When things are not going your way in life it’s easy to get hypnotized by the chess board and sucked into a mesmerizing world of complex ideas in a effort to forget what’s really wrong. Read More at www.evettskivili.com
Today I Got Hit by a Mack Truck[D25 - QGA - Janowski-Larsen Variation]
I've been playing the Queens Gambit consistently for about a month now and it has created more winning positions. Unlike the Giuoco Piano that produces a more open board rip...
25 Tactics a Day Keeps the Mate Away
As a basic member on chess.com, you are entitled to 25 tactical problems on its tactics trainer. The tactics trainer on chess.com is designed to drill you with chess problems at your level. Your tactical lev...
Love and Respect your King—or Lose
I must admit, when I first started playing chess I had very little love and even less respect for my king. As ridiculous as this sounds, sometimes I wouldn't even notice him. It is easy for a beginner to take ...
The Draw - by repetition
It was a hard fought battle. The electricity went out earlier that day at our church retreat in upstate New York and we were playing by flashlight. The game must have lasted at least two hours. Somehow during the co...
My First Simul EVER with NM Justus Williams in Bryant Park NYC Saturday, September 3, 2011
NEW YORK, NY I didn't plan on participating in the simul this past Saturday in Bryant Park against NM Justus Williams. In the past year or so, life ...
Okay, it's Saturday, the weather is beautiful, so I'm DONE with chess.com for the day. After this game, I don't really need to play anymore; I may read, run through tactics, but play... no. A game isn't won until you win! I had a won-game at mo...
500+ Friends and Still Lonely? Smothered Mate and The CityIt's quite ironic that many people living in New York City feel so alone. Considering that New York City has the densest population in the United States with 8,175,133 distributed over...
The Immortal Game by David ShenkA book review by: Yvette Fannell @chesspoet‘Understanding is the essential weapon,’ proclaims the ancient Persian poem “Chatrang-namak,” one of the oldest books mentioning the game. ‘Victory is obtained by the in...
The Resignation - A Preservation of Dignity
Prior to this game, I didn't fully understand the tendency for professional chess games to end, not by checkmate, but by resignation. The game I played with Gene on April 31, 2011 at the Babylon Publi...
The day Osama Bin Laden was killed, I heard the most ridiculous comment. A newscaster reported, "Bin Laden was hiding out in the open." Hiding . . . out in the open!? All this time I thought he was in some underground bomb shelter in a remote d...
After church at Emmanuel last Sunday, I walked into Fulton Park with a winning spirit. This was my very first time there. Fulton Park in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York is a well-known place where serious chessers come to de...
just when you thought this was a friendly game / i hate you / not all of you / only the you on the board / God did not make us hateful / but if that is how you identify, i'll pray for you / just when you thought this was a friendly game / i hate y...
Losing a piece is never easy. When material is counted, your amount of material can predict who will ultimately win the game, of course this isn't always the case. Having material with poor position may render your pieces mute, these pieces are ...
After I walked into Borders Bookstore, he took one look at me and said, "You don't play chess." I ignored him. That was the first time I saw him. I introduced myself to the other players who were more welcoming. Last night we had an opportunit...
I am a Queena chesspoem by Yvette Fannell © 2007I am a Queen.I am the most agileversatilepowerfulin this worldI am a Queen.It's lonely sometimeswhen no one seems to have my backand I'm put out thereto fight and everyone around me is in needCan't ...
Last week I broke 1000 and achieved my highest rating of 1048! I'd like to give a special shout out to chessmaster102 who commented in my article "Get Ready to Win" that I'd break 1000 in no time. Thirteen days later I achieved my highest rating...
When you are even or ahead in material, it is typically to your advantage to make trades. However, where you make those trades can have a huge impact on your or your opponent's infrastructure. Initiating trades on your opponent's turf may give y...
Last week, my chess game improved greatly. I have been taking private lessons with Henry for three weeks now. A good teacher will greatly improve your game. You can read books on your own, but a good teacher has a better perspective on where y...
Greeting or Cheating 1200
I must be honest, for the past couple weeks I've been being a bit selective about who I play. In the range of possible opponents, those I choose to play are precisely at the 1200 rating. It is quite likely that a pl...
curiously tough / brazen with with wit / pawns are well aware of their place / and take strides with little to lose / pawns speak truth as jesters so don't you play fool / listen carefully to those who gesture toward clues / to keep you in check...