Below is my new chess improvement plan after having decided to dust off my chess board after watching the Queen’s Gambit. Focus on tactics, the middlegame, and the endgame No direct opening study, any opening study comes from analyzing my games. Study time is broken down between theory (studying) and practice (solving). Feedback loop consists…
The Bishop and Open Diagonals: In order to obtain its full working force, a Bishop must be provided with open diagonals; here its long-range power can be put to good effect. The following game shows how the opening of an attacking diagonal can lead to an immediate decision.
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…
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 which is composed of 4 volumes, is…
In the diagram White has an outpost on e5, but Ne5 can always be met by …Nxe5 and after recapturing with the pawn, White’s outpost is gone. White needs to bring another piece to bear on e5, so White to move would play 1.Bg5 and follow it up with Bh4 and Bg3. If on…
The Lucena and Philidor positions are the most important positions to know when it comes to rook and pawn endings. Here we will be looking at the Philidor position, which allows Black to draw against an opponent that is up a pawn. It’s important to note that the Philidor position only works if the opponent’s pawn…
Secrets of Zen Chess During my chess break, I ran into a friend of mine who loves chess and who had been in Japan doing a 4 week Seshin at a Japanese Zen Monestary.I asked him if he had time to practice his chess while at the monestary, and he told me that he had…
The diagram shows that White has the center and the d-file. In other respects positions are equal. White with the move will attempt operations on the d-file. This presents difficulties since the protected Black pawn at d6 represents a “granite block”. The key move in this position is 1.Nd5 and the knight placed here we…
The Step Method in Chess is a chess improvement system that takes a player from beginner to a expert level. About the Steps Method in Chess The step-by-step method (or the Steps Method in Chess) has been developed by Rob Brunia and Cor van Wijgerden to teach children a Step-by-Step Chess Method to learn how to…
Day 1 Study endings (1hr) Solve tactics (30min) Day 2 Study strategy (1hr) Solve endings (30min) Day 3 Play long game (1hr) Solve tactics (30min) Day 4 Solve strategy (1hr) Solve tactics (30min) Day 5 Study openings (1hr) Solve endings (30min) Day 6 Play long game (1hr) Solve tactics (30min) Day 7 Off day
