The Computer Gets Ridonkulous

by | May 23, 2020 | games, positions

I’m glad that I got a couple of comments on my last post, “What’s the Best Move?”, saying that my readers found the positions just as hard as I did. It makes me feel better, because most of them were positions where I was playing against the...

What’s the Best Move?

by | May 9, 2020 | Chess Life, endings, games, positions

Old-timers like me can remember when every issue of Chess Life came with a Larry Evans column called “What’s the Best Move?” Evans would give you positions with three choices of possible moves. The idea, I think, came from a book of the same name...

Pawn Breaks

by | Apr 24, 2020 | games, positions, PRO Chess League

During the Pro Chess League season this year (which still has not ended, by the way — the finals have been postponed until September) Robert Hess made a comment that jolted me awake. “When I’m evaluating a position,” he said, “The first...

Long Think, Wrong Think

by | Apr 19, 2020 | chess clubs, games, openings, ruminations

There’s a saying that I’m really starting to like: “Long think, wrong think.” In game after game, both against the computer and in tournaments, it seems as if my weakest moves are the ones I take the longest on. A long think is usually a sign...