https://youtu.be/wN0HtyFuAvM Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Sunday May 2, 2021. The most satisfying aspect of being a chess teacher is watching students grow their understanding of the game of chess by absorbing the ideas that you have taught them. Recently, I received a veryContinueContinue reading “Chess Progress Report from Ethan Mei”
Tag Archives: chess
THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUND 14
Final Round https://youtu.be/gG9jluRlt4U Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Tuesday, April 27 2021. We have made it to the final round of the FIDE Candidates Tournament! Although we know that Nepo won, we will continue analyzing and learning from all these fascinating games. The finalContinueContinue reading “THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUND 14”
THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUND 13
https://youtu.be/vBEl8pyBMhM Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Monday, April 26 2021. Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Monday, April 26 2021. Thirteen was the lucky number for Ian Nepomniachtchi who managed to clinch victory byContinueContinue reading “THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUND 13”
THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUND 12
https://youtu.be/BdPzsVKzFG4 Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Sunday, April 25 2021. Round 12 of the 2020-2021 FIDE Candidates was truly historic with all games finishing with decisive results. GM Anish Giri’s impressive victory with the black pieces eliminated Fabiano Caruana from contention but the tournamentContinueContinue reading “THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUND 12”
THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUND 11
https://youtu.be/OgpeXzSXHcU Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Saturday, April 24 2021. Round 11 had two decisive games and two draws which is a welcome turn of events. Ian Nepomniachtchi continues to lead with half a point over Anish Giri. Meanwhile, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Lost ground afterContinueContinue reading “THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUND 11”
Harnessing the Power of the Pyramid in Chess
San Francisco, California, April 23, 2021– Does the secret to rapid chess improvement lie deep inside the shape of a Pyramid? California chess coach and correspondence chess master Chris Torres believes so and is inviting chess players everywhere to harness the “Power of the Pyramid in Chess!” Starting on June 1, 2021, chess players ofContinueContinue reading “Harnessing the Power of the Pyramid in Chess”
THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUND 10
https://youtu.be/jgaGJgRuvog Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Thursday, April 22 2021. Another day of the fight to challenge Magnus Carlsen concludes! Ian Nepomniachtchi continues to dominate the standings with Fabiano Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Anish Giri all sharing second place behind him by a point.ContinueContinue reading “THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUND 10”
THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUNDS 8 & 9
https://youtu.be/PsflnJBV5Zs The FIDE Candidate Chess Tournament resumed on April 19th after a 389 day long! The winner of the tournament plays Magnus Carlsen for the World’s Chess Crown at the end of the year. When play resumed, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ian Nepomniachtchi were in the lead with 4 and a half out of 7. Let’sContinueContinue reading “THE FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT: ROUNDS 8 & 9”
2020-2021 FIDE Candidates Tournament: Who Are You Rooting For?
THE FIDE CANDIDATES’ TOURNAMENT RESUMES IN JUST 4 DAYS
https://youtu.be/9QVUEoXnr0c On April 19th, the FIDE Candidates’ Tournament is set to resume in Yekaterinburg, Russia The first half of the tournament was held there from March 17 to 25, 2020, but FIDE was forced to call it off halfway due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, after a 389 day long break, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), IanContinueContinue reading “THE FIDE CANDIDATES’ TOURNAMENT RESUMES IN JUST 4 DAYS”
Chess Think
If a picture can be worth a thousand words than I suppose it’s justifiable that I used two YouTube videos to explain a single chess position. These two episodes are part of a series dedicated to describing thought processes that will lead you to making better decisions during your chess games. Episode One andContinueContinue reading “Chess Think”
Chess Chat: Q&A with Lauren Goodkind, Chess Educator Extraordinaire
I first me Lauren around in the Spring of 2000 as I was an assistant tournament director assigned to help out in the High School room for the CalChess Scholastic Championship. Since then, we’ve crossed paths numerous times at tournaments I worked at in Fremont, California, then at the Sojourner Truth Tournaments in Menlo Park,ContinueContinue reading “Chess Chat: Q&A with Lauren Goodkind, Chess Educator Extraordinaire”
The Eade Foundation’s Spring Scholastic Chess Classic
https://youtu.be/kpixa7hCl88 I am pleased to announce that registration is now open for The Eade Foundation’s Spring Scholastic Chess Classic. Scholastic chess players are encouraged to join me for a fun filled day of chess on May 22 in order to help raise awareness for The Eade Foundation’s goals of promoting chess literacy and chess excellenceContinueContinue reading “The Eade Foundation’s Spring Scholastic Chess Classic”
#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”
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 128
As chess players, we should always be trying to make improvements in our technique. For example, the player playing white in the position below should be able use good technique to win easily. Good technique may be good enough to win this endgame but with perfect technique white can checkmate in just four moves! SoContinueContinue reading “#Chess Position Worth Sharing 128”
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,ContinueContinue reading “The Importance of Setting Lofty Goals in Chess”
Balancing Effective Outcomes With Efficient Results
Chess players regularly differentiate between effective outcomes and efficient results; the former means “having the desired effect,” while the latter means “having a desired effect in the fewest moves or timeframe.” Chess puzzles often require us to be more efficient in moves than effectively necessary while performance ratings only measure the effectiveness of our movesContinueContinue reading “Balancing Effective Outcomes With Efficient Results”
#Chess Position Worth Sharing 127
Oftentimes, an introduction to a specific situation that requires deep thought is just the inspiration we need to spark new developments in our chess ability. Here is a mate in two by Александр Ажусин that a student of mine found immensely satisfying to solve. Enjoy…
Betcha Can’t Solve This #Chess Puzzle! 56
An equally ingenious and absurd chess puzzle by William L. Barclay from Chess Life and Review. White to move and mate in 2 (William L. Barclay, Chess Life and Review, 1972.)
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 catchContinueContinue reading “The Best Chess Analysis”