Hi, and welcome back to my blog! So as I've mentioned a few days ago, we're back over our peak USCF rating, hence the blog title! On a serious note, as I've mentioned, peaking is great and all, but there is still a lot o...
Almost always, when we have two options to capture with pawns, the right way to take is from the edge towards the Center. However, every rule has its exceptions (and this is not the exception to that rule 🤪🙃). Today we study 4 typical positions ...
If the isolated pawn can be pushed and exchanged, then the stronghold on d5 can give good attacking chances. In the game Rubinstein-Tartakower white got a bishop on d5 which created power pressure on b7. Black should try to exchange the d5 piece t...
Positions with opposite side castles are nothing new in chess. They happen quite often, especially for players with a sharp style of playing. Below you will find a couple of principles and puzzles on how to attack and defend when you will get one....
Dear Chess Friends! It’s difficult to overestimate the value of the center in a chess game. The pieces can reach any side of the board just in 1-2 moves if they are located in the center. That’s why the player who controls the center...
There is nothing more exciting - and at the same time nothing more scary - than to read the reviews of your own book. "The Life and Games of Vasily Smyslov: Volume I - The Early Years: 1921-1948" has been published a few months ago, and I am reall...
The main strategies against an isolated pawn: Block the pawn, exchange pieces and win in the endgame. In the process we need to prevent the counterplay as much as possible. In the game Karpov-Uhlmann, The World Champion built up a blockade...
Hi, chess fans! Welcome back to my blog. I am happy to say that after reaching my peak USCF rating last weekend, that this two-part series, "Road to My Peak" is accurate because it actually happened! Since I last wrote about a ...
When the d4 isolated pawn blocked by Nd5, then white can occupy the e5 square with a knight, keep the attack against the black king and can think about exchanging on d5 to create an isolated pawn for black. In the game between Gligoric and Elisk...
I have been teaching chess to beginners and intermediate players since 1984. I am happy to report that the progress of my students is always consistent with the work and effort they put into it. The following ratings graphs are selected from some ...
The d4-d5 break with the isolated pawn can be very effective when the opponent's king is still in the center and the major pieces are ready to attack on the e- and d-files. World Champion Boris Spassky played a beautiful attacking game against Avt...
Hypermodernism in chess emerged at the end of World War I. The concept, which went against the classical approach that promoted an immediate fight to the center of the board, sparked fierce debates within the chess community at that time. ...
It's the dream of every chess amateur—establishing your name in the chess firmament by winning an "Immortal Game." In this way, chess is a meritocracy; a beautiful game is a beautiful game, and you don't need to be a world chess champion to ...
Howdy, chess fans! 🤠I hope that you are having a great weekend! I have some important updates for you. If you've been tracking my progress for days, months, years, or since I started my blog, this is going to be some exciting stuff! ...
A follow-up of my recent blog on chess during WWI. After the Great War was over, Bernhard Kagan organized a four-player tournament in Kerkau-Palast, Berlin. It lasted from Feb 21 to 26, 1919, and Bogoljubov won with 5/6. table from TNS 3/1919,...
When a player plays against the isolated pawn, he need to block it or need to be ready to deal with the situation when it is pushed. In the game Gligoric-Pomar, black developed his bishop to the passive d7 square, which created disharmony in the b...
When the isolated d4 pawn is blocked by a piece on d5, then white needs a new strategy. He can use the e5 square for a strong knight outpost and f2-f4-f5 can undermined the d5 blockade. World Champion Mikhail Botwinnik used the power of the ligh...
It’s 1985. Somewhere, on the outskirts of beautiful St. Petersburg, Russia, stands tall an apartment building. Somewhere in that building lives an ordinary family – father, mother and a 5-year-old son, Alexander. They call him Sasha...
It's not often that humans outperform chess computers these days, but it DOES happen. Check out the incredible 23.Qxe5!! from Gusev vs. Auerbach, 1946. This queen sac proves to be the only forced win available, but chess engines don't see it! Th...
*Warning, this article is the longest I've written non-stop but HIGHLY important. Read all you can. There may be grammar issues. I wrote this in 30 minutes.* This is my first blog in almost 3 months now. I've been stuck on a workload and doing o...
Welcome to the final instalment of the three-part series on chess.com bots. Previously, I’ve written about both the chess.com bots and adaptive bots. Now, I will discuss the final topic in this series – Chess Celebrities vs Celebrity B...
An isolated pawn usually gives extra space for the player, which can be used to develop the pieces to active squares and create an attack against the opponent's king. I would like to show you an example which was played by 2 World Champion...
The following position was reached in a recent game by NostraPawnus, one of my students: When your opponent's King is exposed, you should have an inner sense that alerts you to the possibility that checkmate is nigh at hand. This is especiall...
Dear Chess Friends! Do you know the procedure how players become world champions? The Challenger has to play a match with the current World Champion (currently Magnus Carlsen). But how to define the challenger? For these purposes FIDE conducts...