The Benko Gambit is one of Black's modern tries against d4. Black attempts to sacrifice a flank pawn to gain open files on the queenside and wrest the initiative away from White. Top Grandmasters such as Carlsen, Topalov, and even Kasparov hav... Read more »
Here is a fun live chess tactic that I played to deliver mate. See move list for variations. Read more »
Today, I was able to play in the Kansas Grade Championships. It was the first scholastic tournament of the season. I came into the tournament worrying only about making things crazy and dynamic. I finished off my top two opponents (both rate... Read more »
It has been a while since I have blogged. This is because I have found nothing particular interesting to blog about. But, I would like to talk about a subject that I have been struggling with recently. Burnout. Virtually every chess player... Read more »
Last week, I played in the Kansas Open. It was a strong tournament and I was the lowest rated player entered in the tournament. In round one, I drew a 1900 player as White in the French Defense. I allowed a strong sacrifice in round two and... Read more »
Okay, this is the one I meant to post for part two. It demonstrates how deadly White's kingside attack can be. Anand had absolutely no counterplay and could only wait to get crushed. Read more »
Yesterday, I tried to post a game between Kasparov and Anand. Kasparov won fairly quickly thanks to a big kingside initiative. However, when I hit the save and preview button, my internet froze and I was unable to post it. So technically, th... Read more »
I recently have begun studying the games of Kasparov. And I decided that I would learn much if I fully annotated Kasparov victories in various openings. So this is as much for me as you; it gives me a game to look back on after the fact. So... Read more »
Views are varied as to the best way to improve at chess. Some say that learning about planning, key squares, minority attacks, and other positional aspects is the best way to improve at chess. While this may generate more knowledge about the g... Read more »
Nothing in chess has more psychological power than a draw offer. The draw offer can be a very good thing, saving time if it is obvious that nobody can make progress. However, I am under the belief that offering the draw hurts the player who o... Read more »
KillaBeezUnited States
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Just some thoughts from an improving club player.