Dear Chess Organizers, Arbiters and yes—Players too, After a recent Sunday’s event, I came to a conclusion: We should all move toward paperless tournaments. Let me tell you what happened. I was part of the chess team from the ...
The first episode of season 2 of 20 Blitz is out, and Rachangel really brought the energy! Watching the games unfold is like stepping into the mind of a streamer under pressure, thinking fast and making every move count. Each match is full of...
This is my latest Substack post. If you like it, consider subscribing. I remember that I wasn’t too bothered by the pandemic and the necessity to stay at home. I like being at home and studying chess, so without the need to go out ...
Over the past two weekends, the Charlotte Chess Center hosted the 2025 Charlotte Fall Open at the SouthPark Hilton Garden Inn. Over 200 players participated in at least one of the event's five sections, with the U1800, U1500, and U1200 held from S...
The countdown is almost over: tomorrow, in Batumi, Georgia, the European Team Chess Championship 2025 kicks off! 🇪🇺♟️ Forty nations will line up for glory in the Open section, and thirty-six more in the Women’s section – each bringin...
A Conversation with Akim and Valentyna Pikh “Fighting for his place in the sun” Akim Pikh and his family moved to Seattle in July 2024. Akim quickly made his mark in the chess community scoring impressive wins within two weeks of a...
When GM Alex Colovic became the first grandmaster to publish a Chessable course in 2016, he set a precedent that has only grown stronger in time. Since that debut, he has established himself as not only one of the platform’s most prolific...
If you’ve ever sat down against a lower-rated opponent then you’ve probably felt it before: that little voice in your head whispering “I should win this game.” On the surface, it feels harmless and maybe even motivating. Af...
David Bronstein, One of the Greatest Attackers in Chess History, Part 3 Learning the Art of Attack through Bronstein’s Games, Part 3 In this continuation, we turn to Bronstein’s style and his two games with Tal In the first two...
The joke goes: “There once was a pawn so, so tired… that when it finally reached the last rank, it asked for a knight.” The humour lies in imagining the pawn as a weary traveller, trudging square by square without rest, who&mdas...
A couple of weeks ago, I played in an over-the-board chess tournament – something I haven’t done much lately. I prepared properly: a few days before, I focused on tactics, reviewed my openings, chose the ones I wanted to play, and prac...
One of the most basic instincts of many first-time chess players is to push as many pawns as possible, as far as possible. A strong central pawn presence IS important, as we've already discussed, BUT every pawn move has two drawbacks: A pawn m...
Dear Chess Friends! I'm excited to share highlights from my recent workshop "Tactical Combination", where we explored the beautiful and complex world of chess tactics. Whether you're an attacking player or prefer solid positions, understanding c...
Hello, dear fans of chess! As promised in my last blog, today I will share another 'Typical Vanessa' post. I hope you understand that this involves making many imaginative comparisons between our beloved game and something else that seems comple...
Several important chess personalities passed away in 2024. All deaths create losses—for families, friends, fans, and communities. In the chess world last year, several notable stars who died, some unexpectedly, will be particularly missed. H...
I created this game yesterday, coincidentally just before the chess world started debating ratings. I got this idea after watching Dubov’s interview on LevitovChess a while back. The idea is simple: Guess which players were top 10 in a cer...
Come to think of it, Savielly Tartakower and Sultan Khan were somewhat similar players — both wildly creative and with a gift for playing all across the board. They ended up paired together at Liège 1930, with Khan leading most of the...
This post is based on my Youtube video, so for better clarity please check it out. Goal: to give you a clean, principle-driven way to play the Slav Defense that dodges heavy theory yet stands up practically - even against well-prepared opponents...
Good afternoon everyone. Last time round the comments centred on Lajos Portisch, rather than the original subject matter! I said that I would post something to show what a fine player he was. Doing this straight out of my head, so apologies for th...
Welcome, Everybody to a special Master's edition of Blitz 'n' Memes... For the first time in the storied history of Blitz 'n' Memes this month's tactics have not be drawn from the TGIF Blitz tournament. On Friday September 19th through Tuesday S...
It’s time to talk about our national championship. Of course, you’ve heard about many national championships before, but have you ever wondered how a small nation like Andorra organizes its own? First of all, hosting this kind of tou...
#senserobot #viennagambit #greekgift Click to subscribe to my YouTube channel! A few weeks ago, I received a SenseRobot Chess and made a quick “First Look” video. I’ve been using and reviewing the che...
Today I want to show you that learning from grandmasters’ games is important - but you can learn from almost any game. The key is analysis. And often, you learn the most from your own mistakes. The position below comes from a game one of m...
Apologies for the slightly ugly bracket: Romantic Rumble: Joseph Blackburne vs. Louis Paulsen Today's matchup is the one with the most history, as these two have games spanning almost three decades; it was Paulsen's blindfold exhibitions ba...
MVP Chess on YouTube is dedicated to bringing the great works of classical chess literature to life. After becoming the first channel to complete My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer, I am excited to launch a new series on another timeless maste...
