The match for the World Championship between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov started one day late, to everyone's dissatisfaction due to the thick cloud of volcano dust that covered Europe and blocked the air traffic. However, the first game ...
(article in English: http://www.chess.com/article/view/anand-with-a-slight-edge-at-the-half-time) Мачът за световно първенство между Вишанатан Ананд и Веселин Топалов започна с ден закъснение, за всеобщо неудоволствие на всички поради гъстият обл...
Trent D asked: I’m considering a big move from Internet chess to a real over the board tournament. Are there rules of conduct or polite behavior that I should know about? Dear Trent: I’ve discussed aspects of this in a past article (see my arti...
Zuud08 asked: I am yet another 1900 in search of chess mastery ... I have made incredible sacrifices for chess study. I changed my job so as not to stay 8 hrs in an office and be tired for studying. I neglect my wife and child a bit (although she...
M asked: I have a question about a certain line in the accelerated dragon Maroczy Bind. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Be2 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Bg7 9.Be3 0-0 10.Qd2 Be6 11.f3 Qa5 12.Nb5 Qxd2+ 13.Kxd2 a6 14.Nc7 Rac8 15.Nxe6 f...
I noticed two questions (posed by several readers) pertaining to my earlier article titled, “Finnish Defense & Tournament Prep.” Both questions are about an analysis I gave, and both are more than reasonable … on one level. Let’s take a look a...
There is nothing that disgusts a man like getting beaten at chess by a woman. Charles Dudley Warner Playing in mixed events is enjoyable since it allows one to learn more about chess and psychology, and to improve more rapidly. So why, one might...
Mr. Dahl wrote: I’d like to ask about a certain Scandinavian Main Line variation I came up with. It is 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 c6 5.Bd2 Qc7 (me and my friends playfully call this the Finnish Variation). Is it sound for Black? I’ve been...
ankitthemaster asked: I posted this same question on chess.com and most of them insulted and/or discouraged me. My query was simple: I am age 22, keen to play chess professionally, and I will say that I am an advanced beginner who has mostly play...
At any given moment in time one particular piece of software tends to dominate. In the 1980s it was clearly a combination of Chessbase and Fritz. In the 1990s, other engines emerged to relegate Fritz to a lower tier. The rise of Ribka took chess w...
Stefan asked: 6.Bd3 in the Sicilian Najdorf is a line that’s very rarely seen at the top level (at least, as far as I’m concerned). When I check my database, I see this line has been played by Magnus Carlsen, Judith Polgar, and a few other big na...
Reader Comments To Articles – Love Letters to a Chess Writer! Ah, time to revisit all my previous articles and mention a few of the many comments that appear under them. I’m sure they will all be positive … perhaps offering me riches and praise a...
More on the Study of Master Games Ali Khoshechin asked: I followed your advice about studying master games and I already can see that my planning and transition from opening to middle game is much better now, and I can actually understand the re...
Get Discount Students Get 50% Off Any Premium Membership Get Discount Students enrolled in an accredited university, college, or high school can get 50% off any yearly or monthly Premium plan - Diamond, Platinum, or Gold! Student ...
“VENI, VIDI, VICI.” Congratulations on completing the first challenge. The sky's the limit. Now, dive into the next challenge. Second Challenge Barnes Open: Stinky Roommate Attack Barnes Open: Stinky Roommate ...
Teaching Chess to Children and The Rasik Variation Ripper asked: I would like to know what your suggestion is for Black when 1.e4 c5 2.Bc4 is played. Dear Mr. Ripper, This is one of those perfectly reasonable moves that every Sicilian pla...
I’m Singing Those Old Dragon Blues! Dan asked: My question is about White alternatives to the Yugoslav attack in the Sicilian Dragon. Basically, I hate it! I’d definitely prefer something that didn’t explode all over the board. Problem is, in...
Chigorin Ruy Lopez and the Mystery of Statistics Niranjan Navalgund asked: My question is about the Chigorin Variation of the Ruy Lopez. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12...
Too Much Opening and the Grand Plan Abhilash_007 asked: (In response to my article, HELP! I FEEL SO LOST WITHOUT A PLAN!). How do you decide it’s time to map a grand plan? Dear Abhilash_007, Grand plans are rare, even in grandmaster chess....
Creating a Study Program Mr. Svorcan asked: I am self-taught chess player. I have read a few books and have some chess software (Fritz, Chessmaster, etc). I play chess regularly on the net but my “real” rating is unknown, however on some website...
Chess training program for ratings < 1200 Disclaimer:These advice are taken from my personal (short) experience. They are written by a novice for the novice. I only release my ideas today to the public. Nobody ever tried these programs and I ...
Unknown asked: What do you think is the best food to be eaten during a big tournament? Dear whoever you are: Actually, this is quite an interesting question! Of course, most people eat all sorts of unhealthy things before an event, but shoul...
COMMENTING ON READER COMMENTS Here are answers to various comments (in regards to my Q & A articles) by readers: crowrevell says: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 is a strong answer to 2…Nc6. I’m not familiar with 2...g6, though it seems White...
Veteran Jan Timman dominated the Staunton Memorial tournament, streaking to the finish. His only stumble was his seventh round encounter with a great Viktor Korchnoi. Perhaps inspired by Korchnoi, Tim on rebounded in the next round by using t...
