Online chess community where you can play chess, learn strategies and tactics, read chess news, see book reviews, find rules & tips, get free downloads, and more! http://www.chess.com/ 2007 Chess.com There is a nicely written post by Rael regarding the chess.com community:  The Soul of Chess.com While reading it, a thought occurred to me and I was wondering how much enthusiasm there might be for it.  There are a lot of people here ...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chesscom-festSat, 02 Aug 2008 07:46:13 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chesscom-festThe Nimzowitsch Defense, 1. e4 Nc6, is named after the über-famous Aron Nimzowitsch (1886—1935), whose last name at birth was the 4-syllable ‘Niemzowitsch’.  The opening, as others we have looked at in this series, was ...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/nimzowitsch-in-4-syllablesWed, 23 Jul 2008 19:33:54 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/nimzowitsch-in-4-syllablesNot long ago, Sigma Xi, a research society of nearly 60,000 scientists worldwide that includes several Nobel Prize winners, asked their members to document how they first became interested in science.  Was it a teacher?  Something they r...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/what-was-your-chess-sparkFri, 18 Jul 2008 13:30:15 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/what-was-your-chess-sparkThe Danish grandmaster Bent Larsen (1935- ) has enjoyed playing out-of-favor chess openings since he was a child.  This trait began around the age of 12 when he read a book that said modern chess masters were cowards for avoiding the King&rsq...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/who-suggested-1-b3Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:51:00 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/who-suggested-1-b3A few days ago, American expert (USCF 2038) Tim Moroney, while competing at the World Open in Philadelphia, told me about a puzzle in which there 6 pawns all lined up on the same file.  Intrigued by this morsel of information, I investigated ...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/6-pawns-on-a-fileTue, 08 Jul 2008 14:47:51 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/6-pawns-on-a-fileIn Steinbeck’s sequel to his famous book Cannery Row, his richly deep and delightful character Doc proclaims that “chess is possibly the only game in the world in which it is impossible to cheat.”  He was, of course, talking...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chess-cheatersFri, 04 Jul 2008 22:48:08 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chess-cheatersChess is a mental playground for mathematicians.  How many ways can you place 8 rooks on a chessboard such that none of them attacks another?  This is similar to the 8 Lonely Queens problem that I discussed in another blog.  For the...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/8-lonely-rooksWed, 02 Jul 2008 11:09:26 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/8-lonely-rooksFive years before Alekhine became World Champion, he was defeated so surprisingly that he resigned after 55 moves by throwing his king across the room.  Alekhine was not exactly the most sanguine player as I have described in a previous blog,...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/a-greenfield-openingSat, 28 Jun 2008 08:49:49 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/a-greenfield-openingIn 1848 Max Bezzel published what has become one of the most famous chess puzzles in history.  His article appeared in the German chess magazine Die Schachzeitung and introduced the ‘8 Queens’ problem.  The task is to place 8...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/8-lonely-queensSat, 21 Jun 2008 12:01:10 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/8-lonely-queensLittle is known of the reclusive 17th century Italian monk who lends his name to the opening that begins:  1.  e4 e5  2.  Nf3  Nc6  3.  Bc4  Bc5  There are no academic histories available regarding Mons...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/who-was-giuoco-pianoThu, 12 Jun 2008 08:07:21 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/who-was-giuoco-pianoFrench artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, having an impact on Dada, Surrealism, and Cubism, among others. He invented the genre of Readymades.  He was also excellent at chess and pla...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/still-a-victim-of-chessSat, 07 Jun 2008 12:36:43 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/still-a-victim-of-chessIn 1824 William Davies Evans (pictured here) of Wales was captain of the first Royal Mail steam ship, christened the Auckland, that made a run from Milford Haven to Waterford.  Like all sailing men he was faced with a choice of diversions whe...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/evans-and-gring-gambiteersSun, 01 Jun 2008 09:39:51 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/evans-and-gring-gambiteersIn a related essay I argued that Chess is Good for Your Mind.  However, for every coin there is a flip, and heads sometimes become tails.  Water is a healthy drink, but imbibe too much of it too fast and you can die of water intoxication...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chess-is-bad-for-your-mindMon, 26 May 2008 19:20:26 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chess-is-bad-for-your-mindMany people believe, or perhaps hope, that playing the game of chess is somehow beneficial.  Ben Franklin wrote an essay that is widely available on the web about how chess improves one’s moral character.  Let’s consider more...