Grob Opening
The Grob Opening is an unusual Chess Opening characterized by the first move 1. g4 It would appear that this move is a violation of the “Opening Principles” of chess. Instead of claiming the centre with his firs...
The Modern Caro-Kann Antidote to 3.Nc3
In this post, I will share with you an interesting idea against the Caro-Kann, which was first played in a Grandmaster game in 2017 (and once before that in 2014), but is now a quite trendy answer to the old main line of the Caro-Kann, with 1...
Hilarious Chess Exam - Part 2
Hello & Namaste! Get ready to become a student again and take this hilarious chess exam! A few years back, I prepared a set of questions for my students to make it funny. Some are mentioned here: https://8cross8.com/funny-chess-exam/ ...
Learn the Ponziani Opening!
We're continuing the ChessPathways.com "Openings" series today with a video on the Ponziani Opening. This tricky opening has never been popular in elite chess, but it's easy for white to get a sizeable advantage if black is caught off guard! ...
The Rarest Chess Move: Underpromoting To A Bishop!
Underpromoting to a bishop must be the rarest move in chess. We can easily think of some famous examples of rook promotions (such as the brilliant Saavedra study), and by comparison knight underpromotions happen every day - just think of this open...
A Quick Tactical Puzzle
Hello chess friends! I am pretty busy for the next 5 days, so this blog post will be brief. What would you play in the position below? Try and solve it for yourself: If you want to see more chess puzzles, dai...
Hilarious Chess Exam!
Hello & Namaste! Get ready to become a student again and take this hilarious chess exam! A few years back, I prepared a set of questions for my students to make it funny. You can post the answers in the comments I'm really exci...
Miguel Najdorf: An Unsung Hero, (Part 2)
Dear chess lovers, in this second blog post about Najdorf we present you with their first meeting, at Groningen, 1946. This game was won by Najdorf, and there is a story attached to it. "This is Najdorf's very famous win against the future World...
Standard #44: The Face Off (2nd chance against my old coach!)
Hi, Stacia here! This week I played my first round of the Parma Championships at the Parma Chess Club, a series of G90 games, one per week for 7 weeks. I thought I would share this USCF rated tournament game because it was my second...
Dynamic Catalan
Every '1.d4 player' faces Queens Gambit Declined very often. This is probably the most common opening after 1.d4 among players in the rating range between 1000-2000. If you are bored playing popular lines with the Bg5-move and looking for so...
More Quick Puzzles
Hello everyone! I have been busy lately, so here are a few more puzzles to keep you tactically sharp for your games Puzzle #1 Puzzle #2 Were the first two puzzles too easy? Then here is a tougher one ...
Miguel Najdorf: An Unsung Hero, (Part 1)
Dear readers, I was casually reading the book "Najdorf: Life and Games", and came across a wonderful game, with notes by Najdorf, and it inspired me to share it with you. Tonight, looking at Najdorf's notes more closely, I realize that he has some...
Seven Simple Chess Habits for Better Performance
Hello & Namaste!Continuing the series on the lists, today I'm going to share 7 simple habits for elevating your chess performance. You can start small and pick whichever seems doable and eventually instill all the seven for your next even...
Opening Oddities from the World Cup 2019
One of the most exciting tournaments to watch, the World Cup in Khanty Mansysk, is well under way. With every passing round the tension rises and as the usually say for knock-outs, the players with best nerves win. As I write this Round 3 finish...
Chess For Pandas | Chapter 1 | Chess Fiction
This is an experiment and I would like to see how far it goes. Welcome to this adventure! 1. The Pandas of Lagavi are finding it hard to live under the rule of Zingados - a two-headed creature community. It is that time of the year where re...
A Few World Cup Round 3 Puzzles
Hello chess friends! Here are a few puzzles from Round 3, Game 1 of the FIDE World Cup. Good luck! Vitiugov vs. Karjakin So vs. Vidit Now for my favourite, from Duda vs. Andreikin: ...
Fischer vs Greenblatt: History Of Computer Chess Video
For the second video in my new series on the history of computers in chess, I covered one of the most famous examples of human dominance over the early versions of Chess AI. Bobby Fischer's legendary victory over the machine known as "Gree...
Best Games of FIDE World Cup Round 2.1
As promised, I'm continuing to offer my notes and analysis as I prepare videos for our YouTube and Twitch channels during the 2019 FIDE World Cup. In Round 2 we, once again, saw fighting chess (the kind only a knockout event with stakes like the W...
Learn the Evans Gambit!
We're continuing on with the ChessPathways.com "Openings" series today with a video on the Evans Gambit. This Romantic-era chess opening originated hundreds of years ago, but retains its popularity today. Kasparov even famously used it to take d...
Seven Tips On Preparing For A Tournament!
Hello & Namaste! I'm sharing some of the tips extracted from my experience in chess life. What if you had seven days to prepare for a tournament? I think you could make the most of the time you have before a tournament by following s...
Firouzja's Super Knight Sacrifice
Which move was the highlight of the 2019 FIDE World Cup thus far? There are quite a few candidates, but many are already saying that Firouzja's 37th move, in his Round 2 World Cup game against 2018 World Rapid Champion Dubov, is the...
What's White's best move?
I wish I could say I found the right move in my 3/2 blitz game. It's an elegant line. 19 Sept 2019 update — I couldn't help but notice the similarity between the pattern in my game above and the one that popped up i...
Try to solve this Pawns Endgame (+ Video)
Hello people who love a game invented in India. As you already know, one of my favorite topics is chess endgames. Today we are analyzing an interesting position I found in a book written by one of the bests: Mark Dvoretsky. The name of the book is...
Scottish Championship 2019 (Part 2)
Hi All, Hope you have had a fantastic weekend and so here comes the continuation of my blog series on Scottish Championships 2019. (You can find Part 1 here) So after the first 3 rounds I was standing at 2.5 points out of 3, which is not...
World Cup 2019 Rd 2: Giri beats Najer in Armageddon, Nisipeanu knocks out Hikaru
Round 2 of the World Cup 2019 saw an Armageddon, an endgame with five knights, and Hikaru Nakamura going down in flames against Nisipeanu. This round featured very few upsets, but a couple of thrilling matches which went down to the wire. The to...