Double fianchetto
In my pantheon of heroes a particular place of honour is occupied by the hypermodern grandmaster Richard Réti, the first…
no. 573
White to play. This position is from Van Foreest-Bortnyk, St Louis 2019. How did White break through on the kingside…
Adopt a hero
I am often asked which players I admire most and which grandmasters, writers and champions exerted the most influence on…
No. 572
White to play. This is from Nguyen-Alekseenko, Khanty-Mansiysk 2019. White’s queen and rook are both attacked. How does he maintain…
Benko’s endgame
The Hungarian/American grandmaster Pal Benko has died at the age of 91. Among his numerous distinguished achievements was his double qualification…
No. 571
White to play. This position is from Benko-Jeney, Budapest 1950. Benko has just sacrificed rook for knight. What is his…
Ding an sich
Ding Liren, the Chinese grandmaster, has scored a career best in the Classical time limit section of the Grand Tour…
no. 570
Black to play. This is from Carlsen-Ding, St Louis 2019. The black pieces are converging on the white king but…
Peace conference
The classical section of the elite Grand Tour event in St Louis, which ended earlier this week, resembled a peace…
no. 569
Black to play. This is from Nepomniachtchi-Anand, St Louis 2019. How did Anand exploit his opponent’s lapse? Answers to me…
No garlands
At St Louis, world champion Magnus Carlsen met with unexpected setbacks in both the rapid and blitz sections. In both…
no. 568
White to play. This is from Aronian-Mamedyarov, St Louis 2019. We are only just out of the opening but White…
Zugger zugged
The German expression zugzwang means ‘compulsion to move’ and is most often seen in the endgame. Consider the following position…
no. 567
White to play. This position is from Alekhine-Nimzowitsch, San Remo 1930. Can you spot the quiet move that puts black…
Adams Avalanche
Mickey Adams won the British Championship, which finished last week in Torquay, for the seventh time. Leading scores (out of…
no. 566
White to play. This position is a variation from Adams-Pigott, Torquay 2019. How can White crash through to gain a…
Game plan
What distinguishes the expert from the amateur in chess is partly tactical fluency, but also the ability to map out long-term…
no. 565
White to play. This position is from Capablanca-Lasker, Havana 1921. Capablanca was another great champion famed for his ability to…
Black Death
There are comparisons to be made between tennis and chess. Player X (aka White) serves. Player Y (Black) responds. The…
no. 564
White to play. This is from Giri-Mamedyarov, Croatia 2019. White is a piece down and needs a dramatic continuation. What…
Tal story
Sixty years ago, the great Mikhail Tal won the Candidates tournament by a massive margin to qualify for a world…
no. 563
White to play. This position is from Tal-Rantanen, Tallinn 1979. This game features a typically brilliant Tal finish. Can you…
Howard Staunton
Staunton was the most successful British player of all time, winning three matches against European masters in the 1840s which…
no. 562
White to play. This is from Wassin-Grigorchuk, Izola 2019. Although the game is only just out of the opening, White…
Tigran, Tigran, burning bright
This year Tigran Petrosian would have celebrated his 90th birthday. The Armenian grandmaster and world champion was noted for the…