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chess-is-good-for-your-mindSun, 25 May 2008 08:32:59 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chess-is-good-for-your-mindAs we saw in previous installments of this series that discuss the players behind the named openings, the Caro-Kann Opening (1. e4  c6) draws its name not from its inventor.  Rather, the opening is named after Englishman Horatio Caro (18...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/caro-kann-and-chigorin---openings-playersFri, 16 May 2008 20:13:31 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/caro-kann-and-chigorin---openings-players Most chess ratings calculations originate with the ideas of the Hungarian Arpad Elo (not pictured here).  A physics professor in the U.S., Elo devised a basis for calculating ratings based on simple statistical concepts.  His funda...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/elo-to-glicko-your-rating-explainedSun, 11 May 2008 11:59:11 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/elo-to-glicko-your-rating-explainedThis piece is entitled “The Passion of Chess” rather than “The Passion for Chess”, the reason for which I hope will become clear as you read this.  Why do we play chess?  Why do we study it?  Indeed, what is ...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/the-passion-of-chessTue, 06 May 2008 06:35:38 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/the-passion-of-chessBird's Opening is named after the 19th century English accountant and chess master Henry Edward Bird (1830-1908), although Bird did not invent the opening, which has been known since the time of Lucena in the 15th century.  The first know...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/bird-to-bogoSat, 03 May 2008 09:21:22 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/bird-to-bogoFor years I have enjoyed collecting interesting quotations as I encounter them in books, and in the past four years since my chess interest began, that collection began to include epigrams on chess.  There are many famous quotations that othe...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/best-chess-quotes-youve-never-seenSat, 26 Apr 2008 15:56:02 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/best-chess-quotes-youve-never-seenIn Modern Chess Openings, vol 14 (MCO-14) there are 47 major named openings, many of which draw those names from either their creators or their proponents.  This is the first of a series of blogs that will share with you a bit of the history ...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/the-names-behind-the-openings-part-1Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:59:26 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/the-names-behind-the-openings-part-1Since Bobby Fischer won the world title in 1972, many have referred to him as the best chess player who ever lived.  But after Garry Kasparov became the youngest world champion ever at the age of 22, the ‘Best Ever’ designation gr...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/and-the-best-chess-player-ever-isMon, 14 Apr 2008 17:32:53 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/and-the-best-chess-player-ever-isThis blog is inspired by Ambrose Bierce’s 1911 book The Devil’s Dictionary, an example from which is the following.Christian: One who follows the teachings of Christ in so far as they are not inconsistent with a life of sin.For more of...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/the-devils-dictionary-of-chessSat, 29 Mar 2008 22:07:13 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/the-devils-dictionary-of-chessIn 1932 Max and David Fleischer created the first chess cartoon with the Betty Boop classic, “Chess-Nuts”.  In the course of 6 minutes and 20 seconds we witness not only a fanciful chess game but also bowling, football, boxing, up...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/76-years-of-chess-animationMon, 24 Mar 2008 16:06:52 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/76-years-of-chess-animationIt is a startling truth, but there is only one thing that separates you and me from a grandmaster.  The GM can select the best of 5 candidate moves more often than can we.  To the extent that we can close that gap we will inch closer to ...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/review-how-to-choose-a-chess-moveFri, 21 Mar 2008 19:28:10 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/review-how-to-choose-a-chess-moveIn a story that hit the newswires this week, it seems that Leonardo da Vinci may have created some illustrations (one is shown here) for a Latin manuscript of chess puzzles written around 1500 entitled “Of the Game of Chess”.  (Ex...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/puzzleiciousSat, 15 Mar 2008 22:17:59 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/puzzleiciousIf you are like me and have an appreciation of the mental, as well as the martial arts, then you are in luck.   If you have ever been frustrated to the point of anger because your opponent forked you, you are also in luck.  Become a...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chess-boxing2Sat, 08 Mar 2008 22:38:06 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chess-boxing2The 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...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/a-tour-of-the-knights-tourMon, 03 Mar 2008 18:46:06 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/a-tour-of-the-knights-tourHere 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...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chesscom-brillianciesSat, 01 Mar 2008 19:47:31 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chesscom-brilliancies[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...