Submitted by
NM Zug on Mon Nov 2, 2009 6:21am.
The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)Chess Limericks
I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t like limericks. However, since they are a type of humor distinct to the English language, a good definition might be in order. According to ... Read more »
1043 reads | 14 comments | 4 votes:
Submitted by
repecmps on Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:58am.
Chess training program for ratings < 1200
Disclaimer:These advice are taken from my personal (short) experience. They are written by a novice for the novice.
I only release my ideas today to the public. Nobody ever tried these programs and I ... Read more »
2287 reads | 32 comments | 6 votes:
Submitted by
IM Silman on Sun Sep 27, 2009 11:25pm.
COMMENTING ON READER COMMENTS
Here are answers to various comments (in regards to my Q & A articles) by readers:
crowrevell says:
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 is a strong answer to 2…Nc6. I’m not familiar with 2...g6, though it seems... Read more »
1971 reads | 12 comments | 0 votes:
Submitted by
NM Zug on Wed Sep 2, 2009 6:36am.
The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)Notes on Notation
Everyone today uses Algebraic notation to write down the moves. When I started playing tournament chess in 1970, the only method available in the US was English Descriptive notati... Read more »
1118 reads | 19 comments | 2 votes:
Submitted by
FM FM_Eric_Schiller on Fri Aug 21, 2009 2:37pm.
Veteran Jan Timman dominated the Staunton Memorial tournament, streaking to the finish. His only stumble was his seventh round encounter with a great Viktor Korchnoi.
Perhaps inspired by Korchnoi, Tim on rebounded in the next round by using ... Read more »
1370 reads | 9 comments | 1 vote:
Submitted by
FM FM_Eric_Schiller on Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:05pm.
Veterans Viktor Korchnoi and Jan Timman displayed their bona fides in the ealy rounds. Timman soared to first place while Korchnoi maintained a respectable 50%.
Jan Timman showed true understanding of the Nimzo-indian with effective play against ... Read more »
895 reads | 6 comments | 1 vote:
Submitted by
FM FM_Eric_Schiller on Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:25pm.
Here is a sparkling game from the second round.
Read more »
1148 reads | 10 comments | 0 votes:
Submitted by
FM FM_Eric_Schiller on Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:28pm.
We begin our coverage with a sparkling game from the first round of the 2009 Howard Staunton Memorial chess tournament. the grand tradition of this event was enhanced by the appearance of a Staunton gambit on the chessboard at Simpson's in the Str... Read more »
845 reads | 8 comments | 0 votes:
Submitted by
IM Silman on Sun Aug 9, 2009 11:47pm.
Emanuel asked:How much time do you spend daily studying chess? Also were you naturally gifted or did you just keep working hard at it? What did you study to rise from 1000 to IM? Anything specifically or just anything chess related that you could ... Read more »
3274 reads | 31 comments | 5 votes:
Submitted by
NM Zug on Sun Aug 9, 2009 7:59am.
The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)
Only 2700's Need Apply
NOTE to all those who read this article:
I started this tournament with the goal of having some really good games you can find all in one spot, along with the idea of ma... Read more »
1708 reads | 36 comments | 3 votes:
Submitted by
IM Silman on Mon Aug 3, 2009 12:11am.
Andrea Coda asked:I am playing online chess mostly as preparation for OTB tournaments, and I am focusing on slow games; I believe that at my level it is very important to reason through every move, trying to increase my board vision and analysis s... Read more »
3009 reads | 21 comments | 8 votes:
Submitted by
NM Zug on Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:51pm.
The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)And Another Blunder
If you read last week’s column “Take His Rook, Archil!” and were amazed at my blunder, then you’ll even be more amazed by this one. There I was in a local weekend tourna... Read more »
918 reads | 9 comments | 1 vote:
Submitted by
NM Zug on Tue Jul 14, 2009 3:48pm.
The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)Take His Rook, Archil!
In the Tenth USSR Championship in 1937, the following position came about in the game Ebralidze-Ragozin with Black to move:
Ragozin attempted to defend himself by playing ... Read more »
1232 reads | 21 comments | 2 votes:
Submitted by
IM Silman on Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:19am.
