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I will try to make a puzzle once a week and the whole point is to get the other person in checkmate.............................enjoy!

MISTAKE HERE

try to solve this mate in just about 3 minutes. There are 6 moves in this puzzle. Good luck!

ZΩ≈Grounded for two weeks. Might not be back. In the mind time, since I won't be able to play chess for a while, since this is the main spot of the chess I play I think I will need to refresh my chess. I have recently aquired  "Pandolfini Chess complete by Bruce Pandolfini" And as well  touch up on my magic. See yall later.Ill prob be back in two-three weeks.

 What Do you think about a reading Group based on "My System"?

me playing against the the engine shredder :P the elo rating it's based on is 1100 elo.

At the moment with my work commitments only have time to do tactics training. However i looked forward after May that work peak period is over. I hope to do the following1) read about advance french (opening)2) read about tarrasch french (opening)3) repair my opening on burn and stenitz variation (opening)If I still have time I will read on 4) basic endgames 5) My system  

I have played about 200 games. the 5 won games were due to winning by time which I think don't deserve to be wins since no good game play. But never mind that. 200 games :D how many do you guys have played?

A game me and my friend played. A bit funny since the comments we gave each other during the game. Ill rephrase them to fit as annotation for the game. Funny how it end's.  Funny how he said he could beat me on msn. Now when ever I mention this game he says he never played me  

In about four weeks I'll have time to study chess. I'll be studying mostly tactics, endgame, and strategy. I might even study the opening. Some of my favorites are Sicilian(Najdorf), Ruy Lopez (only as White, I never play 1...e5 as a response to 1.e4), Nimzo-Indian, Queen's Indian, Queen's Gambit (also as White, I always play 1...Nf6 as a response to 1.d4), and Sokolsky's Opening. Some of the books I have are "Art of Attack in Chess" by Vladimir Vukovic, "Chess"(5334 puzzles) by Lazlo Polgar, "a Killer Opening Repertoire" by Aaron Summerscale (other opening books I have are on RL exchange, Bb5 Sicilian, and I have an opening encyclopedia), and "Turning Advantage Into Victory in Chess" by Andrew Soltis. I've recently ordered "Simple Chess" by Michael Stean and I'm also looking to buy a good endgame book because it might be one of my weakest parts of the game. Okay, so heres what the plan might look like: Tactics- tactical server, "Chess" Lazlo Polgar 30% of time; Endgame- CM9000, "Turnining Advantage into Victory..." by Andrew Soltis 20% of time; Strategy- "Simple Chess"  20% of time; Opening- opening books 10% of time; Studying my or GM games- 20%. 

Not much to tell about me, I love playing chess and feel I can do better then I have. But i am completely confused about how to study and what to study first. End, Middle or Begining game. Gambits, so on and so on.What books to read and what books will waste my time!So I need help!!!Thanks

I am a new member of the "Study Buddy Group" group. Well what I want to increase in is the middle game. I been recently messing with the endgame. As well knowing good basic and really good openings for both black and white. Yet some openings I tend to forget each line. I started playing chess when I was twelve then quit. Now I started playing again last year. And been losing and winning most of my games. I play against a old man. He's name is David. He is a bit old, over 60 I think. But still a good player. I been getting better each time we play. And learning new tactics along the way. I get him in the openning and middle, yet the endgame he get's me. As well with the fact he some time find me in a blundered move. I been training with Chessmaster Grandmaster edition: The art of learning. David notice the difference since our match's. He even offers me some help and I politly accept or decline in some situation's. I love chess very much, it's the only thing I think about. And the only thing I want to do. "All I want to do, ever, is just play chess." - Bobby Fischer RIP. Those are the words I love to say. I am currently 14. Holding a rating of 1385 on this site. I do not know my ELO rating is, but once I am older I might get a registered with FICS. My chess playing is both strong and good and horrible and bad at time's. What I want to learn in is handling the middle game, and having a stronge endgame. I learn how to set up trap's, and sacrifaces as well. But those don't help me win every game.- Roger. "You can only get good at chess if you love the game." -- Bobby Fischer 

