TheChessWorld: Chess Tips to Help You Win Chess Games

6 Good Habits to Improve Your Chess Training and Tournament Performance

02.19.2019

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

One of the most difficult things to measure in chess is progress. No matter how much you train at home, how confident you are or how many blitz games you win online it is the tournaments that will put a note on your efforts. As explained in several previous articles, improvement relies on many different qualities, not only on well-sharpened skills but also on a strong mind, capable of overcoming any difficult situation that may arise. It is hard to imagine that one can achieve success at a tournament without having previously worked hard in a consistent way.

Middlegame Tips

The Struggle for the Center

12.18.2015

Yury Markushin

As soon as we start learning chess, the first thing that they tell us is: “you must control the center”. A position with pawns on e4 and d4, if you are on the white side, is often good. While there is some true in this elemental concept for beginners, later on we discover that things are far from simple and that occupying the center with pawns is no guarantee of being automatically better.

Learning from Chess Legends: Akiba Rubinstein’s Fine Technique

05.08.2017

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

Akiba Rubinstein is probably a familiar name to every chess player, having left behind a precious legacy of games that new generations of chess players still study and learn from. Born in 1880, Rubinstein is one of the players who never got to be a World Champion due to the simple fact that he never played a match for the title, but his strength is undeniable. Between 1907 and 1912 he won a number of strong events that established him as one of the best players in the world, but in those times it was usual for the World Champion to handpick his future challenger.

Attack on the H-File: 3 Ideas to Keep In Mind

12.21.2015

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

In today’s article we are going to continue our inquiry on the art of attack in chess. We have seen so far numerous ideas of sacrifices that can destroy our opponent’s castle and leave the king open. Another plan you could use in order to start an attack against the short castle is to use the h file.

Training Tips

Openings Ideas Middlegame Advice Endgame Strategies

10 Steps for Getting Good at Chess – Fast

10.10.2016

Yury Markushin

Do you know how to get better at chess? How do you become a strong chess player? Everyone wants to learn a secret recipe that will help getting good at chess fast! Should you work on tactics? How much time should you be spending on endgames? Do you have to play over-the-board chess? We will answer these and many more questions and will give you a simple 10-step plan outlining the most important steps you should take for getting good at chess.

5 Ways to Start Thinking Like a Grandmaster

11.16.2016

Yury Markushin

Regardless the level of play or strength, there is one thing that every dedicated player can achieve and that is the ability to “think like a grandmaster”. Very often we struggle with problems such as poor calculation skills, lack of opening preparation, little endgame knowledge or even handling the time pressure that prevent us from reaching a higher level.

5 Ways of Improve Your Clock Management

02.08.2019

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

Time trouble is a common thing in chess practice. No matter how strong a player becomes, the difficulty of the game increases as time starts ticking low. For some players it is even a chronic defect; they always get in time trouble and then they become used to responding under time pressure. That being said, it is not the case for the majority of people. Usually poor time management comes from poor decisions on earlier phases of the game.

Opening Tips

Fighting the Benoni: The Remarkable Nh5 Idea

02.15.2016

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

The Indo-Benoni is one of the few aggressive options black has against the move 1.d4. It is an audacious defense that seeks counterplay and dynamism from the very start of the game. Nowadays it has disappeared almost completely from the top level.

What is New in Theory? (December 2016)

01.12.2017

Chessbibliophile

ChessPublishing.com is a well-known site devoted to opening theory. This column deals with updates on recent developments from the site. Focus would be both on topical variations and rare lines that can be used in practice-Ed.

7 Reasons Not to Play 1.e4

11.07.2017

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos

Since we get started in chess we are hit by the ever-lasting decision of choosing our first move. I can’t speak for every chess player, but most of my generation started like that. Those with a positional inclination chose to play 1.d4 or 1.c4 while those with a feel for tactics invariably chose the move 1.e4. Chess has now changed a lot and the eruption of powerful engines has changed all dogmas from the past in regards of how the opening is perceived.