Good afternoon everyone. Last time round the comments centred on Lajos Portisch, rather than the original subject matter! I said that I would post something to show what a fine player he was. Doing this straight out of my head, so apologies for th...
Good afternoon everyone. Back off holidays with a very simple, unpretentious offering - just because I can! I have started on another blog based on my holiday reading, but decided to throw this in quickly - I hope you enjoy it. Well, something...
Afternoon everyone. Lots here - I have had nothing else to do! Still not great here, but on the mend - with thanks to those who have expressed concern. With time to kill, I revisited this lovely book, which I had dug out for pictures las...
Good afternoon everyone. Just a simple bit of sharing and chat today. I have been off work sick for a while - not pleasant - but the benefit has been being able to follow some chess online, live. ( for you young people of the internet generation...
Good afternoon everyone. Apologies for my absence - real life again rears it's ugly head! Lots here - but believe me I have cut it short. Normal thing with my blogs - dip in and out when you have time to spare. Those wishing to dig further can...
Good afternoon everyone. Whilst most online chess watchers were trying to work out Rapport's wonderful brilliancy this week, I was also trying to follow another game. When Ivanchuk is playing - it feels strange to see him in the secondary ...
Good afternoon everyone. A conversation with a chess friend this week brought to mind a favourite game of mine. I have been over it many times via various books. So, with a day off work, I sat down with some of the books - Nuremberg 1896, by T...
Good afternoon everyone. It's surprising how the same chess idea can appear in front of your eyes a number of times in a short space of time! Someone recently posted an online puzzle with an idea seen in a game I had posted here shortly before. ...
Afternoon everyone. My few regular followers will know that I have been doing some heavy reading of late. so I took time out to do what I love - looking at a mass of forgotten games. The wonderful britbase has recently posted a pgn of the game...
Good afternoon everyone. WARNING! This will be a long blog - albeit a mere pin prick of the 460+ pages of the book being looked at, so normal advice - pop in and out when you have the time. Hopefully it will be worth the time spent. Before I g...
Afternoon everyone. Sadly we have just lost one of the good guys of chess - Fridrik Olafsson. A man who took on the job of FIDE president to try to make things better for chess players. Back when I did my articles on Malcolm Barker I intended ...
Afternoon everyone. Back with some more wonderful games from the match. Only notes to one - the last one - to save time all round. ( there are lots of game notes in Griffin's wonderful blog linked to in Part One) I finished last time with Salo F...
Good afternoon everyone. A big bag of games and some pictures to enjoy. In 1949 Moscow and Budapest contested a team match in two parts - one in each city. It produced an absolute mass of wonderful chess! I have games in at least a dozen books. ...
Afternoon everyone! I'm back with a big bag of goodies - should have been two blogs, but I wanted to get the material on the page while it is in my head. So grab a beer - pack of Guinness here! - and enjoy the journey. So, the project I mentione...
Afternoon everyone. I won't be posting for a few weeks. I have been asked to do a little project for a chess historian friend of mine, and then - my wife's health permitting - will be away for a week. I have been posting games on bluesky u...
Afternoon everyone. My long time readers will understand the title. Huge amount here, so, as usual, just pop in and out, cherry pick, etc. Just enjoy whatever of the material you choose to enjoy! I am snowed under with books at the momen...
So, having looked at Tarrasch, I will go to someone who could be seen as almost the antithesis of Tarrasch - Gyula Breyer. Actually, the two were opposites in some things whilst similar in others. Breyer would beat Tarrasch in a 'dogma' contest! A...
Afternoon everyone. Siegbert Tarrasch. Indisputably one of the most important players ever! Not only was he the strongest player in the world for a time, he was undoubtably one of the most influential annotators ever. Well, I have discus...
Afternoon everyone. This one is a contrast to last time! Well, those few who have been my friends here over the years will know that I only started playing chess as a substitute for other sports - notably cricket. I got injured at a young age an...
Afternoon everyone. It's been a while. You will see why when you get to the game!! So, Milan Vidmar. kvarkadabra.net Amazing man, World leader in his field - Botvinnik studied his academic work - and also number 4 chess player in the Worl...
Afternoon everyone. Welcome to 2025. I hope it is a good year for you all. So, Wilhelm ( Wolf' William) Steinitz the annotator. IMHO he basically invented the art of annotating chess games ( other opinions are available!) His column in 'The Fiel...
Afternoon everyone, and seasonal greetings to all. Yes, it's been a while. Been having major house renovation work done. . However, now all done and I can get at my library again! Before I forget, I have started posting games over on bluesky if ...
Afternoon everyone. I am back with another look at a master of the art of annotating a chess game. Mark Taimanov. In passing, I must say that many Soviet players of the era were outstanding annotators - perhaps it was all to do with the training t...
Afternoon everyone. I am off on holiday in a couple of days so back more quickly than intended with this part of the series. Before I begin, let's throw in a wonderful picture I have just come across researching this - I guess it is from the Not...
Afternoon everyone, and welcome along to some chess joy! Last time round I mentioned that one of many projects which I have never gotten round to doing is to write about my favourite annotators. So let's do a series! You get one game in each. ...
