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     Recently a friend (Dozy) of mine wrote about the top bloggers on chess.com. His post really got me to thinking about all of the great articles he has written. As a creative writing teacher he is far more qualified than I and...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/making-chess-interestingFri, 18 Jul 2008 17:50:09 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/making-chess-interesting  Academic activities 1894-1918 Despite his superb playing results, chess was not Lasker's only interest. His parents recognized his intellectual talents, especially for mathematics, and sent the adolescent Emanuel to study in Berlin (wher...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker---life-outside-of-chessFri, 18 Jul 2008 11:57:06 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker---life-outside-of-chess  Chess 1894-1918 Lasker then challenged reigning World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz to a match for the title. Initially Lasker wanted to play for US $5,000 a side and a match was agreed at stakes of $3,000 a side, but Steinitz agreed to a serie...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker-becomes-world-championTue, 15 Jul 2008 10:03:32 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker-becomes-world-champion  Early years Emanuel Lasker was born at Berlinchen in Brandenburg (now Barlinek in Poland), the son of a Jewish cantor. At the age of 11 he was sent to Berlin to study mathematics, where he lived with his brother Berthold, eight years his s...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/emanuel-lasker---early-yearsFri, 11 Jul 2008 09:53:44 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/emanuel-lasker---early-years  I recently purchased Lasker's Manual of Chess by Emanuel Lasker. It has since made me interested in the man here is some research I copied from wikepedia.   Emanuel Lasker (December 24, 1868 – January 11, 1941) was a German c...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/emanuel-lasker-introThu, 10 Jul 2008 14:31:27 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/emanuel-lasker-intro  Ok, I admit I put Morphy in the title to garner attention, But John Owen did play and beat Paul Morphy. Morphy is one of my favorite chess players for many reasons but while studying Morphy I find that you meet a lot of other very interesti...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/john-owen---an-adversary-of-morphyWed, 02 Jul 2008 09:05:13 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/john-owen---an-adversary-of-morphy  Assessment Playing strength and styleAnderssen was the king of European tournaments from 1851 to early 1878, taking first prize in over half of the events in which he played. His only recorded tournament failures were a 1-game-per-round kno...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen---assesment-conclusionMon, 23 Jun 2008 06:30:09 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen---assesment-conclusion 1866-1879 By this time tournaments were becoming more frequent, and the general adoption of the round-robin format meant that the occasional lost game was not such a disaster. Anderssen took advantage of these developments to compile a very succe...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen---later-years-part-8Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:01:37 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen---later-years-part-8 Steinitz match, 1866 In 1866 Anderssen lost a close match with 30-year-old Wilhelm Steinitz (6 wins, 8 losses, no draws; level at 6-6, then Steinitz won the last 2 games)[28] Although Steinitz is now known for inventing the positional approach to...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen-vs-wilhelm-steinitz-part-7Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:54:54 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen-vs-wilhelm-steinitz-part-7  Post Morphy - London 1862 Three years after being defeated by Morphy, Anderssen won the London 1862 International tournament, the first international round-robin event (in which each participant plays a game against each of the others) with...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen---post-morphy-part-6Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:37:43 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen---post-morphy-part-6  Other games 1851-1862 Opportunies for tournament play remained rare, and Anderssen was reluctant to travel far because of the expense. His one recorded tournament between 1851 and 1862 was at Manchester in 1857, and had an unfortunate outco...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssenThu, 19 Jun 2008 08:47:10 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen  Morphy match, 1858 For the next few years Anderssen was considered by many people to be the world's best player, but as he needed to earn a living, he had to return to his teaching profession after the competition. Then in late 1858 he ...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/anderssen-vs-morphy-part-4Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:16:12 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/anderssen-vs-morphy-part-4 London 1851 In 1848 Anderssen drew a match with the professional player Daniel Harrwitz. On the basis of this match and his general chess reputation, he received an invitation to represent German chess at the 1851 London International Tournament...