Last week, we looked at a basic King and pawn against lone King endgame. The position we examined in which one player had an extra pawn was won because White’s King was able to escort it’s pawn to the promotion square. Most King and pawn endgames will have multiple pawns in play, making it more … Continue reading "Multiple Pawn Endgame" The post Multiple Pawn Endgame appeared...

I was asked recently about my best game and mentioned my win over Stepak from 1990 was a candidate. Like many of my better games it did not find its way into the databases so I decided to dig it out of one of my old notebooks. I hasten to add that I do not … Continue reading "One of my Best Games" The post One of my Best Games appeared first on The Chess Improver.

“… How much attention we apply to a task will vary depending on what the task demand is.” Dr Gemma Briggs Our online club championship continues to provide what can easily be described as seesaw games. What do I mean by that? It means the advantage alternates from one side to the other and back. … Continue reading "Attention Span (2)" The post Attention Span (2) appeared...

At what age do chess players start to decline in strength? It’s an interesting question. Traditionally, it was considered that your peak was in your late 30s, but it can vary a lot. It’s good to see players in their 50s such as Anand, Gelfand and Ivanchuk still playing top level chess. Their ratings might … Continue reading "The End of the Road?" The post The End of the Road...

Last week, I wrote about the importance of pawns and an active King during the endgame. I mentioned that you have to think about the endgame early on and only make moves that help you reach the goal of a strong position going into this final phase of play (the endgame). While it might seem … Continue reading "Basic King and Pawn Endgame" The post Basic King and Pawn Endgame appeared first...

Έφτιαξα ένα βοηθητικό τεσσάρι, που έχει ενδιαφέρον δίδυμο, με περιστροφή της σκακιέρας κατά 180 μοίρες.Πρόβλημα-841Manolas Emmanuel, 31/07/2020h#4, a) diagram, b) twin: rotate 180°a) αριστερό διάγραμμα1.c5 b6 2.Ra7 bxa7 3.Kh3 a8=Q 4.Bg4 Qh1#b) δεξιό διάγραμμα1.Ka5 Bh2 2.Ba6...

Tomorrow is my 60th birthday. I like to use birthdays as an opportunity for reflection, and especially big ones like those which are multiples of 10. Chess will feature in my thoughts as I wonder how much I should try to play from here. During the last three years there has been little opportunity, and … Continue reading "Turning 60" The post Turning 60 appeared first on The Chess Improver.

“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 (40)" The post “What Say You?”...

By now it was March, and everyone was increasingly aware that a lockdown was imminent. Our next match, away to Ealing, went ahead as normal, but without the customary handshakes. Sounds like a different world, doesn’t it? Our matches against Ealing and Kingston are (were?) the only once where I was likely to meet a … Continue reading "2019-20 Season (8)" The post 2019-20 Season (8)...

In my previous article, I wrote about some of the problems beginners have with the endgame. The reason beginners have endgame problems is because they don’t have any real experience with this final phase of the game. Most beginner games end with a sudden checkmate that occurs early in the middle-game (many times during the … Continue reading "Pawn Structure and Kings" The post Pawn...