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Here's Nakamura playing puzzle rush. The first example is in "survival mode", that is, untimed mode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMdp-8sWUWs Here's another, where he goes for +50 in 3 minute PR: Watch at 2:08:12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMVMmo00TuM

Pawns are born free and everywhere are put in chains. ~Andy Soltis Pawns are the Soul of Chess ~Philidor I've said before that pawns are the foot soldiers, the weakest things on the board. They aren't even pieces, they're piece wannabes. That's all true. And yet, pawns define the structure of chess itself. A strong master can often win a game if they have just a single pawn advantage. Today, we are going to see how pawns can break through seemingly impossible walls and overcome the opposition. But first, let's start with one of the most stunning and memorable feats in the history of pawns! In the 1830s, there was no such thing as "world champions". Nobody had heard of Paul Morphy yet, and the center of the chess world were coffee houses and salons in England and France. This is no surprise, since the salons and coffeehouses of these great nations were the place to be for all sorts of intellectual activity! The best player in the world from about 1820 was a French man, Louis Charles de la Bourdonnais. He was born a minor aristocrat and survived the French Revolution mostly by keeping his head down and away from the guillotines. It helped that he was born and spent his formative years on the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. When he came to Paris, he discovered La Café de la Régence, which was the center of the chess world. He learned to play better and quickly became the best player there. In the 1830s, an Anglo-Irishman named Alexander McDonnell challenged him for the unofficial bragging rights of who the best player was. The two played six matches totaling 85 games. They shaped the understanding of chess and their games were studied around the world. One game in particular shocked everyone with its brilliance is still rated as one of the most beautiful games ever played. We will begin our discussion of pawns here. Wow. In 2021, this was ranked as one of the 100 greatest games ever played. Today's main lesson is the pawn breakthrough. This is when a pawn breaks through the opposing pawn chain and queens. This often involves a sacrifice. Let's begin with one of the most famous examples that everyone should know: Here's the same idea in a slightly more complicated position: Here's an example from a real game, Svacina-Müller, 1941: The Encylopedia of Chess Middlegames: Combinations first came out in 1980, and it listed 16 distinct tactics. One of those tactics is the Pawn breakthrough. Literally, next to the term, the following diagram shows the quintessential pawn breakthrough! Sometimes, the breakthrough is against an invisible wall put up by an opposing piece. Here's an example:

Hi! Today, we will be covering a range of basic endgame concepts and positions. The main theme that ties all these positions together is that they are generally considered essential knowledge, and are best explained by using strategic thinking rather than concrete tactical analysis. Always Analyze Forcing Moves First (AAFMF) is still the rule, but in these endgames, we will be looking at plans more than individual moves. Let's begin with some simple positions: White to move: White can force checkmate in two moves. How? is 1.Qe6 a good or bad move? White to move can force checkmate in two moves: White to move can win, but only one move will work. It's Blacks turn. What is his best move? How can White force Checkmate in two moves? Black to move. How can Black win? The next few positions are a review of K and Pawn vs King. Remember that in order to win, White needs to complete any two of the following three conditions: The King is in front of the pawn The King is on the sixth Rank The King has the opposition Your task is not to solve the following positions, but to determine if it is a win or draw with best play.

As of today, here are the standings for April's Rated Games Leaderboard. First Place wins a 6 month premium membership to Chess.com! Handle Rated Games @AdenHilden: 165 @plil123 80 @Holdthiebeer 57 @Mikeb77777 54 @grvllllllll 34 @RoyrodriguezDerik15 13 @Jones1L20 7 @FrancesLeDuke 3 @KimchiElixir 3

As of today, here are the standings for April's Rated Games Leaderboard. First Place wins a 6 month premium membership to Chess.com! Handle Rated Games @AdenHilden: 165 @plil123 80 @Holdthiebeer 57 @Mikeb77777 54 @grvllllllll 34 @RoyrodriguezDerik15 13 @Jones1L20 7 @FrancesLeDuke 3 @KimichiElixir 3

Today we will cover some basic endgame themes that we haven't already discussed. We will look at: Mating with 2 Bishops vs a lone King K and R vs K and pawn Two Essential Rook endings: The Lucena Position and the Philidor Position. Many of these endgames do not have a single forcing line, so we won't be doing many "puzzles" today.

Puzzle Rush is a fun way to get a bunch of tactical puzzles quickly. Below is a video of one of the best puzzle rushers on the planet, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, playing puzzle rush. Take a look at how fast he solves basic tactics!

Last week, we discussed deflection/removing the guard. This week, we will look at ways to set up traps and tactics in the opening. Traps are an essential element of developing in the opening, but it's dangerous to rely too heavily on traps. "Trappy players" and trappy openings are generally viewed with suspicion because once the tactics are over, a trappy opening usually resulting in inferior positions. Trappy players are usually considered dangerous but superficial. We need to learn to distinguish between "good" and "bad" traps. Here is an example of a bad trap: Many of the old classic openings are rich in traps. The Philidor Defense is one example. From the last position, here's a puzzle: How does White win the Q? As I mentioned, the Philidor has many traps. The next part of the lesson is taken from my own opening repertoire.

The Decoy is another in the basic vocabulary of chess tactics. It is also known as an "attraction" attack. The idea is to lure the opponent's piece, usually the king or queen, to a terrible square. It's a very beautiful motif that may be better explained by examples: The first example shows Black is ahead a Knight, but White has a clever way to force the end of the game in two moves! Here's an example where the Queen is lured to a terrible spot. No matter how Black responds, they lose their Q. Here's a slightly more complicated version of the decoy, enticing the Black king on to a square where it can then be forked: Here's another decoy to a Knight fork: Here's a cool decoy where Black is given the choice of how to lose their King: Here are two more famous examples of world Champion Tigran Petrosian decoying Black onto a square where it will be forked. And here's a position where, Black to move would deliver checkmate. But it's White to move! And here's one of my favorite examples, from a World Championship match between Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky. Again, he uses decoying tactics to set up a lethal fork.

https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/1299 Please refer to this link to register and find information regarding the State tournament next weekend.

Today, Ian Nepomniachtchi drew the first game of the World Championship match against Magnus Carlsen with the White pieces. In any game between the best players in the world a draw is always the most likely result, but Magnus as Black managed to create some difficult problems for the challenger. The games are broadcast here live and on youtube too. Here's a link to today's game: https://www.chess.com/events/2021-fide-world-chess-championship/01/Nepomniachtchi_Ian-Carlsen_Magnus

Here is a preview of the match. The site is partially free and you can register as a guest to view some of the content including this article. https://chess24.com/en/read/news/carlsen-nepomniachtchi-world-championship-preview

Here’s a video of Magnus playing against some of the best players under the age of 18 in the World. His handicap is that he is discussing his moves as he plays them all with only 3 minutes for the entire game. His insights are fascinating! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hjv1-14-SuU

Here is a video of Magnus Carlsen taking an endgame challenge. Take your time and pause the video often to see if you can work out these positions. Have fun! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k1SCXb2WA2U