Latest
This is a list of events from the ECC (green) and DCCA (brick) and DJCA (lime) Google Calendars
Recent additions
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We are always admonished that to blunder-proof our chess, we must search for checks, captures and threats on every move, for ourselves and our opponents.
This is not so easy to practice — how do you know when you’ve missed something, except when a gleeful opponent swoops in to take an overlooked loose piece?
The answer is now at hand:
Here are two sets of positions selected at random moments from a selection of master games.
Random positions: https://lichess.org/study/gC1AGen6
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...When it comes to calculation, ... at the end, calculation training consists of three skills, in order:
(1) find the options -- so, find out all the options on the first one and two moves ... it sounds very simple ... simple is not easy -- simple is simple -- ... finding the options, you have to see these things, you will never be perfect but you have to be good at it, and you have to train it -
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Yes, but which one...
I caught a couple of the Devon U18s playing the English Opening in Wales recently, and I was reminded of these two stern admonitions:
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A fine addition to my collection of wonderful annotations (H/T Edward Winter)
Click [...] for list of games
[Event "Bremen System A29"] [Site "?"] [Date "1933.??.??"] [EventDate "?"] [Round "?"] [Result "1-0"] [White "Carl Johan Margot Carls"] [Black "Oscar Antze"] [ECO "A22"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "46"] 1. c4 {Notes from Deutsche Schachzeitung 1933} e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 -
I was recently asked for some book recommendations, and thought easy-peasy, I'll point them to something online. Then I looked at some lists, and thought I'd write my own... Just books, not videos or Chessable courses. Lots of really great books omitted. The ChessDojo list isn't too bad.
Openings
Tactics
Strategy
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Nate Solon has just provoked with a blog on Lichess:
Why Chess Books Don't WorkHe has some point -- I mean, if books made you a better chess player, I should be world champion by now...
But I commented, crossly:
To the extent that Chessable has a theory of learning, it's a very impoverished one.
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The FIDE Elo rating system began in 1971. Elo did a bit of study trying to work the ratings backwards, but the chief scholar in this regard is Jeff Sonas http://chessmetrics.com/cm/. Jeff devised his own rating system, however -- using an 'absentee' penalty for periods of non-playing. This leads to odd-looking results like Lasker's repeated plummets and recoveries here:
