No one likes to resign, but we are all happy to accept the opponent’s capitulation. So, when is it the perfect time to wave the white flag? Of course, you have heard the cliché 'it’s never too late to resign' and 'no one has e...
The stronger the player, the more important it is that they know the opening well. The number of lines also increases tremendously. While beginners may get away with knowing just the basics, elite players have to analyze and memorize huge amounts ...
At this point this will be the final article of this little cycle on psychology in chess, but I will return to that topic in the future. After all, chess psychology is a very large field, and one of almost universal interest. Today we are going to...
Chess ratings are used as a tool for evaluating the current playing strength of a person. However, it is important to remember that it is the average number, while in a single game one can perform way above or below his rating. This can be connect...
Any chess game is a clash of personalities, each of whom has a unique character and chess style. Both contenders want to win. If the opponents are more or less of equal skill, the game rarely unrolls in a straightforward fashion with one of the pl...
Starting from today I would like to share with you some articles on chess psychology. This topic is relatively neglected in books, so most chess players have to learn by making their own mistakes and then corresponding adjustments to their behavio...
The life of a chess pro is a sequence of trips from one tournament to another. Some prefer to play virtually non-stop; others can afford to compete from time to time. Naturally, a person who wants to improve in chess should not only play, but also...
This article will address the concept of open files and ways of exploiting them to one’s advantage. Open files are files free of pawns. They serve as important routes for heavy pieces, especially for rooks that can burst into the enemy’s camp via...
Gaining a material advantage is a classic way of winning in chess. In some situations an extra pawn is sufficient for a victory, in others even being up a queen doesn’t guarantee anything. After all, the main goal of chess is to checkmate the oppo...
Winning in chess is not only about reckless attacking and playing for checkmate from move one. Often it is easier to start with gaining a material advantage and then converting it. Today we will be discussing an interesting way in which you can ge...
The 12th Women’s European Chess Championship was held in May in the hospitable city of Tblisi, Georgia. 130 participants, 9 of them with ratings over 2500 FIDE, 14 qualifying spots for the World Championship. For me it was the 8th WIECC (not count...
Chess theory is based on general principles, regularities, notions. They help us improve our chess understanding and become better players. However, following general principles religiously, without taking into account the features of each particu...
Each piece has its relative value. During the game it may vary depending on what position the piece occupies and what role it plays. It’s hard to win when some of your pieces are misplaced. Therefore, you should make sure all your pieces are takin...
Right now I am playing in the Russian Club Cup. This tournament has a relatively long history, and accumulates top players not only from Russia, but from all over the world. The event is a round robin. Six main boards + two reserves for men, 4+2 f...
The 12th European Chess Championship was held in France and finished on April, 2nd. I couldn’t restrain myself from commentating on this great event. As my column is dedicated to preparing for international tournaments and playing in them, I will...
When I tell people who are not into chess that physical training is very important, they often don’t take it seriously, or are deeply surprised. At first sight, it seems that chess is purely a brain game which has nothing to do with endurance or p...
The main goal in chess is to mate the opponent. This can be done indirectly by creating a decisive material advantage, or via a straightforward mating attack. However, one shouldn’t aim for an assault in any position. If there are no prerequisites...
Who doesn’t like attacking? Improving the position, creating new threats, putting pressure on the opponent, sacrificing lots of material and finally winning. What do we have on the other side? Nit-picking for even the slightest counter-chances and...
Pawns are very important fighting units. While having limited mobility and being the least valuable piece, a pawn has a large potential and, together with other pawns, defines the course of the game. Pawns form the landscape of the battleground, a...
Chess authors often use the term “two-bishop advantage” in their annotations. Today I would like to elaborate on this evergreen concept in more detail. The two-bishop advantage occurs when one side has two bishops, and the other &nda...
One of the main opening principles is “develop your pieces asap and castle.” The better your forces are mobilized, the higher the chances of launching a successful attack. One should remember that the person with a significant lead in development ...
Profound opening preparation is one of the key ingredients of overall success in chess. Luring your opponent into a trap, inventing a powerful novelty, knowing your openings well – all this will boost your confidence and create problems for your o...
Aeroflot is the strongest open chess tournament in the world. This year’s edition is the 10th. The four main features of the festival are: A group (players over 2550 with a few exceptions – female stars, prodigies, etc.) B group – strong play...
The 9th Gibraltar Chess Festival took place in a beautiful resort from January 24th to February 4th. The field was rather impressive, including such great players are Vassily Ivanchuk, Michael Adams and Fabiano Caruana. One of the special charac...
