This game is from a long gone era. Chess was sort of in its infancy. The combatants were Adolf Schwarz (white) and Louis Paulsen (DSB Kongress / Meiserturnier Leipzig, 1879). Shall we have a look? Who is better in this position? I guess white thought ‘that’s me!’ and went for it with 42. a4. Is this the right approach?
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The online chess learning platform Chessable (part of Chess.com) is seeking undergraduate and graduate students, along with their faculty research sponsors, to apply for the Chessable Research Awards 2024 cycle. Each winning faculty research sponsor gets $500. Each undergraduate student winner gets $500, and each winning graduate student gets $1,000. The deadline for applications is May 15, 2024.
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How would you judge this position, which arose after the 25th move by white in the game between Ponomariov and Bareev (FIDE Wch k.o. Moscow 2001). Question: who is better and can black take the pawn on e5?
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Before you answer the first question, I have another question. Was white’s last move: 19. Qd1 right or wrong? What was the alternative?
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I found this funny puzzle on the Chess Tactics app. It is white to move and win. How?
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This chess puzzle comes from the Chess Tactics Pro app. White to move wins. Scroll for the solution or press the hyperlink…
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This is a fragment from the game between Karl Burger and Pal Benkö (USA 1969). What is the best move for black?
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This position resulted from a Sicilian Dragon. Something went a bit wrong for white. But he didn’t notice it and played 12. Be3?
Why is this a mistake?
Have you ever heard that pawn endgames are not as easy as they often seem? Probably. See for instance this study by Joseph Moravec (1925). What is your first thought when you see this position?
You probably think: it looks great for black. You are right: white has to fight for a draw. The question is can white make a draw?
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