by scribe | Jan 16, 2022 | chess clubs, games, openings
When you play the move 1. d4 as White, you’re generally saying that you want the game to be a sumo match rather than a sword fight. You’re tired of all the sharp tactics of 1. e4, whether it’s the Sicilian Defense or the open games. You want to just...
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 | Sep 19, 2015 | current news, ruminations, tournaments
The playoffs for round three of the 2015 FIDE World Cup have just ended, with Hikaru Nakamura winning an Armageddon game as Black against Ian Nepomniachtchi to advance. The big surprise of the day was Dmitry Andreikin, the #27 seed, beating #6 Vladimir Kramnik in a...
by scribe | Sep 10, 2015 | current news, tournaments
Tomorrow the FIDE World Cup chess tournament begins in Baku, Azerbaijan, the birthplace of former World Champion Garry Kasparov. I’ve gone from being a detractor to a fan of the World Cups. I hated them when they were masquerading as a world championship. I...
by scribe | Aug 28, 2013 | current news, tournaments
The semifinal round of the World Cup had a somewhat surreal aspect to it. Looking at the games, it seems clear that the players were exhausted. The first two “classical” games were drawn in 14 and 16 moves respectively, as the players took a break from the...
