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Knights to Remember

Pre-tournament favourite Michael Adams went on to win the 2018 British Chess Championship but not without having to endure a nervy play-off against Luke McShane. The two Rapidplay play-off games ended 1-1 but Adams triumphed 2-0 in the subsequent Blitz encounters....

The 2018 British Chess Championships

The 2018 British Chess Championships start today. The venue is the Hull City Hall and the action will continue all the way through until Sunday 5 August. The full schedule, for all of the sections, can be found here. Of the many sections, the main focus of attention...

Balance of Power

World Champion Magnus Carlsen is currently playing in the Biel Grandmaster Tournament, which will serve as one of his last opportunities to play before he attempts to defend his crown in November's title match against Fabiano Caruana. Carlsen is already in sole first...

Your Move! Solutions

Last time I left you with four positions from top-level chess and invited you try and find the best moves. Now is the time to see if your answers matched those of the world's top players. Anand - Kramnik Anand played 1 Qd2+, forking Black's king and rook. Anand -...

Tips for the Gigafinal

With the Gigafinals approaching fast this weekend I thought it would be useful to post some pointers for players - especially players for whom this is their first Gigafinal. This post contains some general advice about the day and also some chess advice. Though some...

Your Move!

Most of the world's best chess players are currently competing in the Paris Grand Chess Tour. Imagine you can step up to their tables and play for them at critical moments. Would your tactical ability be up to the mark? Can you find the winning moves in the following...

False Economy

Once children discover how to play for the four-move checkmate they rarely want to do anything else in their games. We all know the moves; they spread like wildfire through our junior tournaments. There are slight variations, but typically the games begin like this. 1...

A Sudden End

Some games of chess end suddenly and with an unexpected result. Vidit - Gelfand Karpov Poikovsky Tournament, 2018 This position looks very good for White and one would expect him to go on to win, thanks to his material advantage very active pieces. Indeed, the black...

Endgame Danger

World Champion Magnus Carlsen has won many games thanks to his legendary endgame technique, enabling him to steer a very slim path to victory even at the very highest level. Indeed, a forthcoming book (due out in July) called Endgame Virtuoso Magnus Carlsen will deal...