The Vienna Game (1 e4 e5 2 Nc3) is one of the most venerable answers to 1…e5. White develops a piece and at the same time keeps the option of the f2-f4 pawn lever, which 1. e4 e5 2.Nf3 does not. In a sense it is related to the King’s Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4) but … Continue reading "Vanquish ’em with the Vienna" The post Vanquish ’em with the Vienna appeared first on The...

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” Neale Donald Walsch It takes time to convince yourself to try new things. Depending what they are, you might jump at the opportunity right away or dismiss in outright. More often than not you find first a reason why you should not do it. I guess … Continue reading "Three Check Chess" The post Three Check Chess appeared first on The...

Success at any skill-based activity requires three things: generic attributes and skills (the difference is that you can train skills but not attributes), domain-specific knowledge and domain-specific skills. For example, you might know it’s possible to force mate with a bishop and knight against a lone king: that’s knowledge. Knowing the mate positions, and that … Continue...

Last week, we finished our examination of the pin, a great tactic that can change the course of a game. This week, we’ll delve into the wonderful world of the fork, another tactic that can be decisive in your play. We will continue our examination of the fork next week in greater detail. This week, … Continue reading "A Foundation for Beginners Twenty Four" The post A Foundation for...

In Russia the so-called Pirc Defence (1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 or 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 followed by …Nf6) is usually called the Ufimtsev Defence or the Ufimtsev-Pirc. It is so named after the Soviet and Kazakh master Anatoly Ufimtsev, who was already pioneering this line in the 1930s. Black’s idea in the Ufimtsev-Pirc … Continue reading "Undermine ’em with the Ufimtsev" The...

Hopefully the Covid crisis is gradually coming to an end and things will now return to some version of new normal. It has been a tough year for many people whose normal lifestyles have been curtailed and anyone who has lived through this time will never forget it. What will this new normal look like? … Continue reading "Fifty Shades of Ray" The post Fifty Shades of Ray appeared first on The...

“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.” Sun Tzu This weekend brought a fantastic piece of news for the Canadian Correspondence Chess Association. Pierre Jean, one of our members from Quebec, has managed to achieve a great result in … Continue reading "Planning for Victory (3)" The post Planning for...

Prague International Chess Festival 2021 took place from 14-20 June in Hotel Don Giovanni in Prague, Czech Republic. The historically third winner of the Masters tournament is the American grandmaster Sam Shankland. Shankland scored 5.5/7 points to be the sole winner of the event, followed by GM Duda Jan-Krzysztof with 5 points, and GM Wojtaszek […]

The 2021 Arzum Turkish Women’s Championship took place from 13-19 June in Corum Turkey. The event was played in 7 rounds, Swiss system, with participation of 32 players and time control of 90 minutes for the entire game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one. After 7 played rounds, IM Ekaterina Atalik convincingly won […]

European Women Individual Chess Championship 2021 will take place from 8-21 August 2021, in Iasi, Romania, The event will be played in 11 rounds, Swiss system, with time control 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from /move one. […]

My good friend and former colleague at Richmond Junior Chess Club, Ray Cannon, has just published a book which I think you might find interesting. It’s called Battle of Endgames: 1066 Stratagems for you to Conquer and comprises – you’ve guessed it – 1066 endgame puzzles. In each case there’s just one move that will … Continue reading "Battle of Endgames: 1" The...

The FIDE World Chess Cup 2021 will take place in Sochi, starting July 10, 2021. Out of 206 players taking part in FIDE World Cup 2021, a large portion earned their spots through Continental events, allowed to be organized in hybrid or online formats. This is the first time in the history of chess that the World Chess Championship […]

Last week, we started our examination of the pin, one of the first chess tactics a beginner learns. Today we’ll finish looking at the pin and a few caveats to keep in mind when employing this tactic, or any tactic for that matter. In my previous article, we looked at the fundamentals of the pin. … Continue reading "A Foundation for Beginners Twenty Three" The post A Foundation for...

Since 2016, the Paris Rapid and Blitz tournament has been a part of the Grand Chess Tour and this year is no exception. Through the support of Vivendi and Colliers International, Paris will host the second stop on the 2021 Grand Chess Tour and promises five days of excitement and fireworks. Ten elite grandmasters will […]

I wonder how many of you guess that ‘T’ would be the Trompowsky or ‘Tromp’ (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5). Sorry to disappoint you but I’ve gone instead for the ultra-respectable Tartakower-Bondarevsky-Makogonov Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, with 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 h6 … Continue reading "Trounce ’em with the...