Boby Fischer was a superb technician who knew how to turn small advantages into game winners. In this game, from my "Learn from Bobby Fischer's Greatest Games" (about to get a new edition), we learn how to enhance and exploit the advantage o...
Play with a plan. always Sometimes we do get bored and just make random waiting moves, not bothering to think about what is the real best move. Although sometimes this is necessary, usually it is not and sucks out the fun from chess...
Sometimes you infiltrate a piece into an enemy position, where it becomes trapped. Then you have to find a way to liberate it. In this game Smyslov sends his queen on an excursion to h7, where it becomes stuck for a while. But he finds a way...
This is not going to be a terribly advanced lesson since I'm not a terribly strong player, but I thought it might be helpful to explain some basic opening ideas and offer the sort of advice I would have found helpful when I was just starting out. ...
Sergey Karjakin wrapped up his Corus win yesterday by winning his last round game. Here is the game from the 12th, penultimate game, which put him into the leader group tied with 5 others. His more active pieces make all the difference. (btw, i e...
Here is a game from the 2008-2009 German Schachbundesliga, IM Lauber - GM Naumann with full annotations and commentary: This game was a very entertaining game to view with two different approaches out of the opening. Blac...
We all know that a cramped position is bad. But where is the real danger, if there aren't good attacking lines aiming at the king? The brilliant Rashid Nyezhmetdinov shows us how to crack open the shell by opening up a file and using it as an inva...
International Master Andrew Martin from England presents a regular series of articles to answer any questions that Chess.com readers have about the game of chess. If you want to ask Andrew a question, then send an email to askandrew@chess.com and...
Here is a very long game played by Capablanca.
Controlling the center is a key opening principle, but it has advantages in the middlegame and endgame, too. In this famous game, both sides complete all four of the openin goals (control center; castle; connect rooks; aim rooks). Therefore it is ...
----I Can't Learn Chess!---- Many people make the unfair assumption that chess is for those of a higher IQ and therefore, shy away from learning and pursuing the game. Well in this small article I hope to prove them all wrong and show that chess...
If you have been a basic member on chess.com for some time, you'd know that there is a "tactics trainer" which lets you do some chess problems at a daily basis. It is a really nice interactive program that gives you a huge variety of chess problem...
Simply put, this is the Fischer Vs. Geller game with my commentary to it. It is a very good game between some of the strongest players in chess with a mate found in just 22 turns. White starts off with the king side pawn and Black uses the sic...
What a day for Corus. The last round was filled with surprises, as 3 solo winners emerged from the pack. In the A Group, 6 came into the round tied for the lead. 4 of those leaders drew, but Sergey Karjakin emerged victorious in his game with Dom...
In this match, it would appear that Karpov played a move that ruined his chances badly. I might be looking into this on surface level stuff, but Instead of saving his queen, he offers his queen for 6 points, Karpov gives up his queen for a knight...
States of Mate
Chess strategy is based on identifying weaknesses and attacking them. sometimes you need to infiltrate the enemy position with your pieces in order to get to the targets. This game is a great illustration of the art of infiltration.
IntroductionI played this OTB game recently, as black, and one of my club-mates suggested it is a good example for beginners to demonstrate the importance of development. My opponent was by no means a beginner so I was highly surprised to see him...
Just kings and pawns, has to be simple, right? Actually, such endgames can be demonically complicated requiring deep thinking. I recently wrote a book, Of Kings and Pawns, with many tough examples. I present two of them here for your entertainment...
Here is a game Capablanca lost.
this is a good example of what can happen when a Queenside advance and a passed pawn combine.Enjoy!
Since Corus is going on right now, I felt that I should post some highlights from this tournament. Here is one where Anand is at his best. He gives up nearly all of his minor pieces to achieve what he wants-the white king trapped in one file. Afte...
Boris Spassky was born in Leningrad, which once again is St. Petersburg, January 30, 1937. He won the Soviet Championship four times from 1956 to 1973. He was a candidate for the world championship seven times from 1956 to 1985. He defeated Keres,...
