Here is another interesting game played by Capablanca. He sacrifices a queen in the middlegame, but it is not meant for mate or material. The queen is sacrificed as the most effective way to reach a favorable endgame. Quite a novel idea, is is not...
Imbalances Tom asked: If I’m doing a tactical puzzle, should I be looking at the imbalances before I start calculating? Or does this not apply when you know there’s a tactical shot in the position? Dear Tom, Imbalances (space, material, pawn...
in this article I present a crucial game in the history of the Dragon Sicilian. In 1970, Andrew Soltis brought forth a concept which has remained a popular for decades. Instead of allowing White to ram a pawn up the rook file, he decided to stop i...
The Alekhine Defense has always been the opening that has puzzled me the most. Since I was a child, I was taught that the goals of the opening were to occupy and control the center while bringing my pieces out as quickly as possible, and while fa...
John Watson was born in 1951 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He earned the title of International Master, but is better known as a chess theorist and writer. He has written dozens of books and pamphlets. His Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advance...
Most great games are almost hard to avoid. They are published in magazines and a variety of books and appear on websites all over the world. This game, which in my opinion contains some of Kasparov's best moves, did not get such a treatment. Both...
There are different theories of how one should choose a move. Some of the theories are systematically developed and are presented as practical methods. Deciding on a chess move, unless you are a computer, is a very complex process. The decision-ma...
Time and again our top players have broken the rules and strategies of chess that bind an ordinary eye. As we start believing a particular variation is out of fashion or a particular move is anti-positional, those lines get revived by some inspiri...
In this week's edition I would like to continue with last week's exciting theme! The knowledge of typical and common positions is a giant step towards chess mastery. Russian folkore tells us that there exist 300 secret positions that-- if learned...
{ed note: GM Vinay Bhat is on a lengthy tour of foreign tournaments, and will be replaced for two months by WGM Pogonina, who I believe requires no further introduction to the chess.com audience. She will continue with the column's theme of sharin...
The Art and Science of the Isolated d-Pawn Madhacker asked: I’d like to ask about the correct handling of positions where White has an isolated queen’s pawn. The question was raised in my head by the following game I played in a lo...
The Scandinavian Defense (also known as the Center Counter in the USA) has one unique advantage compared to any other sharp line we've analyzed so far. Let's say you want to play the Latvian gambit (1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5).  If your opponent plays th...
The world famous Mihail Tal was born in Latvia November 9, 1936. By the time he died June 28, 1992 he was celebrated for his achievements, style, and personality. On his way to winning the World Championship from Mikhail Botvinnik in 1960, he had ...
Once again, it is great to see many readers coming up with creative ideas to solve the positions. Please, keep posting your ideas and comments, I read them all, even if I do not address all the continuations suggested. In Position 3 my natural in...
Last week we saw Black's perspective of the Chebanenko Slav and this week we will continue studying this system, but from White's perspective. As we have given the main introduction about the style of this opening in the previous article, we shall...
Classic: Of the first or highest quality, class, or rank; serving as a standard, model, or guide. --Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 05 Jan. 2010. There are no precise criteria for defining the classics in chess. It would be a game ...
Happy new year to all! After my win against IM Alonso Rosell (http://www.chess.com/article/view/calling-an-audible) in round 8, I faced the young Bulgarin IM, Kiprian Berbatov, in the last round. In the morning round, I didn't play particularly ...
The Budapest Gambit Revisited 33speedo asked: Hi I was wondering what your opinion is about the Budapest gambit for white and black? Dear 33speedo, In an earlier article on chess.com I mentioned that I personally had always done well against...
We can learn so much from the games of Jose Raul Capablanca (November 19, 1888 – March 8, 1942). However, we tend to overlook the fact that he was a great expert in the endgame. After all, it was he who said "In order to improve your game, you mus...
Long gone are the days when the words "Marshall Attack" would make the chess fans' hearts beat faster. These days it is a weapon of choice for many 2700+ GMs looking to make a quick draw. Using their computers, they have analyzed the Marshall At...
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 ...
The following endgame analysis stems from a game between Andy Soltis and Joe Tamargo in the Marshall Chess Club Championship of 1976. Andrew Soltis was born May 28, 1947 in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. He became an international master in 1974 and a gr...
“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 ...
If any of us were asked "What makes some chess players better than others?", we might come up with a number of different responses. Some replies might be: They are better at seeing tactics, They have a better memory for openings, They can calculat...
