“We are our choices” Jean-Paul Sartre A while ago I wrote two articles on this subject. You can review them here for a refresher: The Wrong Rook (2) The Wrong Rook This still remains an important moment in any position where you need to decide which rook to use. The reminder came during a regular … Continue reading "The Wrong Rook (3)" The post The Wrong Rook (3) appeared first on The...

Ο Νίκος Μενδρινός, που έχει υπάρξει πρωταθλητής Ελλάδος στην λύση σκακιστικών προβλημάτων, είχε μια μεγάλη διεθνή επιτυχία.Πήρε τη δεύτερη θέση στο πανίσχυρο Winton Cup της Αγγλίας με απόδοση 2630.Λεπτομέρειες διαβάστε στο...

In contrast to the Flank Opening used by my Dad in last week’s game, here’s a very different kind of chess featuring the Morra Gambit. Marc Esserman, playing White, has written a book on this opening in which he showed that White has compensation for the pawn. In this game he puts his money where … Continue reading "The Morra Gambit" The post The Morra Gambit appeared first on...

Three NNs will play in TCEC S15

I’m currently enjoying Alan McGowan’s new biography of the Berlin master Kurt Richter (McFarland & Co 2018). Richter (1900-1969) was a Berlin master, awarded the IM title in 1950, remembered today for his attacking play, his opening innovations and his writings, typically concerning miniature games and spectacular tactics, often written in a humorous style. McGowan …...

Season 14 has been amazing! by Matthew Sadler

Stockfish continues to dominate computer chess after defeating LCZero at the Superfinal of Season 14 of the Top Chess Engines Championship. This is a fourth consecutive title for the open source engine – after winning Season 11 of TCEC last April 2018, Stockfish never let go the title. This time, however, it was a really [...]

Congratulations, you’re now a chess parent! Welcome to the world of competitive youth chess. As with all competitive endeavors, emotions run high for both those directly involved, your child, and those indirectly involved, namely you! Of course, there are chess coaches and teachers such as myself, added into the mix. However, as the parent of … Continue reading "You Set The...

Έχει εκδοθεί συμπληρωματική προκήρυξη για τα ομαδικά πρωταθλήματα περιφέρειας Δυτικής Ελλάδας - προκριματικός όμιλος Α εθνικής και Β΄ τοπική κατηγορία

(…τζ…) Το 2007 συνήλθαμε στο Ρέικιαβικ, την μεγαλύτερη πόλη της Ισλανδίας. Υπήρχε τρομερός ενθουσιασμός, καθώς εκείνη τη χρονιά ορισμένα μέλη είχαν σχεδιάσει να συνεχίουν το ταξίδι τους στη Γροιλανδία, για μια...

It seems that chess is booming in India a where we now have a large number of talented young players. WIM Divya Deshmukh is one of them. You can find more details about her here. I am more interested in tlaking about her attitude and daring; when playing against much higher rated players most people … Continue reading "Another Indian Rising Star: Intuition & Attitude" The post Another...

“You discover nothing; you only learn of what you have been ignorant of so far.” Lamine Pearlheart, To Life from the Shadows There was a time, as hard as it may be to believe, when one had to get their source of information in printed formats such as books. Contrary to popular belief that time … Continue reading "About Googling and Sharing Information" The post About Googling and...

My Dad used to play a lot of Flank Openings, for example 1.Nf3 followed by 2.g3 or even 1.g3. He says it’s a way of getting a playable position without having to know a lot of theory, but tends not to recommend them to less experienced players because it can be very difficult to know … Continue reading "Flank Openings" The post Flank Openings appeared first on The Chess Improver.

On 6 January 1772 there was a massive explosion at Hounslow Gunpowder Mills. 2½ miles or so away, in Twickenham, Horace Walpole‘s villa, Strawberry Hill House, was badly damaged. The following day, Walpole wrote to his favourite cousin, Henry Seymour Conway: “I have been blown up; my castle is blown up; Guy Fawkes has been … Continue reading "Strawberry Hill Forever" The post...

I posed a specific question to one of my classes this week. I tend to hit my students with questions every chance I get because it engages them and keeps them focused. The question was, what is your idea of the most interesting type of checkmate? Of course, any checkmate is great because the person … Continue reading "The Most Interesting Checkmate?" The post The Most Interesting Checkmate...