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/reminder-i-need-your-brillianciesThu, 21 Feb 2008 14:55:08 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/reminder-i-need-your-brilliancies 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...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chess-variants2Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:31:07 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/chess-variants2"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...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/send-me-your-brillianciesFri, 15 Feb 2008 09:00:32 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/send-me-your-brilliancies 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.  ...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/fischer-random-chessFri, 08 Feb 2008 16:11:19 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/fischer-random-chessI 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...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/blindfold-chessFri, 01 Feb 2008 19:19:21 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/blindfold-chessIn 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...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/how-your-chess-program-defeats-you-part-2Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:35:03 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/how-your-chess-program-defeats-you-part-2Introduction:  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 ...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/how-your-chess-program-defeats-you-part-1Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:23:04 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/how-your-chess-program-defeats-you-part-1In 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...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/from-odd-to-bizarre-chess-gamesThu, 17 Jan 2008 20:09:04 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/from-odd-to-bizarre-chess-gamesIn a previous blog, I wrote about my favorite chess sites, and today I wanted to share some of the free audio-visual chess resources that I have come across on the web. AudioLet’s begin with a collection of radio interviews that Bobby Fische...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/av-chess-on-the-webSat, 12 Jan 2008 12:41:39 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/av-chess-on-the-webThe unfortunate, but universal truth is that we have all lost games by blundering.  The reason for it is that we are human, mortal and fallible, as the great writers since Sophocles have well documented.  Thus, when we see the games by m...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/even-the-gods-can-blunderSat, 05 Jan 2008 18:13:58 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/even-the-gods-can-blunder [Note added on Jan 15, 2007:  Max Wootton (mxdplay4 here on chess.com) has discovered some errors in my calculations.  We are corresponding on this topic and when all corrections have been determined, a correction will be made...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/think-you-know-algebraic-notationSun, 30 Dec 2007 16:30:35 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/think-you-know-algebraic-notationThe term “Six Sigma” comes from statistical quality control and refers to a quality process so robust that you can manufacture goods with only 3.4 defects per million, which is six standard deviations (sigma) from the average in a &lsq...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/be-a-six-sigma-chess-playerSat, 22 Dec 2007 12:46:44 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/be-a-six-sigma-chess-playerChess is a game of small advantages and large numbers.  For example, according to the U.S. Census Bureau population clock (http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/popclockworld.html) there were 6,637,552,653 people living on the earth on December 14, 2...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/the-longest-possible-chess-gameSat, 15 Dec 2007 14:27:02 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/the-longest-possible-chess-gameEvery beginning chess player who aspires to become better has asked this question.  The author of one introductory openings book that I read suggests that you find an opening that suits your style, and learn that.  But my immediate react...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/which-openings-should-you-learnWed, 12 Dec 2007 15:10:02 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/which-openings-should-you-learnWe play chess because it seduces our intellect, is an analogue to life itself, and represents the ever-elusive quest for mental and emotional elegance.At least that’s why I play chess.  You might just play it because you enjoy beating t...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/top-14-chess-books-for-beginnersnovicesSun, 25 Nov 2007 20:15:04 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/top-14-chess-books-for-beginnersnovicesHere are my Top 20 chess URLs -- with annotations! (in no particular order, so keep reading, some of the best are down below) [OK, OK, there are really 21.  Or is it 10101?  Computer Scientists will understand, in either case.]  0. ...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/top-20-chess-urlsSat, 24 Nov 2007 22:33:02 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/top-20-chess-urls[Note added on Nov 25:  I've already decided that this blog should be more than just what is listed below.  See my subsequent blog entries, which should be of general interest. The inaugural post below will only be relevant for the k...http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/choose-your-move-carefullyFri, 23 Nov 2007 18:46:21 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kurtgodden/choose-your-move-carefully