Pure pawn endgames are said to be the simplest of all endings but that doesn’t mean they are always easy to win. A case and point is presented in a recent blog post where I shared a blown opportunity in a King and pawn endgame I witnessed at a Northern California youth chess tournament. AsContinue reading “Pawn Endgame Worthy of Study”
Tag Archives: chess coach
Viewer Requests: Position of the Week 2
This week’s submission comes from a student in Fremont California and deals with the age old question of which is better, a queen or two rooks. Generally a queen is stronger against uncoordinated rooks and especially so with pawns on both sides of the board. However, in our feature position, black’s rooks are already workingContinue reading “Viewer Requests: Position of the Week 2”
Viewer Requests: Position of the Week 1
Chess Dad & Coach Arun from Fremont California asked me to break this complex endgame down for his students. Watch below to see how this position plays out.
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 68
I thoroughly enjoy chess studies that task us with finding a seemingly impossible draw from a position that looks totally lost. Chess puzzles like these push the boundaries of what’s possible on the chessboard and a regular dose of such compositions will help young players stretch their own chess imaginations. So nothing makes this chessContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 68”
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 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”
How to Help Young Chess Players Bounce Back from a Tough Loss
Losing is part of the game of chess and an important part of a young chess player’s growth. As a chess coach or chess parent, one of our most important roles is helping a child deal with a difficult loss at a chess tournament. Step 1 After every round, examine the chess game together inContinue reading “How to Help Young Chess Players Bounce Back from a Tough Loss”
Daily Chess Musings’ Fun Fridays
Celebrate the start of the weekend with Fun Friday chess events. The Daily Chess Musings Club has two blitz tournaments scheduled where Coach Chris will jump around and comment on players’ games in progress. In between the two tournaments, he will be open for challenges for 10 min games. 5:00 PM Pacific Time Friday FrenzyContinue reading “Daily Chess Musings’ Fun Fridays”
Fog of War
Chris Torres and his student Nico play through the Fog of War on chess.com. Also known as Dark Chess, Fog of War is a popular chess variant where players can only see what is contained on the squares their pieces are threatening. Though new to Fog of War, Chris thinks out loud while developing strategiesContinue reading “Fog of War”
Facilitative Ball Sharing in Chess
Basketball fans throw around terms like “ball hogs” and “facilitators”. A poor point guard, for example, will “hog the ball” attempting to be the star to the detriment of the team. A good point guard is a facilitator for the entire team setting the plays and passing the ball to a teammate with the bestContinue reading “Facilitative Ball Sharing in Chess”
Available Now: Private Lessons with Chess Coach Chris Torres
Dramatic checkmating combinations and vast tactical complications, a thick forest of opening trees and the esoteric plans of the ancient masters – the chessboard is a place of stunning creativity and eternal curiosity. Through it we can escape into a world of untamed gambits, beautiful sacrifices and fascinating storylines. Sign up for a customized oneContinue reading “Available Now: Private Lessons with Chess Coach Chris Torres”
My Quora Answer to: Is there a shortcut for becoming really good in chess?
Under the best of circumstances, becoming really good in chess is a serious endeavor that takes a considerable amount of time. Millions of individuals like playing chess, but only a few can master the game. What is the reason for this? Chess is, simply said, one of the most complicated games ever devised. Despite theContinue reading “My Quora Answer to: Is there a shortcut for becoming really good in chess?”
The Importance of Setting Lofty Goals in Chess
One of my most successful coaching techniques is encouraging my chess students to set lofty goals for themselves. Together we break these goals into attainable steps and utilize achievement markers to show progress. Of course, certain levels of chess expertise are not achievable for everyone and if they were, chess would be obsolete. For instance,Continue reading “The Importance of Setting Lofty Goals in Chess”
The Best Chess Analysis
Chess games are a lot like feature movies. For instance, the chess moves can be thought of as the dialogue, strategic themes are the plot, and tactics are the fight scenes. Sometimes endgames are the final battle and other times just an epilogue. The average movie goer, much like an amateur chess player, often catchContinue reading “The Best Chess Analysis”
Free Private Chess Lessons!
Your child can study 1-on-1 with Chris Torres to bust through their current rating level and enjoy chess more. Chris Torres is a 20+ year chess professional and one of California’s most popular chess coaches. Take advantage of summer discount rates of 35/hr. (Instead of $50) for online private students on the educational platform Wyzant.Continue reading “Free Private Chess Lessons!”
March’s Chess Combination of the Month
“Chess is 99% tactics” – Richard Teichmann Richard Teichmann (24 December 1868 – 15 June 1925) was an excellent chess teacher and a powerful chess player from Germany. This month tactical shot is dedicated to him. Below is the entire game. The answer to the puzzle is in bold font. [Event “Training Game”]Continue reading “March’s Chess Combination of the Month”
Students Achievements
Congratulations to Luke Zhao on defeating his coach, Chris Torres, during our class at Achiever Institute in Fremont California. Luke has been playing extremely good chess lately and will definitely be a leader in Mission San Jose Elementary School’s charge to win another National Chess Championship. For his win, Luke received a trophy as wellContinue reading “Students Achievements”
Fremont Summer Chess Camp 2013: Preview 3
Every year Francisco Anchondo returns to Mission San Jose Elementary School to put on another exciting show full of opening traps and tactical brilliances for our students at the Fremont Summer Chess Camp. Francisco Anchondo has been teaching chess for decades and regularly coaches many of the top players from around Northern California. A recent article on our chessContinue reading “Fremont Summer Chess Camp 2013: Preview 3”
Fremont Summer Chess Camp 2013: Preview 2
The Torres Chess and Music Academy is pleased to announce that Eric Schiller is joining the team of coaches for the 2013 Fremont Summer Chess Camp at Mission San Jose Elementary School. Eric is a great coach and respected chess author of more than 100 books! Below is a recent article describing Eric joining theContinue reading “Fremont Summer Chess Camp 2013: Preview 2”
Top 10 Reasons Your Child Should Attend the Fremont Summer Chess Camp
Your child should attend the Fremont Summer Chess Camp at Mission San Jose Elementary School because: 10. He/she wants to train with the current National Elementary Chess Champions 9. Mission San Jose Elementary School has a beautiful campus and is conveniently located in Fremont, California. 8. The price is only $185.00/week and we offer multi-week discounts.Continue reading “Top 10 Reasons Your Child Should Attend the Fremont Summer Chess Camp”