General Information
Studying classic games is a tested and proven approach to learning the strategies and mastering the ideas. It’s not always easy to understand the purpose of each move because it is a part of a bigger plan which can go as deep as a dozen moves ahead. That’s why it is important to study well-annotated […]
Do you think Grandmasters always outplay the lower rated competition? Think again. Even the greatest players like Garry Kasparov may lose to those 300 points lower rated. Can a Grandmaster lose to a Master rated player? What if that Grandmaster is a World Champion Vishy Anand? The answer is “yes”. In this article we will […]
Richard Reti was one of the top players in the world from 1910s to 1920s. Reti was a classical combinative player. His favorite opening was King’s Gambit. He beat many strong players including Jose Raul Capablanca and the future world champion Alexander Alekhine. Richard Reti was also a renowned endgame study composer. He set a […]
Playing a nice attacking game with tactical blows always gives a good feeling. However, in order for it to be a good one and your attack to be successful, there are a few guidelines you should take into account. Most amateurs like to attack no matter what and start it out of nowhere, without taking […]
Chess players are unique persons compared to other areas of the society. A chess player, no matter his level, is absorbed by the game and, even when he is not playing, his thoughts are very often in the game. Naturally, the more a chess player gets involved in the game, the more fanatic and enthusiastic […]
Magnus Carlsen has been dominating the chess scene for the last few years and has established himself as one of the strongest (if not the strongest) players at the moment. By winning many prestigious tournaments and scoring great results against strong players right from an early age, Carlsen was a safe bet that he would […]
Continuing with the subject of overcoming difficulties against players of different levels, let’s get a closer look at the main characteristics of a player of this level. Most players over 1400, already in the range of 1500-1600, know theory to a certain extent. If you have greater knowledge it will be easy to obtain an […]
9th November happened to be the 80th birth anniversary of Mikhail Tal (1936-1992), former world champion and legendary player. Here is a tribute by our columnist-Ed.
One of the things that mark our progress in chess is when we start having good results (draws and victories) against stronger opposition. That’s when we feel things are working well and we should continue working in order to become better and better.
Combination is a sequence of moves, initiated by a forcing move or a sacrifice which leaves an opponent with limited number of options. Ability to find tactical combinations is something separating those stronger players from the rest of the field. Grandmasters are capable of finding tactics even in the most tricky positions, when there are […]