One day my father took out his electronic chess set. Well, i think my mother took it out of the wardrobe with the hope that this piece of junk might be thrown out! Anyway, there it was in a bag on the table. As a kid, you things a little different and i just seen cool pieces and was like, wow, whats this all about! My dad set up the pieces but kinda shrugged the idea of teaching me because it was too difficult (maybe because of my age i gather). On that occasion he showed me the moves but the following day that board and pieces was put back into a bag and onto the top of the wardrobe.A year or two later i bought a cheap set with my pocket money i think. I remembered what my dad had thought me, the moves. I came home and my dad showed me a few things and we had a game or two, basically introducing me to how the game goes.I seemed to show some enthusiasim towards chess this time and my mother informed me of a local chess club. She told my father to bring me to the club. I dont think he liked the idea,lol but anyway, he took me down to the club and i met the members. It was great fun and i met some people my age. The club members told me that there was an upcoming Irish Youth Chess Championshipswhich i could play under age 12 group. I thought to myself oh no, i will just lose so badly. My mother told me a few days later that she made the call and i was entered into the tournament. Ha, i was a bag of nerves but i went along to thetwo day event and i scored something like 7/9 and finished in 2nd place. First and third place had played for my province and for my country so i guess i had done something right!So, it turned out that at youth level i was quite okay for my age. I went to an 'adult' tournament a few weeks later but i scored terrible, something like 1.5/5 (1.0 being a bye,lol). I didnt mind, i was just playing a game i loved.After reading an Advert in The Irish Chess Journal my mother phoned the Irish Chess Academy and booked me in for a lesson. I thought this would be like a 'school' but the teacher was very friendly and helpful. He decided that i was suitable to start a one of lessons with him. DUring this year of lessons i improved alot and spent time on all aspects of the game. I read only very few books and worked using chessbase. I actually took lessons for 2-3 years and during these short few years i played loads of tournaments. Mostly in Ireland but also in France, England, Greece, Spain, and the Isle of Man. I scored quite well sometimes and more or less always  scored at least 50%. I won some grading prizes and each year until i was 16 i scored a placing in the Irish Youth Champs.I got to play for the Irish Youth team at the Glorney Cup, and also in the European Youth CHess Championships (twice). One of my best achievements was scoring a board prize for my club team in the Heidenfeld Cup (Irish Divison 2) on board 2with a score of 9/11 i think. [I also scored 2nd place in my category at the British Champs in 2002, probably the last tournament i played].For some reason, chess seemed not to interest me so more. It was actually during the second time i played european youth champs i had this thought. I remember having a conversation with one of the Irish coaches at the time. I cant really explain why i turned away from chess but i started playing alot of guitar and spending more time with more outgoing adventurous friends! You know at that age, you get a little hyper and go off on a tangent!So, i had started at age 12. At 13 i took lessons until around 16years old when i stopped playing chess.For the next 4-5 years i didnt play any games at all. Only some drunken games in a pub in the middle of nowhere in Germany one summer.I dont know what made me start playing chess last summer (21yrs old). Maybe because i have moved onto university and wanted something a little more of a challange since im reading books and studying anyway why not add chess to the list. Its fun too!I miss the people that i met along the way and have not played any long games in years. I only play online and mostly blitz games. My plan is go  start playing tournaments again and challange for a place on the Irish mens team. After that, if i can become Irish Champion i will be very pleased!! I cant say anymore as my journey to reach this goal has just begun!! Maybe in a few years i can re-write this telling you the ups and downs of it all! (wish me luck right?! :p)Okay, so thats a long winded load of aul rubbish and i dont expect many to read it but i guess there is a story to every chess player, if hes a GM or just  an average club player.My favourite aspect of the game is the opening. I love challanging my opponents to opening battles and dont like to let people ease into the middlegame without showing they have a good understanding of the opening. If they dont, i usuallyobtain an advantage. The middlegame is something that i always wanted to get to and well...try and win the game there but now i try to test each opponent in each phase of the game. (Think triathlon athlethe!)My standard of play is quite good usually but i can play bad sometimes, naturally, we all do sometimes. I have played people of all standards all the way up to the strength of world number 2! Yes, i played GM Michael Adams in 2000 (blitz) and i even won the exchange! I have played GMs: LUke McShane, Bogdan Lalic, Julian Hogson, Jan Smeets, David Howell, Jonathon Turner(also a winner on tv show countdown,lol), Alexander Baburin, Mark Hebden, IM Bellon, IM Mark Quinn.In 2000 i also met the great GM Boris Spassky. [Pictures are in my profile]. When i stopped playing chess i was only 1600-1700 range but i was able to hold my own against 2100+ Fide. I guess i was just building my rating slowing, but now i have read alot more and sepnt alot more time with chess but i cant say what my 'real' grade is. My guess is minimum 1700 but i cant say maximum since i havnt played long games in years.The reason i joined the study group is not only to help my own game but if anyone needs any hints or tips even a few informal lessons i would more than be willing to help, for free. (once you have chessbase/fritz/chessbase reader or would be willing to download chessbase light which is free) [Basically so you could open the files i send you].Fav openings: Open Sicilians, English, Budapest Gambit.

