Exeter Chess Club

Well, ouch! We lost four-nil, but I hope you thought that, however big and strong they were, they weren’t that much better than us, and they didn’t do anything very special to beat us. (Is that a good thing?)  But I was very pleased and proud with how well you played, how well you fought, and how well you concentrated.  It wouldn't have needed much luck for us to come away with 2-2.  They're just tall, that's all...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di1-bB1w4wM

A course in chess tactics: [PDF] [PGN]

Tactical ideas illustrated with short games in the Italian Game and related openings.

A First Chess Opening Repertoire: [PDF] [PGN to follow]

Some suggestions to get you through your first chess games.

There are three main ways you can try to attack against the Two Knights' Defence.

(A) 4.Ng5 is the most obvious, but I don't recommend it.  White can win a pawn, but if Black knows the book moves, you will have to defend against very active Black pieces.

e.g. 4.Ng5 d5! 5.exd5 b5!? 6.Bxb5 Qxd5

4.d4 is the move I recommend.

(B) There is a fun line which Black can equalise against but it's White who is attacking: Max Lange Knight Variation

Ish has been kind enough to give me his copy of Igor Khmelnizky's Chess Exam and Training Guide.  You remember me banging on a couple of years ago about knowing your chess profile, having an idea of what your strengths and weaknesses are?  Well, this book does what I was telling you to do: it gives you a rating for a set of diverse features.  So, if your study of your own games gives you no clues, or you'd like a second opinion, I think you can't do better than this book.

"Sight is what you see with your eyes, Vision is what you see with your mind." http://lessons.chessvision. net/

There is a gap between what is under your nose and what you actually notice. It's the gap between what is obvious once your opponent lands a punch and what you did failed to see beforehand...