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We’re Going on a King Hunt

When he took up playing poker seriously Alexander Grischuk was already an elite grandmaster.  He’s convinced that chess skills such as concentration, psychology, logical thinking and endurance helped his poker no end, but he’s less persuaded that poker has helped his chess.  But for his habitual…

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Cracking Move

   L. Szabo – C. Kottnauer Szczawno-Zdroj 1950 White to play 21 Bc8!! Nxc8 22 Qh7 Threatening mate. 22…f6 Moving the Be7 fails to Re1. 23 Bxh6! gxh6 24 Nh4 24…Rd8 25 Re1 Two pieces down, White has an irresistible attack. He threatens 25 Ng6+ Ke8 26 Rxe7+…

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The Final Round

If you’ve missed the US Chess Championships until now there’s still time to catch the final round. Well worth watching not only for the chess but for the engaging commentary team of Jennifer Shahade, Maurice Ashley and Yasser Seirawan. If their observations seem more entertaining…

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Poor Development

Victor Kahn Many games are lost, by amateurs and masters alike, on account of poor development. The main cause is loss of time from either launching a premature attack or capturing pawns in the opening. When the hasty attack has petered out or when a…

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When Vishy Lost in 6

Zapata–Anand Biel, 1988   1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 Nc3 5…Bf5?? 6 Qe2 1-0   Nick Pelling explains Anand’s mishap in his entertaining Chess Superminiatures: ‘While looking through the Informator chess journal, he found a Petroff’s Defence game…

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Keith Arkell Celebrates a Sage of Strategy

  ‘Ulf Andersson’s style  is a remarkable blend of Stahlberg and Petrosian, with a sprinkling of Nimzowitsch thrown in for good measure. Its subtlety must appeal to the connoisseur, and his deep understanding of the game make him a Grandmaster of the highest order.’ Harry…

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Confessions of a British Nightclubber

While looking at a copy of Chess Monthly, I read with interest while Chris Ward revealed how he had been thinking during his penultimate round game with Jonathan Levitt during last year’s British Championships. Having reached a very promising middlegame position Chris started to daydream. I hand you over to the man himself:

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Combo Absurdo

With his sharp eye for the unusual and the bizarre, Tony Miles offered this ‘candidate for the most absurd combination of the year award’.  Bellon–Sosonko Amsterdam 1978 Having been positionally outplayed Bellon now produced the incredible 21 Bxa6!!??? The ‘justification’ lying in the variation 21…Bxa6 22…

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Irish Pawn Centre

Short–Trent Gibraltar Masters 2014 (5) position after 14 cxb4 Commentator Simon Williams described White’s tripled isolated b-pawns as the ‘Irish pawn centre’ but was at a loss to explain where the term originated. As Alex Baburin points out in his article ‘Winning with the Irish…

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