3 Variations on a Theme

by | Apr 27, 2020 | endings, positions, Uncategorized

Here’s a challenge of a kind I haven’t seen before. I’m going to show you three very similar positions. In the first, it’s Black to play and win. In the second, Black has to play exactly the same first two moves, and you have to show that the...

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...

Wild Fritz Endgames, No. 1 (R vs. 3P)

by | Apr 6, 2020 | endings, literature, positions

With nothing much going on the world of chess, I’ve been playing against my computer a lot. It’s a bad habit, really. But one somewhat unexpected benefit is that I’ve gotten to play a few interesting endgames recently. When I play against Fritz, I...