a short tale about an unknown grandmaster, and a story about the late Wa...
NEW: Beginning June 2, Titled Tuesday will be part of the Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix as a direct path to qualify for the 2020 Speed Chess Championship. Titled Tuesdays will have a $50,000 prize fund spanning 20 weeks and will take pl...
"At the root of all advances in the science of chess-play lies the necessity of discovering an intelligible system of notation, by means of which the squares of the board may be easily defined and the moves of the pieces recorded." —...
I stumbled upon the following article while reading through the March 1903 edition of "Checkmate: Monthly Chess Review." It looked familiar and I was able to determine I had seen it before in "Pollock Memories,"&...
Though I’ve written about chess psychology in my book (How to Reassess Your Chess 4th Edition – almost 90 pages on the subject!) and in articles on Chess.com, I will continue to do so from time to time since it’s an ext...
Caveat: The terms I use in the below essay are strictly my own invention and are not, by any means, generally accepted nomenclature. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * \ Chess Comes of Age / Around the end of the 15th ce...
Q: What do Leigh Franklin James, Paul Hugo, Paula Little, Paula Minton, Sylvia Sharon, Kenneth Harding, Marie De Jourlet, Lana Preston, Paul H. Little, Jack Warren. D.R. Mason, Hugo Paul, Jack Warren, Dr. Lamb Library, Dr. Guenter Klow, Dorothy ...
Chess.com member Nietsoj wrote: “I read your recent post where you answered a question about aiming for a 2000 rating. Just as so many other amateur players, I have the same goal, and I am wondering what a realistic training program would look li...
The first part of this article has brought a great response and many reader suggestions. But I have a confession to make. It was a totally tongue-in-cheek article and I am surprised that the majority of our readers took it for face ...
Over the years I’ve noticed that whenever a grandmaster hangs his face, the masses of fake names go berserk and not only berate the unfortunate player but toss sick (and completely ignorant) accusations his way: “He lost on purpose! It’s a fix!” ...
There are many definitions for the concept, "killer instinct." One of the better ones I found, from Dictionary.com, tell us it's "an aggressive and ruthless determination to win or attain a goal." Maybe it was an eventual place of di...
A Superior Tactician Chess.com member Mzeekimaro wrote: “I am a big fan of you and your chess books. I am rated 1581 by FIDE. I want to be very good at tactics. What do you recommend I do? I want to be labeled as a superior tactician.&rdqu...
In 1920s, the world chess champion Jose Raul Capablanca was at the height of his career. He was so much better than anyone else that he was called "the chess machine" due to the merciless precision of his play. So when Capablanca predicted ...
Chess.com member Mahilewetsll asked: “Hello. I’m almost 17 years old. What can I reach in chess? How long will I need to do it?” Dear Mr. Mahilewetsll, I get this kind of question a lot (from people 10 to 60). Think about this in a logical manner...
Reaching One’s GM Chess Potential Chess.com member Philippe Silex777 asked: I have been reading your articles for a while now and have a question that I can’t find a satisfying answer to. It’s pretty simple: You wrote books a...