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen---london-1851-part-3Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:25:56 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen---london-1851-part-3  Background and early life Anderssen was born in Breslau (WrocÅ�aw), in the Prussian Province of Silesia, in 1818. He lived in the city of his birth for most of his life, never married, living with and supporting his widowed mother a...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen-part-2Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:35:26 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/adolf-anderssen-part-2  The German chess master Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen (July 6, 1818 - March 13, 1879) is generally considered to have been the leading chess player in the world from 1851-1858 and 1861-1866. He was "dethroned" temporarily in 1858 by ...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/introducing-karl-ernst-adolf-andersonMon, 16 Jun 2008 08:14:08 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/introducing-karl-ernst-adolf-anderson  I know that for one to grow better at chess we must put forth the effort to study it or as a friend recently said, "Chess is 99% perspiration 1% inspiration meaning you get what you put into it." At this stage in life, I am now a ...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/how-do-balance-chess-and-lifeFri, 06 Jun 2008 06:21:55 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/how-do-balance-chess-and-life  The Emanuel Lasker Affair Lasker's Version, Part Four   From: Emanuel Lasker To: Various Newspapers and Organizations Date: April or May [?], 1927 [Continued from Part Three]   Upon my return from Norway, on March 23rd, I rece...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker-letter-part-4Thu, 15 May 2008 05:45:18 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker-letter-part-4  After posting "Morphy Chess Clubs - Where Are They Now?" on my blog (http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/morphy-chess-clubs---where-are-they-now)I asked an acquaintance (batgirl) if she new anything about this letter as well as if sh...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/morphy-chess-clubsWed, 14 May 2008 16:46:29 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/morphy-chess-clubs  The Emanuel Lasker Affair Lasker's Version, Part Three   From: Emanuel Lasker To: Various Newspapers and Organizations Date: April or May [?], 1927 [Continued from Part 2]   As to the division of an expected surplus each of th...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker-letterMon, 12 May 2008 14:20:16 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker-letterThe Emanuel Lasker Affair Lasker's Version, Part Two From: Emanuel Lasker To: Various Newspapers and Organizations Date: April or May [?], 1927 The Late New York Chess Tourney Dispute [Continued from Part 1] Some time ago the Telegraaf sent me...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker-letter-ny-tournament-1927-part-2Mon, 12 May 2008 13:06:24 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker-letter-ny-tournament-1927-part-2  In an article published in the first number of the American ChessJournal, the legendary tournament held at New York in 1927 was examined in depth. One of the issues discussed was the failure of the only ex-World Champion of the time, Emanue...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker-letter-addresses-1927-new-york-tournament-issuesMon, 12 May 2008 12:45:34 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/lasker-letter-addresses-1927-new-york-tournament-issues  Another Interesting letter by Capablanca...   At the end of 1927, the chess world had a new champion. Alexander Alekhine had defeated Jose Raul Capablanca at Buenos Aires. A few months later, Capa sent the following letter to the presi...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/capablanca-letter-to-1st-fide-presidentWed, 07 May 2008 13:25:12 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/capablanca-letter-to-1st-fide-president  José Capablanca Letter May 18, 1923 Norbert Lederer was one of the great chess organizers in the United States in the 1920s. Among tournaments that he organized were the legendary New York 1924 and 1927 tournaments. In the spring of ...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/interesting-capablanca-letterWed, 07 May 2008 13:08:16 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/interesting-capablanca-letter  Letter to Fiske discussing Morphy's abandoning chess...    From: Paul Morphy To: Daniel Fiske Date: February 4,1863My dear FiskePray, do not be too prompt in condemning the tardiness of myreply, for in this case at least,...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/morphy-letter---abandoning-chessWed, 07 May 2008 13:03:29 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/morphy-letter---abandoning-chess  Again, just forwarding things of interest...   In March 1858, Paul Morphy wrote a letter to his friend DanielFiske in which he referred to a possible match with Staunton. Theoriginal letter had been part of the Russell Collection, but ...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/morphy-chess-clubs---where-are-they-nowWed, 07 May 2008 12:57:48 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/morphy-chess-clubs---where-are-they-now  I found this review to be interesting especially if you are looking for a book or books on Morphy. - QTS   "The Genius of Paul Morphy" by Chris Ward   "The Genius of Paul Morphy" by Chris Ward, 1997 Cadogan Boo...