The WWCC started at the beginning of December in Antakya, Turkey. The sacred chess number of players-- 64-- were to take part in the event, but two of them did not appear, and lost by forfeit. The first round saw the first surprises. Some of th...
Eric asked: You once mentioned that when you were in Budapest, you asked to see Fischer. If you got that opportunity, what would you have said to him? Dear Eric: I’ve found in my life that, when it comes to big meetings, it’s very important to ...
Jahnknight asked: Could you tell me your honest evaluation of the Colle system as a whole. Is it effective at the sub 2000 level? Dear Jahnknight: First, let’s clarify the difference between the Colle and the Colle - Zukertort: Colle - Zukert...
Ridley asked: I fairly recently invented the following line for Black against the English opening 1.c4. I have tested this extensively through computer analysis and with help of some friends and it seems to be a very good option for Black. Black...
Just wanted to share we just hit 5000 users online in Live Chess! To all Chess.com members: Thank you for your patience and support! Anybody remembers our 100-users celebration? :) EDIT: Max users history: 100 users (2008), 1000 users (20...
Glen asked: I have an old chess book titled Chess Traps, Pitfalls & Swindles by I.A. Horowitz and Fred Reinfeld published in 1954. In the first pages of the book they use notations like N-N3 and B-N5 etc. There is no explanation in the book ...
NN (sorry, I misplaced his name!) asked: You describe the 1931 Mitchel - Nimzowitsch game, illustrated at Diagram 138 on page 217 of the Third Edition, as one of your favorite positions. You mention that the “greedy” variation 10.Bxa7 is to be av...
Ed Asked: I enjoy chess and would like to progress. I am a smart fellow and play intuitive chess. It serves me well. However, when I run into someone with training, it is apparent. What should I do? Dear Ed: What is “intuitive chess?” There’s ...
Even before my 3 part series on How to Study Master Games, I had gotten various letters asking about the ultimate value of non-master games. Also, many people have asked me how to improve their attacking skills. I addressed the “do non-master game...
It's playoff time, in the US Chess League!! The most exciting chess event in the US is sponsored by Pokerstars and involves four board matches between 16 teams representing a variety of American cities. For more info check here or here. My goal t...
Henry asked: You often talk about studying master games, but is one master game as good as another, or are certain games better than others? Silman: In Part One of this three part answer to Henry’s question, I pointed out that one of the main r...
Henry asked: You often talk about studying master games, but is one master game as good as another, or are certain games better than others? Silman: In Part One of this three part answer to Henry’s question, I pointed out that one of the main r...
Henry asked: You often talk about studying master games, but is one master game as good as another, or are certain games better than others? Dear Henry: I’ve gotten many, many letters about studying master games. It seems people are confused by...
Homosapien asked: I have been playing chess since I was 6, and I’m 17 now. I’ve never had the chance to play it very seriously but I have always loved it, so I forced my parents to put me in some chess classes last year. I really wanted to get a ...
Paul asked: When should a player resign? I’ve heard that a good rule of thumb is when you’re the equivalent of a rook down. Is that a good rule of thumb? Dear Paul: There is no dyed in the wool answer to this question – it really depends on you...
BCG1 asked: As one of our foremost pedagogues I am asking for your advice on students who insist on repeating mistakes over and over and over again. I have pleaded, cajoled and finally, in desperation, resorted to corporal punishment, with some s...
Jaxxson asked: Why don’t we see 1.e4 in Championship matches anymore? Dear Mr. Jaxxson: That’s an excellent question. Of course, any answer I give is subjective – others might come up with an equally valid viewpoint. But, for all it’s worth (or...
Musikamole said: Can a 50-year-old beginning chess player ever reach master level play before he drops dead? I doubt it. Silman says that middle-aged people can become titled players so he can sell more books. I do own a few of Silman's books a...
BCG1 asked: Now that you admit that you make things up I am very upset. I religiously followed your training advice by pounding down the 22,000 calories daily, as you recommended, and now weigh 800 lbs! I tried the “professor of exobiology” on so...
Jackson W. Showalter, Herman Steiner, and Diane Savereide are all being inducted to the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame this afternoon in Irvine, CA (USA). I am still working on the manuscript for the Showater book and hope to have it completed by Spring...
[Ed note: this is the last of GM Bojkov's excellent three articles about the Grand Prix tournament in Jermuk. I apologize for publishing it so late, but we had a surfeit of articles to publish. It still remains an excellent, educational and enter...
Zebratov said (concerning my article, Memorization – The Great Chess Conspiracy): 99% irrelevancy of memory sounds a bit harsh. Dear Zebratov: I was hoping that this would remain a secret, but I guess the cat is out of the bag and truth must wi...
33speedy asked: I was playing in a tournament today with the black pieces. I played the Budapest and my opponent declined it (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.Nf3). I thought the way I responded was reasonable (3…exd4 4.Nxd4 b6 5.Nc3 Bb7), but when I went home...
I would like to share with you my recent experience playing in the 2010 US Women’s Championship. One of the most prestigious tournaments of the year took place July 9-20 at the already famous Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Along wi...
