I don’t normally partake in a potentially messy treat while trying to play speed chess. However, occasionally I find myself in a tricky and potentially sticky situation where I am offered a treat while I am otherwise engaged in a chess game. On January 1, 2024, I was enjoying a cappuccino while playing speed chessContinueContinue reading “The Cupcake Gambit”
Tag Archives: chess openings
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”
Sicilian Wing Gambit: Secret Sauce
Approximately sixteen years ago, I uncovered a hidden gem in the Sicilian Wing Gambit (1.e4 c5 2.b4). This new opening trap, now famously dubbed the “Secret Sauce” by my chess students, unleashed the clever sequence 1.e4 c5 2.b4 cxb4 3.a3 bxa3 4.Rxa3. Position after 4. Rxa3 a.k.a. the start of the Secret Sauce trap. NoteContinueContinue reading “Sicilian Wing Gambit: Secret Sauce”
The Mokele-Mbembe and the Dragon
Applying ideas from one opening to another can be tricky as even small differences in a chess position can lead to unexpected outcomes. However, if you note the differences and similarities between analogous chess positions, sometimes you can apply themes from one opening to another with good effect. Side by side position comparison from twoContinueContinue reading “The Mokele-Mbembe and the Dragon”
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 55
Napoleon Crossing the Alps By Jacques-Louis David. The Napoleon Opening (aka Napoleon Atrack: 1.e4 e5 2.Qf3) is considered to be a rather dubious line because white is often playing for a Scholar’s Mate in a more benign form than the more popular, but still bad, 2. Qh5. Add to the fact that white’s queen isContinueContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 55”
A Plan for Adding New Chess Openings
Question: How do I manage my desire to learn multiple chess openings (I play 1 e4 and suddenly I want to learn the Catalan from a book I bought)? Answer: Perhaps restrict yourself to playing online blitz games with your e4 repertoire on days that start with S and T and attempt to play theContinueContinue reading “A Plan for Adding New Chess Openings”