Lately I've just been blogging when I analyze one of my own games with interesting results, so posts are fairly sporadic.
Learning typical mating patterns is one of the keys to being able to create checkmating combinations. In a few recent games I had mating combinations with somewhat unique patterns. Give them a try: In the first puzzle white has some extra materi... Read more »
I have been playing some strong players lately and I hope to be able to fill the blog with good losses that help me learn what I'm doing wrong. In the game I will show here I have two chances to play good moves and blow it. So what was wrong with ... Read more »
I recently played a Sicilian Defense where white played a line I rarely see. Probably because black gets a lead in development. White's compensation seems to be getting out of the main line and trading queens. But even without the queens on bo... Read more »
Firstly, the title deserves an explanation. I see frequently enough people abbreviating Bishops of opposite colors, BOOC. This post is about the opposite, Bishops Of the Same COlor, BOSCO. Bosco is also George Constanza's favorite chocolate sa... Read more »
People always say that the value of pieces depends on the position on the board. One of the most dramatic ways a piece changes it's value is when a pawn becomes a passed pawn and creeps closer to it's new life as a queen, or short of getti... Read more »
Miniatures (games concluding in less than 25 moves) are often the result of one side leaving the king in the center. Sometimes you can delay castling, but if pawns are exchanged in the center you're better off scooting to safety as quickly as ... Read more »
This is a game I played a few months ago and I think it stands as an example of how the outcome of an amateur chess game can never be certain. Read more »
A while back I posted on the thematic Greek Gift sacrifice (Bxh7+). In the games I posted black could have drawn with proper defense but failed to find some difficult moves and lost. I have to more examples now. One where the sacrifice was temptin... Read more »
I notice that good players often point out that a position will have weak white or black squares. I understand this a little bit, but I still have questions as to how we know there is a weakness and more importantly when and how can this weakness ... Read more »
Sometimes during our games we find an awesome tactical blow to win material or checkmate. We confidently play our masterpiece move only to have it refuted by our opponent or later in analysis. I suspect this happens to players at most (if not all)... Read more »
Welcome to my blog! In the USCF I am rated 1921.
The content posted here is from my real chess experience, either games I've played or observed. I'll try to put an instructive twist on it. So if you're looking for a glimpse into how a B player thinks about the game, check in and see what I've got. Well, recently my rating has gone over 1800, so perhaps I should list myself as class A instead of class B, but it's not a huge difference.
LoomisUnited States
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