The Skittles Room

In 1927, Mikhail Botvinnik embarked on a chessic voyage that would take him to the World Championship. Here he outlines the beginnings of the method that served him so well. [Reprinted from Inside Chess, Volume 7, Issue 2, February 7, 1994.] The Origin of my Preparation Method (1927-33) by GM Mikhail Botvinnik My method of preparation for tournament competition was not made in the quiet of my own study, but rather was developed in the fire of tournament struggle itself. I was forced to travel the long road of error before my method was fully realized. At the time I was an ordinary chess fighter. I knew some opening theory, had studied middlegame and endgame theory and was familiar with … [Read more...]

Former world chess champion Boris Spassky passed away on Thursday, February 27, in Moscow at age eighty-eight. We present an article from our Skittles Room archives from 2000. A Conversation with a Legend by Gabriel Velasco Former world chess champion Boris Spassky, now a French citizen, recently spent a few days in Mexico City, where he was invited to attend a massive simultaneous display of nearly 12,000 boards, run by 500 local first-category and master-level players, in downtown Mexico City on the morning of Sunday October 22nd. The following day, Spassky and his companions (the well−known author Alexander Roshal and his wife, as well as Spassky’s son) dropped casually into a coffee sh … [Read more...]

Blue Belt Chess Curriculum, Chapter One Can read and write algebraic notation We will reiterate and expand on the lesson on chess notation from the White Belt Curriculum. Knowing the letter designation for each chess piece and knowing the name of each square allows us to map the coordinates and follow the progression of any chess game from start to finish. To write down the moves in a chess game this way is called taking notation. Nearly all the countries in the world understand a system of notation called algebraic. In algebraic notation each square of the chessboard is designated by the rank and file on which it stands. The columns that run from top to bottom of the chessboard … [Read more...]

US Chess reported that IM Jeremy Silman died September 21, 2023 after a long illness. In remembrance, we present the following player profile from the June 15, 1988 edition of Inside Chess Magazine Vol. 1, Issue 12. Player Profile: IM Jeremy Silman by Paul Eggers Here's author Dorothy Parker on writing: "No one likes doing it, but everyone likes having done it." Here's Jeremy Silman on chess: "I love it. When one tournament's done, I'm ready for the next one." So much for Dorothy Parker. And so much for those would write off the 34-year-old IM-elect and author of 14 chess books as a past-his-prime scribbler. For Jeremy Silman is more than the Fred Reinfeld of the '80s. After a … [Read more...]

The puzzles presented in Chess Puzzles for Students, Volume 1 are designed to sharpen your tactical acuity and enhance your visualization skills. In each puzzle you are shown the position just before the tactic occurs and then asked to visualize the winning sequence; thereby emulating a real game scenario. We intersperse these puzzles with endgame studies and chess problems to explore the broad spectrum of chess creativity. We recommend using these puzzles in conjunction with the ChessEdu.org curriculum. Each single puzzle can be a classroom lesson for problem solving. If you are working on your own, try solving some puzzles by setting the position on a chessboard and thinking for as … [Read more...]

Lost and Found by Gary Lane The latest twist in the Vienna. On the Internet chess sites, gambits are all the rage to put people off when playing blitz. Martin Smith, England e-mailed to comment "I faced the Vienna and my opponent played a frail move in the opening 5 d3 but when I pounced it was a disaster. What should I do in the next game?" I think the Vienna (1 e4 e5 2 Nc3) is one of those openings in need of a revival. It has been played by so many elite players such as Michael Adams, Nigel Short, and Boris Spassky. If you look on Youtube there is even a video clip of Magnus Carlsen playing a fun blitz game against his manager Espen Agdestein with the Vienna so I suspect the … [Read more...]

This month we present a lightly edited excerpt from Chess Evolution Newsletter #125. CEWN is released every Friday of the week, the newsletter contains twenty-plus pages of great chess material written by top grandmasters Arkadij Naiditsch and Csaba Balogh. by Arkadij Naiditsch Hou, Yifan (2629) – Giri, Anish (2750) Hans Suri Mem 2014 Biel SUI (1.3), 14.07.2014 Sicilian Defense [B51] In the history of chess, only one woman has played on the highest level and this is Judit Polgar. At her best she even managed to enter the Top Ten. Hou Yifan, the current Women's World Champion and clearly the strongest female player after Polgar seems to do fine against men as well. Yifan is very c … [Read more...]

We are pleased to present an excerpt of the upcoming Quarterly for Chess History, Volume 6, No. 21. For ordering and subscription information, or to receive their newsletter, visit the Moravian Chess Publishing House website. EMANUEL LASKER LASKER041 Lasker in University Chess Club, New York, 21 May 1924 After a surprising victory at the New York International Chess Masters Tournament in 1924, Emanuel Lasker gave a total of four simultaneous exhibitions in New York (University Chess Club, the Brooklyn Jewish Centre and at the New York Athletic Club – the final two simuls are missing from Whyld’s list of Lasker’s simultaneous displays) and Boston. Today we will look at his simuls played … [Read more...]

We are pleased to announce the availability of the ChessEdu.org Step by Step: Mate Workbook 1. Step by Step: Mate is designed to improve your checkmate pattern and visualization skills. The premise is simple, try to solve the mate in three position in the first diagram. If you are unable to solve for mate in three, refer to the following diagrams in which you can solve Step-by-Step for mate-in-one, mate-in-two, and then mate-in-three. You can also utilize the puzzles as exercises or lessons in a classroom setting in conjunction with the ChessEdu.org curriculum. Spaces are provided for answers to be written. The answers are given at the end of the book, along with the complete game … [Read more...]

To commemorate the life of Pal Benko, July 15, 1928 – August 25, 2019, we present an article from Inside Chess August 10, 1988 Volume 1, Issue 16. GM BENKO ON ENDGAME COMPOSITION GM Pal Benko reveals the arcane world of the endgame composer. Composing an Artistic Endgame by GM Pal Benko Most tournament players, especially those from the US, look upon chess problemists as E.T.-like aliens. However, these same players are often interested in artistic endgames as are chess problemists. For both the endgame problemist and the practical player share the desire to unearth hidden possibilities, surprising ideas, and game-like positions. Unfortunately, practical players are often u … [Read more...]