Tag Archives: Chris Torres

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 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”

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?

A Learning Moment

Chess is full of opportunities to learn from mistakes. There may be no take-backs in chess and also life for that matter. But as chess players, it is critically important to be honest with ourselves when we make mistakes so that we can improve both as a player and a person.  Yesterday I published anContinueContinue reading “A Learning Moment”

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”

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”

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?”

Do strong chess players today possess different qualities than their predecessors in the 1800’s?

Question: Given the increase in chess theory, are different kinds of people likely to be strong chess players now than in the 1800s or earlier (e.g., people with greater memory)? Answer: It’s also important to realize that brute memorization is not a very important factor in chess success. The important factors that the 19th centuryContinueContinue reading “Do strong chess players today possess different qualities than their predecessors in the 1800’s?”

Analyze That! October 20, 2020

Here is the notation for the games in the October 20, 2020 Analyze That! This is helpful if you want to play along. Site chess.com White KarinRibeiro Black manujlc Result 1-0 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bb4 4…Nxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 5.Ng5 O-O 6.Qf3 6.d3 h6 7.Nf3 6…Nd4 7.Qd3 c6 7…d5 8.Bb3 8.exd5 Bf5ContinueContinue reading “Analyze That! October 20, 2020”

Do you learn chess better by playing or watching?

Question: Do you learn chess better by playing or watching? Answer: Ideally, there needs to be balance between learning by watching examples of strong play and attempting to apply what you have learned through playing chess. Following a study plan will help achieve this balance. Emmanuel Lasker was the World Chess Champion for twenty-six yearsContinueContinue reading “Do you learn chess better by playing or watching?”

An All Morphy Masterpiece

A photograph of Alonzo Morphy (Paul Morphy’s father.)The famous Checkmate by Castling Game! [Event “Friendly Game”] [Site “New Orleans (USA)”] [Date “1850”] [Round “?”] [White “Morphy, Paul”] [Black “Morphy, Alonzo”] [Result “1-0”] [SetUp “1”] [FEN “rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/1NBQKBNR w Kkq – 0 1”] [Annotator “Chris Torres”] 1. e4 {At the age of 13, Paul was already aContinueContinue reading “An All Morphy Masterpiece”

FremontChess.com Saturday Quads

October 19, November 16, & December 21 The Torres Chess and Music Academy and the Learning Bee Learning Center Present: FremontChess.com Saturday QuadsWhere: Learning Bee Learning Center, 39977 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA 94539 When: 10/19, 11/16, & 12/21 R1 @ 1:00 pm What: Scholastic (K-12) 3 Round Quad – G/30 d5 Cost: $30/quad or allContinueContinue reading “FremontChess.com Saturday Quads”

Hundreds Celebrate ‘Rosie the Riveter’ at Richmond Waterfront Festival – CBS San Francisco

Former World War II shipyard worker Mary Torres, 96, jumped to her feet and waved as hundreds of people cheered at the Rosie Rally Home Front Festival in Richmond Saturday. — Read on sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/08/10/rosie-rally-2019-richmond/

Summer Chess Camps Return to Fremont

Summer Chess Programs in Fremont Sign up for any 1 week camp for ONLY $200 and your child will also receive: ** A 1 year gold membership to ChessKid.com (a $50 value) ** A copy of Learn Chess the Right Way by Susan Polgar (a $20 value) ** And two online private lessons with ChrisContinueContinue reading “Summer Chess Camps Return to Fremont”

Chris Torres Raises the Bar for Fremont Summer Chess Camps in 19 | Fremont, CA Patch

Chris Torres Raises the Bar for Fremont Summer Chess Camps in 19 | Fremont, CA Patch Get $150 worth of free chess extras from FremontChess.com when you sign your child up for a weeklong camp for only $200!— Read on http://www.google.com/amp/s/patch.com/california/fremont/amp/28114988/chris-torres-raises-bar-fremont-summer-chess-camps-201