Chess is a physical game on a physical board in front of you. It is a game that is right there, where you can't exactly move anything with thought. But.... that's not correct. Chess is a game of thought. Logic. Strategy. All of ...
This week I have something new for puzzles. This is going to be a fairly difficult puzzle, since my thought process when making this puzzle was absolute nothingness. Without further ado, here's Weekly Puzzle #3. The theme of this puzzle is Mate ...
After some digging, I found what is commonly called "UNational's Best Game". It was a very intriguing game by all means, and I would've loved to watch it live. Sadly, it happened before I joined UNational, so this is a fairly old game. I also de...
Recently the October Knights Open Tournament came to a close, having finished the night before Halloween. So how did it go? Well I have the results right here, though I will only list the top 5 finishers and have the games of the man in first. B...
It's that time again! Who's ready for another puzzle? I am! Below is a puzzle and the moves explained. Again, this is a position from a UNational game (Rudy Tillmann vs. James Hilton 2021). The theme of this puzzle is to gain material while pr...
Chess. It's a world of wonders and a world of strategy. Everyone knows this. Certainly UNational's top 15, no? Yes, they do. The other day I went over my personal UNational top 6-10. The days prior I went through 1-5. Today is the final part of ...
I am starting to post weekly puzzles! These are going to be normal range-level puzzles (easy to hard) with varying objectives. Scroll down to see solutions and explanations. Explanations will be provided for all puzzles I will be posting. This...
If you read my last post, you know the top 5 so far. I mentioned I would go over the top 15. So here's to my promise, and here are the top 6-10. Sit back, relax, and grab a snack. As for a quick recap from Part 1, I talked about USM Rudy Tillman...
An ongoing discussion is happening in the UNational Community. Who are the best players? Well I believe I have a certain end to the discussion - and a mighty answer. Let me explain. UNational is everchanging in who is the best. Times are changin...
The Big 4 Round Robin recently came to an end. Last night they played the final round. And who would've guessed what happened? Well I can guess (mostly since I watched it live). Anyhow, prior to watching the last 4 games, I couldn't have guessed t...
The 2025 Big 4 Round Robin is underway. I posted Round 1 about a week ago (should go check that out), and now I have gotten Round 2 onto the website. The games are pretty good, though they are shorter than last week's games. Shorter but greater. ...
Tournaments are fun, tell me I'm wrong. Something interesting happened recently. UNational is starting an experimental annual tournament known as The Big 4 Round Robin. And recently, round 1 streamed to those in UNational. I watched it. Raim...
Do you know your states? How about Oregon? Recently I went up to Oregon for an unofficial chess tournament. This was a blast of a time, and probably one of my favorite tournaments I've ever played in, even if all of them I did were and are unoffic...
If you have ever sat across from an opponent rated significantly higher than you, I am certain that you thought you shouldn't win. The same thing has happened to me many times over. But let me tell you something - get that thought out of your head...
Any one reading this may be asking what the Cen10 Tournament is. It's an unofficial tournament I played in yesterday with my chess club. Cen10 is looking to join a chess organization, and playing against us determined if they will or won't. In t...
People accept chess as a game of strategy, tactics, and logic. I see it as a game of growth and ideas. Both are correct. As a standard, chess is a strategy game. And as you play, you learn why you decided to play chess. I decided to play for the s...
"Chess is an easy game." is what some people say then they end up getting crushed. I watched it happen several times. When I started, I thought it was the hardest thing I had ever laid my hands on. Even my dad is one of the ones to say it's an eas...
Chess is a game suited for pretty much everyone. Whether that person is a beginner or a professional player, it's a great pastime. But not everyone plays chess, and not everyone knows how to play either. Above is one of the winning games (...
