Beware of silly checks

Michel HoetmerLeave a comment


rare_sprongenThe Dutch have a saying ‘Een kat in het nauw maakt rare sprongen’. Roughly translated into English it might be something like ‘a cat in distress jumps in curious ways’. Maybe sometimes your opponent is like that cat in distress. Or it might be even you? 

For sure you have been in situations where you were totally lost, but couldn’t resist to give one last check before resigning the game? Of course! It happened several times to me. Mostly these checks are completely harmless. But sometimes there is a bit more to it.Read More »

The power of the bishop pair

Michel HoetmerLeave a comment

Chess Strategy for Club PlayersA bishop has its limitations. The poor piece covers only one color. Therefore the possession of the bishop pair can be an advantage. Especially in open positions the bishop pair is a nice plus.

In more closed positions the bishop’s actions are hindered by the pawns. So therefore the player who has the bishop pair should strive for opening up the position.

But there is another point to it, often missed by commentators. When you are in sole possesion of the bishop pair clearly your opponent misses one of his bishops. Therefore he might be weak on the squares that are not covered so well anymore.Read More »