Author Archives: chessmusings

Playing Bughouse Chess with My Son

Bughouse is a popular variant of chess played by four players in teams of two. Each player controls a standard chess set and board. The unique aspect of Bughouse is that when a player captures an opponent’s piece, they hand it to their partner, who can then place that piece on their board as aContinueContinue reading “Playing Bughouse Chess with My Son”

Emory Tate’s Immortal Game Reaches 25k Views on YouTube 

My very first episode of Master Chess Theatre focused on IM Emory Tate’s great victory over GM Leonid Yudasin. Included in this episode, were many insights about this amazing chess game shared directly to me by the late genius, Emory Tate. Created in 2020, I posted this video to YouTube to help others others appreciateContinueContinue reading “Emory Tate’s Immortal Game Reaches 25k Views on YouTube “

Playing Against Chess Students 

One of my favorite traditions is playing chess against my summer chess camp students. Beyond just being fun, these occasions allows me to demonstrate strategic concepts in action, providing practical examples that go beyond theory. Moreover, playing against students fosters a supportive and collaborative environment, encourages dialogue, mutual respect, and a shared passion for chess.ContinueContinue reading “Playing Against Chess Students “

June Summer Camp Friday 6/28/2024

Thank you for joining us today. Please remember to click on both the links for “JOIN TOURNAMENT” in your group assignments every day to join the tournaments. If you do not join them in advance then you cannot play. Be sure to pay attention after you finish your first game because the next round begins rightContinueContinue reading “June Summer Camp Friday 6/28/2024”

Live Chess Lesson with FM James Eade: Bobby Fischer vs Mikhail Tal, Leipzig, 1960

Bobby Fischer and Mikhail Tal had a great chess rivalry that produced many memorable moments. In today’s live lesson, I was joined by FM James Eade and we looked at the exciting Fischer vs Tal game from the 1960 Chess Olympiad in Leipzig. The two legendary chess players played an absolutely fascinating and hard foughtContinueContinue reading “Live Chess Lesson with FM James Eade: Bobby Fischer vs Mikhail Tal, Leipzig, 1960”

June Summer Camp Thursday 6/27/2024

Thank you for joining us today. Please remember to click on both the links for “JOIN TOURNAMENT” in your group assignments every day to join the tournaments. If you do not join them in advance then you cannot play. Be sure to pay attention after you finish your first game because the next round begins rightContinueContinue reading “June Summer Camp Thursday 6/27/2024”

Emory Tate Plays The Danish Gambit

This video is a live lesson from the 2024 Free Online Summer Chess Camp featuring a game played by the late International Master Emory Tate. Our feature game took place during Emory’s simultaneous exhibition given at the 2015 Fremont Summer Chess Camp. I recommended watching the video lesson with my notes from this game thatContinueContinue reading “Emory Tate Plays The Danish Gambit”

June Summer Camp Wednesday 6/26/2024

Thank you for joining us today. Please remember to click on both the links for “JOIN TOURNAMENT” in your group assignments every day to join the tournaments. If you do not join them in advance then you cannot play. Be sure to pay attention after you finish your first game because the next round begins rightContinueContinue reading “June Summer Camp Wednesday 6/26/2024”

June Summer Camp Tuesday 6/25/2024

Thank you for joining us today. Please remember to click on both the links for “JOIN TOURNAMENT” in your group assignments every day to join the tournaments. If you do not join them in advance then you cannot play. Be sure to pay attention after you finish your first game because the next round begins rightContinueContinue reading “June Summer Camp Tuesday 6/25/2024”

How to Play the Danish Gambit

Today during the Free Online Summer Chess Camp, I taught a live lesson for chess players seeking to inject more aggression into your opening repertoire! Together we explored the dynamic and bold Danish Gambit. Students learned how, by sacrificing a little material early on for rapid development and attacking chances, the Danish Gambit can leadContinueContinue reading “How to Play the Danish Gambit”

June Summer Camp Monday 6/24/2024

Thank you for joining us today. Please remember to click on both the links for “JOIN TOURNAMENT” in your group assignments every day to join the tournaments. If you do not join them in advance then you cannot play. Be sure to pay attention after you finish your first game because the next round begins rightContinueContinue reading “June Summer Camp Monday 6/24/2024”

Father’s Day Chess Memories

This photo from July, 1966 shows my Grandfather (with spoon in hand) playing chess with my Great Grandfather. Their game took place at my Grandpa’s kitchen table, the same location as many of my games with my grandfather. He passed away in 2005. Today, on Father’s Day, I played a game of chess with allContinueContinue reading “Father’s Day Chess Memories”

Mokele-Mbembe Case Files: Part 1

On November 14, 2020, there was a rare sighting of the Mokele-Mbembe in the wild. Those who saw the Alekhine’s Defense: Mokele Mbembe Variation used on that occasion described an aggressive sacrifice to expose the enemy king. Black undoubtedly had less than adequate compensation for the lost knight but, as is usually the case inContinueContinue reading “Mokele-Mbembe Case Files: Part 1”

My Quora Answer to: What are some great one-move chess puzzles?

A lot of chess enthusiasts have the unfortunate belief that Mate in 1 puzzles are too simple to bother with. However, some truly great chess composers such as Gustavus Reichhelm have been up to the seemingly impossible task of creating puzzles that are as simple as they are brilliant. Reichhelm managed to create a chessContinueContinue reading “My Quora Answer to: What are some great one-move chess puzzles?”

So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 55

Napoleon Crossing the Alps By Jacques-Louis David. The Napoleon Opening (aka Napoleon Atrack: 1.e4 e5 2.Qf3) is considered to be a rather dubious line because white is often playing for a Scholar’s Mate in a more benign form than the more popular, but still bad, 2. Qh5. Add to the fact that white’s queen isContinueContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 55”

Winning Chess Moves: Chithambaram vs Herman, 2011

Achieving a FIDE chess rating of 2700 is a significant achievement as it places a player among the elite Grandmasters of the world. A 2700 rating is a testament to exceptional skill, strategic depth, and consistency in performance. Of course, chess players who reach 2700 must overcome many setbacks in order to reach the highestContinueContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Chithambaram vs Herman, 2011”

Betcha Can Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 2

Sometimes a relatively simple chess composition can be pleasing if it has a unique structure. This was the case with today’s mate in two composed by Idon Bruno Hovedskou Anderson. Enjoy… White to move and mate in 2 (by: Idon Bruno Hovedskou Anderson, source: Skakbladet, date: January, 1941).

Chess Classes vs Private Tutoring

As a professional chess coach for last 25 years, I have taught thousands of talented students in both weekly classes and private lessons. Certainly, some of my longevity as a chess professional can be attributed to being based in Silicon Valley – a region renowned for chess excellence. However, the Silicon Valley mindset is alsoContinueContinue reading “Chess Classes vs Private Tutoring”