TheChessWorld: Chess Tips to Help You Win Chess Games

World Chess Championship 2018 – Game 6

11.17.2018

GM Marian Petrov

Game 6 ended in a DRAW. Carlsen played 1.e4 - Petroff Defense and Fabiano equalized pretty easily. Next, the thriller began. Magnus was playing below his potential, underestimated few moves and got himself into serious trouble. Around move 60 he had to put all his creativity into play and build a fortress saving the day. Although, Fabiano still had winning chances as computer found MATE-IN-30 in one instance. This game proves that even draws can be VERY exciting. Tomorrow is the rest day, the action will resume on Sunday! - Ed.

Middlegame Tips

Fundamental Pawn Structures: Hanging Pawns

04.10.2015

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

Continuing our series of strategy and middlegame articles we are going to dedicate this issue to the pawn formation known as ''hanging pawns''. See the next diagram.

4 Things to Know about the Sacrifice on g6/g3

04.23.2017

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

When preparing an attack against the enemy king it is important to know the typical sacrifices and attacking patterns. We have already covered most of the ways to start an attack and the most common tactical ideas in our previous articles and today we will take a look at another potential target of attack – the g6/g3 square. The main purpose of this sacrifice is the complete demolition of the kingside pawn structure in order to use the newly open files and diagonals to deliver mate.

4 Things to Know Before Trading Queens

04.14.2017

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

The art of exchanging pieces is one of the most important and effective tools in a chess game. Knowing what piece of yours and which one of your opponents should be taken off the board is something that one learns through experience and deep study of classical games. However, for beginners and club level players this may be a difficult task.

Training Tips

Openings Ideas Middlegame Advice Endgame Strategies

5 Things We Should All Learn from Mark Dvoretsky

04.22.2018

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

Known as one of the best coaches of our times, Mark Dvoretsky left us a valuable legacy to help chess players improve their training technique and take that much-awaited leap forward. His books are a great source of inspiration and help for every aspiring chess player. Mark Dvoretsky learned how to play chess before elementary school, but back then he was mostly interested in mathematics, so the game wasn’t given that much importance. He started to take chess seriously and began going to the district’s chess club and studying only when he was in the fifth grade.

5 Rules for Mastering Chess Calculation

11.14.2017

FM Yuriy Krykun

In this article, I would like to share my thoughts on the topic that is, for sure, extremely important for every chess player. That is how to calculate variations. Unfortunately, this highly interesting and crucial topic had never been covered in a great detail. The only decent source I know is the book of a Soviet Grandmaster Alexander Kotov “How to became a grandmaster”. However, it is quite evident that since it was written half a century ago, some ideas are not relevant anymore, the main reasons are that 1. time controls have been decreased 2. computers have changed chess world drastically.

10 Tips for Becoming a More Productive Chess Player

01.14.2015

Yury Markushin

Many chess players complain that they don’t have enough time to work on chess and play chess because of their other responsibilities such as school, work, family, relationship and so on. In fact, the time constraint is the number one factor that prevents most adult players from improving their game. Is it possible to work on chess more efficiently and to get the results you want by spending less time? If you want to know how this article is for you.

Opening Tips

Learning New Opening in 4 Easy Steps: A Master’s Guide

07.27.2018

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

Openings are important. Although it is common to hear well-experienced Grandmasters telling you that you should start by studying the endgame (as stated by Capablanca), this does not mean that you should put the opening aside. In modern chess, when even the low rated players have great access to information and top analysis by coaches and strong players, it is mandatory to have a decent opening knowledge in order to compete.

7 Greatest Games on Scotch

06.16.2017

Yury Markushin

Scotch Game is a very interesting opening, especially for those club players' strength [meaning under 2200]. It is a pretty rare opening which may either be used a surprise or a weapon of choice. White challenges the black center right away and ends up with an aggressive looking position. Black has his own pluses, including the exposed white's queen in the center of the board and possibility of a rapid development. The games are typically theoretically tense, and those with better opening preparation tend to succeed. Let's take a look at some of the best classical games played on Scotch.

Kamsky vs. the King’s Indian Defense – The London System

06.09.2017

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

The King’s Indian Defense is one of the most popular openings employed by Black against 1.d4. To a move with which white usually invites to a quiet and positional play, black responds with a set-up that most of the times lead to attacks against the white king. It is no secret that the King’s Indian Defense is normally employed by players who like to attack and are not afraid of complications. There are numerous ways and plans for White to respond to this opening and most of them require a lot of study and memorization.