Anonymous asked:I thought chess was supposed to be a gentleman’s game, but at times my opponents act rudely during tournament play. What can I do about this?Dear Anonymous:During a tournament in Los Angeles, two players got into a fight while pl... Read more »
3662 reads | 47 comments | 2 votes:
Submitted by
spassky on Sat Jul 11, 2009 10:08am.
For those of you who are new to chess.com or for those of you who have enjoyed any of my articles in the past, I decided to post a list of links to all of my previous articles. There have been 19 to date, this being the 20th.
Title
Date ... Read more »
691 reads | 2 comments | 1 vote:
Submitted by
NM Zug on Tue Jul 7, 2009 5:52am.
The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)How Good Is a Master?
Just how good is a chess master, anyway? How much better is he than the "ordinary" player? Oh, sure, you know he can beat the pants off you any time he wants, but how did he... Read more »
1291 reads | 19 comments | 1 vote:
Submitted by
Skwerly on Thu Jul 2, 2009 10:42am.
Are you embarrassed each time you thump a rook down on the chessboard in a blitz game because the weight inside rattles badly? You are not alone; my own pieces did this very thing for quite some time. Then one day I got motivated and d... Read more »
905 reads | 15 comments | 2 votes:
Submitted by
sanjayd1998 on Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:53am.
White to play and mate in two.
Hint: A close look at Black's possible moves shows that in every single case White can reply with an immediate mate. It follows that a waiting move would solve the problem. But this is another typical example of dec... Read more »
627 reads | 6 comments | 1 vote:
Submitted by
KnightPawn28 on Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:07am.
Once upon a time, chess was a game for kings! How irresistible it is to note that this graceful and imaginative game indeed inherited a touch of nobility. Everything about this game was carefully crafted yet, what brings it to life is two creative... Read more »
429 reads | 4 comments | 2 votes:
Submitted by
sanjayd1998 on Mon Jun 29, 2009 5:54am.
White to play and mate in two.
Hint:Black threatens to take on b1, so White must create a strong threat. At the moment White's queen is under-employed, doing nothing more than cover b4 and c5, a job which could equally well be performed by a bi... Read more »
368 reads | 6 comments | 1 vote:
Submitted by
Pyke on Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:14am.
Figured I would share them. I analyzed them in Fritz 9. Click on "Moves List" to see the proposed variants. Some interesting games, in my opinion. I nearly blew the second one. I finished the tournament 2-1-2 (two bye's, due to a conflict on the m... Read more »
306 reads | 3 comments | 0 votes:
Submitted by
sanjayd1998 on Sun Jun 28, 2009 3:25am.
White to play and mate in 2.
Hint:Black has a whole range of powerful threats, including 1...Nxd3 and 1...Bxb7 so white's first move has to be fairly blunt. A sacrifice may be necessary.
Since black threatens to play 1...Nxd3 or 1...Bxb7, White... Read more »
376 reads | 1 comment | 1 vote:
Submitted by
sanjayd1998 on Sat Jun 27, 2009 4:44am.
At the moment all White's mating threats are covered by the four black pieces on the back rack, so how can white break the deadlock?White to play and mate in two.
Hint:If you check all black's available moves, you will find that all but two allow... Read more »
279 reads | 1 comment | 1 vote:
Submitted by
IM Silman on Sun Jun 21, 2009 11:58pm.
Doomclaw asks:I am fairly new to tournament chess, but in the few OTB tournaments I have played I can’t seem to avoid getting very nervous before and during my games, which sometimes causes me to blunder. Can you make suggestions on how to stay ... Read more »
3635 reads | 34 comments | 3 votes:
Submitted by
NM Zug on Tue Jun 16, 2009 11:05am.
The Open Fileby Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)Political Tangent
As most of you know who regularly read my column, I like to dwell on the lighter side of chess. I sit down and think outrageous thoughts about chess and then put 'em down on paper... Read more »
958 reads | 3 comments | 2 votes: