Happy Birthday Bobby Fischer

https://youtu.be/dTW72fjRUmM Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Today is March ninth and therefore it is Bobby Fischer’s birthday. Fischer, who died in 2008, would have turned 78-years-old today.  Bobby Fischer, whom many believe to be the greatest chess player of allContinueContinue reading “Happy Birthday Bobby Fischer”

So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 41

Here’s a fun tactic from a training game I played against a student last Wednesday. What is white’s winning idea?

Daily Chess Musings: Chess Chat with Sofia

https://youtu.be/Zj7g709lQ0Q Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Tuesday, March 2, 2021. On The Daily Chess Musings Blog I have a running series of articles called Chess Chats where I conduct written interviews with interesting members of the chess community. Today, I posted a new ChessContinueContinue reading “Daily Chess Musings: Chess Chat with Sofia”

Chess Chat: Q&A with Sofia, Female Captain of the Leyden Chess Team in Illinois

Daily Chess Club Member Sofia hails from Chicago and is currently an 18-year-old senior in high school who hopes to major in English. Sofia plans to achieve a Woman Candidate Master title to help increase outreach in under-resourced communities and further the movement to improve chess literacy and excellence amongst women. This title will putContinueContinue reading “Chess Chat: Q&A with Sofia, Female Captain of the Leyden Chess Team in Illinois”

Giving Back to the Eade Foundation Has Never Been Easier

Go to : https://fbds.dollarstore.com/ discount code “chess”  https://youtu.be/EY6qV_e-dv4 Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Monday,  March 1, 2021. Anyone who has followed this channel for a while has seen how FIDE Master James Eade has contributed so much to the success of many of ourContinueContinue reading “Giving Back to the Eade Foundation Has Never Been Easier”

LEVON ARONIAN TO REPRESENT THE USA IN CHESS

https://youtu.be/hpm7ec6WLhc Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Saturday, February 27, 2021. Chess grandmaster Levon Aronian announced that he is leaving Armenia and will represent the United States for chess, citing what he said was Armenian officials’ indifference to chess as one of the reasons. “The pastContinueContinue reading “LEVON ARONIAN TO REPRESENT THE USA IN CHESS”

Winning Chess Moves: Aronian vs Gelfand, 2008

Can you spot Grandmaster Levon Aronian’s winning chess move from his victory over Grandmaster Boris Gelfand at the 2008 FIDE Grand Prix in Sochi, Russia? White to move and win!

What do you Call a Mouse Slip on a Touch Screen?

https://youtu.be/T2eaI0Cm7FM Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for Thursday, February 25, 2021. We’ve all done it. Those times when you are cruising to a victory and then accidentally touch a neighboring square. Perhaps this fine motor skill mishap accidentally hangs your queen. Suddenly your game isContinueContinue reading “What do you Call a Mouse Slip on a Touch Screen?”

Prize Update

https://youtu.be/agYAC-5VN0s Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for February 8, 2021 Congratulations to Sebastien Mei (chessfor107) for winning one of New Year’s Blitz Chess Extravaganza Raffle Prizes. He used his $30 gift card for American Chess Equipment on this beautiful chess set. And speaking of prizes, IContinueContinue reading “Prize Update”

WEEKLY CHESS TOURNAMENT RESULTS POSTED ON SUNDAYS

https://youtu.be/s80lMkKB23c Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for February 7, 2021 From now on we are going to be recognizing the winners of our weekly chess tournaments on Sunday Evenings. Each week we run 3 tournaments. The Friday Frenzy Blitz Tournament  is a weekly speed chessContinueContinue reading “WEEKLY CHESS TOURNAMENT RESULTS POSTED ON SUNDAYS”

MIKHAIL ZINAR: A COMPOSITION

To win, white must promote a pawn to a Bishop 5 times! Greetings Chess Players. My name is Chris Torres and this is my daily chess musing for February 5, 2021. For today’s episode, I present an absolutely brilliant puzzle as a tribute to the great chess problem composer Mikhail Afanasievich Zinar whom today, itContinueContinue reading “MIKHAIL ZINAR: A COMPOSITION”

Today is Paul Keres’ Birthday

Happy birthday to Paul Keres, who was born on January 7, 1916. From 1935, when he debuted as a sensational nineteen-year-old at the Sixth World Chess Olympiad in Warsaw, Paul Keres was one of the top five players in the world before his untimely death from a heart attack on an international airplane flight fromContinueContinue reading “Today is Paul Keres’ Birthday”

New Year’s Message to All of our students, ju

I wish to welcome all of you to a brand-new year. I genuinely hope that this past holiday season has been restful, safe and full of joy for your family. I understand, of course, that many of us are still shaking off the challenges of 2020, but I also hope that you recognize the importantContinueContinue reading “New Year’s Message to All of our students, ju”

Chess Review 2020: Making the Best of the Worst of Times

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”, is how Charles Dickens begins his masterpiece, A Tale of Two Cities. From the very first lines to the end of the novel, Dickens’ theme is contrasting the cruelty of the Reign of Terror which occurred after the onset of the French RevolutionContinueContinue reading “Chess Review 2020: Making the Best of the Worst of Times”

10 Completely Free Chess Activities in December

Dear Chess Families, It’s often far too easy to get caught up in everyday stress and forget about the great escape that is the chessboard and the wonderful friendships the chess community fosters. During these unprecedented times, I know that it is especially important that our scholastic chess community members have access to a structuredContinueContinue reading “10 Completely Free Chess Activities in December”

Alex Trebek (July 22, 1940 – Nov. 8, 2020)

Today, we lost the beloved host of the television game show Jeopardy to cancer. I have many fond memories of watching Jeopardy during his thirty-seven years as the host. However, I thought it would be particularly fitting for this blog to share the Double Jeopardy category from Show # 5651 – Monday, March 16th, 2009.ContinueContinue reading “Alex Trebek (July 22, 1940 – Nov. 8, 2020)”

#Chess Position Worth Sharing! 125

Today’s position is a practical tactical shot from the game GM Vladislav Artemiev vs GM Vladislav Kovalev at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee played on 1/14/2020. Black has just played Rd8 for his 39th move. What is white’s Best continuation?

How did Morphy and Alekhine get so good at chess?

Question: How did chess players like Morphy/Alekhine get good at tactics without the computers, books, and databases that we have today? Paul Morphy and Alexander Alekhine Answer: Both Morphy and Alekhine were born wealthy in a household that valued chess. Paul Morphy learned chess at an early age by watching games between his uncle andContinueContinue reading “How did Morphy and Alekhine get so good at chess?”