https://youtube.com/live/52FQfC5EQVk Today at the Free Online Summer Chess Camp, I lead students through an exciting chess game between Paul Morphy and Isaac Hart. The lesson is preserved on YouTube and I warmly invite my followers to immerse themselves in an enlightening journey through one of the most instructive and captivating games featuring the legendary PaulContinueContinue reading “Paul Morphy vs Isaac Hart, 1854”
Tag Archives: chess lesson
Ding – Gukesh World Chess Championship Made Understandable Part 2
After a quiet draw in Round 2 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship Match, Gukesh Dommaraju played with renewed confidence and defeated Ding Liren in an exciting Queen’s Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation which featured the unusual 7. h3. After his opponent’s surprising seventh move, Ding was out of his preparation and to make matters worse,ContinueContinue reading “Ding – Gukesh World Chess Championship Made Understandable Part 2”
Ding – Gukesh World Chess Championship Made Understandable Part 1
After suffering a loss in Round 1 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship Match, it was important for Gukesh Dommaraju to stop Ding Liren’s winning ways in the second game. The opening which started out as a Giuoco Pianissimo and evolved into an Italian Four Knights Game may seem a little elementary for the WorldContinueContinue reading “Ding – Gukesh World Chess Championship Made Understandable Part 1”
Plenty of Hidden Gems Played at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024
With 1,884 participants(975 in Open and 909 in Women’s event) taking part 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest, there is no shortage of quality chess games to play through. Many outstanding games could potentially go unnoticed so it is important for chess writers to share the hidden gems they find. Once such hidden gemContinueContinue reading “Plenty of Hidden Gems Played at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024”
Paul Morphy At Odds with his Host!
Paul Morphy played many of his attacking masterpieces at odds (a way of handicapping a chess game so that a weaker player begins the game with an advantage). The handicaps he gave to balance the game varied greatly. In most cases, the conditions for the game at odds were described by Howard Staunton’s in hisContinueContinue reading “Paul Morphy At Odds with his Host!”
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”
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”
New Ideas in the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense
It’s always nice when the top chess players in the world use a chess opening commonly seen in scholastic chess. This was the case in Round 9 of the Tata Steel Masters when Women’s World Chess Champion GM Ju Wenjun avoided possible Fried Liver or Lolli Attack complications by using the Polerio Defense (1 e4ContinueContinue reading “New Ideas in the Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense”
Fond Memories of Fried Liver
In the realm of fond memories lies a remarkable game that was long forgotten until I recently stumbled upon a notation sheet safely tucked inside of a book. Apparently, at the Fremont Summer Chess Camp in 2013 I played an instructive game against a young student in which I spotted a rook handicap and employedContinueContinue reading “Fond Memories of Fried Liver”
Pawn Endgame Worthy of Study
“Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf.” — Cecil Purdy 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 KingContinueContinue reading “Pawn Endgame Worthy of Study”
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 49
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 forContinueContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 49”
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. Napoleon Hill 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 theContinueContinue reading “Get Inspired to Play Better Chess!”
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 48
Position after just five moves. Last night I Played a 5 move miniature with the black pieces that would fit nicely into Irving Chernev’s 1000 Best Short Games of Chess. Enjoy… 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 4.c4 Nxe5 5.g3 Nxf3#
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 66
Some of my favorite endgame studies have the reader playing from a disadvantage with the goal being a draw. In tonight’s puzzle, White is down to a single bishop versus Black’s four pawns but still can draw with perfect play. Enjoy… White to play and draw (U. Venäläinen, 1st Prize in Suomen Shakki, 1969.)
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.c3ContinueContinue reading “Francisco Friday for 5/13/2022”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 143
The 1927 World Championship Match was a fiercely contested clash of chess styles. Jose Raul Capablanca had a straightforward playing style which, combined with his famously precise endgame play, was his recipe for success. Alexander Alekhine, on the other hand, preferred creating complexities and oftentimes employed risky attacks in route to his victories. Capablanca wasContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 143”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 141
“A popularly held theory about Paul Morphy is that if he returned to the chess world today and played our best contemporary players, he would come out the loser. Nothing is further from the truth. In a set match, Morphy would beat anybody alive today… Morphy was perhaps the most accurate chess player who everContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 141”
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 inContinueContinue reading “How to Help Young Chess Players Bounce Back from a Tough Loss”
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 135
Emmanuel Lasker offered the famous advice, “When you see a good move, look for a better one.” Today’s position easily lends itself to this exercise in chess thought. First, find the obvious good move. Then, try and find the best continuation. Black to move and mate in 3 (source: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/)
Learning to Laugh at your Worst Chess Mistakes
Chess is a demanding game. For many of us, the game represents a never-ending sequence of challenges. We grow fixated on losses, obsessing over every imperfection in our play, agonizing about the missed opportunities and how we destroyed our rating. In this way, we hold ourselves to unrealistic, if not humanly impossible, expectations. Give yourselfContinueContinue reading “Learning to Laugh at your Worst Chess Mistakes”