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GTC Lesson 1: Basic Combinatio...

The following is the first lesson from General Treatise on Chess by Roberto Grau (from now on referred to as GTC). Material Vs. Time Piece value is based on what the pieces are doing and not because the piece is on the board. The following example shows how an...

General Treatise on Chess

Recently a Spanish language set of four chess books by the name of el Tratado General de Ajedrez  by Argentinian Chess Master Roberto Grau was recommended to me. The book has been called the Bible of Latin American Chess, and it is highly regarded among Latin...

12 Endgame Principles

1. The King is a fighting piece and it should be centralized and used actively. 2. Material advantage wins in the endgame. Hold on to your material!   3. Be wary of sacrificing pawns for development. Only in rook and pawn endgames is an active piece worth...

A Matter of Technique

When reviewing master games, the expert annotator usually does not cover the last few moves of the game and attributes the remaining moves to “The rest is a matter of technique.” Well, I came across the following explanation by Mednis in his excellent...

Chess Study Books

I have an extensive chess library, and one of the main problems that I have, is that I move from book to book never finishing any I ever start. So I have decided that I will stick to the following books which are in the 1500-1600 USCF range, and I will not read any...

Chess Game Review Checklist

One of the best ways of improving your game, is to review your games afterwards. You can then use your game as a springboard to additional learning by identifying your weaknesses and any concepts that you might not know. One of the problems I have encountered, is that...

Chess Book Reviews

Chess book reviews and more at http://www.chessbookreview.net.
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  • chessbuzz: I tried it through the TASC CD. Yes, it was helpful....
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recent from Improvement The Road to Chess Improvement in 10 Steps
The Road to Chess Improvement in 10 Steps 1. Eliminate blunders. 2. Become proficient at finding offensive and defensive tactics. 3. Stop playing “hope chess”. Analyze at least 4 ply deep, and make sure that your move improves your position and does not lead to #1 & 2 above. 4. Be aware of your opponents tactical and positional...
recent from Training Chess Study Books
I have an extensive chess library, and one of the main problems that I have, is that I move from book to book never finishing any I ever start. So I have decided that I will stick to the following books which are in the 1500-1600 USCF range, and I will not read any that are not on this list. The following...
recent from Lessons GTC Lesson 1: Basic Combinational Themes Material Vs. Time
The following is the first lesson from General Treatise on Chess by Roberto Grau (from now on referred to as GTC). Material Vs. Time Piece value is based on what the pieces are doing and not because the piece is on the board. The following example shows how an advantage in time can be superior to a material...
recent from Books General Treatise on Chess
General Treatise on Chess Recently a Spanish language set of four chess books by the name of el Tratado General de Ajedrez  by Argentinian Chess Master Roberto Grau was recommended to me. The book has been called the Bible of Latin American Chess, and it is highly regarded among Latin American chess players. Grau’s work...