no. 476
White to play. This position is from Paul-Jonsson, Isle of Man 2017. How did White make a decisive material gain?…
Bronstein’s legacy
Last week I focused on the games and somewhat tragic career of the ingenious David Bronstein. Before his time the…
no. 475
White to play. This position is from Jobava-Nepomniachtchi, FIDE World Cup, Tbilisi 2017. Can you spot White’s winning coup? Answers…
Study in obsession
Genna Sosonko is a writer and grandmaster who straddles two great chess cultures, Holland and the USSR, his chosen and native…
No. 474
Black to play. This position is from Carlsen-Bu, Fidé World Cup, Tbilisi 2017. Can you spot Black’s winning coup? Answers…
David and the Giants
The overall scores of the exceedingly strong combined rapid and blitz tournaments in St Louis were as follows: 1. Aronian 24½;…
no. 473
Black to play. This is from Kasparov-Navara, St Louis Blitz 2017. White has just given what appears to be a…
Hou dares wins
Hou Yifan, the leading female grandmaster, is beginning to place strain on Judit Polgar’s record as the best woman chess…
no. 472
White to play. This position is a variation from Hari-krishna-Studer, Biel 2017. Can you spot White’s winning thrust? Answers to…
Philidor’s heir
There was a time when France was the dominant power in world chess. When Howard Staunton commenced his remarkable series…
no. 471
White to play. This position is a variation from Vachier-Lagrave–Nepomniachtchi, St Louis 2017. How can White make a decisive material…
Magnum opus
A new book on the ingenious Hungarian master Gyula Breyer ranks, in my opinion, at the very top of chess…
No. 470
White to play. This is from Breyer-Esser, Budapest 1917. White has a multiplicity of tempting options but the best move…
Test of time
Last week I pointed to the fact that games played at accelerated time limits are acquiring an official imprimatur that…
no. 469
White to play. This is from Anand–Caruana, St Louis 2017. Can you spot White’s incredible winning move? Answers to me…
Classical conundrum
The great Mikhail Botvinnik excoriated chess played at fast time limits. Botvinnik believed that classical chess at time limits of,…
no. 468
Black to play. This is a position from Kramnik–Carlsen, Leuven Blitz 2017. How did the world champion win even more…
Psephology
The polls are in for next month’s big event in the USA and Magnus Carlsen has emerged the clear favourite…
Puzzle no. 431
White to play. This position is a variation from Carlsen-Karjakin, Monaco 2011. Although White is a rook up he only…
Life on the edge
The grandmaster Nigel Davies has just written a new book on the Pirc Defence, a variation in which Black sacrifices…
No. 411
Black to play. This is from Cherin-Pedini, Italy 2016. Black has just sacrificed some material as he could foresee a…
Garry’s comeback
To great surprise, the former world champion Garry Kasparov staged a brief comeback when he participated in a blitz tournament…
No. 410
Black to play. This position is from So-Nakamura, Ultimate Blitz Challenge, Saint Louis 2016. How did Black make a key…
Cyrus the Great
I think I hold the world record for the greatest number of chess books written (or co-written) and published. At…
No. 409
White to play. This position is from Dubov-Yandemirov, Russian Team Championship, Sochi 2016. How can White exploit the unfortunate placing…
