Dear Chess Friends! I'm delighted to share the recording and key ideas from my recent workshop "From Advantage to Victory: Converting Winning Positions". We focused on a question that frustrates many players: "I had a clear advantage, but I coul...
This has surely happened to you: you’re playing an attacking game, you see a sacrifice, you get excited, and you get lost in endless calculations trying to prove that it works. Because you know it has to work. But... in reality, the sacrific...
The greatest upset in chess history. Alekhine was fresh off a period of complete dominance — he had won 11 of the last 12 tournaments he had participated in and three straight world championship matches — and was playing with a a truly...
I used to study chess as a teen and made it to NM, then took around 5 years off. Last year I came back to study as a 24 year old, and I'm mainly focused on my online chess these days, reading tons of books (see blog #2). I'd like to immerse in rea...
Hey everyone! In March, there were 130k accounts closed for fair play violations. 18 of these closures were titled players, an uptick compared to recent months. Pressing the report button matters! When players push the report button, it a...
Have you ever wondered what exactly you need to study — and at which stage of your chess journey — to make your training time more effective and your improvement as fast as possible? In this post, I’d like to talk about that. C...
Chess speaks for itself. ~Hans Niemann Welcome everyone, to another quotable edition of the Osaka Papers. Most chess players recall Hans Niemann's famous quote, but what does it mean, how does chess actually speak for itself? I posit ...
Bonjour hi everyone! It has been a while since I’ve written to you as I’m currently working on my next one-man show. However, I couldn’t wait to spend some time with you a new ⭐️TOP BLOGGER⭐️. For the occasion, I wanted to do...
Good afternoon everyone! before I forget, I was recently asked a question. The answer was no, I do not receive books for free to publicise them. I buy books which interest me. In doing so I support the authors and publishers for their hard work,...
This past Thursday, the North American Corporate Chess League kicked off its thirteenth season right here on chess.com. With three rounds in the books, Week 1 of the NACCL's six week regular season has concluded, but as you might expect, very litt...
The final round of this 23rd edition of the Bangkok Chess Club Open delivered an unusually large share of suspense until the last minute. At the outset, seven co-leaders on 6,5/8 were vying for the final victory. Well, maybe not quite. One of th...
There are always moments during a top-level Classical tournament that I find striking. Sometimes it’s a brilliant move I know I’d never imagine making, other times it’s a blunder I know I absolutely could have made, and occasiona...
You can’t really blame a tournament leader for being a little risk-averse. Especially as a GM norm beckons at the end of the event. For the second time this week, Vietnamese IM Khuong Dau secured a quick draw – this time against GM Bra...
Today’s pre-round announcement echoed like music to the ears of all competitors present, as a purse of 500,000 baht (~15,500 USD) was confirmed by tournament director Kai Tuorila. Strangely enough, the news seemed to particularly stimulate c...
Poor Capablanca! Thou wert a brilliant technician, but no philosopher. Thou wert not capable of believing that in chess, another style could be victorious than the absolutely correct one. - Max Euwe Chess quotes by and about Capablanca&nbs...
Last night, Dau Khuong Duy was crowned in the blitz finals ahead of fellow IM Arca, leaving both GMs Gareyev and Visakh behind. He struck again during round 6 of the BCC open, convincingly defeating GM Van Wely’s Sicilian Najdorf on board ...
After wrapping up minor pieces with the bishop last time, we now turn our attention to the so-called major pieces – traditionally considered more valuable. Confidential Chess Files are a set of fictional stories meant to show the inte...
Hey Impressive Chessers! Before we get to our current blog, I wanted to point out something that most of you snuffed out... My last blog, 4 Proven Chess Improvement Tips to Gain 100 Rating Points Fast, was an April's Fool's hoax. We will be...
The long awaited blitz qualifiers took place on Tuesday night. Whilst most heavyweights made it through, there were some high profile casualties as IMs Satria Cahaya, Thai star Prin Laohawirapap and Paulo Bersamina failed to finish in the top two ...
Most chess players understand that over-the-board tournaments are the most serious version of competitive chess. You show up, sit across from your opponent, shake hands, and play with real focus because the environment demands it. Nobody is scroll...
I will begin with the most important point: reading Thinking Sideways, the latest book by Jennifer Shahade, is highly recommended, both for chess enthusiasts and for those unfamiliar with castling and stalemates. I have seen books before that rela...
Hello everyone! Soon, the last round of the 2026 Candidates Tournament will be played. I am not sure about you, but I must admit that this has not been the most exciting chess event I have followed. While watching it, however, I had some thoug...
https://bangkokchess.com/bcc-open-round-4-an-unexpected-duo-in-the-lead The previous round had left us with ten leaders on a perfect score. As six of them parted amicably, we were left with two decisive results. IM Khuong Duy Dau defeated his...
Dear Chess Friends! I'm excited to share highlights from my recent workshop "The Candidates Tournament 2026", where we analyzed the most dramatic moments from this year's world championship qualifier in Cyprus. This tournament is a true reflecti...
At the outset of Round 3 of the BCC Open, only two things appeared certain. For starters, April 13 marks the beginning of a three-day celebration of the Thai New Year, known as Songkran. As with many things in Thailand, Songkran is essential...
