It’s October and cities around the world are embracing the autumn looks, trading in bright colors for shades of burnt orange and crimson red. For me, October also brings the start of a new season of the London League. The London Chess League is an annual team competition, split into divisions on a promotion-demotion system. This is the second year in a row I have participated, and my late evening chess matches have become the Read more…
Nowadays, chess is significantly more played online than over the board. People use various platforms, for example, lichess.org, to have fun playing rapid, blitz, or bullet games. Usually, we are taught how to play chess over the board, but how can we get better at online chess? Here are some of our tips. Practice tactics In blitz or bullet games, where you have to move very quickly, it is very important to spot a tactical Read more…
Wondering what chess books to curl up with on a windy October eve? Take a look at my favorites: 1. Understanding Chess Middlegames by John Nunn When I think back on my evolution as a chess player, “Understanding Chess Middlegames” is the book that I credit for bumping my ELO from 1700 to 2000. GM John Nunn is an established author and his selection of middlegame positions is great for exposing players to various types Read more…
Growing up, I was an absolute bookworm. Besides fantasy and romance books, chess books have also caught my interest. I would like to present to you my favorites. Books 1. My System by GM Aron Nimzowitsch My father showed me this book when I was around the age of 12. It was a chess book that taught me the most and made me move forward in my future chess career. Even though it is a Read more…
During a couple of my streams, many of you asked which chess books or chess movies are the best. I have been playing chess for 11 years now and over that time, I have come across a ton of amazing chess books that helped me improve and understand chess better. I would like to show you my top 3 chess books and top 3 chess movies that I have found enjoyable and helpful. Top chess Read more…
At the end of the holidays, I played my last summer tournament in Portugal, the Maia Chess Open. From the 25th of August to the 2nd of September, a small town named Maia gave home to the event. The tournament format was a nine-round Swiss system with a standard time control. 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 30 seconds increment from move number Read more…
The FIDE World Cup, held in Azerbaijan between 30 Jul – 24 Aug, turned this year into one of the strongest and most unforgiving chess tournaments the public has seen in a while. With over 30 000 viewers on live tournament broadcasts, the cup has rewarded the viewers with many headlines, such as that of Magnus Carlsen almost getting eliminated by Vincent Keymer. 206 players started in the Open section, and 103 players in the Read more…
After the tournament in Budapest, I stayed in Hungary for another event. Just two hours from Budapest, in the city of Ajka, there was the Hungarian Rapid Chess Championship. The tournament was held from the 21st to the 23rd of July. The system was a 13-round Swiss and the time control was 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per each move. As the prize fund was high, €20,500, it lured some of the top world players to Read more…
From the 14th to the 19th of July, I played an Open Hungarian Amateur Chess Championship in Budapest, Hungary. The nine-round Swiss system had 60 minutes plus 30 seconds per each move time control. As it was an amateur championship, only players under the 2300 rating were allowed to play. However, it still ended up being a well-occupied tournament with 153 players, from which 39 players were over 2100 rating and players were from 26 countries! I started as Read more…
From the 30th of July to the 24th of August, the capital city of Azerbaijan is hosting a fierce eliminatory competition, the FIDE World Chess Cup, that sends the top three players into the Candidates Tournament. Both the Women and Men Cups are taking place simultaneously, with the highest-rated players in the sections listed below: Magnus Carlsen’s decision to participate in the Fide World Cup this year has brought a lot of excitement to the Read more…