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/book-review---the-genius-of-paul-morphy-by-chris-wardWed, 07 May 2008 12:51:00 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/book-review---the-genius-of-paul-morphy-by-chris-ward  Found something interesting that I thought I would share... Morphy's NY Ledger Column Edited by Hanon W. Russell Many chessplayers are unaware that Paul Morphy wrote a chess column. From August 6, 1859 until August 4, 1860, Morphy &quot...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-writer-ny-ledgerTue, 06 May 2008 14:38:08 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-writer-ny-ledgerChess Humidor set with Drawer  An elegant option for cigar storage, this chess humidor evokes classic, Old World charm. Beautifully constructed of Spanish cedar, rosewood and maple, it's finished with a high-gloss lacquer. This multi-func...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/chess-and-cigars-the-best-of-both-worldsThu, 01 May 2008 13:34:27 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/chess-and-cigars-the-best-of-both-worlds  Capablanca's Intellectual input include a variant game of chess and multiple writings.   Capablanca "invents" Capablanca chess Capablanca predicted that chess could face major problems if the various top players chose to ...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-capablanca---chess-history-part-9-intellectual-inputThu, 01 May 2008 06:38:22 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-capablanca---chess-history-part-9-intellectual-input  Assessment: In his entire chess career, Capablanca suffered fewer than 40 losses in serious games. He was undefeated for over eight years of active, world-class competition, from February 10, 1916, when he lost from a superior position agai...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---chess-history-part-8-overview-of-casablanca-and-chessWed, 30 Apr 2008 11:22:27 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---chess-history-part-8-overview-of-casablanca-and-chess  "It once was considered immoral to take a person’s property for the benefit of others by threatening the use of force, but now inequality is advanced as a greater evil than theft" (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction,...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/imminent-domainTue, 29 Apr 2008 05:58:31 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/imminent-domain  Morphy's chess play Today many amateurs think of Morphy as a dazzling combinative player, who excelled in sacrificing his Queen and checkmating his opponent a few brilliant moves later. One reason for this impression is that chess books...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part--summary-of-style-and-playFri, 25 Apr 2008 09:20:48 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part--summary-of-style-and-play  "Morphy and Capablanca had enormous talent, Steinitz was very great too. Alekhine was great, but I am not a big fan of his. Maybe it’s just my taste. I’ve studied his games a lot, but I much prefer Capablanca and Morphy. Al...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/bobby-fischer-on-casablanca-and-morphyThu, 24 Apr 2008 11:19:10 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/bobby-fischer-on-casablanca-and-morphy  Withdrawal, then resumption Then he withdrew from serious chess, and played only less serious games at the Manhattan Chess Club and simultaneous displays. Reuben Fine recalls that in this period he (Fine) could fight on almost level terms w...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---chess-history-part-8-last-years-of-a-wcThu, 24 Apr 2008 11:15:56 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---chess-history-part-8-last-years-of-a-wc  Post-championship After Capablanca lost the title, he won a number of strong tournaments, hoping that his showing would force Alekhine to grant him a rematch, but it was not to be. Capablanca won at Stockholm 1928 with 4/4, ahead of Erik Lu...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---chess-history-part-6-post-championshipWed, 23 Apr 2008 08:14:57 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---chess-history-part-6-post-championship  Morphy abandons chess Having vanquished virtually all serious opposition, Morphy reportedly declared that he would play no more matches without giving odds of pawn and move.[5] After returning home he declared himself retired from the game ...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part-5-chess-abandoned--death-of-a-wcWed, 23 Apr 2008 06:27:59 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part-5-chess-abandoned--death-of-a-wc  Losing the title Capablanca had overwhelming success at New York 1927, a quadruple-round robin with six of the world's top players. He was undefeated, with 14/20, and 2½ points ahead of the second-placed Alexander Alekhine. This ...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---chess-history-part-5-losing-the-titleTue, 22 Apr 2008 11:50:01 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---chess-history-part-5-losing-the-title  Morphy is hailed as World Champion Still only twenty-one, Morphy was now quite famous. While in Paris, he was sitting in his hotel room one evening, chatting with his companion Frederick Edge, when they had an unexpected visitor. "I am...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part-4-world-championTue, 22 Apr 2008 11:47:01 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part-4-world-champion  Morphy goes to Europe   Morphy vs. Lowenthal, 1858Soon after returning to New Orleans he was invited to attend an international chess tournament to be held in Birmingham, England in the summer of 1858. Still too young to start his law ...