The CalChess Journal is the official news magazine for Northern California chess. In the Spring/Summer issue you can read about the most important California chess events of the last several months and see the games of Norcal chess’ top players. Special thanks to Bay Area Chess, The Berkeley Chess School, The Eade Foundation, Mission 360,ContinueContinue reading “The CalChess Journal Spring/Summer 2022”
Tag Archives: Chris Torres chess
Best Educational Chess Lesson
Awarded by Chess Journalist of America I am deeply honored and humbled to have been selected to receive the Chess Journalists of America’s Best Educational Lesson award. It was especially meaningful to receive this award for A Night at the Opera. The very first time I showed this game to a class, I put aContinueContinue reading “Best Educational Chess Lesson”
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 47
A mate in 7 can seem daunting but they aren’t always difficult to solve. Technically the position below is indeed a mate in 7 for white, but that’s only because black can throw pieces away blocking the first check to extend the game unnecessarily. So, in the actual game, I checkmated in just five moves.ContinueContinue reading “So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 47”
So I was just playing a game of #chess and then this happened! 46
My student (white) has just played Nbd2. What is the simple yet beautiful game winning response I played as black? What is black’s best move?
Better Notate Your Chess Games
Because, once the game is over, the King and the pawn go back in the same box. The queen, and the bishops who serve her, will experience the same fate. Don’t worry about the horses, they’re going away too. Even the castles will disappear. Better notate your game. So when your own time at theContinueContinue reading “Better Notate Your Chess Games”
Chess Position Worth Sharing 142
Tonight I showed Werner Springe vs Hans Gebhardt, Munich 1927 to my chess students at Gomes Elementary School in Fremont, California. This game, played by relatively unknown players, is a delightful choice for a chess lesson. In the position below, black has just played pawn to h6 threatening white’s bishop. What is white’s best move?ContinueContinue reading “Chess Position Worth Sharing 142”
Some Coffee and a Danish Gambit
I felt as though I was following in the footsteps of Dr. Hans Anton Westesson Lindehn by playing the Danish Gambit at Rook-odds. However, Lindehn played without his queen’s rook while I did without my king’s. Additionally, instead of playing at the Café de la Régence, I was playing at Peet’s Coffee. Still it makesContinueContinue reading “Some Coffee and a Danish Gambit”
Don’t Miss Out on These Exciting FIDE Events from Mission 360 and Bay Area Chess!
https://youtu.be/91tmuvrXwqg Organizing a successful IM or GM norm chess tournament is no easy feat. During the planning and lead up there are lots of things that organizers need to pay attention to and keep track of. Whether it’s sending invitations to foreign titled chess players, meeting all of FIDE’s technical requirements, calculating theContinueContinue reading “Don’t Miss Out on These Exciting FIDE Events from Mission 360 and Bay Area Chess!”
Memories From the First Day of the 2022 CalChess Super State K-8 Championships
Day 1 of the 47th annual CalChess State Scholastic Chess Championships (also known as the 2022 Super States) was a terrific experience full of chess memories. While the kids have all the fun of competing against the best chess players their age in Northern California, the adults have a memorable experience as well. One ofContinueContinue reading “Memories From the First Day of the 2022 CalChess Super State K-8 Championships “
More Opportunities for young chess players in Northern California
https://youtu.be/JzIx3nXNDQ4 Greetings! I’m Chris Torres, the Scholastic Coordinator for CalChess and I have some exciting news for Northern California’s scholastic chess community. Perhaps you’ve seen some of the Super State coverage on DailyChessMusings.com and thought it looked like a fun event. Maybe you attended the tournament but did not quite place high enough for aContinueContinue reading “More Opportunities for young chess players in Northern California “
Yes, I Teach Private Chess Lessons
At the Calchess Super States, a few chess parents inquired if I teach private chess lessons. I do coach chess privately and there are two main benefits to taking private chess lessons with me: 1. Your child’s lessons will be customized to accelerate their learning process. 2. Your child will get my one-on-one attention whenContinueContinue reading “Yes, I Teach Private Chess Lessons”
Preparing Youth Chess Players for the State Scholastic Championships
March and April are traditionally the months that State Chess Organizations hold their Scholastic State Championships sometimes referred to as “Super States.” So it is, every year around this time, I receive lots of questions about the best way to prepare a young chess player for the Scholastic State Championships. Most of my students whoContinueContinue reading “Preparing Youth Chess Players for the State Scholastic Championships”
Daily Chess Musings’ Fun Fridays
Celebrate the start of the weekend with Fun Friday chess events. The Daily Chess Musings Club has two blitz tournaments scheduled where Coach Chris will jump around and comment on players’ games in progress. In between the two tournaments, he will be open for challenges for 10 min games. 5:00 PM Pacific Time Friday FrenzyContinueContinue reading “Daily Chess Musings’ Fun Fridays”
Upcoming Chess Events
Dear Chess Friends, I want to let you know about our new online chess event format. Beginning this week, you may notice some extra online chess tournaments “Pop-Up” in the Daily Chess Musings chess club on chess.com. https://www.chess.com/club/daily-chess-musings/join When you see one, join up and participate to earn a raffle ticket in our monthly prizeContinueContinue reading “Upcoming Chess Events”
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”
My Quora Answer to: Is there a shortcut for becoming really good in chess?
Under the best of circumstances, becoming really good in chess is a serious endeavor that takes a considerable amount of time. Millions of individuals like playing chess, but only a few can master the game. What is the reason for this? Chess is, simply said, one of the most complicated games ever devised. Despite theContinueContinue reading “My Quora Answer to: Is there a shortcut for becoming really good 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”
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”
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”
Chess Stimulus Plan
If your family is like mine, you are also dealing with some new challenges this school year. I want to do my part to make sure having your children study chess is as easy and affordable as possible. To do this, I am announcing my 2020 Chess Stimulus Plan. There are two main parts toContinueContinue reading “Chess Stimulus Plan”