For fifteen years, this was the home of “Dana Blogs Chess.” I began writing this blog in 2007, when blogs were the latest and greatest thing on the Internet. In 2021, I won the award for “Best Chess Blog” from the Chess Journalists of America, and I like to joke that they gave me the award only because it was the last blog still standing!
Nevertheless, I decided at the end of 2022 that it was time to retire this blog, because I was no longer playing actively in tournaments (an unfortunate consequence of the pandemic). I also really felt as if I had said everything I wanted to say. See the last post (12/31/2022, “Anticipation of Things Future”) for a more detailed explanation.
In 2023, I started to ask myself if there was some way to preserve a more permanent record of the 1245 blog posts I had written in this space. Thus was born the concept of my new book, Did You Come Here to Play Chess or to Have Fun?
I quickly realized that I couldn’t publish a book with all of my posts. It would have been thousands of pages long! So I selected about 40 of my favorites, edited them, updated them, and in some cases improved the chess analysis that was either outdated or had never been carefully checked. New in Chess agreed to publish my book (now a svelte 264 pages). You can read a couple of sample chapters and order it from their website. Also, of course, you can purchase it from Amazon.com or your favorite online retailer.
Whether you are an old reader coming back here to relive your favorite moments, or a new fan who has just finished reading my book and wants to read more, you’ve come to the right place! All of the old material is still here, in its un-edited and un-improved form, just as I first wrote it. Please pull up a chess board — or fire up your chess computer, according to your preference — and make yourself at home.
Position of the Week
(See the blog post: 6/2/2022)
(Or read about it in the book: Chapter 19, p. 241.)
It’s Black to move after 1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4. Should Black protect his king position with 5. … e6, or should he try to win White’s queen with 5. … Bg4?
“Dana Blogs Chess” Archives
Epic Success and Epic Fail
For the last week I have been in Minnesota, playing in the Minnesota International Chess Festival, which was organized superbly by Alex Betaneli. It may have been the strongest event held in Minnesota since the HB Global Challenge in 2004. But that event was done in...
Hail Mary
Generally speaking, when you are in a bad or losing position, you should not count on finding a single miraculous move -- a hail Mary -- to save your position. Hard-nosed, patient defense will save more games than prayers will. But on the other hand, you should keep...
Summer of ’72
Fifty years and one week ago I completed my first USCF-rated chess tournament, the U.S. Booster Championship in Chicago, Illinois. I've never really considered this to be my "first tournament," because I had played earlier that summer in the 1972 Indiana State...
