Key squares are squares whose occupation by the King assures victory, regardless of whose turn it is to move. (Dvoretsky) White to move is a draw. It is important to note that a pawn on the 4th rank or below has 3 key squares, whereas a pawn on the 5th rank or higher has six…
Sometimes the definitions for evaluation and calculation are used interchangeably, but they are quite different things, and understanding what they mean is the first step to improving your thinking process during a game. Evaluation: You evaluate a position to determine the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. Based on your evaluation you develop a short…
Symbol Meaning # Mate + Check ++ Double check ! Good move !! Excellent move +/= Slight advantage to White =/- Slight advantage to Black +/- Clear advantage to White -/+ Clear advantage to Black +- Winning advantage to White -+ Winning advantage to Black ∞ Unclear ? Bad move ?? Blunder !? Interesting move…
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I have always been interested in the complex process that Grandmaster candidates need to go through to attain their title, so I figured I post it here in case others were curious as well. The Grandmaster title is awarded by FIDE and the requirements as follows: 1. A player must have an ELO of at…
1. Play less blitz games. 2. Be more willing to consider candidate moves that require a Queen sacrifice. 3. Be more vigilant towards tactical opportunities that involve a pinned piece (a king pin in particular). 4. Go over my games (especially losses). 5. Go over annotated master games (Tal & Alekhine come to mind). 6.…
According to Pachman, the value of the Bishop can usually be assessed by the following rule: The Bishop has good working power if its own pawns are posted on squares of the opposite color, assuming that the pawn formation cannot easily be altered. As a rule, each side will try to place their pawns on…
Anyone have any advice on how to go about training for a tournament? This would be my first tournament and it would be great to get tips on how to go about preparing for it. The tournament is 1 month away and this would be my first experience in tournament play. A couple of questions…
After a few days using the Generic Training Schedule, I have a few minor modifications to adapt it to better fit the needs of the club level chess player. The original ChessOK article was geared towards 2000+ level players who have different needs than beginners. One major difference between experts and amateurs is the importance…
Opening Research : Hyper Accelerated Dragon