Heading into the first rest day of the grueling tournament after three rounds the contestants have a lot to look forward to building on the developments of the first three rounds. Kramnik scored an emphatic win in round three against Levon Aronian deploying the Berlin Defense- one that he spent a lot of time working…
The Reykjayvik 2018 Tournament opened its doors today in the namesake town in Iceland- the land where Bobby Fischer Rests in Peace. And this year its aptly Christened as the Bobby Fischer Memorial in observance of the tenth anniversary since Bobby Fischer’s passing away in Reykjavik, Iceland. Sporting a solid field of Grand Masters and…
Close on the heels of the World Rapid and Blitz Championship toward the twilight of 2017 the Tal Memorial is one of the early Tournaments on every strong chess Grand Master’s participation schedule. Packed in a crowded field of elite tournaments that start with the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk Aan Zee (NL) and the…
I pull up in the parking lot of a gas station on 249 North that has a McDonalds onsite and walk inside what seems to be a usual pitstop on a long drive to gas up then some. Stepping inside an making my way in any McDonalds I see a whole set up of what…
The Legal Trap or Blackburne Trap is a chess opening trap named after French Player Sire de Legal in the 1700’s and used widely by Joseph Henry Blackburne in the 19th Century. This trap features a queen sacrifice by White followed by check mate with minor pieces if Black accepts the sacrifice. The study of…
The most widely followed Tournament of the last couple weeks concluded today in Moscow. The Aeroflot Open is an anticipated event every year drawing a the finest talents in chess from world over. The players preparing for the Candidates Tournament in little over a week were understandably absent this time around. But that’s not to…
Named after Portuguese Grand Master Pedro Damiano from the 16th Century this is one of the oldest opening in Chess. Condemned as a very weak opening this opening is never seen at top level play. However very likely encountered when facing an inexperienced opponent possibly at a Scholastic Event. Here’s an exhaustive look into the…
A most fundamental idea exploited by almost everyone against inexperienced/novice opponents is the Scholar’s Mate- also known as the Four Move Check Mate. Much as it is an exciting idea exploited by players using different variations of opening moves, here’s a look at possible alternatives and combinations and how to refute it playing black and…
