As beginners, we learn myriad principles that guide our chess development and steer us away from common positional vices: Develop knights before bishops. Do not move a piece twice in the opening unless strictly necessary. Knights on the rim ...
I will not hide the fact that I love to hear the spectators react after a sacrifice of a piece or pawn. I dont think that there is anything bad in such a feeling; no artist or musician is indifferent to the reactions of the public. -- Mikh...
In his excellent work The Seven Deadly Chess Sins (Gambit 2000), Scottish GM Jonathan Rowson introduces a fascinating concept that GM Jonathan Speelman terms plus-equals mode: If properly understood, the idea of playing only...
"A master cogitates carefully, perhaps a half-hour on a move. Finally, he chooses the correct square for the correct piece and places it there. A grand master is much more skillful. He hardly thinks at all; he throws the piece into the air and it ...
In studying chess, which of the two phases should students focus on most? Or should they concentrate on another aspect of chess altogether? It reminds us of other eternal questions, like what is the meaning of life, why is there something rather...
This series is about chess lessons and how a chess teacher tries to push key points home. If you are looking for a chess teacher, don’t grab anyone that comes along! Take your time, take a lesson or two from various teachers so y...
Is chess art? I bet that’s not the first time you’ve been asked that, or something like it. To the basic question, all kinds of answers have been offered, sometimes logical, sometimes passionate, sometimes contrived. Many might wonde...
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...
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...
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 fo...
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...
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 ...
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 fo...
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 fo...
Whether you’re trying to reach expert strength or a you're a beginner starting out, you will need a sound understanding of forming plans. Join GM Melikset Khachiyan in this video series as he explains the seven elements of assessing a positi...
Topic for May/June: The Endgame (Please start submitting questions concerning the above topic for the next column. Questions different from the above theme should be submitted to other Chess.com departments.) The Good and the Bad...
Last week, we discussed that in good hands a symmetrical position can be a very dangerous weapon. But judging by my own experience, it is more common that chess players try to use symmetry to achieve a draw playing against stronger opponent or whe...
There is a popular misconception amongst amateur players that a symmetrical position in chess inevitably leads to a draw. We already discussed here why playing a "copycat chess" can be extremely dangerous for your own position. Yet, there is a g...
What in the world is a chess dream? And how can such a thing help your game? This series is all about dreams (okay, it’s also about imbalances and patterns), and it’s presented in a question-and-answer format. Some of the positions will be hard t...
What in the world is a chess dream? And how can such a thing help your game? This series is all about dreams (okay, it’s also about imbalances and patterns), and it’s presented in a question-and-answer format. Some of the positions w...
"We have to play by the !@#$ rules!" -- Amanda Young, Saw II. In last week's article, we discussed a dangerous strategic concept, the saw. So, what should you do if your opponent turns it against you? Well, as Amanda put it, you should ...
Topic for next month: Speed Chess (Please start submitting questions concerning the above topic for the next column. Questions different from the above theme should be submitted to other Chess.com departments.) Question 1: (Submitted by Warri...
What in the world is a chess dream? And how can such a thing help your game? For those that want the full introductory prose, please go to part one of this series. For the busy masses who have things to do and places to go, here’s a nutshe...
"I want to play a game." -- John '"Jigsaw" Kramer (from the movie Saw). You all probably know this cliche from many horror movies: A group of people are having fun (like a bunch of drunk college kids partying in a remote location), upbeat...