I've been playing chess since I was seven (currently fifteen), but I've just recently started studying the game.  I've been studying a bit of strategy, but I've mostly been studying openings, which I know is the opposite of how you're supposed to do it.  I'm planning on checking out a book on endgames from my library during the summer.  The openings I'm familiar with are: Four Knights Game, Giuoco Piano, French Defense, Caro-Kann Defense, and I'm studying the Sicilian Defense.  I'm familiar with several variations of each.I've been on chess.com since August or so, and I belong to two chess clubs - one at my home junior high school, and another at my school for advanced math, science, and tech classes. 

How about a study partner? Like someone you work with, play games against each other, either LIVE or turn-base. show some reasonable lines or offer some help. Telling a mistake. Or talking each move in the game. of course it'll be unrated since it'll be a help each other out game. And if the partners want a rated game they will, but it all out war. :D For example.Partner A(white) and Partner B(black)a few opening moves, now one partner is stuck say partner A is stuck, and doesn't know that partner B has a trap coming his way. He then ask for help from the other member, asking which move to do. Of course this is a unrated game so helping him out is fair and fair. After a few moves it seem Partner B is now in a situation(Black) and ask's Partner A for help. It's the middle game. Partner B worst situation. Partner A can't handle good opening which is why he asked for help. Partner A gives the advice and the lines. Then the endgame can be either a all out war or a simple game, how a game can be drawn, or a game can be lost. Maybe a stalemate is possible. or something like that. The partners helped each other out. After a few more unrated games. Maybe a rated game will be next. something like this every odd or even number a games like every 4 unrated games the 5th is a rated game or 3 games the 4th is a rated game and so on and so on.    This is a good way for studying since you're helping each other out in the unrated game. BUT this only works if you're willing to be honest and actually help out in the unrated games instead of giving out bad lines. That'll be a good idea, unless someone spoke about this idea then well I'm bummed. - Roger“I am lucky, ... that the popular sport in the Soviet Union was chess and not baseball.” ~ Garry Kasparov

 Here are a few nice suggestions:http://danheisman.home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Articles/Exercises.htmlI like the Stoyko exercise a lot even though I have only done it a few times. Please share nice positions for a Stoyko exercise!

Hello everybody,About my training goals: I just read a lot of book about chess.My chess backgrounds: King's Gambit and Ruy Lopez.How I reach my goals: I reach my goals by looking some of the                                                       chess information, article, chess puzzle and etc.-Muhammad 

I'm just returning to chess after a 32 year lay-off.  The emphasis so far has been having fun.  I played with Fritz and Chessmaster for a month but I got bored.  Then I found Chessmaster which is far better as you play with real people and you also have the opportunity to learn.I have always been an impulsive player, strong on strategy but weak on theory.  I plan to improve on my opening and endgame theory.  My objective this month is to complete twenty games and without too much thought.  Then...I plan to learn an opening for d3 and an opening for d4 with two responses for black to each one.  Any suggestions?

Since we are supposed to discuss books and there are no chess shops available in my area at all I would like to know if anyone knows of a good place to purchase books on the web? Can I order books from UK/US or do I have to pay extra for that? And does anyone know of a good Swedish book store? Thanks!