I received this chess set from Royal Chess Mall for review purposes. All opinions are entirely my own, based on my personal experience with the set. Royal Chess Mall had no editorial input into this article. Kevin Bottom Line Up Front--TL...
A very small tournament — only 12 games — that was nonetheless, in a real sense, the high point of Max Euwe’s championship tenure. With the Alekhine-Euwe rematch imminent Euwe helped to show that his match victory wasn’t a ...
As evening fell before the board he sat, And moved the pieces with his wonted skill; And none, who looked upon his thoughtful brow, Divined the destiny he must fulfil. The morning dawned: upon his narrow bed Dying he lay, unconscious to the ...
Hi everyone! We're here with an update for the month of July. Fair Play Stats for July 2026 1,147,767 reports created 126,041 Fair Play closures (including 13 titled players: 5 FM, 3 CM, 3 NM, 1 IM, 1 GM) 516 accounts muted 570 mute actions ...
We’ve been busy during July and the first part of August with a lot of updates over at Chessalyz.ai. Here’s what we’ve been working hard on: Train the Skill, Not Just the Puzzle. 📈 Chessalyz has always told you what went wrong i...
I came to the 5th Annual Vankleek Hill Open partly to play, partly to support my students, Noah and Liam, and partly to support Jeremy's tournament. Last time I'd played it, in 2019, it was still in Smiths Falls… Jeremy's moved it since. I...
Last year, for our vacation, my wife and I checked out some Brisbane suburbs (Wynnum, South Bank, West End, Ascot and Hamilton) and we also visited the chess meetups in West End and Albert Street. This time round, we visited the suburbs of Canon ...
Earlier this month I played in the 98th French chess championship that took place in Vichy. It is a huge tournament that is divided into many categories. The main events are, of course, the Open and the Women championships, which are contested by ...
On July 26, 2026, the MVP Chess K-12 Quads were held at The Link in Old Town. During the month America celebrated its 250th birthday, 20 players from Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia competed over the 64 squares. The event used a three-round...
As usual, I'm back with overly deep analysis of a sideline of a sideline. This time, I want to introduce one of my favorite opening traps. I've caught many grandmasters with it in blitz and bullet, and it has the advantage that White only makes na...
The internet with all its information available can be a blessing, but without structure it will just be a mass of advice. Most of these tips are correct, just not necessarily for your level! The tricky thing is that despite some of them being tru...
Sometimes Fine gets facts right: ‘Paul Morphy (1837-1884)’, page 3. Sometimes he gets them wrong: ‘Paul Morphy (1836-1883)’, page 89. His judgements are equally schizophrenic. Reuben Fine, Chess and Psychology by Edward Wi...
Last year I was a guest on an episode of Ben Johnson‘s Perpetual Chess Podcast, and he asked me this question: ‘What are common mistakes amateur players make?’ I gave him three. Here I’ll flesh out the first one because i...
After the success of the previous Puller Cup, it was time once again for Hertfordshire's chess clubs to battle it out for one of the county's most historic trophies: The tournament Hall with many focused faces! For those unfamiliar with the co...
Winning material is not the happy ending. It’s the start of a harder job. I know that sounds backwards. You spend the whole game trying to win a pawn or an exchange, and the moment you finally get it, the position somehow doesn’t feel...
14 years ago, in 2012, I became a National Master - a title given by US Chess to players who reach a classical rating of 2200. For many talented players, it's a perfunctory achievement, but for me, it was life changing. I hadn't played my first ra...
This year's British took place at Warwick University from 1st to 9th August with record numbers of players taking part. GM Shreyas Royal won his first British with FM Bodhana Sivandandan becoming the 2026 British Women's Champion. You can fi...
Good afternoon everyone. Long blog coming, so, as usual, dip in and out like it's an interesting book, as and when you have time. All comments and debate welcomed - I know there are things here which many will strongly disagree with - but my norm...
Anderssen, a born chessplayer, chiefly played combinative games. One or two of them are considered the most beautiful products of all time. But, like his predecessor Labourdonnais, he was a victim of the general concept of the period, according t...
Music is my life. If you asked ten-year-old me what I wanted to be when I grew up, the answer was an emphatic "rock star." Well, that didn’t quite pan out, so naturally, I chose the next logical alternative: medicine. (What was I thinking? C...
Good day, mates! Welcome to the sixth episode of a series which has been on hold for a long time but is now back in full swing, as an update is needed. Today, we will be discussing chess in another country where I have lived: Australia. Famous f...
The three fears holding your chess back and what you should actually aim for What if I told you that most overthinking in chess has nothing to do with knowledge or calculation, and everything to do with fear? It took me 25 years to realise that t...
Dear Chess Friends! I'm happy to share the highlights from my recent workshop "The Danger of Automatic Moves", where we explored the main enemy of your rating – the moves you make without thinking. Automatic recaptures, routine developing m...
I was in a farm field outside Vankleek Hill when I should have been thinking about the Grünfeld. I had an hour between rounds: lunch, and prep for round 5. I'd won a gift card at Annie's Chip Stand at the start of round 3, and there wasn't g...
A new chessboard to accompany the "Esports World Cup 2026."First, you need to have the "Stylus" extension installed in your web browser; then, simply click the chessboard link to download it.You can adjust certain features via the chessboard menu,...
