I had an interesting game the other day in which both players had dangerous passed pawns in the ending. I eventually lost against a strong opponent, but that’s a story for another time. Positions like this can be very tense and exciting: it’s very likely that both players will have little time left or perhaps, … Continue reading "Sharp Endings" The post Sharp Endings appeared...

Σήμερα Κυριακή 19/5, ώρα 5.30 μ.μ., διεξάγεται ο τελικός του Ομαδικού Κυπέλλου Αττικής. Αντιμέτωποι ο ΑΜΕΣ Ν. Ερυθραίας και ο ΣΟ Καλλιθέας, ενώ στον μικρό τελικό θα παίξουν ο Πειραϊκός και ο ΑΣΟΠ Δίας. Το Final -4 διοργανώνει ο...

I teach chess to a variety of people, both young and old. I teach chess privately, in schools, in prisons and have now branched off into teaching chess to those in drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatment facilities. Sadly, I’ve had personal experience with substance abuse. However, having been through drug rehabilitation programs, I know first … Continue reading "Chess and...

Η ΕΣΟ σε συνεργασία με την ΝΕΠ και την ΕΑΠ προκηρύσσει το Ανοιχτό Ατομικό Πρωτάθλημα Ανδρών-Γυναικών για την περιοχή της Περιφέρειας Δυτικής Ελλάδος. Οι αγώνες θα ξεκινήσουν στις 22/05 στο κλειστο Γυμναστήριο της ΕΑΠ.

The pawn chain decides who will play on which side of the board, as first of all that gives you space advantage on particular side so you can generate piece superiority on that side. Secondly, if your pawn chain gives more space on the kingside, this automatically means that the opponent should attack the base … Continue reading "Pawn Chain" The post Pawn Chain appeared first on The Chess...

ABBA Song The hardest game to win is a won game. A won game is one where your position should lead to an easy win at normal play. The player holding the advantage must remain alert or victory could slip through their fingers. I have had my share of games where victory slipped through my … Continue reading "Slipping Through My Fingers" The post Slipping Through My Fingers appeared first on...

What do you know about Louis Paulsen? You’ll probably recall he lost a Famous Game to Morphy (you know, the one with Qd3 and Qxf3). You might associate his name with a variation of the Sicilian Defence which you might also call the Kan Variation. Perhaps you’re aware that, in the days before chess clocks, … Continue reading "Louis Paulsen" The post Louis Paulsen appeared first...

14ο Πανευρωπαϊκό Πρωτάθλημα Λύσης Σκακιστικών Προβλημάτων14th European Chess Solving ChampionshipΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ (Γλυφάδα, 9 Μαΐου 2019)Με εξαιρετική οργανωτική και αγωνιστική επιτυχία ολοκληρώθηκε το Πανευρωπαϊκό Πρωτάθλημα Λύσης...

Many of my students are musicians. In one hand they hold their musical instrument of choice and in the other hand, a fist full of dreams. Being a musician myself, I understand their dreams of one day becoming part of music’s rich and colorful history. I was fortunate enough to have made my own mark … Continue reading "Music or Chess?" The post Music or Chess? appeared first on The...

The final of the 2017/19 British Correspondence Chess Championship has recently finished, with English player SIM Praveen Kumar Rallabandi the Champion with a score of 9/14 (+4, =10, -0). Praveen started the final as a CCE and gained a SIM norm towards his SIM title. No other player could match Praveen’s four wins. Runner up … Continue reading "British Correspondence Chess...

Εντυπωσιακά νέα έρχονται από τον Νικόλα Θεοδώρου και την απόφασή του να συνεχίσει τις σπουδές του στο St. Louis της Αμερικής. Είναι γεγονός ότι πέρα από τις σπουδές του, το Πανεπιστήμιο του προσφέρει ένα πλούσιο αγωνιστικό...

The more experienced a player is, the more they love their bishops! In the endgame the bishop pair is clearly better than the pair of knights or Knight and Bishop because they are long range pieces. But in the middle game too the bishop pair is more valuable. Why is this? The first reason is … Continue reading "Why the Bishop Pair is so Valuable" The post Why the Bishop Pair is so Valuable...

“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” Yogi Berra We must learn new things to improve and move forward. As much as we have covered in our quest for mastering a subject or a sport activity, there’s still a lot in front of us waiting to be discovered. … Continue reading "Learning New Openings" The post Learning New Openings...

Over the last few years I’ve been playing the Qa5 Scandinavian from time to time in casual games. We usually start like this: 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Black’s plan is simple: develop the queen’s bishop to either g4 or f5, play c6, followed, if necessary, … Continue reading "Scandi Noir" The post Scandi Noir appeared first on The Chess Improver.

“I really wish my students would follow my instructions, after all, I know what I’m doing!” I’ve heard this from many of my peers who teach chess for a living. My fellow teachers become frustrated because they’ve created a well thought out lesson that teaches a specific game principle, only to have their students not … Continue reading "Try it Your Way" The post Try it...