Those of you my dear readers who were patient enough to read through Parts 1-3 of this series might be asking : 'Well Mr. Serper, what's your point? You showed us that the kids are generally good in chess, so what? I knew it anyway!" Please bear ...
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi was born March 23, 1931, in Leningrad, USSR. He defected (the old word for escaping from the Soviets) to the Netherlands. Later, he moved (what a free person does) to Switzerland. In 1974, he lost the Candidates final to Ka...
This series of articles is designed to improve your endgame technique. Every week there is a position at the end of the article for you to play out with someone or a computer. The detailed explanation of how to get the maximum out of these exercis...
Louis Paulsen was born at Nassengrund, in Germany, on January 15th, 1833 and at an early age he learned chess from his father. In 1854 he immigrated to America and was the number one player when Paul Morphy wasn't playing. He was a resident of Dub...
This is a really cool game. White develops a deep plan towards the end of the opening and on the 27th move, sacrifices the exchange to start a neat 15-move combination. A neat knight sacrifice enables a pawn to move forward, which eventually wins ...
Promoting chess and helping other people is very important to me. That’s why I reply to lots of messages every day and give many interviews. Of course, many of the questions are getting asked over and over again. To avoid acting like a parrot and ...
Give1take2 asked: My question in a nutshell is, “How do you evaluate a position?” How would you decide in a game between two moves that both look good? How do you find which one would be more beneficial to your position even though t...
Judit Polgar was born July 23, 1976 in Hungary. She has dazzled the chess world since she was a child. In 1991, she became a grandmaster at 15 years and four months. That was the youngest ever at the time. She is the best female player ever. Her ...
Today we'll take a look at the games of a very young Tal. Despite the fact that there are so many books and articles written about "The Magician from Riga", his life is still the stuff of legends. Many sources contradict each other. For example, ...
Here we are at the very top of the endgame ladder: at pawn endgames. Pawn endgames are very different from other endgames. We can rely on the famous saying: there is no evaluation in endgames, there is only a result of win, loss or draw. Pawn endg...
This week we shall an idea against the Alapin system for Black. The Alapin has been a super solid variation for White against the mighty Sicilian. Many of the players who are not ready to face the long theoretical battles in the Sicilian often pr...
Every chess player should aim to create a masterpiece when playing a game. The next example was played between two GMs: GM Serper, G - GM NIkolaidis, I- in 1993. This amazing game shows the beauty of combinations in chess. GM Serper sacrificed ...
Hi guys, this is my first article for chess.com and I hope you will like it. (Also hope to read some comments or critics , thanks)How many times have you heard a teacher or chess coach telling you to castle as soon as possible before starting an a...
Amos Burn born on the 31st of December 1848 in Hull, Yorkshire, England, was one of the world's leading players at the end of the 19th century, and a chess writer. He became apprenticed to a firm of ship-owners and merchants. He only learned chess...
Time is an essential component of each serious (e.g. tournament) chess game. Just like the moves, it can affect the course of the match substantially. Being able to control your time, avoid time trouble, and take advantage of your opponent’s slow ...
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 ...
Today we are going to analyze the games of a very young Bobby Fischer. He was one of the most enigmatic players in the history of chess and looking at his early games I am really puzzled. Let's start with the well known fact: In May 1949, the si...
Boris Gelfand was born in Minsk, Belarussian SSR (now Belarus) on June 24, 1968. He was Soviet Junior Champion at 17 and European Junior Champion two years later. In 1988, he tied for first in the World Junior Championship, but Joel Lautier was aw...
We will continue this week with another light pieces endgame example. This time the position is more dynamic because both sides have passed pawns. Which side would you choose if I gave this position to you? My nature cries for the white pieces – I...
This week we shall study the Leningrad system in the Dutch defence. The Leningrad Dutch is an interesting dynamic opening combining many strategic and dynamic possiblities for both sides. Dutch players often argue that it is better than the King's...
Erich Eliskases born February 15, 1913 in Innsbruck, Austria, was a leading chess player of the 1930s and 1940s who represented Austria, Germany and Argentina in Olympiads! He played for Austria in 1930, 1933 and 1935, for Germany in 1939 and for ...
People often ask me whether they will be able to become a grandmaster. Another question that derives from it is: “How much will I be making?” Young guys are especially pragmatic, so for many of them the choice between getting a job in the office 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...
The Keene Defense (1.e4 e5 2.f4 Qh4+) involves two early moves by her majesty, since after 3.g3 the queen must retreat. What is the point of this maneuver? The basic idea is to set up tension on the e-file while the pawn at g3 just gets in the way...
