It’s frustrating, or perhaps amusing, to read posts on Facebook in which inexperienced players ask why the engine told them their move was a blunder, and then other equally inexperienced players attempt to be helpful by answering the question. Here’s an example. Here, White, no doubt thinking he was being clever, played Ng5 and was … Continue reading "Facebook Follies" The post...

Last week, we looked at a chess tactic called a skewer. A skewer is similar to a pin. Only the long distance pieces – Queen, Rooks and Bishops – can execute a skewer. Skewers also take place along the ranks, files or diagonals. Like a pin, three pieces are involved in a skewer; the piece … Continue reading "A Foundation for Beginners Forty Eight" The post A Foundation for Beginners...

 Οι κινήσεις για συμμετοχή στους Πανικάριους Διαδικτυακούς Αγώνες   Δήλωση συμμετοχής με πλήρη στοιχεία (ονοματεπώνυμο, σύλλογος, βαθμός αξιολόγησης, καθώς και ψευδώνυμο για το chess.com), στο ηλεκτρονικό ταχυδρομείο...

“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer” Bruce Lee A quick reminder how it works: Have a look at the position for 1 minute (watch the clock) Think about the choices in front of you and pick the one you feel it is … Continue reading "“What Say You?” The 1 Minute Challenge (53)" The post “What Say You?”...

 Πανικάριοι Διαδικτυακοί Σκακιστικοί Αγώνες 2022   chess.com 15/1, 16/1, 23/1, 30/1, 6/2 με ώρα έναρξης 7 μ.μ.   ΣΥΝΟΠΤΙΚΑ: Πέντε αυτοτελή on line τουρνουά στο chess.com με ώρα έναρξης 7 μ.μ.   Δηλώσεις συμμετοχής σε skaki64@gmail.comή...

Here’s a question for you. Black played Bxb4 in this position. Is this a mistake or a clever move winning a pawn? While you think about your answer… I wrote last time about taking a different approach to tactics training. I have a database of 9 million plus games. I know there will be several … Continue reading "100 Years Ago (1)" The post 100 Years Ago (1) appeared first on The...

“… We like bar fights We like nose rings We like eating snails We always indulge in our favorite things No wonder our skin’s so pale…” AC/DC Jingle Hells Bells Happy New Year wherever you are! Let’s hope for a better 2022 for all of us. Last week’s puzzle can be revisited HERE. I hope … Continue reading "A Christmas Puzzle (2)" The post A Christmas...

A couple of thoughts first. Chess is a game of mistakes, not of good moves. As Tartakower wrote, “Chess is a fairy tale of 1001 blunders”. If I’m playing Magnus Carlsen, if I don’t make any mistakes I won’t lose. If Magnus makes a mistake and I don’t, I’ll win. Objectively, there are no good … Continue reading "A Different Approach to Tactics" The...

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. It’s now time to start the new year, which will hopefully, bring us all some much needed relief! This week, we’re going to look at a tactic called the skewer which is a close cousin to the pin. This will be an easy lesson because the … Continue reading "A Foundation for Beginners Forty Seven" The post A Foundation for Beginners...

“We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas We wish you a merry Christmas And a happy New Year!” Christmas carol, Unknown A number of years ago a friend of mine was gifted below porcelain figure at Christmas: Anything chess related that reaches our group of friends, makes its way to … Continue reading "A Christmas Puzzle" The post A Christmas Puzzle appeared...