There is a positional sacrifice that is quite popular in the games of top players, particularly world champions. It works like this: you have your rook on an open file and you have an outpost there. (I hope most of our readers remember that an o...
Last Friday, we discussed the first half of José Raúl Capablanca's chess career, tracing his meteoric rise through the lens of his finest positional wins. In 1921, after a decade of heated negotiations and parley, the final te...
The article I wrote last week, "The Shabalov-Shirov Gambit" reminded me of another, more radical g2-g4 move, also largely developed by the aggressive Latvian player Alexei Shirov. 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.g4!? The so-called "Li...
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...
IM Daniel Rensch has tried live daily puzzle sessions before, racing against the clock to complete chess tactics before the timer expires. But even Chess.com’s master tactics trainer hasn’t attempted anything like this. This Sunday...
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The second world champion in chess history, Emanuel Lasker, was a unique person. Besides being the champion for 27 years (this record will never be beaten for sure!), he was also a famous mathematician and philosopher. In his prime Lasker ...
Honest Abe - Chess Player     Although the documentation is rather sparce and anecdotal, Abraham Lincoln was known to have been a chess player. Below are a few of the instances where Chess crossed path with Mr. Lincoln. "The Every-day...
José Maria Capablanca was a busy man. A lieutenant in the cavalry division of the Spanish army, he spent his limited free time playing chess with fellow soldiers. One day, his four-year-old-son José Raúl decided to reliev...
The 90s were a decade of complex openings: in particular, the King's Indian and the Semi-Slav. In 1992, a peculiar attacking idea came out of Latvia to combat the Semi-Slav, Meran Variation. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6...
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...
Computers are the future of chess. Almost everyone agrees on that. But the statement doesn’t go far enough. By and large, computers are also the present of chess. With the question of man vs. machine long-ago settled over the chessboard,...
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...
One of the most intellectual sports, chess, surprisingly has many similarities with one of the most barbaric sports, boxing. In both activities you are basically trying to "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Today we are going to ...
 Chess often forms a juncture with various disciplines such as literature, poetry, music, painting or films. The point where they meet can be symbolic, thematic or just a hook meant to reel in the audience. Certain artists or writers are, in fa...
The only thing worse than having a bad tournament is having to play another tournament immediately after. If you’re not careful, you may allow your poor performance to affect your subsequent results. Follow the tips below to bounce ...
© 2015, José Diaz  Links Interview with José Diaz José Diaz Official Website
The concept of underpromotion epitomizes the beauty of chess. Mathematically speaking, the queen is far and away the most potent force on the board. Yet there are certain situations in which the lady's subordinates are more deserving of reincarnat...
We all have terrible ideas now and then. Typically, they stem from the crazy urge to sacrifice a piece. Even the best of the best can’t always resist. In fact, this series will pay tribute to those special moments when the game's most powerf...
Around June, Rubik's Cube extraordinaire and chess aficionado Tyson Mao approached me with a fascinating proposal. Together with his friend Jesse Levinson, Tyson was exploring the current state of computer chess engines. It is well establis...
The Pirc Defense is certainly one of the most provocative openings. Black fianchettos his king bishop instead of immediately challenging in the center. White therefore has a variety of fierce attacking methods. Of these, the fiercest is the Austri...
This series is all about attacking chess and combinations and fun. And all of them are in puzzle form (some easy, some difficult) so you can see how your tactical IQ stands up to the old, sometimes forgotten greats. And, if you learn a tiny b...
Chess fans have a lot to look forward to at Chess.com. If you like big-time chess events, you're going to love this spring. Yesterday, a charity fundraising simul hosted by world-number-nine GM Anish Giri online on Chess.com's ...
Legend: a story coming down from the past; especially: one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable (Merriam Webster Dictionary). There are great chess players and there are legendary chess players. What's the differenc...
