Chess is booming in popularity and one of the reasons why is our current world champion Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen regularly produces stunning works of chess art that’ll make you want to play chess. Of course, Magnus’ primary goal in every chess game is winning. However, the very best chess players in history have a wayContinueContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Carlsen vs Tallaksen Ostmoe, 7/05/2005”
Tag Archives: chess problems
Winning Chess Moves: Jonkman vs Nepomniachtchi, 1/18/2007
Ian Nepomniachtchi scored an impressive 10/13 in the 2007 edition of Corus Group C Tournament played in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands from the 13th-28th of January. However, his strong performance was only good enough for a second place finish as Michal Krasenkow took first with 10.5/13. Today’s puzzle comes from round 5 where Harmen JonkmanContinueContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Jonkman vs Nepomniachtchi, 1/18/2007”
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 43
National Chess Day is celebrated in the United States on the second Saturday in October. The 38th U.S. President Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. declared National Chess Day on October 9th, 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebration. Today, the day honors chess’ lengthy history and the role it has played in uniting people fromContinueContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 43”
Winning Chess Moves: Borisenko-Belova vs Nakhimovskaya, 1968
During her illustrious career, WGM Valentina M Borisenko-Belova (1/28/1920-3/6/1993) won the Women’s Soviet Championship five times (a record she shares with Nona Gaprindashvili.) Zara Nakhimovskaya was a formidable chess player who won the Latvian Chess Championship for Women four times. In our feature position, Valentina M Borisenko-Belova is playing with the white pieces against ZaraContinueContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Borisenko-Belova vs Nakhimovskaya, 1968”
Winning Chess Moves: Mamedyarov vs Artemiev, 9/29/2021
GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov demonstrates a useful tactical motif in his round 5 victory over GM Vladislav Artemiev at the Meltwater Tour Final 2021. Can you spot white’s winning move? What is white’s best move? (Mamedyarov – Artemiev, Meltwater Tour Final 2021, R5)
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 60
I enjoy mating puzzles where the target king is surrounded by open squares. In these puzzles, the appearance of freedom for the target king is only an illusion because, in reality, the open squares surrounding it are not free from the influences of distant pieces. In tonight’s puzzle, the black king appears to have severalContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 60”
Winning Chess Moves: Nakamura vs Shankland, 9/9/2021
The Champions Showdown 9LX is a rapid Fischer Random/Chess960 chess tournament that is currently taking place in Saint Louis, USA. Today’s winning chess move comes from the round 2 game between Grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura and Sam Shankland. White (Nakamura) has just recaptured with Rxe5. What is black’s (Sam Shankland’s) winning move? What is black’s winningContinueContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Nakamura vs Shankland, 9/9/2021”
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 42
This evening’s position is from a training game I played with a student earlier today. My young opponent just blocked my rook’s check with Bd3 so as to avoid losing his queen on d1. Does this work? What is black’s best move? Sign up for a private chess lesson with Chris Torres and maybe aContinueContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 42”
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 137
In round 4 of the 2003 Corus Chess Tournament, Michal Vladimirovich Krasenkow fought admirably for 79 moves before allowing Vladimir Kramnik to end the game with a cute one-two combination. Can you spot Kramnik’s mating maneuver? White to move and mate in 2 (Kramnik vs. Krasenkow, 2003 Corus Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Ned.).
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 59
Considering that the black king is utterly alone in a forest of white pieces, this mate in two puzzle is rather tricky. Can you find the only two move checkmating line for white? White to move and mate in 2 (composed by Nils Adrian Bakke, 2006).
Winning Chess Moves: Bronstein vs Geller, 1961
There have been many great chess players over the years, but only a small percentage of them manage to captivate the public imagination and receive considerable mainstream attention at any given time. David Bronstein never became a world champion, but there’s no denying that at the height of his career, he frequently captivated imaginations whileContinueContinue reading “Winning Chess Moves: Bronstein vs Geller, 1961”
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 58
When you think about it, our whole life is about solving puzzles. Chess problems are similar to life problems in that solving the puzzle requires careful thought and that through practice, we can improve our ability to quickly find the best solution. So enjoy our daily chess puzzles and smile knowing that by doing soContinueContinue reading “Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 58”
#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/)
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 134
White to move and mate in 5 (from Yuri Averbakh vs. Alexander Kazimirovich Tolush, 1963). White to move and mate in 5.
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 133
Tonight I finished a long day of teaching chess by presenting an absolutely superb mating combination played by the first World Chess Champion. A brilliant positional player, particularly in his later years, Wilhelm Steinitz rose to prominence in the mid-nineteenth century as a dangerous attacker in the romantic style of chess that had been popularisedContinueContinue reading “#Chess Position Worth Sharing 133”
Great Chess On Display During The Practice Event for The Eade Foundation’s Spring Scholastic Chess Classic
It’s especially inspiring to witness great chess moves in scholastic tournaments. As a scholastic chess coach and tournament director, seeing young minds play brilliantly is really what it’s all about. Jay Stallings (top) and Chris Torres live-streaming during today’s practice event. Today, while running a practice event for The Eade Foundation’s Spring Scholastic Chess Classic,ContinueContinue reading “Great Chess On Display During The Practice Event for The Eade Foundation’s Spring Scholastic Chess Classic”
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 132
In my last post, I challenged the reader to solve a mate in two which required truly understanding basic move possibilities in order to be solved. Returning to puzzles that test our mastery of the basics is a great way to learn how to play the game at a higher level and especially so whenContinueContinue reading “#Chess Position Worth Sharing 132”
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 131
Similar to how military units such as armour, artillery and cavalry have their own unique roles, each piece in the game of chess has unique movements. In order to solve this mate in 2, you must first truly understand how the pieces can move. White to move and mate in 2(Alan R., 1895).
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 130
Some of the most brilliant chess puzzles involve material sacrifice for the sake of the mate. Here however, the sacrifice is not merely needed to mate but in fact to avoid loss. One wrong move, and the outcome is completely out of your hands. White to move and mate in 4 (Skuja vs Rozenbergs, Latvia,ContinueContinue reading “#Chess Position Worth Sharing 130”
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 129
Part of the beauty of chess is that no one can predict the level of greatness which the two participants might create in any given game. You may not have heard much about the chess game played between Kekhayov and Petrov in 1964 but the magnificent mating combination at the end is definitely noteworthy. ThisContinueContinue reading “#Chess Position Worth Sharing 129”