The hardest task the beginner must undertake when learning the game’s rules is mastering the movement of the pawns and pieces. While writing my latest book about playing chess, I got to the end of the rules section and realized that I dedicated roughly fifty pages just to pawn and piece movement. It goes without … Continue reading "Mastering Pawn and Piece Movement" The post Mastering...

“Chess is the gymnasium of the mind.” Blaise Pascal Our club activity is picking up steam. We are learning tactics which are always a hoot. One can feel the excitement compared with learning strategy concepts for example. Who does not like fireworks, right? The club tournament is also underway, a great opportunity to witness many … Continue reading "Tales from the Club" The post Tales...

Παιδικό Τουρνουά Rapid   Παιδικό rapid τουρνουά με ελβετικό σύστημα 7 γύρων με διεθνή αξιολόγηση ELO FIDE Rapid (Οι διοργανωτές μπορούν να αλλάξουν σύστημα αγώνων ανάλογα με τον αριθμό συμμετοχών)   Την Κυριακή, 16 Φεβρουαρίου...

It’s time to return to my occasional series where I ask Stockfish 10 it’s opinion of some famous old gambits. They’ve produced many beautiful games over the years, but do they still stand up to modern computer analysis? Last time I started to look at how the engine would defend against the King’s Gambit. You … Continue reading "Muffling the Muzio" The post Muffling...

I consider chess a sport in that it’s played competitively and a world champion is decided through a series of organized competitive games. Chess players train the same way athletes do, except it’s more about the mind rather than the body. I know that many would argue about whether chess is truly a sport. However, … Continue reading "Chess Needs a Greater Female Presence" The...

“Το σκακιστικό πρόβλημα” που ζωγράφισε ο Φιοντόρ Πάβλοβιτς Ρεσετνίκοβ, πιστεύεται κάπου ανάμεσα στο 1945 και 1949 και σήμερα ανήκει σε ιδιωτική συλλογή. Ο Ρεσετνίκοβ ήταν εκπρόσωπος του σοσιαλιστικού ρεαλισμού στη...

“Allons enfants de la patrie…” La Marseillaise Real life play is the best teacher with one condition: analyse all games afterwards and figure out what went right and what went wrong. The students committed to improve are firm believers in that; the others are at best moving forward at a snail pace. My student was … Continue reading "French Defence 101 (2)" The post French...

Στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του 1860 ο Πολ Μόρφι είχε πρακτικά εγκαταλείψει το σκάκι, το παιχνίδι που ήταν ο καλύτερος του κόσμου. Προσπάθησε, χωρίς επιτυχία, να κάνει καριέρα ως δικηγόρος και μετά βυθίστηκε σε αξεπέραστα...

Μια Ιρανή διαιτητής του σκακιού, η οποία κατηγορήθηκε ότι παραβίασε τον ισλαμικό κώδικα ενδυμασίας της χώρας της, όταν διηύθυνε ένα γυναικείο τουρνουά, δήλωσε ότι δεν επιθυμεί να επιστρέψει από τη Ρωσία, γιατί φοβάται...

Here’s another pawn ending for you. Black to play: how would you continue? You might want to go away and analyse this for yourself before reading on. Perhaps you’re wondering why I keep on banging on about pawn endings. First of all, they’re important and, you could argue, underpin the whole of chess. I have … Continue reading "Trifunovic’s Ending" The post...

I’ve noticed that many people who get involved in playing chess become obsessed with the game, myself included. Chess is a game that really exercises the mind and those in need of a mental workout will find it on the chessboard. The game itself rewards those who study it by occasionally revealing one of it’s … Continue reading "Terminal Burnout" The post Terminal Burnout...

“All assessment is a perpetual work in progress.” Linda Suskie An important book to study once you pass the 1,000 CFC rating barrier is “Reassess Your Chess” by IM Silman. The book helps you make the next jump in assessing positions properly. Take the following position for example, a position we reached during last week’s … Continue reading "Fair Assessment (2)" The...

Φίλες και φίλοι καλημέρα,Τα νέα του συλλόγου μας για αυτή την εβδομάδα:Συνοπτικά:Η πρόκληση έγινε δεκτή!!!Ομαδικά πρωταθλήματαΣχολικά πρωταθλήματαΑναλυτικά….Την Κυριακή 9 Φεβρουαρίου η ΧΑΝ Καλαμαριάς μας προκάλεσε...

A friend of mine showed me a game he played the other day in an Under 120 county match between Surrey and Middlesex. Both players are about 1500 strength. I thought you might like to see the ending. My friend had the black pieces. We’ll pick up the game here where he has to decide … Continue reading "County Match" The post County Match appeared first on The Chess Improver.

16ος ΔΙΕΘΝΗΣ ΠΑΡΑΛΛΗΛΟΣ ΔΙΑΓΩΝΙΣΜΟΣΛΥΣΗΣ ΣΚΑΚΙΣΤΙΚΩΝ ΠΡΟΒΛΗΜΑΤΩΝΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ 26 ΙΑΝΟΥΑΡΙΟΥ 2020Η Παγκόσμια Ομοσπονδία για το Καλλιτεχνικό Σκάκι WFCC (World Federation for Chess Composition) προκηρύσσει τον 16ο Διεθνή Παράλληλο Διαγωνισμό Λύσης...