Fred Reinfeld (1910-1964) has been called "The Man Who Taught America Chess"--and so he was! Reinfeld was amazing. Some have called him a “genius.” He produced perhaps 260 books (with varying editions and titles). His writings includ...
In popular culture and films in particular, chess has become a shorthand for “a battle of wits between two intelligent characters.” As such, chess-playing scenes are plentiful and I had no shortage of highlights to choose from for my e...
“Centralization of the king in the endgame is hardly ever incorrect. It can only be inopportune.” - from Endgame Strategy by Shereshevsky Mating the king is the primary purpose of chess; therefore, each side usually tries to ...
Hello to all primary and secondary school teachers and educators! We've got two exciting updates for you in this blog post. Whether you're an individual teacher looking to set up a chess club, or you're wanting to get every kid at your school a Ch...
This is the third post in a series of short games that will be released every Monday. If you want to be part of this journey you can share one of your games by sending me a message. Last week we analyzed an old game that shows the importance of ...
A quirk of chess history is the recurring figure of the lone American genius who travels to Europe and takes the continent by storm. This has happened more times, and had a more profound impact on chess, than one might expect. There's Morphy in 18...
A ruined pawn structure around the king is a recipe for getting mated in the middle game. However, closer to the endgame, the chance of the weaker side being able to defend the king increases, which is why they usually offer trades to make...
Puzzle Up Puzzles are a great way to improve your tactical skills. It's the reason people say to do your puzzles daily. Puzzles are like little tidbits of patterns and skills that can be helpful in finding a checkmate pattern or a brilliant tact...
Harry Nelson Pillsbury was one of the great masters of the early 1900s. Had his health been stable for longer, a world championship match between him and Lasker seemed nigh inevitable. With two rounds to go in the Munich tournament of 1900, Pill...
Hello there, and welcome to the Lightning Reports. Back in January, I introduced a new blog idea when I questioned several non-chess players about chess for the first time. 4 months later, I've brought you a part 2 to my Questioning NCPs series! Y...
Thomas Engqvist, 300 Most Important Chess Exercises. London: Batsford, 2022. 412 pgs. 9781849947510. Paper. If you like to work through chess exercises—this may be the book for you! Engqvist is a Swedish International Master wit...
Afternoon everyone. Day off today, so something quick while I have a couple of hours. Some of you may remember this offering - https://www.chess.com/blog/simaginfan/morphy-lasker-alekhine-and-moriau-a-chess-lucky-bag Well, the latest volum...
Dear Chess Friends! I believe every chess player wants to attack in a chess game. It’s easier to attack rather than defend. Moreover, if you make a mistake during the attack, you are unlikely to lose the game. But if you make a mistake bei...
Hey ChessKids! Get ready for more in-person events and chess fun! In this post, we'll cover an exciting meet-and-greet opportunity with FunMasterMike and the ChessKid team, show you how you can help support Ukraine by playing a real-life chess gra...
In society, where many people gather, we can see several types of people, there are those who stand out, flamboyant, handsome, full of jokes and liked by the environment. Most are casual, adaptable and enjoy the atmosphere. But not infrequently ...
Three years after the famous New York 1924 tournament, top chess players gathered for New York 1927. But this time there were only six players. Edward Winter at https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter170.html Basics about the tournament ...
Rows and rows of checkered squaresRooks and bishops in the airPawns and knights are everywhereI've looked at clouds that way … But now they only block the sunThey rain and snow on everyoneSo many games I could have playedBut clouds got...
Last week we looked at the top 10 openings for White. What are the best openings for Black in the past twelve months for players rated between 1000 and 2000? These openings come from the Chess.com Openings popular openings page. I ranked the openi...
During Chess.com’s coverage of the FIDE World Championship, Caruana said that he likes to go against the engine’s will in his opening preparation. Today, it is almost impossible to find any significant advantage in serious openings. ...
Alrighty guys! So where are we? I just finished Pan Ams... which was January 9th, this tournament was played on March 12th, so I had a two month gap in between tournaments. And, I'm writing this on May 9th, which means I'm very behind on tournamen...
This is the second post in a series of short games that will be released every Monday. If you want to be part of this journey you can share one of your games by sending me a message. Last week we talked about how important it is to remember our ...
"Of all the chess masters I ever met Rudolf Swiderski was the most weird," wrote Frank Marshall. Which - just think of all the chess masters you know - is probably really saying something. "He made very few friends, had a gentle but mela...
My Youtube Channel - Instructive VideosOriginally I was making videos for the Internet Chess Club (ICC). I made about 400 but the access was restricted. I also had done a "chess instruction" TV show here on Chess.com called "Q&A with Coach H...
Master Study Kasparov vs. Karpov It was September 22, 2009. Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov were sitting across from each other in Valencia to play some rapid and blitz games against each other. These two former world champions and some of th...
What are the best openings for White in the past twelve months for players rated between 1000 and 2000? I was wondering the same question, so I crunched the numbers! These openings come from the Chess.com Openings popular openings page. I ranked t...