Middle Game

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
10.16.2015

In this article, we are going to discuss the true value of the pieces. The basic scale value for each piece is clear for every chess player; the queen is the highest-rated piece, then rooks, bishops or knights, and so on. However, as we all should know, the true value of pieces is given by […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
09.25.2015

Some time ago, we wrote about the common resource of sacrificing the exchange in order to change the character of the position drastically. These changes could be taking over the initiative, breaking your opponent’s defenses or they could just be positional sacrifices, for example sacrificing the exchange in order to obtain a superior pawn structure, […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
09.09.2015

The name Pavel Eljanov may not be the most famous among chess amateurs, perhaps because he is not seen very often at elite tournaments or because his games are rarely combinative games. However, GM Eljanov (now rated 2717) is a very strong player from Ukraine, part of the Olympic team, consolidated for years in the […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
08.31.2015

Continuing our series of typical sacrifices, today we are going to discuss another very important and usual idea in the Sicilian Defense. Much like its brother, the piece sacrifice on d5, giving up the knight on f5 has more or less the same ideas and outcomes.

Yury Markushin
08.28.2015
0
Yury Markushin
08.28.2015

A good sacrifice is something that can completely change the evaluation of the position. It can save the game when you’re in trouble, or it can help you win when the positions are nearly equal. Most amateur chess players are afraid to sacrifice pieces because they don’t feel confident and don’t want to take any […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
08.24.2015

The Sicilian Defence is known as one of the most aggressive openings. There are many forced lines that both sides usually need to know by heart and it’s not unusual to see the black king left in the center. In most of the lines, both sides are eyeing the enemy king and tactical blows are […]

Yury Markushin
08.14.2015
0
Yury Markushin
08.14.2015

It’s no surprise that the majority of chess players have trouble understanding and correctly interpreting the typical middlegame positions. Most chess players think that positional understanding is something that only the masters can effectively use to win games. This is quite an incorrect assumption. Any chess player can learn and effectively use the typical middlegame […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
08.12.2015

Continuing our series of typical sacrifices, this time we take the time to discuss a common idea in the Sicilian, the piece sacrifice on b5. It’s a common idea, and it should be well known to the Sicilian experts.

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
08.10.2015

In today’s article, we continue talking about basic ideas and sacrifices any chess player should be aware of. We have covered so far the very well-known f7 (f2) and h7 (h2) sacrifices, the double bishop sacrifice, and the sacrifice on b5 that occurs mostly in the Sicilian Defense.

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
08.03.2015

Many openings, like the Alapin variation against the Sicilian, the Rubinstein (4.e3) versus the Nimzo Indian, the Panov Attack against the Caro Kan, have in common that, very often, white gets an isolated queen’s pawn in the middlegame and eventually, after exchanges, hanging pawns arise.