Cautionary Tales

by | Mar 10, 2019 | current news, endings, people, positions, PRO Chess League

Ordinarily we think of the endgame as a time when our kings are safe from checkmate, and they can roam with impunity around the board. But in complex endgames (where each side has two or more pieces, or a queen) it isn’t necessarily so. There are three ways in which...

Brilliancy Checking

by | Mar 6, 2019 | people, positions, ruminations

Recently I watched a lecture by Elizabeth Spiegel online where she talked about the importance of blunder-checking, especially for scholastic players. It’s not a new idea. Before you make your move, she said, write it down, and then look back at the board and ask,...

Closer to Fine

by | Feb 26, 2019 | chess clubs, current news, positions, PRO Chess League

When the San Francisco Mechanics started out the season with three losses in three matches, there was some understandable consternation in the City by the Bay. Tears were shed. Bad rap lyrics were written. Hope was abandoned. (One of those three statements is actually...

Worst Opening Ever?

by | Feb 23, 2019 | games, openings, positions

As you know, I often blog about games against the computer. When I do this, I feel guilty about the fact that these games are cherry-picked. Usually I only show my best games, although occasionally I might show a game where I played well in general but then missed a...

More Fun With Shredder

by | Feb 14, 2019 | games, positions, PRO Chess League

I haven’t written about any of my games with Shredder in at least three or four months, partly because I realized I was overdoing it. Also my tournament results showed me that playing against the computer was not really doing anything good for my game, and maybe even...