...in chess as in life.
The knight is a forking monster. (Be careful who is standing nearby if you say this out loud.) To master this particular ability of the knight you must thoroughly understand the knight’s manner of movement. There are variou... Read more »
Here are some member-submitted combinations that are not only instructive, but which also illustrate why chess is artful beauty. In a recent blog, I asked members to submit games which they won through a deliberate sacrifice of material.&nbs... Read more »
[Please disregard this blog now. I have already posted the brilliancies that were sent in. -KG] This is a reminder about my previous post regarding the Brilliancies Project. Send me your games that illustrate your best combinations, pe... Read more »
Not long ago I went into a coffee shop and saw a couple playing chess. My chess addiction winning over my caffeine addiction, I sauntered over to watch the game a bit, which was in its ending throes. The three of us were staring int... Read more »
"Chess is 99% tactics", said Richard Teichmann (pictured here). And combinations are the soul of tactics. Silman defines a combination in his marvelous text How to Reassess Your Chess where he writes, "A combination is a sacri... Read more »
Since Bobby Fischer died on January 17 much has been written about him because much was accomplished by his genius. One of his legacies is a chess variant called “Fischer Random Chess” (FRC), which he created in 1996. ... Read more »
I have witnessed first-hand two activities which I consider to be humanly impossible, and yet there are a few rare individuals who do possess these supernatural abilities. One of them is real-time spoken translation of languages. The o... Read more »
In Part 1 of this blog, I explained how a chess program plays the opening, and I also outlined the Minimax procedure that is used to play the middle game. This blog continues the discussion by revealing the primary difficulty faced by a comp... Read more »
Introduction: Trees and Master Forest RangersI assume that you are not a computer geek, or you would probably already know how your computer chess program works and would therefore not be reading this. Since you are not a geek, I will ... Read more »
In 1915 there was purportedly a very odd game played in Moscow between Alekhine and an unknown opponent in which a position was reached where there were no less than 5 ladies on the board. This would be remarkable were it not for the fact th... Read more »
kurtgoddenUnited States
If you are intellectual or just like an occasional chess chuckle, then I think you will like my blog. You can get chess tips and tricks from anywhere, but where can you read about my topics? (Answer: only here.)
I especially enjoy your comments and encouragement, so please communicate if you see something you like.
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Most Popular (at least 1,800 reads):
Elo to Glicko: Your Rating ExplainedStill a Victim of ChessAnd the Best Player Ever is...The Longest Possible Chess GameThe Devil's Dictionary of ChessChess is Bad for Your MindThe Passion of Chess6 Pawns on a FileChess CheatersBlindfold ChessChess Jokes: Practical and Otherwise
Blogs that I Personally Like:
Chess is Good for Your Mind
Best Chess Quotes You've Never Seen
Even the Gods Can Blunder
A Tour of the Knight's Tour
How Your Chess Program Defeats You, part 1
Chess Comedy!
Chess Jokes: Practical and Otherwise
Be a Six-Sigma Chess Player
Chess Boxing
The Devil's Dictionary of Chess
Who was Giuoco Piano?
Which Openings Should You Learn?
My Continuing Series of Blogs Named after Players:
The Names behind the Openings, Part 1
Bird to Bogo
Caro, Kann and Chigorin – Openings Players
Evans and Göring: Gambiteers
A Greenfield Opening
Who Suggested 1. b3 ??
Nimzowitsch (in 4 syllables)
Petrov and the Mysterious Morphy Self-Mate
What was Philidor Thinking?
The Inauspicious Réti
The Orhid Opening of Robatsch