As a seasoned chess instructor and the CalChess Scholastic Coordinator, I encourage my fellow coaches to regularly play against their student at odds because doing so is an immensely effective teaching method. By removing some of his/her pieces or pawns, the coach simulates real-world competitive pressures while pushing the learner to sharpen their ability toContinueContinue reading “At Odds With My Student in 2026”
Tag Archives: chess at rook odds
Sicilian Wing Gambit: Hold the Sauce
As tasty as the tactics in the Sicilian Wing Gambit Secret Sauce are, sometimes a customer doesn’t want to eat the offering. I refer to the situation when the Wing Gambit is accepted (1.e4 c5 2.b4 cxb4 3.a3 bxa3) but after 4.Rxa3 e6 5.Nc3 Black doesn’t capture the rook on a3 as the Secret Sauce Declined.ContinueContinue reading “Sicilian Wing Gambit: Hold the Sauce”
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 56
Recently, I found my self playing a casual chess game at Rook Odds against the Pirc Defense. I am by no means an expert on Pirc theory so I simply developed my pieces to good squares quickly. When a tactical opportunity arose, I went for it using a pattern I remember from Chernev’s “1000 BestContinueContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 56”
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 makesContinueContinue reading “Some Coffee and a Danish Gambit”