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part-3-europeTue, 22 Apr 2008 09:41:38 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part-3-europe  Schooling and the First American Chess Congress After 1850, Morphy did not play much chess for a long time. Studying diligently, he graduated from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, in 1854. He then stayed on an extra year, studying ma...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part-2-champion-of-the-first-american-chess-congressWed, 16 Apr 2008 11:54:55 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part-2-champion-of-the-first-american-chess-congress  In 1919, Capablanca overwhelmed the strong Serbian Kostic in a match at Havana with five straight wins, whereupon Kostic resigned the match. Capablanca later wrote in 1927 that he had played the best chess of his life in this match. Capabla...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---history-part-4-world-championWed, 16 Apr 2008 04:56:53 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---history-part-4-world-champion  Wartime years World War I began in midsummer 1914, and international chess was virtually stopped for more than four years. Capablanca spent the war years mainly in the United States, and played several events, winning all of them, but these...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---history-part-3-defeat-of-the-ruy-lopez---marshall-variationTue, 15 Apr 2008 12:10:02 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---history-part-3-defeat-of-the-ruy-lopez---marshall-variation   World title contender In 1911, Capablanca challenged Emanuel Lasker for the world championship. Lasker accepted his challenge but proposed seventeen conditions for the match. Capablanca disapproved of some of the conditions and the ma...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---history-part-2-world-title-contenderTue, 15 Apr 2008 11:53:03 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---history-part-2-world-title-contender  Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837 - July 10, 1884), "The Pride and Sorrow of Chess," was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and an unofficial World Chess Champion.[1] He w...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part-1Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:50:53 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/paul-morphy---chess-history-part-1  In 1909, at the age of 20, Capablanca won a match against US champion Frank Marshall by +8-1=14. This was a comparable margin to Marshall's World Championship loss (+8-0=7) to Emanuel Lasker in 1907. Capablanca won the New York State Ch...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---history-part-2Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:45:09 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---history-part-2  José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (November 19, 1888 – March 8, 1942) was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. He is often referred to as a candidate for the greatest chess player of all tim...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---history-part-1Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:46:15 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/jose-casablanca---history-part-1Standard handicap system: The following system was used by chess players in 18th and 19th centuries when playing for money stakes (in increasing handicap level; the stronger player gets white unless otherwise indicated): Move: Weaker player gets w...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/chess-handicapFri, 11 Apr 2008 07:29:54 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/chess-handicap  The first international chess tournament was the London Tourney of 1851, won by Adolf Anderssen of Germany, who then became known UNOFFICIALLY as the world's best chess player, though he did not receive any award or title.   T...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/best-chess-playersFri, 11 Apr 2008 07:20:54 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/best-chess-playersThe game of chess is thought to have originated in what is now northern India or Afganistan sometime before 6OO AD: the oldest written references to chess date from then, but there are unverified claims that chess existed as early as 100 AD. The K...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/chess-history---originationFri, 11 Apr 2008 07:10:43 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/chess-history---originationDeep Blue is actually the technical descendant of an earlier supercomputer, called Deep Thought—named in honor of a famously fictional computer that also needed help from humans. WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE DEEP THOUGHT NAME FOR THE EARLY CHES...http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/deep-blue-and-deep-thoughtWed, 12 Mar 2008 09:49:34 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/deep-blue-and-deep-thoughtEarlier blog that I have turned into a way to save my games and evaluate them - not really for the public benefit but if you want to see some really crappy games then go ahead http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/blog-this2Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:56:47 -0700http://blog.chess.com/qtsii/blog-this2