by scribe | Feb 13, 2022 | chess clubs, endings, games, people, positions
The headline says it all! Yesterday, my student Atlee (~1500) scored his first draw against me in our weekly training game. I knew this was going to happen eventually, and I wondered what it would take for Atlee to draw or win. The short version: I blundered a piece...
by scribe | Mar 10, 2019 | current news, endings, people, positions, PRO Chess League
Ordinarily we think of the endgame as a time when our kings are safe from checkmate, and they can roam with impunity around the board. But in complex endgames (where each side has two or more pieces, or a queen) it isn’t necessarily so. There are three ways in which...
by scribe | Aug 7, 2016 | current news, games, openings, positions
I was delighted to read all the anecdotes and stories that my last post (on chess humor) provoked. Coincidentally, last night I saw a post by Sam Shankland on Facebook that struck me as pretty humorous too. Sam showed the following game from Round 1 of his recent...
by scribe | Dec 22, 2015 | openings, positions
You’re White in this position. What would you do? Position after 12. … Bf5. White to move. FEN:rn3rk1/ppp2ppp/8/3q1b2/1b3B2/2NP1NR1/PPP1Q2P/R3K3 w Q – 0 13 This wasn’t an actual game, but if I were playing White I would first look at 13. Bxc7,...
by scribe | Dec 31, 2014 | current news, games, positions
Well, it’s December 31, a day that gets no respect because everybody is looking toward the new year. But it’s a perfect day for an “odds and ends” blog post, and that’s what I’m doing today. Everything today is either an odd or an...
