"A good sacrifice is one that is not necessarily sound but leaves your opponent dazed and confused." -Rudolf Spielmann (1883-1942)
Chess player of the romantic school, known as "The Master of Attack" and "The Last Knight of the King's Gambit". He is also the author of the classic book "The Art of Sacrifice in Chess". His style of play was full of sacrifices and beautiful ideas.
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May 6, 2015
"Chess for Zebras" by Jonathan Rowson (Dec 2003)
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Apr 29, 2015
"The Improving Chess Thinker" by Dan Heisman (June 7, 2014)
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Apr 20, 2015
"Setbacks and losses are both inevitable and essential if you're going to improve and become a good, even great, competitor. The art is in avoiding catastrophic losses in the key battles."
-Garry Kasparov (Considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. World Champion from 1985-93 and from 1993-2000. Ranked world No. 1 for 225 out of 228 months, from 1986 until his retirement in 2005.)
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Apr 18, 2015
"How to Reassess Your Chess: Chess Mastery Through Chess Imbalances" by Jeremy Silman (Oct 15, 2010)
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Apr 18, 2015
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Apr 15, 2015
On a scale from 1 to 10:
-10 being "very serious". -1 being "not at all serious".
How serious are you when playing in non-tournament games on chess.com? This includes group matches, turn based games and live chess.
(Whether you're a group member or not, your feedback is greatly appreciated. )
IMperf_X_ion00
Apr 14, 2015
"If your opponent cannot do anything active, then don't rush the position; instead you should let him sit there, suffer, and beg you for a draw."
-Jeremy Silman (American IM, winner of the US Open, American Open, and the National Open. Is known for his instructional books for lower rated chess players. Has authored over 35 books, mostly on chess but also on casino gambling. Was also coach of the US junior national chess team.
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Apr 12, 2015
"As Rousseau could not compose without his cat beside him, so I cannot play chess without my king's bishop. In its absense the game to me is lifeless and void. The vitalizing factor is missing, and I can devise no plan of attack."
-Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934, One of the strongest chess players and most influential chess teachers of the late 19th century and early 20th century.)
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Mar 31, 2015
The next 3 articles will introduce you to the "art of swindling" in chess FOR FREE. If you think this is too good to be true READ ON. But, before you hit any of the links below here is what you should expect:
1- "Α good swindle still requires the same patience, tenacity, positional understanding, etc., as a 'normal' game of chess".
2- Not a scam! No psychological tricks. No cheating.
3- "...winning game after game from lost or drawn positions."
article1: "Chess Tales from Asia - The Great Singapore Swindles (Part 1)" by CM juniortay (oct 30 2013)
article2: "Chess Tales from Asia - The Great Singapore Swindles (Part 2)" by CM juniortay (Nov 4 2013)
article3: "Chess Tales from Asia - The Great Singapore Swindles (Part 3)" by CM juniortay (Nov 6 2013)
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Mar 17, 2015
article: "17 Hand Positions Every Tournament Chess Player Must Know" by pete STAFF (july 7, 2014)
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Mar 15, 2015
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by David Bronstein & Tom Furstenberg (Aug 16, 2009)
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Mar 7, 2015
"Nowadays grandmasters no longer study their opponent's games so much, but they study his character, his behaviour and his temperament in the most thorough fashion."
-David Bronstein (Soviet Chess Grand Master and renowned chess writer,1924-2006)
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Mar 6, 2015
"The art of treating the opening stage of the game correctly and without error is basically the art of using time efficiently."
-Svetozar Gligoric (Grand Master, 12 time champion of Yougoslavia, 1923-2012)
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Feb 26, 2015
I will eventually attempt to define our team's psychology, but first let's share a few more interesting articles!
"Practical Chess Psychology" by IM Silman (Feb 24, 2013)
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Feb 19, 2015
Everything you've learned about the game, including chess psychology, sometimes has to be put aside so you can deal with a more primitive, or elementary, issue: behaviour. After reading the following two articles you will realize that it's a jungle out there... and chess is not necessarily a gentleman's game...
article 1: "Dealing with Off Balance Opponents" by IM Silman (Jan 10, 2011)
article 2: "Your questions Answered 7/13" by IM Silman (July 13, 2009)
Note: Post your comments below if you've had any similar experience!
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Feb 17, 2015
"Psychologically, the choice of an appropriate opening is of the utmost importance for a player's success in a tournament." -Savielly Tartakower (Grand Master, chess journalist and author, 1887-1956)
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Feb 6, 2015
"It is important that you don’t let your opponent impose his style of play on you. A part of that begins mentally. At the chessboard if you start blinking every time he challenges you then in a certain sense you are withdrawing. That is very important to avoid." -Viswanathan Anand (former World Chess Champion)
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Jan 30, 2015
Why are some games lost before they are even started? Is your performance connected to your emotions? Are you in good psychological shape?
I invite you all to read the following article (click on link below) and you will get some of the answers you're looking for:
"Mastering Your Emotions" by WGM Natalia_Pogonina (Aug 2, 2011)
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Jan 15, 2015
Every few weeks, I will be sharing with team members chess.com articles that I find are helpful and complementing to our group's main theme: psychology and sacrifices (including other related topics). This week I invite you all to read the following article, originally posted on July 4, 2009:
"Winning When a Piece Down" by WGM Natalia_Pogonina (July 4, 2009)
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Jan 13, 2015
