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 onceContinueContinue 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. Francisco Anchondo vs. N.N., 1/24/22 [Event “Casual Blitz game”] [Site “?”] [Date “2022.01.24”] [Round “?”] [White “Francisco Anchondo”]ContinueContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 3/11/22”

Francisco Friday for 3/4/2022

Francisco (right) with Anatoly Karpov. 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 aContinueContinue 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,ContinueContinue 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 f6ContinueContinue 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 alsoContinueContinue reading “The Most Violent Chess Game Ever Played!”