Middle Game

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
06.26.2020

The study of basic chess strategy is one of the things that will help you improve your level and become a better player in time. It is amazing to see how many times strong masters win their games against lower-rated opponents by applying the very basics of chess strategy and showing a better positional understanding, […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
04.24.2020

Sacrifices are usually known as the main tactical mean of getting an immediate advantage. The concept is clear – you momentarily sacrifice material in order to get bigger gains or deliver mate a few moves later. Except for the intuitive sacrifices that usually give great initiative and a strong attack, sacrifices can usually be calculated […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
04.08.2020

We often stress how important it is to pay great attention to pawn moves, as they usually leave behind unpleasant weaknesses. These are small pluses that can be developed during the game – they give something to play against and develop a plan around. In positions where there are no important weaknesses in the opponent’s […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
03.27.2020

Having a deep positional understanding is one of every chess player’s goals and one of the features that make a difference between a master and an amateur. But the strategy is not only about weaknesses and pawn structures; it extends to the pieces on the board as well – a chess player must be able […]

GM Alex Colovic
03.05.2020
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GM Alex Colovic
03.05.2020

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself in which positions you feel comfortable? I know that for a long time I did not. It is all too easy to get carried away with your repertoire, you choose to play the King’s Indian because you have seen a few beautiful games ending in some spectacular mating […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
02.21.2020

Weakness is probably the most important part of the chess game. Most of the ideas that can surface in a position are usually based on some kind of weakness. Whether it is a pawn, a square or a whole bunch of squares, weaknesses are something we try our best to provoke in our opponent’s position […]

GM Alex Colovic
01.01.2020
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GM Alex Colovic
01.01.2020

This is one of the most problematic aspects of learning when it comes to playing good chess. If the acquisition of tactical skills is more or less straight-forward: just solve an infinite number of tactical puzzles and you will be fine, the study of positional chess and improving your understanding is less concrete. I will […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
12.06.2019

Who doesn’t like a good, successful attack? It is probably every chess player’s dream – to crush their opponent with a well-conducted attack and crown it with a beautiful sacrifice. There are many players who like to attack and it is something we see often especially at the club level. Attacks are started in most […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
12.01.2019

In chess, the King is the one piece we try to protect almost throughout the whole game. We castle, we put it into safety and try to weaken it as little as possible, but can it actually help win the game? For most of you, it’s common knowledge that the monarch is a key piece […]

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
11.26.2019

One of the first things we learn about in chess is the value of the pieces. We start off with the points-value of the pieces and favorable combinations between them. Later on, we understand that this value is only relative and there is much more to chess than some simple rules. We learn that when […]