Inspired by the Tarrasch vs Romberg game I previously posted, my own game against a student in Foster City, California is one of my best efforts in recent times. After a long time thinking about how best to respond to 10… Ba6, I am proud to have planned a most effective and epic journey forContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 49”
Tag Archives: attacking chess
Get Inspired to Play Better Chess!
Napoleon Hill famously stated “To be inspired is great, to inspire is incredible!” This is especially true in terms of chess. Most days I spend quality time searching through chess databases for sources of inspiration. Some days produce less than stellar results while on rare occasions I discover real hidden gems in the form ofContinue reading “Get Inspired to Play Better Chess!”
Francisco Friday for 7/1/2022
German chess master Alexander Fritz (1857–1932) suggested 5…Nd4 in the Italian: Two Knights Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nd4) to Carl Schlechter who publicized the line in a 1904 issue of Deutsche Schachzeitung. Sixty years later, the Fritz Variation famously re-emerged during Bobby Fischer’s crushing loss to Robert Eugene BurgerContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 7/1/2022”
Francisco Friday for 6/10/2022
When it comes to attacking in chess, the stronger, the faster and the more difficult to deal with, the better. In today’s game, attacking maestro Francisco Anchondo uses a well conducted early pawn storm to penetrate his opponent’s defenses with brute force. [Event “Casual Blitz game”] [Date “2022.03.12”] [White “Anonymous”] [Black “Francisco Anchondo”] [Result “0-1”]Continue reading “Francisco Friday for 6/10/2022”
Francisco Friday for 6/3/2022
Popular with beginners who strictly follow the time honored opening principles they have been taught, The Four Knights Opening has a reputation of leading to a rather dull positional game. However, Francisco Anchondo makes a habit of taking an opening with a dull reputation and running it through a metaphoric knife sharpener until it canContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 6/3/2022”
Francisco Friday for 5/20/2022
First debuted by Adolf Albin against Emanuel Lasker in 1893, the Albin Counter Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5) is a good surprise weapon for attacking chess players who seek to take a Queen’s Gambit player out of their prep. Decades ago, Francisco Anchondo taught a masterclass in the San Francisco Bay Area on this hyperContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 5/20/2022”
Francisco Friday for 5/13/2022
Long established San Francisco Bay Area chess instructor Francisco Anchondo turns the tables on the Fried Liver Attack by using the good old Traxler Variation. [Event “Casual Blitz game”] [Date “2022.03.04”] [White “Anonymous”] [Black “Francisco Anchondo”] [Result “0-1”] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5 5.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6.Kf1 Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.c3Continue reading “Francisco Friday for 5/13/2022”
Francisco Friday for 5/6/2022
Attacking maestro Francisco Anchondo had the black pieces in the chess game below. As for white, “Le fue como a los perros en misa.” [Event “Casual Blitz game”] [Date “2022.03.02”] [White “Anonymous”] [Black “Francisco Anchondo”] [Result “0-1”] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 f5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Qc2 Bc5 6.Be2 Bb6 7.Na3 a6 8.b4 d6 9.Bb2 f4Continue reading “Francisco Friday for 5/6/2022”
Francisco Friday for 4/29/22
His name is Francisco Anchondo. If you sit at his chessboard, prepare to be checkmated! [Event “Casual Blitz game”] [Date “2022.02.28”] [White “Anonymous”] [Black “Francisco Anchondo”] [Result “0-1”] 1.e4 e5 2.d3 Bc5 3.Be2 d6 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.h3 f5 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Bg5 O-O 9.O-O Qd7 10.Nh2 Nd4 11.Bxf6 Rxf6 12.Bg4 Rg6 13.Ne4 Bb6 14.Ng3Continue reading “Francisco Friday for 4/29/22”
Francisco Friday for 4/22/22
There’s not a lot of crossover between groups of chess and boxing aficionados despite the two activities sharing many similarities. For example, watching white’s queen movement at the end of this game brings to mind the famous Muhammad Ali quote, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Also, perhaps the best way to describeContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 4/22/22”
Some Coffee and a Danish Gambit
I felt as though I was following in the footsteps of Dr. Hans Anton Westesson Lindehn by playing the Danish Gambit at Rook-odds. However, Lindehn played without his queen’s rook while I did without my king’s. Additionally, instead of playing at the Café de la Régence, I was playing at Peet’s Coffee. Still it makesContinue reading “Some Coffee and a Danish Gambit”
Francisco Friday for 4/15/22
Francisco Anchondo has spent decades building his reputation as one of the East Bay’s most dangerous chess players. Oftentimes, Francisco is at the chessboard for one reason, and that is to deliver checkmate. Sit beside him long enough and you will learn the art of checkmating. [Event “Casual Blitz game”] [Date “2020.06.04”] [White “Francisco Anchondo”]Continue reading “Francisco Friday for 4/15/22”
Francisco Friday for 3/25/22
In this week’s installment of Francisco Friday, San Francisco Bay Area Chess Coach Francisco Anchondo plays a delightful variation on a Greek Gift theme. Students of the game should take note that sometimes it’s better to play Bxh2+ and then Ng4 while in other positions, such as in today’s game, the inverse order is preferable.Continue reading “Francisco Friday for 3/25/22”
Francisco Friday for 3/18/22
Today I am sharing one of Francisco’s famous tabiyas. In chess a tabiya is a special position reached by fairly standard opening chess moves but that results in a complex starting point requiring a serious investigation. Francisco proudly showed me his homegrown theory on this particular tabiya a decade or so ago and it onceContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 3/18/22”
Francisco Friday for 3/11/22
The “back rank mate” is one of the first checkmating patterns we learn as chess players. In today’s game, Francisco Anchondo plays an exquisite variation on this simple theme that is enjoyable for master and novice alike. [Event “Casual Blitz game”] [Site “?”] [Date “2022.01.24”] [Round “?”] [White “Francisco Anchondo”] [WhiteElo “?”] [Black “n.n.”] [BlackEloContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 3/11/22”
Francisco Friday for 3/4/2022
Those who live in Northern California or are regular readers of this blog know that Francisco Anchondo is an expert of the attack on the chessboard. His tactical expertise regularly creates short masterpieces that are equally as educational as they are fun. So today, I am pleased to begin a weekly series featuring the gamesContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 3/4/2022”
Attacking Chess: Move by Move
Obviously, the ultimate goal in chess is a checkmate and therefor it stands to reason that good technique for attacking an opponent’s king is one the most important skills a young chess player should study. However, because understanding the tactics and strategies of attacking is also a necessary skill for a successful defensive chess player,Continue reading “Attacking Chess: Move by Move”
1. d4 e5
The game below is a fun example of the dynamic Englund Gambit. While nowhere near being 100% sound, black usually gets excellent attacking chances for the pawn. Enjoy! [Event “Englund Gambit”] [Site “FICS”] [Date “2011.04.27”] [Round “blitz”] [White “kaye”] [Black “chessmusings”] [Result “0-1”] 1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 Qe7 4. g3 f6Continue reading “1. d4 e5”
The Most Violent Chess Game Ever Played!
This fantastic game from 1880 is perhaps the most violent chess game ever played. [Event “Jerome Gambit”] [Site “England”] [Date “1880.??.??”] [EventDate “?”] [Round “?”] [Result “0-1”] [White “NN”] [Black “Joseph Henry Blackburne”] [ECO “C50”] [WhiteElo “?”] [BlackElo “?”] [PlyCount “28”] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ {Note – d4 alsoContinue reading “The Most Violent Chess Game Ever Played!”